The Glory of Africa Part 5
Once again, it's on. I envisioned writing about my people before the year 2000. Back in the 1990’s, I started to understand my glorious black cultural identity. My parents had books on black culture stretching back in the 1970’s. I am truly appreciative and happy about describing the wonderful legacy of my own people. Looking at 2012 and beyond has opened my eyes about new issues plus future horizons. The essence of the beauty of Africa is found in that great continent’s people, wildfire, its environment, and its glorious history. In real life, I know brothers and sisters from the States who went into Africa and they had an excellent time over there. Hopefully before I meet up with the ancestors & God, I will have chance to visit Africa. With all of the occurrences in the Universe, it’s time for us to be active in executing real solutions directly for our people. We live in profoundly interesting age that deals with economic, technological, and social issues. We are in a new phrase of the human rights movement. The world is ever complex with its cellphones, I-Pads, smartphones, and other computerized devices, but the GLORY OF AFRICA is never diminished. Africa is the black people's sovereign land. I am blessed to be black. I am black and I am beautiful . Far too often, society omits the real significance of Black African history. On the other hand, in this prose, real history will never be obfuscated here. Our people made momentous accomplishments from music to engineering. The great, inspiring characteristics that form the totality of human history is lacking without our DNA. We were involved in the cultural & political developments of ancient Egypt. Nubian Kings and Nubian beautiful Queens are forever etched in our historical timeline. We were here in forming the universities of Timbuktu centuries ago and in the vital social movements of the globe (then and now). We were here when a great man talked about a dream that he had among the crowds of thousands of fellow human beings. We were here when another great man said that I will never be nonviolent toward people who are violent with us. We were here praising the great Creator and respecting the feminine image in the world too. Now, we are still here and we exist as engineers, scholars, inventors, athletes, orators, scientists, lawyers, teachers, musicians, plumbers, architects, and other leaders from Lagos, Nigeria to Seattle, Washington. Loving our being and moving concretely forward are excellent executions to adhere to faithfully. Not only that, we should assist humanity. This can allow our ancestors to be happy and our spirits joyful. Therefore, this engaging prose includes the following: a wide multiplicity of information, quotes, sources, history, studies, and a lot of insight that relate to our modern world. I wrote this work specifically for individuals that have an interest in Africa and my own black people. I definitely wrote this information for all of the black brothers and the black sisters of the world. Also, I wrote these words for the entire human race in order for all of humanity to witness honest, intrepid truths on the strength of Africa in general. SO, I WILL ALWAYS MENTION FACTS ABOUT SUCCESSFUL BLACK PEOPLE THEN AND NOW WHO BECAME SUCCESSFUL BY THEIR OWN MERIT AND THEIR OWN POWER (OR BLACK PEOPLE DOING FOR SELF AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD).
There are many heroes of black Afrikan peoples. Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Charles Drew, Philip Ameagwali, Kwame Ture, Connie Matthews, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Professor John G. Jackson, Dr. Umar Johnson, Joel A. Rogers, Ida B. Wells, and there are others are great black heroes. These people desire a keen goal of improvement among the black race in general. One such hero was especially John Henrik Clarke. He lived from January 1, 1915 to July 16, 1998. He came from Union Springs, Alabama. His parents were sharecroppers. My ancestors worked in the crops and the fields of Southampton, County, Virgina. His family moved into Columbus, Georgia. By 18, he traveled to Harlem. He loved to learn about Afrikan History . He was included in the Harlem History club. Dr. Clarke visited the famous historian Arturo or Arthur Schomberg. The other members of the Harlem History Club include luminaries like Hubert Henry Harrison, William Leo Hansberry, Willis Huggins, Charles Seiffert and John G. Jackson, who among others, would serve as jegna's and guides to the budding autodidact. Dr. Clarke never completed high school or college, but he could understand a wide spectrum of information in a very cogent fashion. Dr. Clarke worked in professorships of history at Hunter College, and at Cornell University inside of New York City . He gave speeches, articles, books, articles, etc. to black people all over the world. He is a great storyteller that can tie information in an understandable fashion. Sometimes, skilled musicians would be active during his lectures. Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana's first post-colonial President), Omowale or Macolm X (Omowale is a Yoruba word that means "...(“the son who has returned..."), and others worked with him. These individuals used his great depth of knowledge. That is why Dr. Clarke talked about the lessons he gave to Malcolm X all of the time. Some of his books were entitled, "My Life in Search of Africa", "Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust" ,"Africans at the Crossroad: Notes on an African World Revolution”, “Marcus Garvey and the Vision of Africa" , and "Rebellion in Rhyme the Early Poetry of John Henrik Clarke." His life and worked are documented in the film John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk," by Wesley Snipes, and in the book, "Dr. John Henrik Clarke: His Life, His Words, His Works" by Anna Swanston, who for years was his personal secretary. He was a great inspiration for all of us. I read some of Dr. Clarke's literature before too. He was one key figure (out of many people) that brought the beautiful history of Mother Africa to the whole entire world. We come from women and without women; we wouldn't exist in the Universe. So, Dr. Clarke told us before he met up with the ancestors in spirit that we should always respect women. Another great lesson from him is that black people should further grow institutions that deal with technology, traveling companies, airplanes, and the whole nine yards (along with sharing our wealth to help poor black people. For a civilization is not truly civilized unless a civilization takes care of the poor, the crippled, the elderly, and the outcasts). One great Sister named Drusilla Dunjee Houston wrote great works in describing Black African history too. I heard of Sister Drusilla Dunjee Houston for years. I am still growing and evolving on issues. There was a time in my life when I wasn’t militant as I am today. Today, I thank God, family, friends, and the ancestors for waking me up. The modules of truth are great for me to adhere to and coordinating my mind to love mercy is in my heart.
Men are women are one in the human family. If we want solutions, then we should advocate communication & healing among both genders, fights against crime, advance real education promoted in our communities, develop the growth of businesses, and execute better health & fitness for our people. We have to allow a man to be a man, and allow a woman to be a woman. In some reality television shows, the men in some cases are acting extremely submissive & anti-intellectual. The attempt to emasculate the black man and the degradation of the black woman are real goals of white supremacy. As the late Shirley Chisholm said: “…In the end anti-black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing: anti-humanism.” Males and females have to be themselves unashamedly. In the final analysis, we can't fake the funk. We have to express our authentic raison d'etre. Just because a human being lived in a certain environment, doesn't mean that person will remain in the same fashion or the same social disposition. People can change. Historically, men & women with certain social weaknesses have transformed their weakness into strengths. Both males and females (black women were Queens in Africa and treated with huge respect, which refutes the old lie that female leadership is somehow emasculating to a real man) ought to be treated with dignity and respect.
It is our duty as black people to oppose these anti-female including anti-male aims at every turn. All of us have that responsibility to oppose prejudice and bigotry against women, against people of every color, and against all human beings of every background ( without exception ). If we want true liberation, we have to advocate equal rights for everyone. If we don’t, then we aren’t true revolutionaries. It’s just that simple. We know that real black men and real women are strong, they exist today, and BLACK POWER IS AN ANTIODE to white supremacist dominated mainstream media. A man shouldn’t dominate a woman in an offensive manner, but a man should be a man (and not be excessively submissive to a woman. A man and a woman should exist in a relationship in the position of equality without exception). The male/female equality dynamic is a key part of African culture historically. The black man should not be behind a woman, but a black man and a black woman should stand side by side each other in fighting for truth. A black man and a black woman should express potent intellectual power. It is just to for us to utilize the pooling of resources in the black community in order for us to help out the poor & suffering. The end result of these efforts will manufacture tons of other creative ways to take Black Power into another level of existence. The truth is not lukewarm, but it's ice cold with facts, wisdom, and soul. The truth can be hot like fire too. Fire can burn and refine, so the truth can burn up deception and purify sinfulness. The truth gives us a profound obligation to seek out genuine justice for the entire human race. There are a lot of people in the world that believe in the same viewpoints that I do. I express it publicly. I believe in REVOLUTION not living like it’s 90210 if you know what I mean. BLACK LOVE IS GREAT TO RESPECT AND LOVE IN GENERAL.
DON'T EVER LET HOW YOU LOOK LIKE (OR YOUR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ), YOUR SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL, YOUR GENDER, YOUR AGE, YOUR BACKGROUND, OR THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN STOP YOU FROM DOING ANYTHING. YOU CAN DO IT AND SUCCEED IN YOUR LIFE. IF YOU FALL AT ONE OCASSION, BRUSH YOUR SHOULDERS OFF AND KEEP ON TRYING. THERE IS NO SHAME IN ASKING FOR HELP FOR WE ALL NEED HELP FROM TIME TO TIME. IF YOU NEED SUBSEQUENT ASSISTANCE, GET IT. KEEPING ON PUSHING TOWARD THE PRIZE . IF YOU SWIM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, YOU WILL GET INTO THE SHORE. NEVER LET THE NEGATIVE WORDS FROM OTHER PEOPLE GET YOU DOWN. IF YOU’RE A NICE BROTHER OR A NICE SISTER, YOU TRULY DESERVE DIGNITY & RESPECT. ALL PEOPLE ARE VALUABLE IN THE UNIVERSE AND ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATED EQUAL. I AM THE LIVING PROOF OF THAT. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE. THERE IS NO SHAME IN SMILING AT TIMES. SOME OF OUR GREATEST PEOPLE SMILED DURING MOMENTS OF COMFORT AND MOMENTS OF CONTROVERSY. KEEP ON FIGHTING FOR LIBERATION. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS YOURSELF. I’M YOUNG, BUT I STILL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS.
Special Leaders
Learning a lot of information is necessary to learn in order for all of us to get a more comprehensive picture of black culture and black history in general. It is important to know that the rural communities and women played a huge role in not only the Civil Rights Movement, but in the social movement for black liberation in general. So, as black people we identify with Africa as the origin of us all. WE ARE AFRICANS AS THE BROTHER KWAME TURE SAID. Also, we have a cultural connection with Africa and our brothers in sisters throughout the world from Brazil to South Africa. As the late Marcus Garvey said: "...A people without the knowledge of their past history origin and culture is like a tree without roots..." It's our goal to fight in this common struggle for the liberation of Black people everywhere. Liberation means independence as well. We are not truly free unless our black people develop enough power and resources to assist the poor among us and massively develop massive occupations for our people. Imperialism, materialism, and racism are some of our enemies that ought to be obliterated from the face of the Earth. The revolutionary words from Lumumba (a declassified document show that the President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered a CIA hit on Lumumba in 1960), Malcolm X, CLR James, Amilcar Cabral, Fanon, Dr. King, and great sisters too inspire us in this day and beyond. We ought to give due credit to the black Queens fighting for our people too like Queen Nanny from Jamaica fighting against British imperialists. The Jamaicans historically have been some of the strongest resisters to the European imperialists' sick aims. Jamaicans are very special and they certainly inspire us in the truth that strength is a keen expression of social revolution. The black Sister Ann Nzingha was a strong warrior who stood up to the Portuguese slave traders back in the 1600's. Nzingha was born in 1582. Being part of the Jagas ethnic group, Ann Nzingha acted as a strong buffer against the Portuguese slave trading goals in the area of Angola. Nzingha loved her people and expressed a potent sense of African bravery that we should all emulate. Harriet Tubman freed thousands of slaves in North America. Many of the slaves traveled into the Northern section of the USA and into Canada. You have the great sister Ida B. Wells who fought against lynching and discrimination that were executed against Diaspora Africans in America. Now, tons of black women are performing great in helping the black community. So, we owe a lot to black women indeed. BLACK WOMEN ARE ALWAYS QUEENS. BLACK MEN ARE ALWAYS KINGS . The blacks in Africa and in the Caribbean greatly contributed their time, knowledge, and efforts to support the Civil Rights Movement inside of the United States of America. Ella Baker was one critical woman who promoted the Civil Rights Movement in the States. She was born in December 13, 1903 in Norfolk, Virginia (where I was born at too). As far back as in the 1930's, she worked in the civil rights and human rights movements. Behind the scenes, she worked with WEB DuBois, Thurgood Marshall, A. Philip Randolph, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She mentored the younger civil rights leaders (during the 1960's) like Diane Nash, Kwame Ture, Rosa Parks, and Bob Moses. She was raised in Littleton, North Carolina. Early on, Ella Baker taught about economic development, African history, and labor history. He worked in Harlem in order to promote the culture of black people. She protested Italy's invasion of Ethiopia and supported a group of young black men accused of raping 2 white women (or the Scottsboro defendants). So, the Sister was right to criticize the terrorism by Euro criminals for over 5 centuries (these criminals pillaged, exterminated, enslaved, and subjugated people of color for centuries). She founded the Negro History Club in Harlem Library and worked with the great scholar and activist John Henrik Clarke. Ella Baker believed in having grassroots efforts in the local level and beyond in order to have social change. Baker wanted freedom for the human race as she said. She wanted social change to be a team effort. In other words, individuals can contribute their talents as part of a collective framework in order for all people to genuinely achieve equality, justice, and freedom. Ella Baker continued to support the Puerto Rican independence movement. She spoke out against apartheid in South Africa, and she promoted the causes of women. She agreed with peace. She passed away in 1986 in NYC. To the day she died, the sister Ella Baker was in the thick of the movement of human freedom. Her words influenced the Students for a Democratic Society and other radical plus progressive groups that were created in the 1960's and the 1970's. She organized the freedom rides of the 1960's and did a lot for the world as well. Ella Baker loved humanity and we appreciate her contributions to the human rights movement. RIP Sister Ella Baker.
What more can be said about Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Marcus Garvey is a real Brother. He was one of the greatest leaders in human history. He inspired tons of people, especially black people, to fight for truth, dignity, and liberty. He lived from August 17, 1887 to June 10, 1940. He was the leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (or the UNIA). He organized millions of black people for the cause of promoting African liberation. He admired the philosophies of Booker T. Washington and his ideas of self-improvement for Black Africans. Garvey's thinking was that black people the world over should connect more with their origin from Africa . He opposed the evils of European colonialism, so he wanted blacks globally to build a free and United Black Africa. His shipping company called the Black Star Line that dealt with his program in uplifting the power of black people. The motto of the U.N.I.A. was "One God! One Aim! One Destiny." "The Negro World" was the U.N.I.A. weekly newspaper founded in 1918. It was published in French and Spanish as well as English. In it, African history and heroes were glorified. The UNIA has been made up of leaders in the Niger, those folks from Ethiopia, people from Uganda, etc. not just Black Africans from the Diaspora. The federal government hated Garvey and indicted him on mail fraud. The feds used agents in trying to discredit him, but it failed. The power & wisdom from Marcus Garvey and other black people inspire all of us today in 2012. Yet, this UNIA still exists today. His inspiration and vision is still upon us. Marcus Garvey helped to establish schools and he organized an international business network. Garvey wanted to form a central national bank for those of black African descent. There were hotels, restaurants, etc. in America. The Harlem Renaissance was heavily influenced by the Garvey movement. Many artists and scholars in the Harlem Renaissance were Garveyites. Even Marcus Garvey had his predecessors, but Marcus Garvey was one of the most successful leaders of the black people after the Civil War. The brother Marcus Garvey and others organized the red, black, and green colors that symbolized our black race. Now, red, black, and green flag is a Pan-African flag (or whenever you live in the world and you see the flag, it identifies with the struggle and power of our people. I saw the red, black, and green flag in one of my neighbor’s home before. Now, Marcus Garvey’s UNIA adopted the Pan-African flag in 1920. They designed the image. It has been approved by August 13, 1920 in Article 39 of the Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World. This occurred during the UNIA’s month long convention, which was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Most people know the meaning for the colors on the flag. Red stands for the blood that unites all Black African peoples in the world for blood was shed for liberation. Black is obvious the color of black people in general. Green represents the land and the great natural wealth of Africa. Now, Marcus Garvey was born in the Caribbean. Marcus Garvey is from Jamaica. It’s a historical that many of our warriors were of Caribbean descent and worked for black liberation in America too. I have Caribbean descent from my mother’s side, so this has special importance concretely in the circumstance of my life. For example, WEB Dubois is half Haitian. Hubert Harrison (or the founder of the Liberty League and the Voice, which was the first organization and the first newspaper of the race conscious black Americans) was born of non- American parents. Shirley Chisholm is born from Caribbean parents. So, the black American achievements were influenced by Africans and people born in Caribbean, not just black people who were born in America. As the brother The Revolutionist (from the UK) wrote: “…Every aspect of Black American society has been impacted with Non American Blacks, do you know why?... because all throughout the history of slavery in the states, slaves were shipped in from all over the Caribbean Islands, Europe and Africa!...”. The fact is that regardless of where we were born from, we are black Africans without exceptions . Marcus Garvey influenced a lot of human beings like the following individuals: Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Julius Nyerere, Leopold Sedar Senghor, Henrietta Vinton Davis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Alhaji Ahmed Sekou Toure, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Amy Jacques Garvey, Jomo Kenyatta, M. L. T. De Mena, Paul Robeson, Malcolm X, Steve Biko, Kwame Ture, Patrice Lumumba, Frantz Fanon, and so many other black brothers and black sisters.
Marcus Garvey gave us as a people, one vital blueprint (that includes organizing our people, mobilizing our people to create our own infrastructure, and an undying love for our people) in solving our own issues. A lot of people know about his work, ideas, and literature. Even the Nation of Islam was influenced by Marcus Garvey’s words. I do encourage people to read his words and look at his literature in order for folks to realize the great perspective of the great man Marcus Garvey. Even WEB Dubois woke up before he died. For a time, WEB Dubois (once in league with the Wall Street backed pseudo left, black Greek organizations. These groups today represent some of the bourgeoisie circles today in society) was brainwashed by the race pseudo-science that was being taught at major universities during that time period. WEB DuBois knew the errors of his ways and accepted Pan-Africanism. WEB DuBois allied with Kwame Nkrumah and supported African independence. Marcus Garvey is an excellent representation of not only black manhood, but the strong power of BLACK PEOPLE in general. YOU ARE AFRICAN AND YOU ARE BLACK, SO WE SHOULD ALWAYS HELP OUR PEOPLE OVERTLY.
A special mention ought to sent to Sister Soujah . I was really young when I first heard about her. The mainstream media (like they always do) falsely described her as an extremist, as a racist, and as a hater of non-blacks. So, when I got older, I decided to read her real quotes, look at some of her videos, and look at her website. She was famously featured in one episode of " A Different World ," which is a great show that I saw as a child (and still see sometimes on the TV One channel. Every character in that show has a resonance with people and they represent important folks in our lives for real). What I discovered was completely the opposite of what the mainstream media described her as. The sister is not only very intelligent and cognizant of the conditions of our black African people, but she was never a racist. She believed rightfully that the rights and aspirations of black African peoples ought to be respected and justice should flow in the world. So, Sister Soujah is a role model for our people, especially for the Black Sisters living their lives . She wrote the following in her own words many years ago: "...As you can see I am no newcomer to the world of politics. I am mentally, spiritually, physically, emotionally, intellectually and academically developed and acutely aware of the condition of African people throughout the entire world....Breaking it down, this means injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. As Sister Souljah, I reserve the right to fight against White racism--I have not ordered anyone to kill anyone. My album creates pressure on White America--a lot of pressure, and pressure is what America needs, deserves, and inherited-- no justice, no peace..." Sister Soujah walked her talk by setting up programs in helping the poor, organizing reading institutions, speaking across the world in calling for improvements for the human race, and being a shining example of black heroism in action. Keep doing your thing, Sista. Other great Sisters doing something positive for the world include people like California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Dr. Debbie Thomas, Tamron Hall, Dr. Mae Jemison, LA Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers, and others. Not to mention that Sisters like Raven Symone, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Angie Stone, and other sisters putting it down in defending brothers all of the time .
Even before Sister Soujah, there was Claudia Jones. Although, she was a Communist, she loved her black people. I am not a Communist, but you have to realize that back in the day, discrimination was so harsh overtly against black people that some black people believed that there was no alternative but to embrace an alternative economic philosophy than mainstream Capitalism. You have to put things into context sometimes. She worked day in and day out to fight against Jim Crow oppression. She promoted the liberties of black women in the world. She was born in Belmont, Port of Spain, Trinidad (Trinidad is an area where a lot of revolutionary black people lived. Kwame Ture was born in Trinidad and some of my ancestors came from the Caribbean). In England, Claudia Jones fought for the rights of Black British human beings. She wanted black people to have access to health and she opposed racism in the workplace. She disagreed with the bigoted 1876 Immigration Act in England (which restricted immigration into the UK). She wanted the release of Nelson Mandela. Claudia Jones passed away in 1964. The Sister was a strong woman who exuded strength, liberty promotion, and a firm non-compromise with discrimination. She will be missed and respected by me. I heard about her rather recently, but her legacy is in us as human beings.
By 1965, Malcolm X went through a lot of changes after his Hajj to Mecca, but Malcolm X never turned soft. He was still a strong black brother. Malcolm X felt that in order to have more progressive society, women ought to have equal educational and social opportunities as a male should have. Of course, he was right. He believed in equality for all people, but didn't want to allow people to unite with him in brotherhood if they desired oppression. On January 24, 1965, Malcolm X gave one of his most important speeches in his life. It is called "On Afro-American History." In that speech, he didn't express race-neutral, soft rhetoric as some revisionists believed. Malcolm X expressed uncensored truth. In that speech, Malcolm X said that black people can't learn the present or the future without understanding the past. He said that the non-white people in the world are having a larger influence globally and that black people must think internationally about issues beyond just national ( since black people live in the 4 corners of the Earth. In fact, there are more black people living in Brazil than in the United States of America ). His quote from that January 1965 speech reads:
"...But those of us who come here, come here because we not only see the importance of having an understanding of things local and things national, but we see today the importance of having an understanding of things international, and where our people, the Afro-Americans in this country, fit into that scheme of things , where things international are concerned. We come out because our scope is broad, our scope is international rather than national, and our interests are international rather than national. Our interests are worldwide rather than limited just to things American, or things New York, or things Mississippi. And this is very important...”
The fall of the European Empires after WWII was a good thing, but we must seize the day in making the world better without imperialism & without evil oppression against human beings. So, it's reasonable for us to establish cultural, business, and social connections with black people all across the globe. Malcolm X said that just because something is all-black doesn't mean that it's racist. He expressed the history of advanced black civilizations that used religion, science, engineering, technology, government, and other components of life to enrich their areas in the world. Malcolm X said that the slave owning Founding Fathers founded America and if it was up to them collectively, we (who are black people) would still be slaves. Now, there are too many certain types of people with that superiority complex (like you know who. You know about the identities of those types of people that I am talking about. LOL. The truth is not shady nor slim on facts, get it. Additionally, the truth is not pale without life, but it's golden and full in living color ) as a product of living in Western society. Malcolm X identified with other revolutionary struggles in the world as a way for people to fight against the agenda of the Western elitists.
In January 1965, Malcolm X said "...I believe that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice, and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation... It is incorrect to classify the revolt of the Negro as simply a racial conflict of black against white, or as a purely American problem. Rather, we are today seeing a global rebellion of the oppressed against the oppressor, the exploited against the exploiter."
We should fight against the slave mentality and advance justice instead. It is obvious what Malcolm X felt about capitalism. In January 18, 1965, Malcolm X said the following words on the modern-day capitalist system: "...It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. Capitalism used to be like an eagle, but now it's more like a vulture. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody's blood whether they were strong or not. But now it has become more cowardly, like the vulture, and it can only suck the blood of the helpless. As the nations of the world free themselves, then capitalism has less victims, less to suck, and it becomes weaker and weaker. It's only a matter of time in my opinion before it will collapse completely..."
As Sister Betty Shabazz said about Malcolm X: “…Malcolm was a firm believer in the value and importance of our heritage. He believed that we have valuable and distinct cultural traditions which need to be institutionalized so that they can be passed on to our heirs… ”
There is a lot of information found out about Malcolm X. Malcolm X wasn't an establishment Democrat (the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964 exposed the hypocrisy of the establishment part of that Party. Kwame Ture and Fannie Lou Hammer spoke about this issue) or an establishment Republican. He was an independent black revolutionary person. His revolutionary nationalist politics influence all black movements for justice and liberation to this very day in 2012. The current wealthy monopoly capitalist system was heavily exposed and rejected by Malcolm X. Malcolm X was ever evolving in his views, but he never was someone's puppet. All human beings have the right to fight for the oppressed and fight against injustice. Being meek has nothing to do with being naive or weak about our troubles. Being meek represents our actions at it should be, but we can be active in resisting evil too. The FBI had their agents to monitor Malcolm X all of the time. Malcolm X admitted to this and FBI documents confirmed that they illegal surveilled Malcolm X at numerous locations. Malcolm X is right that there is nothing wrong with black self-organization and black self-activity, which is one of his great legacies. So, it's obvious that Malcolm X was a Pan-Africanist. Fundamentally, collectively, we are a United Black people worldwide. He was not a Communist. After his Hajj, he saw the weaknesses of the current capitalist system and he used that as a means to promote de-colonization and independence among African nations. He wanted black people to lead their own revolution (via Black Nationalism & Pan- Africanism). Not only the reactionaries, but even so-called leftists and communist don't like the idea of Black people controlling their own destiny and affairs without them. Sometimes, the racist isn't just the bigot living in the trailer park. It's includes also the one that may smile in your face and try to shake your hand (wearing suits and ties), but behind your back promotes the same evil system which restricts housing, economic, health, and legal rights from black people. The black man and the black woman equally have the right to have proficient, apparent educational opportunities and real career advancement (along with entrepreneurial actions). Malcolm X created Muslim Mosque Inc. and the Organization of Afro- American Unity to help black people in the world over. The truth is that Black People have every right to control their own destinies, control their own businesses, and have leadership positions in controlling their own Power base for real. His anti-imperialism and grassroots organization plans sill impact us today. We have a choice. Either we support the handpicked establishment Negro or real Africans (both real African brothers and real African sisters) fighting for justice & for our liberty. We know about white supremacy and its instruments. White supremacy utilizes corrupt institutions to harm the world society. For example, urban communities and rural areas readily experience (via the corporate, monopoly capitalist power structure) pollution, lax water systems, corrupt education, and other privatized systems. We know that the ruling class wants to promote greed and evils in trying to harm black culture. Therefore we do need a cultural revolution where we should blatantly reject lyrics that disrespect brothers and especially sisters. We can't glamorize violence since violence is an archaic, fruitless behavior. We have to unite with our people in promoting our own self-image without the mainstream media promoting negative stereotypes against our people. Blackness is great and there is nothing truly black about ultra-violence, using our sisters as sex objects, pimping, and an anti-intellectual, dumbed down philosophy shoved down the throats of our youth. The truth is that the vast majority of black people aren't nihilists, murderers, or degenerates. Only a small minority is and degeneracy has nothing to do with black culture at all. Therefore, it is a necessity for us to constantly praise Black, conscious, upright, and moral brothers and sisters doing the right thing. It's our job to love each other and promote Black Love in public and in private. It's our job to be men and to be women. Our black culture has to be defended by us since we are black and we love our people. We can be active in learning our history, teaching our people, fighting for justice, and work in programs to fight for solutions. There are tons of black people doing the right thing as well. Many white people (not all of them) in mainstream society want us to hold Dr. King with more esteem than Malcolm X, but I won't do that. I hold Malcolm X in the same esteem as Dr. Martin Luther King.
People realized that Malcolm X was changing rapidly from an ideological standpoint. He was becoming more progressive and understood that international cooperation can stop the aims of our oppressors in the world. Malcolm X was unjustly assassinated on February 21, 1965 at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. The media and the police at that time immediately blamed the Nation of Islam for it. Yet, things in life are more complicated than that. The FBI and other intelligence agencies, who monitored Malcolm X illegally and caused tensions in the Black Nationalist movement, are just as much responsible for his assassination as the men who shot at him. This situation is what we call "divide and conquer” done by the enemy. The enemy knew that if the brothers and the sisters from the OAAU, the NOI, SNCC, SCLC, RAM, the Black Panthers, and other organizations back in the day united in common cause for black liberation (they don’t have to agree on everything), then the enemy could be defeated back then. UNITY IS ONE STRATEGY TO FIGHT EVIL. So, the enemy caused division in harming real Pro-Black Movements in the world. The good news is that brothers and sisters are waking up and seeking real change in society. WE LOVE OUR ANCESTORS AND WE LOVE OUR BROTHERS AND OUR SISTERS PERIOD . The FBI and other entities caused more tensions between the Nation of Islam and the OAAU (or the Organization for Afro-American Unity). The captured assailant was NOI member Thomas Hayer. Hayer's lawyer named William Kunstler claimed that deeper forces were at work in the death of Malcolm X. He said the crime "was committed by members of the Newark mosque, including Thomas Hayer, and it was undoubtedly the result of terrible, terrible hostility which was engendered by the FBI telling [both Malcolm and Elijah Muhammad] in anonymous letters that they were going to kill each other [and which] created this terrible, terrible tension that led these five men at the Newark mosque to eliminate Malcolm X; and even though they fired the guns, three of them, the FBI was the real hand on the trigger" (in Malcolm X As They Knew Him, edited by David Gallen). In the last year of his life, Malcolm X worked heavily in America and overseas. He transformed his thinking on some issues after his April 1964 Hajj to Mecca. Malcolm X obviously wanted to internationalize the suffering and plight of African Americans. His goal was to get the United Nations to allow America to be held accountable for its unjust treatment against the then 22 million black African Americans. He said these words in Cairo at the African Summit Conference in front of the delegates of 34 African nations. Malcolm X needed international support in order for the U.S. government to atone at the United Nations. That is why the CIA and the FBI monitored him at every stop that he made in foreign nations. Even in the Cairo conference, Malcolm X suffered a toxic substance at a dinner. He wanted to promote peace and human rights. Malcolm's friend, the writer Louis Lomax wrote: "By then the CIA was following Malcolm's every move; agents were aboard every flight he took, other agents watched his hotels and even kept him under surveillance during meal time " (Louis E. Lomax, To Kill a Black Man ). Malcolm told his sister, Ella Collins, that he narrowly avoided another poisoning in Ethiopia. Malcolm X was barred from visiting France in February 9, 1965. Malcolm X thought that the State Department didn't want him to unite Afro-French with other blacks in the world. Journalist Eric Norden found out why. Norden was told by a North African diplomat that "his country's intelligence apparatus had been quietly informed by the French Department of Alien Documentation and Counter-Espionage that the CIA planned Malcolm's murder, and France feared he might be liquidated on its soil." The diplomat then commented in elegantly modulated French: "Your CIA is beginning to murder its own citizens now." On the day before his assassinated, Malcolm X told Alex Haley on the phone that it's bigger than the Muslims since some of the stuff doing on against him was bigger than the NOI. Malcolm X wasn't the first person to establish official ties between African Americans and our black blood brothers and sisters in Africa. Yet, he was the first to take that action into another level since Marcus Garvey died.
On February 14, 1965, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King talked on the phone . They agreed to work together and fight for human rights. They started to begin the process of having a common strategy to fight for the freedom of black people in the world. Their conversation was described by William Kunstler: "There was sort of an agreement that they would meet in the future and work out a common strategy, not merge their two organizations, but that they would work out a method to work together in some way. And I think that that quite possibly led to the bombing of Malcolm's house that evening in East Elmhurst and his assassination one week later." Malcolm X united with Coretta Scott King in the voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama. Malcolm X said that he supported Dr. King's efforts to give black people the right to vote. Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King worked on an alliance and the Western intelligence community knew completely about this. Malcolm X in 1965 called for gender equality and evolved further on issues. He fully disagreed with imperialism and the Vietnam War. Malcolm X was a revolutionary completely in the scope of human history (as he opposed the Republicans and the Democrats. He outlined critiques of capitalism and Zionism). Malcolm X became more progressive, but he wasn't a race-neutral activist. He was a strong black pan-Africanist. Malcolm X proclaimed that he wasn't an American, because he was the victim of the American oppressive system. Also, Malcolm X wasn't the man that he was without Betty Shabbaz (who was also, a strong, progressive black Sister indeed).
Some people even believed in the deception that Dr. Martin Luther King turned soft on a brother or a sister. That is demonstrability incorrect. As a matter of fact, Dr. King became more militant as time went on his life. He started to wake up especially in about 1967. 1967 was the year when he experienced a revolutionary change in his thinking. He agreed with the young black militants that Black Power should be promoted by the black community and society needs revolutionary changes from the current traditionalist mores. Now, Dr. Martin Luther King wanted a radical change in society, because he questioned the current capitalist system. He viewed capitalism as failing to see that life is social and he wanted a policy of democratic socialism in order for all human beings to benefit in a society of equality . As early as November 14, 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to his staff via these words :
“…I can accept the concept Black Power for certainly if by Black Power we mean amassing of political and economic on the part of our Black Power to achieve their legitimate goals and this is very understandable, and this is something that we all must seek. Black Power means instilling within the Negro a sense of belonging and appreciation of heritage, a racial pride, then it is something that we all need. We have been preaching it for a long time. We must never be ashamed of being Black…You can't talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars. You can't talk about ending the slums without first saying profit must be taken out of slums. You're really tampering and getting on dangerous ground because you are messing with folk then. You are messing with captains of industry… Now this means that we are treading in difficult water, because it really means that we are saying that something is wrong with capitalism. Now, Hosea, I want you to hear this, because you are a capitalist. We argued with Hosea the other night about this and we had a good argument. He was defending the capitalistic system. But I want to discuss it in this quiet setting, in this atmosphere where you can discuss such things, and you are not accused of being a Communist for discussing it. And I want to say that very seriously because I am not going to allow anybody to put me in the bind of making me say everytime I said there must be a better distribution of wealth, and maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism…Now the way I look at it is this. Capitalism fails to realize that life is social. Marxism fails to realize that life is individual. Truth is found neither in the rugged individualism of capitalism nor in the impersonal collectivism of Communism. The Kingdom of God is found in a synthesis that combines the truths of these two opposites…”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. opposed the Vietnam War as destructive to Third World peoples and it drained desperately needed resources that could help fight against poverty in the United States of America. He wanted an economic bill of rights to promote economic justice. He supported reparations for people of black African descent. These policies aren't representative of man gone soft neither a moderate as reactionaries falsely ascribe Dr. King as being. To his dying day, he believed in nonviolence and an opposition to war. I respect that since he held onto his core convictions all of the time when he was alive. Even though Dr. King was raised middle class in Atlanta, the brother spoke up for the interests of those living in the ghettos of America. I am from the ghetto (from Virginia) and his words certainly gave me tremendous motivation in my life, because the people in the ghettos of the world have as much social value as people living in a gated palace. Dr. Martin Luther King publicly advanced a humanistic, progressive agenda for society, which was in contrary to the ideological views of those of reaction in the world. He told Belafonte before he died too that he was integrating his people into a burning house. Also, before Dr. Martin Luther King died, he said (in March of 1968) that he wanted to have temporary segregation in order for black people to be fully integrated into the wider society later. The history books didn’t tell you this information. Oh, they hid these facts, because I only recently heard of some of this stuff. In other words, Dr. King believed that you can’t integrate into world society when black people have no power. So, he was waking up further than I previously thought. If Dr. King would have lived longer, his awakenings would be stronger and more potent . This isn’t shown by the mainstream media at all. The brother Dr. Martin Luther King exposed the culture of war in the following words:
"...First, the majority of the present Congress and the Administration, as distinguished from the majority of the people, is single mindedly devoted to the pursuit of the war. It has been estimated by Senator (Harkey) that we spend approximately $500,000 to kill a single enemy soldier in Vietnam. And yet we spend about $53 for each impoverished American in anti-poverty programs. Congress appropriates military funds with alacrity and generosity. It appropriates poverty funds with miserliness and grudging reluctance. The government is emotionally committed to the war. It is emotionally hostile to the needs of the poor....Another tragic consequence of the war domestically is its destructive effect on the young generation. There cannot be enough sympathy for those who are sent into battle. More and more it is revealed how many of our soldiers can not understand the purpose of their sacrifice. It is harrowing under any circumstance to kill but it is psychologically devastating to be forced to kill when one doubts it is right. Beyond the tragedy at the front, at home the young people are torn with confusions, which tend to explain most of the extremes of their conduct. This generation has never known a severe economic crisis. But it has known something far worse. It is the first generation in American history to experience four wars in twenty-five years, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, and the war in Vietnam. It is a generation of wars. It shows the scars in widespread drug consumption, alienation, and the feverish pursuit of sensual pleasures. Yet we can not call this generation of the young the 'Lost Generation.' We are the 'Lost Generation' because it is we who failed to give them the peaceful society they were promised as the American Heritage. [Applause]..." (Dr. Martin Luther King's December 1967 speech called "Domestic Impact to the War" speech to the National Labor Leadership Assembly for Peace).
When you become older as I am approaching thirty years old, I see that African history is human history. It is the same story of humanity, which is filled with tragedies and triumphs. It is about seeking true history unfolding and us striving to advance justice for humanity. You can't just have promises. We need action. So, we all have that responsibility to publicly organize help for our own communities. We need to communicate more positively or honestly to our people. Unnecessary tensions and futile agitation are prescriptions for disaster, but success can be made with efforts and activism mixed with a 21st century flavor. We either will have to have to organize change in the world. I have no issue with a cooperative society. It is interesting that in this generation, there is a progressive coalition that desires a transformation of America. Real folks want America and all countries of the Earth of every background to have real human rights. One of the final goals of Dr. Martin Luther King was economic justice. Dr. Martin Luther King was not perfect as all of us are not perfect. Yet, Dr. King was one hundred percent correct to call for economic rights, an abolition of poverty, and an end to war. He proposed an economic bill of rights as a means for our multiracial society to have justice for all basically. If one human being lacks real human rights, then all of our rights are threatened. Either you have justice for all or none. We may not agree on every single issue all of the time. We can agree on equality. We can agree with justice and political freedoms. We can agree that any human being should be afforded basic human civil liberties as well. Dr. King is right to say to striking Memphis workers in the Spring of 1968 that: "...All labor has dignity. But you're doing another thing. You are reminding not only Memphis, but you are reminding the NATION that it is a CRIME for people to live in this RICH NATION and to receive STARVATION wages...." We can't forget other heroes of our lives as well. Our Afrikan heritage is filled with male and female black revolutionaries. Revolution is a part of our psyche and minds as human beings. Even Harold Cruse did the right thing in believing that black Americans must amass political and social power in the world. Even the author Richard Wright wrote about Black Power as far back in 1954. He wrote the book entitled, "Native Son." He was known as an innovator of discussions about racial matters from a philosophical or psychological standpoint. The slogan “Black Power for black people” has been used SNCC cadre during their Alabama campaigns in 1965. So, these events happened and this is a great part of human history.
It's a historical fact that Dr. Martin Luther King supported revolutionary movements in Africa. The African scholar Ali Mazrui remembers his meeting with Dr. King during the 1960's. Professor Ali Mazrui is a Kenyan scholar. He is a holder of the Albert Schweitzer Chair in the Humanities and the director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at Binghamton University in New York. In the early 1960s, he was a graduate student at Columbia University staying at International House, a residence for specially selected international graduate students of several New York City institutions of higher learning. During one night, he meet with Dr. King. They talked about Kenya in its early days of independence. Dr. Martin Luther King respected Tom Mboya. Tom Mboya was an influential labor leader and he was a government minister. In 1959, Mboya helped to allow 81 Kenyan students to come into the USA in order for them to experience university study (one of the students that came into America was the father of President Barack Obama). "[King] knew quite a bit about Kenya," said Mazrui. "We discussed its march towards independence. He knew of Mboya, the second most famous Kenyan at the time, and they knew each other very well. In retrospect, it was very sad that both were assassinated. That was a fate they shared, eventually." Professor Mazrui legitimately saw ties or links between the African movements for independence and the American civil rights movement. He said the following on that specific connection: "...They were interrelated," he said, "which was part of the awakening of the underprivileged, because the 1960s especially were the most preeminent decade of protests by the underprivileged throughout the world." The struggle isn't over, but the social movement for human rights is interconnected without being enclosed in a limited capacity.
Bob Marley is not only a hero for black people, but a hero for all people. He inspired tons of people the entire world with his actions and music. He not only talked the talk, but he walked the walked via his activism, travels, and contributions to the world. Bob Marley is one of the few men on Earth that have universal appeal and respect by the vast majority of people in the Western Hemisphere including the world. Bob Marley believed in equality for all peoples, but he never wavered from his pan-Africanist stance. He wanted to be God's side and he expressed a great deal of love and appreciation of Africa. Jamaica loved Bob Marley and he was a man that was accepted by people in the world over. He preached the message of black unity and Rastafari. It is said that before he died that he converted to Orthodox Christianity. He lived a short time on Earth from February 6, 1945 to May 11, 1981. He helped to spread modern reggae music to the world. He has 11 children. His album including the Wailers Exodus was one of the most famous albums of the 20th century. He called himself a black African. Of course, he was of mixed heritage, but the brother had the right to call himself a black African if he wants to. He was heavily influenced by Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie , who are two very important figures of the black liberation struggle. Bob Marley expressed music about exposing black people's oppression from the West (or Babylon). He wanted black people to repatriate to Zion (or Ethiopia or Africa in general). "Redemption Song" is probably his greatest record. The song called for human beings to end mental slavery and some of the lyrics came from the Pan-Africanist orator Marcus Garvey. Bob Marley was a master of using an acoustic guitar, so he would perform the song entitled, "Redemption Song" via the use an acoustic guitar. According to his wife, Rita Marley, "...he was already secretly in a lot of pain and dealt with his own mortality, a feature that is clearly apparent in the album, particularly in this song." Redemption song carries a huge impact throughout the world, because human beings of every background use the song as motivating factors in promoting legitimate political/social causes. His last album was called Uprising. It was created in 1980. Bob Marley only lived 36, but he evidently advocates the triumph concepts of equality, freedom, fights against poverty, an anti-colonial mentality, and African unity. That is why I know tons of people (both blacks and non-blacks) loving Bob Marley and his legacy that he brought to the human family. Now, as brothers and sisters we should tell our story. Far too often, our oppressors distort our true history from Kemet to West Africa. Yet, we live in a new generation that can make massive improvements in the world. If we as blacks want to be liberated, we have to promote love for our black people. Without black love, black people will be extinct. Black love is regularly targeted by Hollywood, the mainstream media, and other instruments. On the other hand, more and more black people are waking up. Black Love is one solution out of many that we can embrace in order for us to create more progress in the globe. We must follow truth and not the neo-con's exploitation of personal responsibility as a means for the neo-cons to promote poverty wages (when Denmark has a minimum wage of $16.65, which is taboo in America), social and economic exclusion, homelessness, and economic violence. Likewise, we should do something constructive with our lives too. We have the right to speak and write, but we should act as well. We should never use slavery as an excuse to do evil intentionally. We should always use slavery as an excuse to promote justice and reparations for our people instead . We should never get over it. We should always respect the brothers doing the right thing with the warrior mentality of our ancestors. Also, we should love and appreciate the black sisters fighting for justice too. A real man uplifts the women of his people, so we should permanently uplift the strength and wisdom of black women period. When a man uplifts a woman (and works with a woman in fighting for the truth), a man becomes more confident and stronger to do better. When a person performs righteousness in society, that person will grow spiritually and become more humble in acknowledging the value of all peoples in the world. Bob Marley said it plain in his call for Africa to unite, so it's our job to promote more black African unity in the world.
There are many stories about black people that won't be shown in certain parts of the mainstream media. Here are some. The Olympic swimmer is working day in and day out in trying to reduce drowning inside of the African American community. His name is Cullen Jones. He almost downed as a 5 year old child, but he now is trying to prevent downing in the black community. He talked with the great Sister & MSNBC reporter Tamron Hall about his story and his mission. Swimming is a great exercise and it's an easy means to build up our lungs plus our cardiovascular system. There is the story of the Maryland barber Robert Cradle giving free haircuts to the homeless. There are also people like Wesley Bellamy. He is the founder of HYPE or Helping Young People Evolve. This program deals with helping human beings to grow in leadership qualities and their education. A man should look in the mirror and make sure you respect who you are. If not, then there is no sin to improve yourself to the best of your abilities. He wants minority youth to have academic and physical excellence. There is nothing wrong with that either. He works in the Charlottesville area of Virginia.
Black women that are real role models (then and now) include people like: Ann Fudge, Tamara S. Bowens, Andrea Riggs, Indie Arie, Rachelle Ferrell, Jennifer Hudson, Lorraine Hansberry, Nancy Wilson, Aretha Franklin, Bernadette Stanis, Lalah Hathaway, Violinist Regina Carter, Educator Mary McCleod Bethune, the medical doctor Eliza Ann Grier, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ida B. Wells, Bessie Coleman (or the first black female pilot), Poet and activist Sonia Sanchez, the great scholar Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, the great journalist Gwen Ifill, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (one of the many Sisters that woke me up about some political issues), Congresswoman Maxine Walters, Carol Mosely Braun, the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Astronaut Mae Jemison, Jeanette Jenkins, Astronaut Stephanie Wilson, the strong warrior Winnie Mandela, Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, Sheila Jackson Lee, Congresswoman Donna Edwards, Rosa Parks, Ruby Dee, Myrlie Evers, Maya Angelou, Dorothy Height, Natalie Cole, Stephanie Mills, Angela Bassett, Cathy Hughes, Susan Taylor, Esther Rolle, Phylicia Rashad, Lena Horne, Anika Nona Rose, Stacey D. Stewart, Sandra R. Smith, President, Foundation for the African Diaspora, Dominique Dawes, Gabby Douglas, Nicole Adams, Clarissa Shields, Marla Gibbs, Isabel Sanford, Judge Lynn Toler, Gail Warrior (who owns her own construction company), Maggie Anderson, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (she fought apartheid in South Africa), Jeri Lynne Johnson, Kezia M. Williams of Capital Cause, Educator Susie Francis, Joyce Banda, Corinne Bailey Rae, Patty Austin, Ella Fitzgerald, Gwendolyn Brooks, Amy Jacques Garvey, Rita Marley, Tia Norfleet (She is from Suffolk, Virginia in the 757, so the Sister Tia deserves a lot of respect for following her dreams in the NASCAR race structure. She is humble, she prays to God, and she is dedicated in being the best racer that she can be. We just feel happy for the Sister indeed), and so many other human beings.
Black men that are real role models (then and now) include people like: Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, Paul Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Kwame Ture, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Medgar Evers, Johnnie Cochran, WEB Dubois (before he died, he woke up), Stevie Wonder, John H. Johnson, Astronaut Charles Bolden, Astronaut Guion Bluford, Jackie Robinson, Hill Harper, Mayor Ron Dellums, Dr. Ian Smith, Dick Gregory, Gordon Parks, Mike Tomlin, Jim Brown, Sidney Portier, Dr. Ben Johnson, James Hooks (who owns his own grocery store in Detriot), Jamal Mashburn, Clifton Davis, James Ingram, Civil Rights leader Fred Shuttlesworth, Hosea Williams, the Detroit 300, journalist Gill Noble, Walter Payton, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Activist Lewis Michaux, Amir Baraka, Grant Hill, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, Astronaut Alvin Drew, Bill Russell, Dr. Lamont Hill, Neil Degrasse Tyson (who’s an astrophysicist), Kwame Ture, Forrest Whitaker, Sinbad, Douglas Wilder, Judge Mathis, Lou Gossett Jr., George Benson, Computer scientist and math whiz Philip Emeagwali, LeVar Burton, Umar Johnson, Yosef Ben Jochannan, Chancellor Williams, Historian John Hope Franklin, and so many other human beings.
There is the Black Girls Run movement. I respect the Black Girls Rock movement too . This movement is about sisters organizing African Americans women to run and perform more fitness related activities in their lives. Who created this movement of Black Girls Run? It was created by Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks. This movement has groups, running events, and other great resources that can assist women in their own lives. Running and sprinting are one of the funniest, easiest ways for any human being to become healthier and physically fit. Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice is the dean and executive vice President of Morehouse School House of Medicine. She worked on women's health for years at the Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She was also the dean of Meharry's medical school. She worked in gynecology, obstetrics, endocrinology, and infertility. She studied diseases that affect minority women and she is a renowned expert in infertility research. She loves her children and has a lot of female role models that she looked up to. We all have males and females that we look up too in our lives. Traci Lester is another sister doing it big in her life as well. She is the executive director of Reach Out and Read's Greater New York branch. She is promoting literacy and education for her people. She desire low income families to have numerous books to read for their children. Studies prove that reading aloud to a child increases his or her vocabulary and improves attention span. So, that is why early literacy development is necessarily to a child's readiness for school. Reach and Out and Read distributes more than 7 million books each year. She serves millions of people in raising awareness for early literacy programs among poorer communities. Dr. Patricia Bath is one of the greatest inventors in our time. She has broken ground for women in many levels. She worked in ophthalmology (or in studying the human eye) for decades. She is the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose. Her Laserphaco Probe invention is used to treat cataracts. She owns four patents and she is the founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in Washington, D.C. She was born and raised in Harlem, NYC. She studied chemistry and medicine at a very young age. Dr. Bath promoted community ophthalmology. This action wanted a volunteer related outreach plan in order for doctors to give necessary eye care to poorer populations. She was the first African American ophthalmology at New York University from 1970 to 1973. Dr. received numerous allocates and served as a professor of Ophthalmology at Howard University’s School of Medicine (as a professor of Telemedicine and Ophthalmology at St. George University). She authored over 100 papers and lectured internationally. For over 30 years, Dr. Bath had given sight to numerous human beings. Dr. Patricia Bath deserves a real mention, because help for your fellow human beings via technological means makes all the difference in improving the quality of life among humanity. More and more people know about real black inventors. Marie Van Brittan Brown is a Sister that invented the home security. Her patent number is 3,487,037. He lived from 1922 to February 2, 1999. She invented the home security system back in 1966 and the patent was given to her in 1969. Her husband worked with her as well. Brown's system had a set of 4 peep holes and a camera that could slide up and down to look at each one. Anything and everything the camera picked up would appear on a monitor. Also, a resident could unlatch the door by remote control. Joseph N. Jackson was the inventor of the programmer television receiver controller. That means that anybody who loves a programmable VCR, DVR, TiVo, etc. owes thanks or gratitude to Mr. Joseph N. Jackson. He was born in Louisiana. He made efforts to enhance technology in the world. Today, he is a living legend. He's a scientist, a businessman, a humanitarian, and Co-founder of the Black Inventions Museum, Inc. To this day, he works on ideas in order for billions of human beings to experience happiness and liberty. Paul E. Williams invented a specific type of helicopter. People know that Garrett Morgan invented the modern gas mask and the modern traffic signal. He lived from March 4, 1877 to August 27, 1863. He was born in Paris, Kentucky, but he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in order for him to search for employment. Later, he moved into Cleveland, Ohio from 1895. Alexander Miles was an African American inventor who was awarded a patent for an automatically opening and closing elevator door design in 1887. He was not the originator inventor of the device, but he made improvements to the invention of the automatic elevator door system and self-closing door. John Standard improved the refrigerator and stove designs too. Henry Sampson was a great inventor who invented a Gamma Electrical Cell. He is the first African American to earn a Ph.D.in Nuclear Engineering in the United States. He worked in technology, engineering, and other forms of science. So, research shows the great contributions of black people then and now. This is all the more reason for us to inspire black people to be in careers that deal with math, engineering, science, and technology. It's a great joy to see black people to express themselves in the MEST system (or subjects that deal with math, engineering, science, and technology).
This is just a few short pieces of information on the many black brothers and black sisters contributing their time and talents to assist the human race in general.
*A REMINDER ON ALL OF US BEING BLACK AFRICANS: Now, there are many issues in the black community. Fundamentally, we are Black Afikans period as Brother Kwame Ture said. I am from Africa originally. We are Africans as Kwame Ture said. Just because you are born in another continent doesn't make you any less African. A real African, who was born in Africa, taught me heavily on economics. I know people from the African continent who worked in universities, teaching, and other avenues of livelihood. Africans assisted the civil rights movement and other movements of black social liberation. Africa is our original homeland. Kwame Ture, Malcolm X, and Dr. King worked with Africans decades ago to established cultural, political power. Kwame Ture worked with black Africans and black people in the world to develop his pro-black African political party. No real black person will bash the good things that are found in Africa period. We know in black African cultural, there is collective, communal essence of society. That means that we are our brothers and our sisters’ keepers. We help one another and love each other as human beings. Also, another part of black culture is the co-regent power of the Black King and the Black Queen. In other words, black men and black women have equal value in the black community without oppression. Marcus Garvey once said, “If Blacks knew more of their glorious past, then they would be more inclined to respect themselves!” Also, we should improve our conflict resolution skills, our leadership abilities, and other qualities of our lives. I have empathy and all people should have empathy with each other. So, it's our job to show strength and compassion in a balanced approach (as a means to fight racism and white supremacy). Our survival is tied to the growth of black families. That is why Black Unity is very important to grow not only our black cohesiveness, but our strength and power in society. Strong families equal into strong Black Power. It's simple mathematics. Not to mention that we can have solace for the great work of heroes past and present. One such hero was the great civil rights leader named Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. He worked throughout the nation to promote liberty for all peoples and develop housing for black people in Cincinnati, Ohio back in 1989. He created the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights back in 1956. Of course, he joined with the SCLC (or the Southern Christian Leadership Conference) as a means to protest Jim Crow segregation in 1963 (at Birmingham, Alabama). He defeated the efforts of the brutal white supremacist Bull Connor (this evil man used police and fire department to assault innocent black men, women, and children. This was shown in live television decades. Today, we have Bull Connors now harming our brothers and sisters via police brutality, assaults, and even murders like what happen to the 6 year old sister named Aiyana in Detroit). Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth fought against racial injustice all of his life. You know the Sister Fannie Lou Hamer fought for human liberty too. She experienced assault by police officers, but she protested for black people to experience voting rights. She worked with SNCC along with Kwame Ture and Malcolm X. Fannie Lou Hamer was gifted with a strong oratory ability. In the 1960's and the 1970's, she advocated rights for the poor, rights for women, and she opposed the Vietnam War (her ethos was anti-war and pro-peace indeed). There are other people like Rita Dove, who wrote eloquent poetry that described the mindset and creativity of black people. Natalie Hinderas even was a great black American classical pianist, composer, and Professor at Temple University in Pennsylvania. She performed her musical gifts nationwide. She was performing in orchestras in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, and New York City. Now, we respect our ancestors and their promotion of unity, peace, harmony, balance, and strength. These are of the cores of true spirituality and true spirituality has their origins from Africa.
Nigeria
Nigeria is a very special part of black African history then and now. Nigeria is one of the greatest countries in the world. Nigeria today is a great land with a great history plus great culture in the Motherland of Africa. It borders the Republic of Benin to the West, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. Nigeria's motto is "Unity and Faith, Peace, and Progress." Individuals already know about the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria being the Hausa, the Igbo ( which make up the large ancestry of African Americans today in 2012 ), and the Yoruba. The Igbo/African American connection ought to be elaborated on more thoroughly here. More and more African Americans understand their Igbo roots. For example, Forest Whitaker and Danny Glover wore African chief uniform while dancing to traditional African music in April 5, 2009. They gave signature and peculiar Igbo greetings to Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre land and, Enyioma of Nkwerre land. It’s only a matter of time before more African Americans from the Diaspora are doing this cultural celebration of African heritage. Estimations (according to Douglas B. Chambers) say that 60 percent of all African Americans are descendants of the Igbos. In fact, when you look at African American people, many of them look in their phenotypes or physical dispositions just like the Igbo people . During the Maafa, the Igbo were known for being rebellious and defied slavery. Many of them were sent into Maryland and Virginia. The Ibgos back in the colonial period in America were heavily in the Tidewater and Piedmont regions of Virginia. Tidewater is another name for Hampton Roads, VA. The Igbos in colonial America were known to be rebellious. The rebellion against oppression is a great spirit that found in black people in general. Many slave records called the Igbo living in America as Anica, Anakey, Breechy, and Juba. All of these names came from Igbo names. Those names are Nneka meaning “the mother is superior,” mburichi or the male members of the Kingdom of Nri, and Jiugba (meaning yam barn). DNA tests (via the 2003 PBS program “African American Lives”) prove that Bishop T.D. Jakes, Forest Whitaker, and Blair Underwood have some Igbo ancestry. Now, African Americans are descended from Africans from Benin, the Congo, Ghana, and other nations as well. I am a black American and Black Americans come from the Bakongo, Mande, Wolof, Fon, Makua, and other ethnic groups. The Maafa took Africans from West Central Africa, the area of Biafra, Sierra Leone, Senegambia, the Gold Coast, the area of Bening, and Mozambique-Madagascar. IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, WE ARE THE SAME BLACK PEOPLE. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE WE LIVE AT PRESENTLY, WE ARE STILL BLACK AFRICANS.
Marcus Garvey, George Padmore (a famous pan-Africanist, journalist, author, and scholar), Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Nat Turner, Samia Nkrumah (or the first female to chair a major political party in Ghana), Denmark Vassey (who wrote great literature and fought against colonialism until his dying day), the abolitionist Paul Cuffee, Usian Bolt (the world Olympian world champion. Brother, we respect your gift to track and field. You are an inspiration and congratulations on your gold medals. Also, I do congratulate the sisters winning their gold medals too like Gabrielle Douglas, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce , Alliyson Felix, the charismatic, down to Earth, very intelligent, classy, & beautiful Carmelita Jeter , Bianca Knight, Tianna Madison, Sanya Richards-Ross, and so many other people), Kwame Nkrumah, and other brothers & Sisters are from the Akan people. The Akan people are African people who mostly live in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The Akan peoples are heavily in Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Brazil, Jamaica, and Surinam Nduyka today. The Akan brothers and sisters are known for the Kente cloth in fashion, the use of gold weights, and the lost wax casting method. The Akan culture is the most dominant culture in Ghana. Akan culture spread into the New World too.
Half of the nation is Muslim and half of the nation is Christian. Most of the Muslims reside in the north and most Christians live in the south. Regardless of what creed a brother or sister embraces, they deserve dignity and respect. So, the brothers and sisters in Nigeria ought to end that religious conflict as soon as possible. We are all one and there is no need for that. Regardless if we are Christian, or Muslim, or animist, or whatever creed that we follow, we are black people deserving of equality & justice point blank period . So, I will not fall for the enemy's tricks and we know who the real enemy is (and it isn't our black brothers or our black sisters at all). Likewise, Nigeria is a blessed nation with a lovely disposition. There was human habitation in Nigeria even in 9,000 B.C. where people lived and traveled. Nigeria is very special, because it has the highest population of people that's black in the world. It has over 170 million black people. That's a lot of people and a blessing in the eyes of the Creator. It has heavy oil reserves in the nation including other resources. Goodluck Jonathan is the current President of Nigeria. He succeeded Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to the office in 2010. The President is the Head of State; he's elected by popular vote to a maximum of two four year terms. He is the head national executive, but his power is checked by a Senate and a House of Representatives. Both houses are combined into a bicameral body called the National Assembly. The Senate is made up of 109 seats in its body with 3 members from each state and one from the capital region of Abuja. The Senate members are elected by popular vote to 4 year terms. The House has 360 seats and the number of seats per state is determined by population. Nigeria is influenced by Customary law (or by traditional norms in Nigeria), Common law, English, and Sharia law (which is used only in the predominantly Muslim north of the country). Nigeria has been very visible in fighting for the interests of the African continent. For example, Nigeria fought against the apartheid regime in South Africa. Nigeria is the founding member of the Organization for African Unity (now called the African Union). Nigeria funded anti-colonial struggles as well in Angola, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Nigeria today has a mixed economy. It has natural resources, financial infrastructure, communications, transport sectors, etc. According to Citigroup, Nigeria will get the highest average GDP growth in the world between 2010 and 2050. It has increased its democratic power and economic reforms. It has the second largest economy in Africa following South Africa. Nigeria's telecommunications markets are one of the fastest of such markets in the world. Literature, art, music, films (Nollywood is popular in the world today), and other parts of a culture can all be found in Nigeria.
As brother Malcolm X said of Nigeria:
"...I arrived in Accra yesterday from Lagos, Nigeria. The natural beauty and wealth of Nigeria and its people are indescribable ...it is time for all African-Americans to become an integral part of the world's Pan-Africanists, and even though we might remain in America physically while fighting for the benefits the Constitution guarantees us, we must "return" to Africa philosophically and culturally and develop a working unity in the framework of Pan-Africanism ...”
"The Europeans are not yet willing to acknowledge that the world did not wait in darkness for them to bring the light, and that the history of Africa was already old when Europe was born."
– John Henrik Clarke, "Education for a New Reality in the African World" (1994)
African Updates
Of course in African culture, there is diversity. There is a diversity of ethnic groups, nations, languages, histories, religions (as Africa is the origin of human spirituality), and other basic parts of the human experience. Thousands of ethnic groups exist in Africa including hundreds of languages. The diverse geographic areas in Africa make Africa rich culturally as well. Culture is not always going to be static permanently. Evolution in culture is a normal anthropological reality. African culture is very colorful and interesting. Yet, there are some uniform principles in African culture though. African culture is heavily communal beyond the archaic ideology of rugged individualism. That means that in African culture, there is a high emphasis on the importance of the family in assisting the community. There is an organization of tribes, families, and communities in the maintenance of societal structures. Spirituality, music (even Diaspora black people expressing jazz, soca, hip hop, dance, the blues, etc. have elements from African traditions. Ge'ez from Ethiopia, Swahili in Eastern Africa, and the Igbo language from West Africa offer a great explanation of the unique culture of Africa. The cultural spirit of Diaspora Africans is from Africa period. Ge'ez is the oldest African script still in usage today), intellectual growth, family development, and other component consist heavily of African culture. Even in a technological age, cultural preservation is a great means where human beings can grow confidence and extend freedom throughout the world. Now, we should have a sense of not only black consciousness, but cohesion among our people. That means that we should be free socially and intellectually in order for us to better unite with our black brothers and black sisters living in the globe. This unity relates to growing our community. The concept of a functional community is a pristine portion of black African culture. Africanness is when you have a cultural understanding of African people’s links and interconnectedness to development and civilization. For us to be pan-Africanist, we have to respect African culture and our black African heritage. This culture can be found in the places of : [Conakry, Guinea], [Dar es Salaam, Tanzania], [Ibadan, Nigeria], [Kano, Nigeria], [Accra, Ghana], [Lagos, Nigeria], etc. (all of these locations have over 1 million people living in the cities).
The strength, power, beauty, and influence of Black Africa existed for thousands. As time goes on in 2012 and beyond, human beings are realizing the truth. Modern man comes out of Africa. Later, thousands of years ago, humans populated the Earth. So, the civilization from Xia in China, ancient American civilization, and European ancient cultures directly or indirectly have its origin from Mother Africa (since all humans originated from the African continent). Every wonder of modern industry, modern religion, and modern civilization were melanated peoples. For over 20 years, I learned extensively about black African civilizations. Even before Kemet came about, ancient Nubia was still a strong civilization. Kemet and Nubia traded, worked, battled with each other, and had cultural exchanges with each other historically. Ancient Nubia found in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. In ancient Nubia, women were treated as equals and some women ruled the kingdoms of Nubia. Nubia was known as "Ta-Seti" or the land of the bow. The name exists, because the Nubians were expert archers. The people of Nubia and Meroe had an advanced and efficient agricultural system that made large surpluses. This surplus funding Nubian baths, palaces, audience chambers, stores, domestic quarters for the palace staff, and other buildings which signified Nubia's great wealth. During the age of Meroe, there was a flourishing iron industry. The Napatan-Meroitic Kingdom used seasoning shifting agriculture in the region. Under King Ergamenes Meroe became, according to the well-known Harvard classicist Frank Snowden, a Nubian Alexandria. Perhaps the foremost expert on Nubia, Professor William Adams, concurred: "...Ptolemaic Egypt and Meroitic Kush were provincial expressions of a world civilization." The Meroitic written alphabet is very well known. The ancient Western African kingdoms over one thousand years ago had a high degree of civilization. These kingdoms possessed powerful armies, complex governments, well enforced laws, and justice enforced.
There was the astronomical knowledge of the Mali’s Dogon people. The Dogon had such a breadth of knowledge of astronomical information that some Western scholars were astounded by it. The astronomer priests of the Dogon for centuries possessed a contemporary understanding of the University. The Dogon peoples understood the rings of Saturn, the moons of Jupiter, and the spiral structure of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Dogon understood about the billions of stars in space like the circulation of blood in the human body. They described unique details about the Sirius star system, which can only be detected now with powerful telescopes. They knew of the white dwarf companion star of Sirius or one of the brightest stars in the University. They knew that it was made up of dense metal or sagala, they knew that Sirius had an orbital period of 50 years, and its axial rotation lasts for one year. They even understood that a third star orbits Sirius and is planet. An X- Ray telescope found from the Einstein Orbiting Observatory recently confirmed the existence of the third star. So, the Dogon Mali peoples expressed a great deal of intellectual prowess in describing the stars and planets of the Universe. Throughout sub-Saharan Africa during ancient times, there was Caesarean sections (or a complex medical procedure) done via antiseptics in East Africa, plant medical preparations, etc. These plant medical preparations were used for skin infections, fever, rheumatism, neurotoxic venoms, convulsions, venereal disease, bronchitis, etc. was are effective as those found in Western medicine. Scholars find that about 5,000 African plant medicines which could be useful in treating health problems globally. Today, black African scientists are researching and making their contributions to the world of science in Kenya, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, South Africa, and throughout the blessed continent of Africa.
Iban Battuta talked about these Kingdoms as being opposed to injustice and neither traveler nor inhabitant in it has anything to fear from robbers or men of violence. The Kingdoms of Kongo, the Great Zimbabwe, and Monomotapa were highly advanced agriculturally, governmentally, and economically. Not too many people know about the Momomotapa civilization. It is also called the Kingdom of Mutapa. It's found in the section region of the great continent of Africa. Mutapa was formed in ca. 1430 and it lasted until 1760. The leader Mutota and Matope were prominent figures in the history of Mutapa. They were a premier Shona state in the region. They used copper from Chidzurgwe and ivory from the middle Zambezi. The civilizations of Ghana, Mali, Songhai, and others in the Motherland are more respected than ever before by folks from all over the Earth. Now, in our time, we still have great black inventors and other civilization creators as well.
Therefore, black culture is greatly enjoyable to know. Everyone should be treated equally and the rich should not monopolize the rich against the poor. Now, Black Africa gives all us substantial spiritual awakening, cultural power, and a real sense of inner strength that can beat down the lie of white supremacy. We have every justification to stand tall and affirm our black being irrespective of our physical appearance. I will not tear down a brother or sister for their looks or their wealth. I will not play into the hands of the enemy. I will treat all people the same, especially my own black people. See, it's fine to be aggressive if that's your real personality. It is fine to be nice if that's your real social quality. It's just that regardless of your honest personality, we should unite and organize real solutions in helping our people altruistically. That's the point and our sacred duty together. We are all in this together and yes sometimes frustration occurs as a normal human emotion. Yet, frustration and disappointment can be transformed into real constructive action in making our society work. In other words, we should still help our fellow people in spite of the situations transpiring in the globe. This doesn't mean that we become naive, because we have every God- given right to advocate self-defense, self-determination, and black self-love (for a black person is total disgrace if he or she doesn't love or respect their own black people). Black love is a powerful positive force, which is truly sacrosanct.
The brothers and sisters wanting Pan-African policies and unity deserve our support completely. In the final analysis, I am a black African and my culture is beautiful. Kwame Nkrumah in March 6, 1957 made a great commentary on black people and the independence of Ghana. His words outline the essence of the beauty and strength of African ingenuity. He said the following words:
“…But also, as I pointed out, that also entails hard work. That new Africa is ready to fight his own battles and show that after all the black man is capable of managing his own affairs . We are going to demonstrate to the world, to the other nations, that we are prepared to lay our foundation - our own African personality. As I said to the Assembly a few minutes ago, I made a point that we are going to create our own Africa personality and identity. It is the only way we can show the world that we are ready for our own battles. But today, may I call upon you all, that on this great day , let us all remember that nothing can be done unless it has the purport and support of God. We have won the battle and again rededicate ourselves ... OUR INDEPENDENCE IS MEANINGLESS UNLESS IT IS LINKED UP WITH THE TOTAL LIBERATION OF AFRICA … Seeing you in this... It doesn't matter how far my eyes go, I can see that you are here in your millions. And my last warning to you is that you are to stand firm behind us so that we can prove to the world that when the African is given a chance, he can show the world that he is somebody! We have awakened. We will not sleep anymore. Today, from now one, there is a new African in the world !...”
There is tons of interesting news in Africa today. There are a record number of women sworn in as legislators as Senegal's new parliament was inaugurated on Monday. 64 women have seats in the West African nation of Senegal. They reside in the 150 member National Assembly, because of a law that deals with gender parity. Macky Sall from the Benno Bokk Yaakaar coalition (or the BBY) won the Presidential election in March of 2012. The Parity Law was passed in 2010. The law required all 24 parties and coalitions to put equal numbers of men and women on their candidate lists. The government and the women's organization made a major awareness campaign about the law before the legislative elections. "Our objective was to see women take 40 to 45 percent of the seats," said Fatou Kiné Diop, president of the National Parity Observatory (ONP), which was set up under the presidency in 2011. The campaign would seem to have been a success, with the proportion of female legislators jumping from 22 percent in the previous parliament to 43 percent for the incoming session. "The Parity Law has been decisive. It has been a big boost for women," Diop told IPS. "The critical mass of women elected – thanks to the Parity Law – should allow us to make some important changes in the National Assembly," new MP Elène Tine told IPS. The new female political figures in Senegal are experts in other arenas too. Sokhna Dieng Mbacke is a journalist and former journalist. Mama Mbayame Gueye is a doctor. Fatou Thiam is a health worker and Elene Tine was trained as an archivist and longtime spokesperson for the Alliance of Progressive Forces (or an opposition party). These women are strong candidates. The newly elected women are fighting for equal access to decision making. The National Assembly in Senegal is becoming more progressive and that is a great development in the overall inspirational history of Africa. The constitution of Kenya made it so in 2010 that no more than 2/3s of the members of elective public bodies should be of the same gender. There is still more work to be done, but systems are changing in Kenya.
Post-Apartheid South Africa still have economic and poverty issues. The evil of apartheid is gone from South Africa. That's a great thing and we should rejoice over it. Botha was an enemy. The ANC (or the African National Congress) promised the mostly black population of South Africa many reforms. Black people are 85 percent of the population of South Africa, yet the poverty and economic issues still exist among many of the black South Africans. Jobs have been gone. The costs for electricity, water, foods, and rents have skyrocketed outright. This is why many scholars and nationalists believe that the ANC, the COSATU (or the Congress of South African Trade Unions), and the SACP betrayed their roots and sold Black Africa out. Too often, we see a Western capitalist power structure controlling much of the infrastructure of South Africa. During our time period, ANC never advocated radical solutions, but moderation. Moderation never caused a successful revolution in human history. It was radical action not moderation that ended Jim Crow in America. It was radical action not moderation that freed Haiti from French imperialists & terrorists. ANC's neo-liberal philosophy is antithetical to a democratic social revolution. Heroes to black people like Chris Hani. He was assassinated on April 10, 1993. Even Thabo Mbeki studied at Sussex University. The massacre at Marikana is a sad event. 34 miners were murdered at Marikana, South Africa. Since 1994, many of the elite capitalist class collaborated with Western interests in order to control the workers of South Africa. Recently, thousands of miners went on strike in South Africa's largest platinum mine in Marikana. Later, government authorities murdered 34 black miners via police gunfire. Some of the survivors face charges of murder (in the deaths of 2 policemen and 8 other miners). The miners rejected the National Union of Mineworkers and the Communist Party since the miners wanted higher wages. Marikana struggled to fight for workers' rights. The revolution isn't yet complete in South Africa. The good news is that South Africa represents a great change for Africa. South Africa is a sign that real people will forever reject anti-colonial actions and we can have a chance for true liberation. It is wrong to have Western interests to suppress the rights of workers and to use multinationals to dominate the institutions of South Africa. Black people anywhere in the world shouldn't be exploited to work in cheap labor. Jay Naidoo (or the former general secretary of the COSATU) said that many of the workers live in hovels, informal squatter camps, and they are surrounded by poverty (without basic services). This economic inequality maintains the lifestyle of the middle class plus the rich. The SACP allies with the ANC and even the COSATU compromises with ANC. The workers at Marikana tried to turn to a rival and more radical union called the AMCU. That is why people in South Africa are continually fighting to eliminate Western corporate neo-colonial domination of South Africa. South Africa will win in the future though.
There is a young Congo entrepreneur that wants to hire the youth in helping Africa. Adon Madi is the founder of National Express Cleaning. He wants to increase the employment of the youth in the nation of the Congo. Many years ago, Adon Madi returned home to Congo Brazzaville for a vacation after completing his economic degree in London. He wanted the youth to have more opportunities in his homeland since tons of youth inside of Africa have talent plus energy. He wanted the youth to come into Congo Brazzaville. He developed a business concept in less than a year. He got professional training and raised seed capital. He hired 40 youth when he started his own business. Challenges were abundant in his legitimate endeavor. Madi's passion won his family and others over. He made a social movement that geared toward the growth of Africa. He has been successful in his business. There is nothing wrong with having a passion and a vision to help out your own people. Doing legitimate business in Africa is about a relationship with human beings not just achieving performance. A person has to connect with African peoples in order for the soul of a business to be completely viable. The abolitionist, labor, and black liberation movements worked great wonders for our world. Today, the youth are using their skills in creating their own movements that can better assist human life. Truth wins out. Now, it's our job to not only learn information. Learning information is great and is a must in our daily lives. We should act and use courage plus bravery to help our people out too. We can build a business, organize a charity, educate our people, mentor the youth, speak out in favor of justice publicly, work in a neighborhood program, deal with anti-crime projects, go out and create programs to fight poverty, ally with real grassroots groups that help people to have food including shelter, and a whole list of activities.
Kenya is growing as an African nation economically. Kenya has a newly announced geothermal power generation project. Some believe that this project will cause Kenya to become an economic powerhouse in the region. In April of 2012, the government launched the Menegai Geothermal Development Project. This is the first initiative of its newly formed Geothermal Development Company, which has been set up to fast track the development of geothermal resources there. The chief executive officer of this project is called Dr. Silas Simiyu. He said that by 2016 the first phase will generate 400 MW, which is enough to light up 500,000 households and run 300,000 small businesses. "It is situated 180 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, and will have a capacity to produce 1,600 MW of electricity by the time we implement all three phases in 2030," said Simiyu. According to Nashon Adero, a policy and economic analyst at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, the first phase of the project will have a significant impact on the country as it moves towards industrialization. “At the moment, the country consumes 1,600 MW," Adero said. "Four hundred MW is therefore an additional 25 percent. And given that the country has embarked on other ambitious projects of green power generation, such as the Lake Turkana Wind Power project, which will generate an additional 300 MW, Kenya will become an economic giant within the region." There is construction on the Lake Turkana Wind Power project. It will be the sub-Saharan Africa's largest wind farm. Kenya is concerned Eastern and Central Africa's financial, communication, and transportation hub. Its GDP is increasing by four to five percent in the past 10 years. "Kenya’s GDP is currently the largest in the (East African) region given its strong agricultural industry, particularly in tea and coffee production, and floriculture," said Ezekiel Esipisu, Habitat for Humanity’s regional operations manager for East Africa and the Middle East. "This, coupled with investments at the Nairobi Stock Exchange and the manufacturing industry, means that the country is one of the leading economies in Africa." Esipisu told IPS that the country’s investment in power production would propel economic development further. "All of Kenya’s neighbours have power deficits. The roadmap towards further power production will definitely boost development. We will see Kenya move closer to industrialization, and it will become a real economic giant in the region." About 60 percent of Kenya's power is hydroelectric. This power is generation when falling water from a dam is used to drive turbines. This supply has been influenced by perennial drought and erratic rainfall. Since hydroelectric power generation can be dependent on climatic conditions, some are using geothermal as said by John Omenge. John Omenge is the chief geologist at Kenya's Ministry of Energy. Geothermal is not affected by drought or other environmental calamities. Kenya is the first nation to diversify into geothermal power. The country is already generating 209 MW of electricity from the Olkaria Geothermal Projects, which are located in the Rift Valley and are operated by the Kenya Power Generating Company. Kenya is promoting Vision 2030 or a development blueprint in that Kenya will be more industrialized and have more middle income people by 2030 (and generate about 5,000 MW of electricity) from geothermal sources at various places in Kenya. Kenya could be the economic heartbeat of Africa. Nairobi is now the regional office location of the African Development Bank.
Pan-Africanism (or black nationalism) is one great goal that many brothers and sisters endorse. Therefore, our job is to serve the people in our daily lives without lip service. We must be altruistic and treat our neighbors as ourselves. As human beings, we should know and unite with the interests of black people in the world over. There are Africans everywhere and we are tied to them as humans. The enemy wants our lives to be ruined, so we should do all we can to make sure that our black people will not suffer misfortune. We should learn from history in order to not repeat the same mistakes of the past. This was taught by the great leaders of Malcolm X, Nkrumah, and Kwame Ture. A love of Africa is requirement of every black person in my opinion:
"The determined and conscious resistance to penetration and foreign domination, we have seen, is a constant feature in the drive for the assertion and preservation of African people. The people possess a rich tradition of fighting, of armed opposition and of socio-cultural resistance to colonial rule ... domination has never been accepted..." - Ahmed Seku Ture
"You show me one of these people over here who has been thoroughly brainwashed and has a negative attitude toward Africa, and I'll show you one who has a negative attitude toward himself. You can't have a positive attitude toward yourself and a negative attitude toward Africa at the same time. To the same degree that your understanding of and attitude toward Africa become positive, you'll find that your understanding of and your attitude toward yourself will also become positive. And this is what the white man knows. So they very skillfully make you and me hate our African Identity, our African characteristics." - Malcolm X
*In African cultural traditions, there are always unifying themes. Black people are the original peoples on Earth and the original values of the original peoples on Earth still remain. As a member of the earliest indigenous peoples in human history , I do reject any attempt to destroy Nature intentionally. I believe in the concept of community, and I believe in cooperation. I accept a common black heritage, I believe in natural law ( or moral law from the Creator or God) , and I believe in contributing my talents to the world. Now, throughout history in Africa, our ancestors always believed in assisting the family unit collectively. That means is that if one family member needs assistance, the whole family works together in making sure that family member is back on their feet. Selfishness is omitted from our culture. We are concerned with the whole community without some selfish individualist lust for greed and wealth. We have empathy toward our fellow human beings. There is strong power in the black collective indeed. Our expression of black Power has been expressed throughout human history. That is why when Tanzania was under Nyerere, he used these communal tenets. Soon, Tanzania reduced infant mortality, raised the life expectancy rate, and increase school enrolment (plus lowered the adult literacy rate). Also, black people regularly believe in cooperation. One of the greatest parts of spirituality and pure common sense is the respect of Nature and the creations of the Earth. Once a person uses wise treatment of Nature and creations, then blessings can flow about ( and a humans’ spiritual and moral attitude is enhanced ). In natural law, all life is sacred and people have right to reproduce in passing their genes to future generations. Also, being single or being married is a blessing too. Children are always a blessing and an inheritance for our people indeed.
African Proverbs
In life, it is normal for us human beings to have reflection and relaxation. Don't get me wrong, we should fight and fight we must. Although, a temporary time of reflection can recharge our energy levels, so we can fight even harder for justice, equality, liberty, and balance. One of the greatest gifts of black people is our spirituality and our philosophical/cultural links to our African people in the world. Proverbs can be a motivator, so a person can carry forward in life despite tribulations. Proverbs can cheer up human emotions and they can be our personal mottoes. I will never front on expressing real jewels. The African proverbs outline credible, excellent jewels that we can take to heart. It is better to have reconciliation instead of narrow-mindedness and peace without savage warfare. These proverbs exist in numerous tongues of Africa. Enjoy:
"Baat bin'a buetsh bua shin'a many . "(Kuba)
"Wanawake ndio msingi wa fumbo kuu la uhai duniani; ni wao wanaojua siri ya maisha mema ." (Swahili)
In English, these proverbs mean the following: "... Women are part of the origin of life's big mystery on earth; they know the secret of a good life..." "A wise man who knows proverbs, reconciles difficulties." (Yoruba)
"A house that is built by God will be completed." (Ethiopia). A proverb from the nation of Cameroon reads: "...He who asks questions, cannot avoid the answers..." The hand that rocks the cradle rules the nation and its destiny. --SOUTH AFRICAN PROVERB
"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far. " (West African proverb)
A Zulu proverb reads the following: "...A tree is known by its fruit..."
Africans in Europe
There are a lot of black Africans in Europe. Now, this doesn't mean that I support European imperialism then or now. The first brother and the first sister (including all blacks then and now) on this Earth inherently have a peaceful nature. This means that our people (or black people) traveled into Europe. Their stories, culture, and beautiful insights ought to be made public for all people to understand and comprehend. Our people's journey has a long historical significance, because Africans are ever resilient. Our black brothers and black sisters in Europe need to know that we love them, we appreciate them, and we respect them as equal human beings (from us black people from the Diaspora & Africa). In recent years, enormous migrations of Africans are coming into Europe. The late Frank Snowden wrote that black people worked as mercenaries, merchants, and other types of workers in the Greco-Roman world of Europe. Even the Drake Jewel shows the image of a prominent black man on it. Many black people in ancient Europe were called Maures or Moors. In the early 1500's, there is an image of a man of African roots being a nobleman or guest of the Queen of Austria. Black people were part of European imagination and reality from very early times. Black people were featured very prominently in the coat of arms of Europe. There is one image of young black soldier, who was an archer of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years war (from 1618-1648). The Thirty years War was about the Protestants and the Catholics battling against each for the supremacy of the European continent politically and religiously. European nobility, workers, commoners, and other leaders were black spanning thousands of years. That's a historical fact. Thomas Foster Earle wrote extensively on the Black African contributions to Renaissance Europe. Frank M. Snowden, Jr. is a great African American history that researched black people in the time of antiquity. I recommend his accurate research completely.
The Afro-French or black people in France have a great, long history. The evolution of my thinking is great on this issue. A high percentage of Afro-French human beings come from the Caribbean. I have some Caribbean ancestry myself. There are anyway from 1.5 to 5 million Afro-French. Most live in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg, etc. Some groups want data collection on minority group. One is the Representative Council of Franche's Black Associations (or the Conseil représentatif des associations noires de France , CRAN). One documentary talked about black people in France called "Noir de France." It's a documentary in French. The documentary proves that the history of black people in France is extensive. The first black mayor of France was elected in 1929. His name was Raphaël Elizé. His city was in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, the same city where the current Prime Minister François Fillon was mayor for eight years. The history of the Afro-French came about during the immoral French colonial era, the Independencies of African nations after World War II, and the migrations from the West Indies and Africa. African Americans regularly live in France all of the time too. This doesn't mean that French is a peaches and cream nation. Discrimination is still very real in France like in America. If you're black period, you will know about oppression. The Afro-French thrive in art, politics, engineering, athletics, construction, and other arenas. You can talk about African history involving France without learning about Toussaint L'Ouverture. He was the leader of the Haitian Revolution. He defeated the imperialist Napoleon Bonaparte and liberated human beings from oppression. Back then, many African Americans like painter Henry O. Tanner came into France in order to escape the Jim Crow oppression that existed in America. Henry O. Tanner was a famous painter. He created his famous "The Rising of Lazarus" piece. It was featured in the world famous Louvre museum and his worked was seen by numerous African Americans. Just because Tanner, WEB Dubois, and others visited France doesn't mean that France was colorblind. A lot of blacks entered France after 1632. Afro-French leaders in the 19th century abolitionist movement include people like Adzée Louisy, Lois T. Houat, and Mondésir Richard. In 1834 Revue Des Colonies was publish, the first literary journal devoted to black culture, founded by Cyril Charles Bissette. In 1851, he received the "Legion of Honor" from the French government. France emancipated all slaves in their colonies by 1848, because of the production of sugar from sweet beets in France. Immigrants were typically blacks and Afro-Arabs born in France. In 1984, SOS-racisme was formed by Blacks, Jews, and Arabs. Led by Martinican, Harlem Désir, the organization staged anti-discrimination, anti-police harassment rallies. When the 2005 rebellions came in France, I and my brothers agreed with the legitimate grievances of protesting the French government's discrimination and evil racial profiling that occurred in France (against the Afro- French and Arabic populations). Now, it's our job to defend the rights and liberty of the Afro- French and all immigrants currently living in France. Many of the Afro-French are hidden in stories in the world. So, Afro-French human beings are always blessings in the world.
I wrote about Black British people before, but this information should be recapped. Black British people are a blessing and they represent a huge portion of the struggle for black liberation including equality. A huge amount of Black British human beings have a Caribbean background and many came from Africa too. Some came from the West Indies and others came from nations like Senegal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other locations. There are over 1.5 million Afro-British human beings in the United Kingdom. Black people lived in the United Kingdom for a very long time. Afro-British people have a long history. There were Africans in London during the 1500's doing various activities. There was the black trumpeter named John Blanke from 1511. Cornelius was another black man living in London from 1593. The slave trade caused more black settlement in London and throughout the United Kingdom. The UK have heavily involved in the evil tri-continental slave trade (between Europe, Africa, and the Americas). Liverpool is an old black British community. Some Liverpudlians can trace their ancestors back in the city back ten generations. There were seamen, traders, and some freed people in Liverpool. Racism and discrimination was very common there just like in the Americas. Back then, Afro-British activists that fought for freedom were Olaudah Equiano, Ignatius Sancho, and Quobna Ottobah Cugoano. These black heroes wanted slavery to end in Britain. Their efforts including other caused the end of the slave trade by 1807 and the slave trade was banned in the British empire by 1834. Massive anti- immigration laws in the 19th century prevented black Africans from residing in the UK. Black communities still grew in the 19th century and the 20th century. After WWII, many blacks from the British West Indies came into England. Even in the 1960's to 1981 racist laws prevented immigration into Britain. Even in America, there was the 1965 Immigration Act that promoted immigration (although America has its own sins too on these issues).
Luaryn Hill said the following :
“As my potential to work, and therefore earn freely, was being threatened, I did whatever needed to be done in order to insulate my family from the climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism that I was surrounded by. This was absolutely critical while trying to find and establish a new and very necessary community of healthy people, and also heal and detoxify myself and my family while raising my young children.”
David Pitt in 1975 promoted black power and equality. He opposed racism and wanted equality for all people in the UK. He lived from 1913 to 1994. He was born in Grenada. He came to Britain after winning a scholarship to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh. After he graduated, he came into the Caribbean to participate in medicine in Trinidad. He helped to create the West Indian National Party, which called for West Indian self-government. He set up a medical practice in the Euston area of London to treat both white and black patients. He did this in 1947. By 1959, he was the first person of African descent to be a parliamentary candidate. He supported the Labour Party. He was defeated by the conservative candidate Henry Brooke. Pitt refused to withdraw from the race even when he and his family received racist death threats. David Pitt wanted to do something about oppression, so he created the Campaign Against Racial Discrimination. This was Britain’s first civil rights organization. In 1961, David Pitt was elected to the London County Council as a member for hackney and served on the lCC and its successor (or the Greater London Council) until 1975. As the House of Lord, he campaigned for the Race Relations Act of 1976. He played a huge role in fighting against apartheid in South Africa.
In 1992 the number of blacks in Parliament increased to six and in 1997 they increased their numbers to nine. There are still issues of unemployment with black people in London and issues of discrimination. Many Afro-British human beings have made great contributions and most Afro-British people love their own black heritage. Today, there are tons of Black British people in the public eye or made huge contributions to society. We know about Tini Tempah, Noami Campbell, Diane Abbott, Taio Cruz, Idris Elba, Estelle, Joceyln Jee Esien, Paul Ince, Shingai Shoniwa, and so many other people.
One African American sister Dana Saxon talked about black people in the Netherlands. She exposed the evil black face imagery shown by some Dutch people. It's proven that racism in the states is just as harsh as racism in Europe (it's just shown sometimes differently in both areas). I promise to God, I will never be assimilated to oppression and I will publicly fight against racism wherever it is found. I will defend my family, my people, and my blood forever more. Yet, many places in Europe have great black people and they love their black African identity. I want to make that clear. More information is being shown worldwide about the Black People in Turkey or the Afro-Turks. I heard of the Afro-Turks years ago, but now I am learning more about these special human beings as times travels along. The Turkish photographer named Ahmet Polat published images of the Afro-Turkish people in his photo book entitled, "AFRO- TURK." This work presents images of black African Turks who reside in the region of Izmir. The Ottoman Empire immorally took black slaves from Kenya and Sudan and placed them into Turkey. Some black sisters were used as the Sultan's harem, which is disgraceful on the part of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire reaped what it has sown by being gone from the face of the Earth, thank God. The abolition of slavery came about in Turkey. Ahmet Polat in May of 2011 had shown his newest publication on the Afro-Turkish community at gallery Liefhertje in The Hague. One image of Ahmet Polat shows an Afro-Turk man Melik wrapping a virginity belt on his daughter's waist. Afro-Turkish Jazz singer Melis Sokmen talks about her African heritage before. Sait Sokmen is a ballet dancer. He's the son an Guinea mother and Turkish father. Esmeray was an Afro-Turkish female singer. Most Afro-Turkish people live along the Aegean coast. Tons of Afro-Turkish people are strong and are fighting against racial discrimination that is found in Turkey too. Mustafa Olpak formed the organization of "Afro-Turks" in the end of 2006 (in the North Aegean city of Ayvalik). Olpak wrote an autobiography about his black ancestry via his book entitled, "Slave Coast." He met 2,000 Afro-Turks in recent years. Olpak is bringing awareness to the celebrations and rights of the Afro-Turks like reviving the traditional Calf Festival. Many Afro-Turkish human beings live in poverty. There is the football Afro-Turkish person named Hadi Turkmen. The Afro-Turkish people are researching their history more. Now, brothers like Olpak are doing their best to fight for the rights and the interests of the Afro-Turkish people. White supremacy (which is from their father, the Devil. REJECT THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU. IN ORDER WORDS, IF A PERSON REJECTS WHITE SUPREMACY, THEN YOU ARE TRULY BLESSED. WE KNOW WHO THE DEVIL IS. LOL. WINK WINK ) hasn't changed and the leaders of it haven't. White supremacists are responsible for the enslavement and conquering of continents (mostly among people of color) including using atomic weapons against civilian populations. It isn't the just some of the Europeans harming our people, but the orchestrators of the Maafa aren't off the hook though. This is the real world. If you want to be real, show the truth. It's our job to destroy white supremacy from the face of the Earth (via productive methods, activism, love for our people, and real solutions without indiscriminate, unjust violence. Although, I do believe in self-defense. In this imperfect world, we have no choice but to advocate self- defense. Our enemy uses bigotry and I reject bigotry) as the original humans on this Earth. This is more than enough for us to promote the beauty and intellectual strength of black African peoples.
“…The challenge is here for all of us. Will we merely continue just to use the powerless and the helpless as scapegoats, or using generalizations against them or about them? Or will we now take the bull by the horns and say that we have failed in certain areas but we will come together and make the American dream, at least in this generation, become some kind of reality for lots of folks. Thank you…”
-Shirley Chisholm from May 6, 1972 in her Presidential speech E kwere m ị me ọke m. Issues
Our real issues are how can we be build up the economy, how can we stop the violence in our communities, how can we help brothers & sisters out who are struggling, and how can be fight against poverty plus all forms of oppression plaguing our people. Now, you may be curious about the meaning of the Igbo phrase above. The meaning of this phrase in English is “…I agree to do my part…” That phrase is extremely relevant in this topic since it is our responsibility to help our neighbors, give back to our community, and to appreciate the sacrifice our forebears gave so we could witness some of the opportunities in this specific generation of human history. “Personal responsibility ” is an important vocabulary phrase that inspires folks and spurs debate all in the same time. In our time, reactionaries distort the true meaning of personal responsibility as an excuse to promote an one size fits all, medieval, feudalist, and anarcho-capitalist agenda. This decrepit agenda is an “you’re on your own” agenda (or social Darwinism) . I believe in personal responsibility. Every human who is conscience is accountable for his or her own actions by their own volition. We realize that murder (like black on black murder is truly wrong and real black people have opposed this reality day in and day out), lying, fraud, robbery, unjust violence, and other forms of debilitating actions are morally reprehensible. In our community for years, black people have talked about these issues. Black people have always opposed black on black violence, drug abuse, and other ills in our communities for thousands of years (long before other voices tried to lecture us on personal responsibility. Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Bill Cosby [I don’t agree with all of his views on the poor, but I understood where the brother was coming from. He’s a great icon. He’s a great role model for our people], and others decades before the Tea Party reactionary crowd talked about personal responsibility). We should continue to condemn drug abuse, violence, rape, murder, crime, self-hatred, sexual exploitation, domestic violence, pedophilia, and all ills in our community. On the other hand, the unjustifiable crimes done by some black people pale in comparison to the greater abominable crimes of white supremacy. We should both call for the improvements in our black community and also fight against the conditions (of poverty, discrimination, health disparities, materialism, and other socioeconomic complications) that cause many of the problems in the first place at the same time. The combination of public and private efforts is a means in getting results. Even among some middle class and rich bourgeoisie blacks (many of them are accommodating to the status quo) make it a pastime to stereotype and scapegoat the poor for all of the problems in our black community. That action should end completely, because the poor collectively is not responsible for all of the world’s sins . The reality is that the U.S. government’s COINTELPRO attacked the Black Power Movement of the 1960’s and the 1970’s via assassinating African leaders, imprisoning activists, and using agents to destroy organizations. The poor had nothing to do with COINTELPRO at all or the evil three strikes discriminatory laws. I will never blame black people collectively for the War on Drugs, the war on terror, or all of the neo-colonialism in the world.
The poor are allies in our struggle for social and cultural liberation. Likewise, it is accurate to point out the fact that we should not assimilate or integrate into a mainstream culture that views us in the most degrading terms. If you assimilate to a system that steals your culture, promotes self- hatred, and harm your psyche, you could be ruined. The same economic system & religious establishment system that brought & facilitated the Maafa can never liberate us as a people . That is why the further unity of black people is necessary in order for us to grow our educational thinking, our institutions, our businesses, and ultimately our Power. Others may let peer pressure stress them something awesome, but a real human being will ignore distracting, belligerent peer pressure (and advocate unique prescriptions for equality).
On the other hand, they (you know who is the identity of “they” is) hate it when we lecture them on racial discrimination being a reality in the world today. No matter how much they hate us, we will still in love show them the truth. See, I show the truth in love. Yet, life is complex. Life is social, not just individual. Many people are poor and suffer not because they lack personal responsibility. It's because we still have an institutionally corrupt system that permits oppression, poverty, prison incarceration, and other abuses. Telling people to get up by their own bootstraps isn't going to work all of the time when a man or a woman doesn't have boots to begin with. Many suffering individuals work long hours and still receive low wages or lax health care. That reality isn't a product of human beings lacking personal responsibility, but it's a product of an economic system that rewards luxuries instead of enriching the lives of the poor. This doesn't mean that all is lost or we need pessimism. What we need is a radical redistribution of political and economic power as the late great Dr. Martin Luther King said decades ago. It is a cruel jest to assume that tax cuts for the super wealthy and draconian cuts to social programs are indicative of a just new frontier. People may claim that people build it, but you didn't build it alone. There were grants, loans, and public resources that helped you to build it. Even workers some hire helped to build entities. Personal responsibility is real, but fighting white supremacy is real too. Personal responsibility is simply about making folks accountable for their own actions. It is never a means to shift away the blame from white supremacy to many of our problems in the first place. See, there is a difference between personal responsibility and oppression. When our people witness evil voter ID laws, unjust wars, and dangerous modified foods, these things are a product of corporate corruption. These things have nothing to do with people having a lack of personal responsibility at all.
You will notice another thing. The same people that attempt to lecture us on personal responsibility will not lecture Wall Street crooks stealing our wealth as lacking personal responsibility. They will not lecture the Pentagon or the military industrial complex on personal responsibility when they organize massive war crimes (especially people of color) for decades. They will definitely not lecture the multinational corporations or the mainstream religious establishment to have personal responsibility either. We still live the dream. We are still fighting for civil rights, economic justice, an end to racism, and the elimination of oppression from the Earth. Our journey may be harsh and audacious around the way, but the solution is at sight. The ending of the racial caste system in America was one of the greatest events in human history. Yet, we are not finished still. Fundamentally, social and economic justice is basic fixture of our aims. You can't have true jobs and true freedom without economic & social justice. The work is not completed, because 12 million American children are hungry. The work is not finished when we have those that want to roll back the rights won by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I do praise the court that struck down the Texas voter ID law as being racially discriminatory. We must press on and we will press on. It is in the culture of our people to embrace a cooperative society or a community orientated society. This is a society where every man, woman, and child in the Universe is respected in their gracious dignity. It's a society where the welfare of the people is placed with high importance beyond deficit hawk ideologies. It is when we have social transformation and personal self-transformation. People gave their lives for the dream and the dream still carries on pervasively in us . We are the living representations or reminders of that dream (as black people, our styles will always become fresh and vivacious ). Justice is beyond old talking points from puppets. Justice is the overturning of the laissez faire capitalist system and forming a better progressive system that can help all people among all socioeconomic classes. That's justice. Justice deals with making health care a human right not a privilege and promoting reparations for our people. I will never forget the oppression that continues to plague my people. Nixakliel made excellent commentary on the unjust murder of our brother Trayvon Martin:
“…Posted by Nixakliel Mar 28 2012 - 1:32pm - Fact: Trayvon was unarmed when Zimmerman shot him. - Fact Trayvon weighed about 140-lbs while Zimmerman weighs about 250-lbs - Fact: Trayvon was staying w his father & his dad fiancee's home which was in the same neighborhood- when he went to the nearby 7-11 store for candy & ice-tea. - Fact: Trayvon was returning back to his father's house when this fatal confrontation began to unfold. - Fact: Zimmerman followed Trayvon even though he was specifically told by the 911 dispatcher NOT To! - Fact: According to Trayvon's girl-friend who he called just before his fatal encounter w Zimmerman- Trayvon thought he was being stalked by a possible attacker. -Fact: According to the neighbor watch manual the guy on watch is NOT supposed to be carrying a fire-arm & is supposed to alert the police but avoid confrontation. Zimmerman failed these recommendations on both counts -Fact: The cops drug tested Trayvon's [the victim's] corpse but FAiLED to drug test Zimmerman [the killer]. -Fact: The cops failed to immediately contact Trayvon's girl friend [by using his cell phone] or find out if he knew someone in the area [IE: his father & his dad's fiancee']. -Fact: The cops obviously just took Zimmerman's word that Trayvon [the dead victim] attacked him [even though his story conflicted w some witnesses accounts], & simply let him walk Scott- free - as it still so- 1 month after he killed Trayvon! Now you can accuse me of so-called 'Playing the 'Race-Card' all you want to, I'll keep asking this question- When is the last time YOU Can Recall that an unarmed / nonviolent white person was shot & killed by police [or a some cop wanna-be like Zimmerman who was then given a free pass by the cops]??!! I have to go all the way back to Kent State in 1970! Now how many infamous cases of Black & Brown unarmed victims [including at-least one little Black school-girl in Detroit as the cops raided the WRONG House] being shot & killed by cops in the just past 10 to 15 yrs! - Ten - Twenty- perhaps even more! If you want me to start naming specific cases- I can!...”
In our generation it is time for action. The existence of violence in our communities from across the country is wrong. Even some of the younger generation possess naiveté, apathy, and self-hated. Although, we can't say a word about it unless we become active in solving our own problems. The only way that self-hatred can be overcome is not by historical revisionism or ignoring racial oppression by white supremacy. It is done by self-love, us sending a real education to people about black history (this history should outline the real history of brothers and sisters acting like warriors too) & black culture, and we should fight back against any form of injustice in the world. A black identified person loves their people, is confident, and is subsequently willing to grow the black cultural experience. We need to express or display the beauty and diversity of black people in the world. Dark skin is beautiful and having natural hair is a gift from God straight up. Sometimes, being politically incorrect is a solution to our problems. Bowing down before their nefarious system of laissez faire economics and Eurocentric religious supremacy never worked to psychologically benefit people of black African descent. You can look to history to see that. The day I started to pray to the Creator about my heritage and learned about my people was the time when I became healthier, more confident, and stronger socially. This action of reform entails many things. It means that we should support successful black businesses (that have love for black people) in communities for real. It means that we should at least help our family members, our neighbors, and others in our own communities (it can be a neighborhood project, mediation to solve crime issues, dialogue, and other programs). Another solution is to maintain a strong moral conduct. That means that we should treat our sisters and brothers with respect. We should never intentionally try to hurt some one's feelings in an evil, vicious fashion. A traitorous white identified black person typically mistreats their own black people, while praising white people in general. We should be strong and act with dignity too. A real man doesn't mimic the behavior of the oppressors (these wicked oppressors orchestrated the Black Codes, mass incarceration, Jim Crow, oppressions against women, various genocides within the scope of human history, the War on Drugs, and other forms of atrocities for centuries, especially against people of color), but we ought to adhere to real moral actions in his daily life. A real man shouldn't dress up his words either.
Justice ought to be sent to people now. This doesn’t mean that black people should allow black people lack a sense of responsibility. If a black person is doing anything wrong, he or she should be called out on it and be inspired to correct his or her errors. In other words, just because someone is black, doesn’t mean that person has the justification to act like in the wrong fashion (as in inappropriate behavior not real humor or real comedy at times). Some people may play the fool sometimes, but you can’t be a fool permanently. We have to kick facts not fraudulent information. A lot of these facts were composed by leaders like Amilcar Cabral, Fannie Lou Hammer, Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X, Dr. King, Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Kwame Nkrumah, Kwame Ture, Abbane Ramdane, Patrice Lumumba, etc. It is our just call for end any form of oppression and exploitation in any form. Still, there must be political, economic, and social changes to this nation if we as black people can experience true equality. For institutional racism and white supremacy are huge obstacles to true equality for all human beings. If we want justice, then there must be structural alterations and public interventions.
*In the final analysis, we can't fake the funk. We have to express our authentic raison d'etre. Just because a human being lived in a certain environment, doesn't mean that person will remain in the same fashion or the same social disposition. People can change. Historically, men with certain social weaknesses have transformed their weakness into strengths. Both males and females ought to be treated with dignity and respect. There is nothing wrong with man being aggressive (if it's harnessed in the right direction). On the other hand, just because a man can be sensitive or courteous at times, doesn't mean that a man is acting less than a real man (or that man is weak). A man should just be himself since masculinity can be expressed in diverse forms. True masculinity isn't about a man acting as some nihilistic brute. Yet, the universal principle of masculinity relates to a man acting in society with strength, honor, and a promotion of justice for all peoples. A more aggressive man (who’s honorable in his conduct) and a more sensitive man should be equally respected. These men aren't weak or punkish or brutish. It just shows the diversity of mankind. Diversity is the spice of life. So, there is nothing wrong with being a more rough man or a nicer man. What matters is how you treat people and your core convictions
One of the ways to find solutions is to find the source or origin of our issues. It's a historical fact that in the ancient days of Africa and even in parts of the 20th century, we promoted a communal family structure beyond just nuclear families (even though, there isn't anything wrong with nuclear families at all). The Willie Lynch letter is probably a hoax, but our oppressors use lies and hoaxes in trying to oppress us. Now, there is nothing wrong with the existence of single parent households per se if the child grows up to be strong, upright, and a decent member of the human race. Yet, even in sometimes, decades ago, there was a cultural situation of more cultural cohesiveness in the American black community. There were nuclear families and even extended families in a communal setting (where grandparents and other relatives were work together in close proximity with each other to develop black community). There were even thousands of thriving black businesses from the early 1800’s to 1925. There were towns and cities even in Oklahoma with black infrastructure acting as a self-containing unit. Imagine Harlem and the black community in Chicago spread all across America back in the day. This is what it was like. The Great Depression caused many black people to suffer economic troubles. While the New Deal mostly benefited white businesses via programs and interventions, black people were readily discriminated against through that time period. From the Great Depression to the WWII period came the massive Great Migration. This was when black Americans migrated from more rural areas into urban areas like Chicago, the Midwest, the Northeast, the West Coast, etc . That is why when you listen and watch some in the Black community in the West Coast & the Midwest; you can see their cultural influences (how they talk like and their cultural traditions) from the Deep South . Black people wanted more job opportunities, but the power structure (in the North, Midwest, and the West Coast) discriminated against black people in those regions during the early to mid-20 th century. The reason is that many corporate leaders refused to hire blacks to receive a living wage or high paying jobs. This caused many black people to be forced to live in poorer communities (like in the ghettoes after the Great Migration). Ironically, only a few black people were in the middle class or became super wealthy. That is why we as black people should pool our resources better to help our poor & the rest of our black people. We should have an economic policy & a real covenant of conduct to benefit our interests, especially the poor & the suffering among us. You can transfer money into wealth. Real wealth deals with land, and other resources.
Today, we have a new scenario. Our divorce rate (in the West not only in our people) is higher than it was in 1970 and other issues plague our community. According to scholars and researchers, the oppressors’ use of the ghettos (as Dr. Martin Luther King knew the plight of the ghetto and wanted to end slums, so the poor can grow their true destinies), poverty, the war on Drugs, and socioeconomic problems caused much of the problems in the Black family. When the urban ghettos rose up in the twentieth century, black people were experiencing migration and urbanization. Dr. Martin Luther King made an excellent outline of the ghetto in the following words from 1966:
“…The pervasiveness of discriminatory practices has been so much taken for granted that its provocative effect is easily forgotten. Even as the Negro manages to grasp a foothold on the economic ladder, discrimination threatens to push him off after he has only ascended a few rungs. It hounds him at every level to stultify this initiative and insult his being. For the pitifully few who climb into economic security it persists and closes different doors.
Intimately related to discrimination is one of its worst consequences, namely, unemployment . You will remember that the United States teetered on the edge of revolution in the 1930's when national unemployment mounted to 25 per cent of the populace. But throughout the South and expressly in the North, in the midst of historic prosperity, unemployment for Negro youth, according to government figures, runs as high as 30 to 40 per cent in many cities. Understanding that most of their lives are yet to be lived, the slamming of doors before their faces can be expected to induce rage and rebellion…Finally, there exists a complex of causes, found in the degenerating conditions of perverted urban life . Our cities are choked with air pollution, dense traffic conditions, and insufficient water systems. Public facilities are outworn and inadequate. Within this chaos of neglect Negroes are stifled at the very bottom in squalid slum conditions, the equal of which are not to be found in any industrial nation of the world. Every large city reaps the results of the myriad poor and black people who have migrated there in desperate search of the American fulfillment. Although it is a known fact that millions of Negroes have been forced off the land in the South by the contraction of agricultural employment during the past two decades, no national planning has been enacted to remedy this calamity…Now this leads me to say that we must formulate a program and we must fashion the new tactics which do not count on government goodwill but instead serve to compel unwilling authorities to yield to the mandates of justice. We must demand, for instance, an emergency program to provide employment for everyone in need of a job, or, if a work program is impractical, a guaranteed annual income at levels that sustain life in decent circumstances . A second feature of our program must be the demolition of slums and rebuilding by the population that lives in them. Third, we must make a massive move toward self-determination and the shaping of our own destiny. In other words, we must get rid of the domestic colony which is the ghetto . Fourth, we must delve deeply into the political arena. Wherever possible we must elect well-qualified and committed Negro candidates, as we have in Cleveland, Gary, and in states all across the South. In Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia we have, for the first time, Negroes in state legislatures….” He also said the following words about the ghetto in his “Where do We go From Here” speech from 1967:
“..Now another basic challenge is to discover how to organize our strength in to economic and political power. Now no one can deny that the Negro is in dire need of this kind of legitimate power. Indeed, one of the great problems that the Negro confronts is his lack of power. From the old plantations of the South to the newer ghettos of the North, the Negro has been confined to a life of voicelessness ( That’s true ) and powerlessness. ( So true ) Stripped of the right to make decisions concerning his life and destiny he has been subject to the authoritarian and sometimes whimsical decisions of the white power structure. The plantation and the ghetto were created by those who had power, both to confine those who had no power and to perpetuate their powerlessness. Now the problem of transforming the ghetto, therefore, is a problem of power, a confrontation between the forces of power demanding change and the forces of power dedicated to the preserving of the status quo. Now, power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, and economic change. Walter Reuther defined power one day. He said, "Power is the ability of a labor union like UAW to make the most powerful corporation in the world, General Motors, say, 'Yes' when it wants to say 'No.' That's power." [ applause ]… Let us be dissatisfied ( Yes ) until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice….”
Some black nationalists blame integration for issues in some black families. One thing is clear though. Jim Crow segregation is evil and is not right at all. Folks were lynched, beaten, killed, and abused during Jim Crow. So, I am happy that Jim Crow segregation is dead once and for it. We are better off than experiencing that form of oppression. So, the truth is that in many areas of our life, it is better after Jim Crow, but the problem is that the corporate form of integration broke down much of the economic power base of black Americans. Some black people feel the need to go off and work for Corporate America without doing something about the poor brothers or poor sisters living in the streets. Many in Black America work for the majority white businesses and take their money into white banks. Just because you can now get close to talk with a white man in a restaurant, doesn't mean that you're going to get the same resources and opportunities as that white man. Also, the ghetto is a place with very intelligent, upright, and decent human beings, so I will never stereotype everybody from the ghetto in a negative fashion. Discrimination should end, but we shouldn't lose our economic resources as an excuse to integrate into a society that doesn't respect us as equals. Economic inequality increasing is fruit of a corrupt, neo-colonial, monopoly capitalist system and it ought to be fought against. We must own more land, more resources, more power, etc. not just cash or money. Money means nothing without a power structure. The cultural cohesiveness (or unity) of some black people have been harmed in recent decades and some misguided blacks use integration as an excuse to either deny their heritage or deny the reality to fight against white supremacy. We should defeat white supremacy via all legitimate means possible. Dr. Claud Anderson is completely right 100% that black people should create their own massive economic infrastructure of their own (as preached by so many people like Marcus Garvey). Far too often, politicians are forced to catered to the interest of every ethnic group and background (and they name these backgrounds by name) and in many instances, black folks' interests are ignored. We aren't children anymore and we can't be color blinded to reality. There is nothing wrong with freedom and living in where you want to, but if you don't have the resources to help out your own people, then you have a problem here. So, we as black people should continue to fight for a stronger economic base, more cultural cohesiveness, and more Black Power. Also, there needs to be a cultural revolution where black women and black men ought to be respected in society. Far too often, men and women are disrespected in society and a peep talk isn’t enough. We must be active to defend a brother and a sister if they are unfairly treated by anyone.
The enemies of truth omit that you can both allow black people individually to be held responsible for their own voluntary actions and at the same collectively blame white supremacy for the evil system of injustice plaguing the whole world at the same time.
The following words are controversial. In my eyes, these words are the truth nevertheless. The truth can be peaceful and sometimes the truth is politically incorrect. You don’t have to agree with the following, but reality has to be shown in the world especially in 2012. Silence is betrayal. Now, we know our enemy and our enemy is white supremacy. White supremacy uses racism via institutions and the cartel-capitalist system as a means to oppress many black people in the world. There is personal responsibility (as black people, we should never mistreat people, disrespect people, and enact evils). I reject social nihilism, but we can't be liberated unless we defeat the old lie of white supremacy. White supremacy is a lie since all men are created equal irrespective of race or background. That is why we should fight for all of us to have the right to work, the right to own a home, to get a fair trial, to have educational opportunities, and to create more Power (because our people are regularly discriminated against and denied access to true social/economic opportunities daily). The game of white supremacy is to try to convince the victims that they aren't truly victimized by the oppressors when the opposite is true. The truth is that oppression and racism is ever real and we have the subsequent right to defeat it once and for all. Our oppressors regularly try to harm us. See, it's not the black folks' fault collectively for poverty, for corrupt schools, for police brutality, for bigotry, for the War on Drugs, and for other problems. It's the fault of a wicked white racist power structure. We can do something about this situation. That is why as black people, we need to validate ourselves and move away from some token white validation. Now, you must know the difference between “white identified” black people and “slave minded” black people (as opposed to a black identified black man and a black identified black woman ). A white identified black person is a person that rejects his or her black heritage completely. They try to act like a white European (or a Caucasian) and they discard any components of their own black cultural identity. They attempt to emulate white people as a means to express hatred of their own black heritage (and some of them refuse to contact, ally with, respect, date, love, and marry black people because they are black people). Many of them support an economic system (you know which type of economic system that I am talking about. Some of the white- identified black people love to scapegoat the poor) that enslaved & brutalized their ancestors (including other peoples of color for centuries. The historical fact is that Reaganomics and the War on Drugs have been a huge detriment to progress to America ). This doesn't have to do with someone expressing legitimate eclectic tastes, listening to a certain type of music, having unique hobbies, or how someone talks like . It all has to do with specific deeds for we judge on someone's character not on how someone talks like. The “white identified” black person allies with people solely because they are white and they have a severe inferiority complex (that makes them view blackness as abnormal and whiteness as normal. In some of the subconscious minds of these brainwashed black people, God is white. That’s a lie straight up. This psychological disease of self- hatred is rather abnormal indeed for black is beautiful). They or “white-identified” black human beings act incredibly submissive to white people. Now, “slave minded” black people are people who mimic or act the same way that the white slave masters treated innocent black people back in the day. For example, a slave minded black person may beat children in an extreme, unjust manner just like when the slave masters beaten innocent human beings (or slaves). Slave minded black people will demonize or mistreat black people because of their black African phenotype (or colorism), social dispositions, personality, or even their mental attributes (This is when the slave minded black person will demonize an intelligent black person. Frankly, we have every right to be very intelligent. Intelligence is a necessary ingredient needed for Revolution for our brothers and our sisters here in the world. Even back in the days, the Black Panthers had to not only know about the 10 Point Programs, but read numerous books on the struggle ). Other acts of this slavery mentality are some individuals try to appease white people, to avoid emotional intimacy, to intentionally cause family problems, to promote division in our community, and other sick actions. Believing in the slave masters' religions like Eurocentric Nicean version of Christianity (as opposed to the populist, original form of African spirituality . Even original Christianity wasn’t pro-prosperity gospel, was pro-poor, and had nothing to do with the Nicean Council. Extremists exploit Christianity, Islam, and other religions as a means to promote domination over humans in a brutal fashion. True spirituality deals with the exquisite development of the mind, body, and spirit or soul. True spirituality wants us to treat our neighbors as ourselves and to fight for justice. True spirituality deals with balance and harboring respect for humanity. Rebelling against evil is a legitimate part of black people’s psyche ) and following holidays that promote white supremacy are all parts of a slavery tradition or a slavery mentality (which is related to fear). Africa gave monotheism to the world. Also, one of the weaknesses of mainstream religion is to suppress the feminine principle or the hatred of women. The truth is the feminine and masculine values of the Universe ought to be respected. Slave minded black people experience regularly what we call in our generation Post-Traumatic Slavery Syndrome (or PTSS). PTSS is the traumatic experience by people of Black African descent as a product of the Maafa and further oppression after the Civil War.
ON THE BOURGEOISIE : One young black sister on the Net (from Tennessee) wrote to me about some of the arrogant upper-class black people in America. That caused a thought in my mind. Therefore, I will write about this topic. So, the sister inspired me to write more on this issue of my people. Not all upper-class blacks are monolithic, so I want to make that clear. I am writing about the section of the upper-class black people who are arrogant (who express materialism, who believes in the great evil of colorism, and who harbor a bigoted attitude against black people who are different or eclectic. The truth is that we ought to treat our neighbors as ourselves and our gifts are found in our unique, special diversity). Some in the upper-class are CEOs, executives, high level Masons, members of the Boule (and other GLOs), celebrities, etc. Now, the arrogant mentality of some of them comes from the modern capitalist economy. This current economy promotes division and economic inequality (which definitely is related to the oppression of the Maafa). The arrogance among some in the upper-class comes from them having a false sense of compliancy or even having a superiority complex against the poor (when many of them mock the poor behind their backs and even in television). The bourgeoisie upper class types regularly blame the poor for economic and cultural problems collectively in the world. The reality is the poor have far more experience in hard work pound for pound than do the super-rich. In fact, the poor do most of the world’s work and are paid much less. Frantz Fanon made a great point that class oppression can have a black face not just a white one. In other words, some black people who exploit other black people exist with the mind frame of white supremacist thinking. That is why the masses of black people may have more in common with each other than some of the upper elite in the black race. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The bourgeoisie, white, black, or brown, behaves the same the world over...” Some of the bourgeoisie mimic the exact actions of the oppressor as a means to present themselves as having real power, but they don’t have real Power. See, real power is when you control your own resources, businesses, money, and other forms of real wealth independently. The bourgeoisie doesn’t have that kind of real Power. Power is independence from the establishment in making their own institutions basically . That is why we as Black Power, especially in the long term, must grow our Power to improve the conditions of our people in the world. The orchestrators of our oppression aren’t even the black bourgeoisie per se. They are the white supremacists in the elite. The bourgeoisie are at times are used as conscious or unconscious agents of the elite in order to prevent real Revolution in the world. Malcolm X and Dr. King exposed the bourgeoisie class in great, articulate terms. That is why Dr. King said that the middle class blacks can’t be comfortable with the conditions of our people today. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was right to write:
“…It is time for the Negro middle class to rise up from its stool of indifference, to retreat from its flight into unreality and to bring its full resources—its heart, its mind and its checkbook—to the aid of the less fortunate brother [and sister]…”
The controversial Cornell West (I don’t agree with all of his comments. For example, Brother Cornell needs to realize that the Sister Melissa Harris-Perry has fought poverty in New Orleans and other places in America for years. Yet, he is 100 percent accurate on this issue on the identity of the black bourgeoisie) said it best about this issue in the following words from 2012:
“…And more and more these days, race is taking a class form because you’ve got a black middle class that is often times indifferent to the black poor. I’ll give you an example : that if middle class brothers and sisters, who I love deeply, were going to jail at the same level as Black poor brothers and sisters going to jail, who I love deeply, we’d have a different kind of black leadership. A qualitatively different kind of black leadership. Because the mass incarceration of America is class incarceration, for the most part. And so in that sense, you see my god the class divide is much deeper now than it was before and therefore you have to raise those issues in the name of justice, in the name of truth and in the name of love, because it’s not a matter of hating the black bourgeoisie, it’s just hating their cowardice, it’s hating their indifference, it’s hating their complacency. It’s hating the fact that somehow they think their child has more weight and value on the moral scale than Jamal and Latisha on the block. And that to me is just wrong . Now of course that’s also true for the larger society. Can you imagine white young brothers and sisters going to jail at the same level as the black poor? Oh shoot, there’d be a White House conference every three days! Every three days! Oh my god, Suzy’s going to jail! Johnny’s going to jail! (laughs) One out of three whites incarcerated? Oh my god!...”
Black folks who are rich definitely have the responsibility to not only speak out for truth and justice. They should use their power to actively help out their own people. We all should help our people too, but the rich at a bare minimum should help their people in their own communities. Many of the black bourgeoisie people (in the middle class and the rich) are heavily conservative. When I heard some of them speak before in real life, some of them outright have hatred of the poor, some support even Romney, some refuse to speak about social justice, some refuse to expose white supremacy (but blame their own people for the plight of black people. They ignore the truth that discrimination and poverty cause much of the suffering of the poor. It is sick to blame the victim completely for his or her own oppression), and some of them embrace materialism. Yes, Kwame and Malcolm criticized the establishment liberals (as they should be criticized for their token agendas), but they did accept some progressive principles from gender equality to universal housing. Also, poverty is bigger than local parameters. Therefore, the federal government has the right to address the issues of poverty & oppression, not just in the local or state level of government. That is why we don’t need national selfishness or scapegoating of the poor. We need a global program to address poverty and that entails many things. It does mean a redistribution of economic and political power and other programs must be activated in order to defeat poverty once and for all. In that way, we can live in a higher destiny as a community of peoples. Therefore, we should learn our history and culture; we should work in independent organizations, and we ought to form more solutions (along with having love for our black people).
Now, it's our duty to use programs and activism in fighting against the slavery mentality and the self-hatred that persists in some black people. People who unfortunately suffer self-hatred or a slavery mentality shouldn’t experience permanent, harsh ridicule. These human beings are still black people. They are our brothers and they are our sisters here. They should experience compassion, patience, inspiration, motivation, assistance, and a chance to wake up . When we have unemployment, violence, and other issues in our community, it's our job to not run away. It's our job to promote community development and black unity. We should just handle our business and help out black people. That is all of the more reason for us to be heavy in the anti-war movement. There are things that we must stand for and they are being for black unity, Black Power, the development of our families, the growth of our community, the promotion of MEST for our people, and the rejection of white supremacy completely. Progress can only come when a black person directly assist black human beings in a constructive fashion (along with our quality of life to be improved upon). We are not truly free until real justice comes storming down for our people. Wisdom is important to know. It's a fact that our great black melanin can protect us from the sun rays, it can keep us healthy from certain diseases, it can promote better eye health, and it is part of the great intelligence of our people. Educating ourselves about our own black history and black culture is a great way to improve relationships among black people. WE SHOULD ALWAYS GET INTO BLACKNESS AND OUR BLACK ESSENCE SOCIALLY, PYSCHOLOGICALLY, AND SPIRITUALITY. THAT IS WHEN WE CAN BE TRULY LIBERATED.
Missing Links of African-American History
*In the struggle for black liberation and human rights, a lot of people omit the era from the 1970’s to the present in 2012. Now, it’s time to show some of the major events of black people’s struggle for true liberation in the world. By the 1970’s, the U.S. government unjustly tortured, imprisoned, and even murdered Black Panther members. Still, many Black Panther brothers and sisters remained and fought for justice and peace. The 1970’s was a beautiful era for black people and black consciousness. It was a time when my parents dated and became married. For better or for worst, Blaxploitation films were popularized. The black middle class grew into higher levels. Black Enterprise Magazine was established in 1970, which represented the growing black middle class in the 1970’s. Shirley Chisholm became the first major party African American candidate for President of the United States. Ralph Abernathy and Jesse Jackson continued to fight for African American economic advancement and education in the 1970's. Coretta Scott King was a great champion of human rights as well. Filmmaker Gordon Parks has shown artwork and worked with great champions of the struggle. In 1971, 15 black America members of Congress created the Congressional Black Caucus, which was formed in order for an unified African American voice to exist in Congress. Barbara Jordan from Texas became the first African American woman from a Southern state to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972. She served three terms in Congress. Stories and literature of black people started to increase from Roots, the poetry of Maya Angelou, to other stories about Reconstruction. Black feminism increased into another level of political influence. Black culture was highly visible in the mainstream of society. The 1970’s was different from the 1960’s indeed.
*We know about the 1980’s and the Drug War. The era of Reagan in the black community was harsh in many sectors. There was poverty, scapegoating of human beings, and an increase of poverty. Some of the positive times of this era were that black culture grew worldwide. Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday became a national holiday by 1986. Harold Washington became the first black mayor Chicago. The 1980's also marked a huge level of creativity in art, music, intellectual endeavors, exploring space, etc. Michael Jackson created Thriller; Astronaut Guion S. Bluford Jr. was the first African American in space. He had flown abroad the space shuttle Challenger. There was a cultural significance of the Cosby Show. People from across every background loved the show. Many of us were raised by it. Many culturally famous people rose into prominent during the 1980's like NY mayor David Dinkins, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Ron Brown, Magic Johnson, General Colin Powell, and so many other human beings. By the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s, there was a resurgence or renaissance of Afrocentric culture in America. The record number of police brutality against black people caused the legitimate backlash of the growth of Afrocentric culture.
*The 1990’s exploded the influence of black culture globally. Music, culture, and other aspects of society went further international. It was the beginning of the information age and the modern Internet. The harsh reality of police brutality and other issues related to the 1992 LA Riots and debates on race throughout the 1990’s (from churches burned down in the 1990’s, to the verdict of the OJ Simpson trial. I remember looking at news about Southern churches being burned in 1996 and I saw the OJ verdict when I was in a middle school classroom live on TV). The 1990’s was a time when huge racial discrimination lawsuits were settled. The cultural strength of black people continued like Carol Mosley-Braun being the first female African American U.S. Senator. W. Lincoln Hawkins, Ph.D. won the National Medal of Technology. In his life, he had over 140 patents. His influence led to the making of the universal telephone service available via his works as the first African American scientist at Bell Labs. Poet Rita Dove became the first African American poet laureate of the USA in 1993. The Million Man March, the Million Woman March, intellectual growth, and the building of black culture came about. From the 1980’s to the present, crime and economic issues still persist in the black community.
*Black life in the 21 st century is more complex. There are issues of race, culture, gender, sexuality, technology, economics, fashion, bioethics, the environment, education, and a wide spectrum of issues in the black culture. Black culture is very eclectic in the 21 st century. Hurricane Katrina and the event of Trayvon Martin’s execution show us that we are still in the struggle for black liberation. The struggle continues. Of course, in the 21 st century, the President of the United States of America is Barack Obama (the first African American President). Also, the threats to voting rights still remain. There is still much more fighting that we must do against poverty (many black people move from urban areas to the suburbs. Some mostly African American affluent communities exist now in Baldwin Hills, Ladera Heights, Redan, Cascade Heights, Quinby, Forest Park, etc. all over the USA). There is the harm of gentrification to numerous black communities), unemployment, health issues, diseases, and other situations plaguing our people. Crime is a problem in black communities from Chicago to areas nationwide. The solution involves radicalism. Radicalism caused many of the gains from the civil rights movement. Marching, protesting, and boycotts involve radical actions. If these acts worked decades ago, some of these actions (mixed with a modern day flavor or spin) can work to solve many of our problems today near the 22 nd century. Still, black people are unified in our cultural tradition, our love of black people, and a driving goal of the improvement of the community in general (not just improvement of the individual). In the 21 st century, there is more appreciation of the unity of black people in the world from Africa to the Caribbean. Fundamentally, we are Africans and Africa is our home. So, we should collaborate psychologically, emotionally, economically, and politically with real black Africans.
Insights
As a black I man, I will present my strength, my insight, and my wisdom to the world. I will never give up. I will show the fierceness of manliness unashamedly and without apology . Also, this is a war that we're in. We are at war especially psychologically (or our problem isn't just with external racism, but internal racism). This is why we as black people should lift up and inspire a brother or a sister suffering in life (for in that instance we should oppose publicly and privately the degradation of women). My mother and father inspired me to be humble to treat my neighbors as myself. That is one reason why I show real images of black men and black women loving each other, which accurately present healthy, stable relationships. That is important, because black people wouldn't exist without black men and especially black women. Black males and black females are powerful people indeed. We should respect any black people being eclectic and expressing their talents in the realms of art, history, legal affairs, engineering, cooking, building things, etc. In this war, we should uplift and defend the interests of the poor and the oppressed of the world.
Now, it’s time to get real for a minute. We should realize that Africa is under sieged by not only Europeans, but others to under the guise of humanitarianism (or economic collaborations). These neo-colonialists want to steal the resources in Africa. T. West or AfriSynergy in Youtube explained how the war on terrorism is being used for our enemy as a means for them to attempt to get more oil & other resources from Africa (in order for them to build up the military industrial complex). T. West shown footage of NATO forces allowing extremists to blow up the graves of black Libyans in the city of Tawergha. One puppet leader of Libya is the NTC Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril. Jibril deregulated Libya’s economy and he supported the privatization of its public enterprises. This abhorrent genocide against black people exists globally not just in Libya. Even Jesse Jackson Jr. spoke out against this genocide against our brothers & sisters in Libya. This degenerate genocide against our people existed way before the brother President Barack Obama was in office. Therefore, the real origin of our issues is not from our brothers or sisters, but from the white racist supremacist power structure in general. The evil comes from the system not just individual elitists. The deadly Western arrogance and the militant Western superiority complex ought to be condemned by us as well. Some humanitarian agencies even are funded by the intelligence communities. Black people were lynched by these Western-funded brutes and even some of the so-called liberals won’t speak up about these atrocities. I saw a video of a black sister in Libya withering in pain after she experienced war crimes from NATO. It’s isn’t just NATO involved with this. U.S. drones regularly attack African nations constantly. NATO will have a lot to answer for from the Most High & our ancestors. The good news is that Libyans are resisting the U.S./NATO imposed puppet Libyan state in late 2012. This is the war on terror. It’s truly demonic and sick. I could never support an Empire sponsoring the war on terror. As a man, I can never support Africom utilizing military bases in encircling African sovereign territory. See, I don’t get down like that. If black people must be truly liberated, then Africa must be liberated from genocide and oppression. I can’t be free unless Africa is free.
“…We can say "Peace on Earth." We can sing about it, preach about it or pray about it, but if we have not internalized the mythology to make it happen inside us, then it will not be…” - Betty Shabazz
There are sincere brothers that say that we must use lies and deception to defeat white supremacy. I thought about this art of war tactic in defeating our enemy. I understand where they are coming from. I disagree with this assumption completely and I will tell you why. Our enemy used these tactics against us for centuries (via the Maafa, wars, atomic bomb droppings, savage aggressiveness, economic exploitation, cultural exploitation, genocides against people of color, rape, materialism, ecological harm, and you name it) and karma responded to these same wicked criminal supremacists recently especially in the West. You reap what you sow , so I am not going to harm human beings in an immoral fashion. Doing evil will never achieve goodness or liberation long term, but only righteousness will achieve that goal of black liberation. Don’t get me wrong, we shouldn’t let our enemy know all of our chips or every aspect of our tactics. I will never ally with the FBI, CIA, the DHS, NSA, the Mossad, and any state intelligence agency of any nation at all. We should never allow the enemy to infiltrate us in any way. We shouldn’t unite with our enemy in anyway. Yet, this tactic about non-cooperation with evil is about being fully discreet excluding malice. We black people are a moral people and I refuse to use lies and deception in fighting against my enemy. You fight by showing the truth and using constructive means without violating our moral code
Learning about black history is about reconnecting with my heritage. It's about understanding the truth that the first peoples on Earth are black people, which others can't take away nor refute at all. In other words, today's scholars, geneticists, and anthropologists all admit that the Black Man and the Black Woman are the Original people of the Earth and all the other people groups came from Black people period. It's about realizing the contributions that my people enacted over thousands of years of human history. Also, black history gives me motivation and inspiration for me to do better and create real changes in world society. It is wise for a person to understand their past and present in order for the future to be more successful. Now, Black History Month exempflies the truth that black people overcame challenges in America and throughout the Earth. A black woman has style, diversity, creativity, and beauty that can't be beat in my view. I can't hate my grandmother, my mother, my aunts, my female cousins, etc. since they are black human beings. I love my black people, so I believe that a black woman deserves dignity and respect. Black women are Queens . This doesn't mean that everything in the black community is peaches and cream with a sundae on top . We still have a long way to go worldwide to see the Promised Land. There is still a corporate system (which restrict who receive the top of the ladder positions) that rewards folks that denigrate black people and it criticizes folks that talks about black suffering in a white supremacist system. Western society has made it a past time for people to hate on black people in general (for example, some corrupt law enforcement agencies have profiled, harmed, and immorally imprisoned people of black African descent all over the world. Police brutality is ever real and television shows present the most debased stereotypes about people of color all of the time). That means that not only we should fight against stereotypes and lies about our people. We should come out and certainly join independent organizations that are genuinely dedicated to creating results and black liberation. For example, if a real black book club promotes engaging, excellent literature, then we should support that book club. If a grassroots organization is helping the poor or fighting for just cause, we should assist that grassroots group. As Brother Kwame Ture said: "...Blood is thicker than water. We are an African people with an African ideology..." We should promote the worth of black men and black women and their roles in the human family. Also, grassroots programs that can help my people in a real fashion from anti-poverty measures, business development programs, heroic charities, and other acts are things that I support. Not to mention that in the future, we need to collaborate socially, economically, and politically more with our brothers and sisters in Africa and the rest of the Diaspora (including the rest of the Earth).
Now, there are many black atheists, agnostics, and free thinkers that contributed to the struggle for black liberation. Yet, the vast majority of our people is a spiritual people. Atheism for the most part is alien to ancient African culture (except in a few exceptions). Atheists shouldn’t be demonized unfairly, but religious extremists and atheist extremists ought to be exposed. For example, the late atheist extremist Chris Hitchens once collectively demonized all 1.7 billion Muslims as nihilistic terrorists. Hitchens loved Western imperialism. Hitchens was exposed by the Sister Margaret Kimberley. Hitchens wanted the European terrorism against Native Americans from 1492 to be celebrated. I real revolutionary can never support Pax Americana and Black culture is heavily intertwined with spirituality. Not all black people believe in God, but most of us do. We should treat believers in God and non-believers in God with equal respect for all people have the right to agree to disagree on certain issues. Now, the European hegemony has modernized a cruel form of atheism (this isn’t representative of all atheism though). In contrast, black people expressing spirituality mixed with revolution contributed greatly to our historical landscape. It was the old griots and old monotheistic believers in God inside of Africa that developed great instruments of civilization. Even AME minister Daniel Payne in the 1830’s criticized the Eurocentric slave-orientated version of Christianity and its faux blonde haired blue eyed so-called Savior (which is the opposite of the accurate image of Jesus Christ). This faux Christ didn’t save a soul. Rejecting Nicean faux Christianity doesn’t mean people rejected the concept of God and Godly & moral principles. Pan Africanists like Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Bob Marley, and others believed in the Creator of the Universe including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Marcus Garvey always talked about the God of Africa and the Africans (as black people as the first humans on Earth. God created man in his image, so WHO DO YOU THINK GOD IS? ISN’T OBVIOUS WHO GOD IS? LOL. GOD IS ALWAYS PRO- BLACK WITHOUT QUESTION . The father of civilization is the black man and the mother of civilization is the black woman. ULTIMATELY, GOD IS THE INFINITE MIND & THE INFINITE CREATOR ).
So, when you know the power of God in you, you can be inspired to do something positive in the world. It’s certainly a fact that the Kingdom of God is within you. We must have knowledge of self and the wisdom of our fore parents indeed in order for us to grow. It’s time to build. No matter what, keep your dignity and your strength.
Even Kwame Ture admitted that the Deacons of Defense (from Mississippi which the great brother Forest Whitaker acted in a movie about the group), Malcolm X, himself, and the Black Power party in the Deep South influenced the Black Panther Party of Oakland, California. As brother Kwame Ture said, the Black Panther Party came from the Deep South. The Black Panthers from California are warriors no doubt (and we respect them wholeheartedly), but history must be made known. Even when Kwame Ture was a secularist, a secularist can still believe in the existence of one God. The lesson is that people have the right to be an atheist, free thinker, or agnostic and still promote Black Power. Yet, religious BLACK PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER BE ASHAMED OF WORSHIPPING ONE GOD IF THEY DESIRE TO EITHER . THE STAKES ARE HIGH AND WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT NOT TO BE IN SOME MATERIALISTIC NONSENSE “CLIQUE,” BUT IN A REAL BLACK COMMUNITY. WE HAVE DARK, BEAUTIFUL PIGMENT, BUT I WILL NOT USE MY PIGMENT AS AN EXCUSE TO ACT IGNORANT. I WILL ACT MATURE AND INTELLIGENT. YET, I’M ON SOME POSITIVE VIBE WITHOUT TENSIONS. IT’S COMMUNITY OVER SOME ONE SIZED FIT ALL, NARROWINDED, MONEY OBSSESSED CLIQUE. UHURU SASA.
According to Dr. Ivory Achebe Toldson and Bryant T. Marks of Howard and Morehouse Universities respectively they analyzed U.S. Census data in 2011 and found that:
-88% of black men who have a personal income of 100,000 or more have black wives -73% of black professional male athletes have black women for wives -85% of black men who hold college and professional degrees (medicine, law, engineering) have black wives -92% of black men with high school diplomas have--you guessed it--black wives. -Black men with college degrees also overwhelmingly marry Black women to the tune of 85%. -72% of professional Black male athletes are married to a Black woman .
So, Black Love is very much alive now.
When I look at black love, it's found in the bountiful black babies being born inside of hospitals and even via midwives throughout the world. It's found in my family with my parents married for almost 40 years. It's found in the sacrifices and the powerful strides made by brothers and sisters working together during struggle. Black Love persisted during the era of B.C., during the Maafa, during the Civil War, during Reconstruction, during the Civil Rights Movement, and it definitely persists relentlessly today. Black Love is passionate and it is beautiful. With me, I will permanently love Black Love. So, black love is never dead before arrival. It's expressed in romance, children, love in general, connections among families in the world, and a multiplicity of other parameters of the human experience. Growing black love is a real goal of any real person. Apathy and pessimism aren't in my heart, but the inspiration to promote righteousness is present in my soul. My soul is electrified when I fight for freedom. Black Love will continue to flourish and in the end, it will still continue to exist forever more.
Certain factions hate it when you want to even expose the white supremacy agenda explicitly. It's fine to talk about poverty, materialism, imperialism, and other ills in the world. Yet, black people want a real movement that can directly, help anyone of black African descent. A real movement is where there is Black Power in economics, education, business, health, and a wide spectrum of infrastructures in the black collective. Black movements also want independence. Independence means self-sufficiency. Independence represents a group of people having real Power to define and execute their own social/cultural destinies. That's independence. Black studies should be strongly promoted in our educational system too worldwide (not only in America). Too often, some of us (who are Diaspora Blacks) in the Western Hemisphere are only taught mostly about slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. That’s cool, but we should be taught about African Queens and Kings, about solutions, about ancient civilizations more, about our real heroes, about computer technology, about the pitfalls of cutthroat monopoly capitalism, about engineering, and about the great value & beauty of the black African phenotype. It is also important that we treat our neighbors as ourselves. We're human beings, so I respect all human beings as equals in my eyes. On the other hand, a real black person will never bow before a white person. I respect my black ancestors and bow before the Creator alone.
Conclusion
2012 is here. 2013 is upon us in the future. The Glory of Africa is still exquisite and it shines greatly. The truth is not lukewarm, but it will go out to shine the light of resistance of injustice plus the love. You don't need compromise to rise to the summit of freedom , but strength and compassion will do the job. Compassion doesn't mean we promote evil strife within our people. Regardless of a person's physical appearance or background, all human beings are created equal deserving of love, dignity, respect, and justice. Our accomplishments as black people can line up libraries, museums, and huge buildings . Worldwide, people understand the heroic contributions of Frederick Douglas, Kamala Harris, Kwame Nkrumah, Marian Anderson, and Miriam Makeba. Still, one essence of our people is that we (who are of black African descent) harbor a kind respect for our relatives, our elders, and our ancestors. Everything isn't golden in the world and we shouldn't express naivety about our issues. In other words, we should continue to oppose materialism, we should fight against the negative stereotypes about our people in the entertainment industry, we should oppose militarism, and we ought to harbor the love of black liberation (via activism. Activism doesn't just mean sending money to a Foundation. It means that we ought to march, to speak out, help people face to face, communicate a reasonable message, and be willing to suffer the consequences of performing righteousness. Being conscious is one of the most fulfilling, exquisite characteristics of a progressive human being). Human sacrifice is a pristine action. Yet, one thing is clear though. We should never express apathy. Apathy is about defeat or assuming a sick acceptance of the horrible conditions that plague our world. Instead of loving apathy , I will love resilience, truth, honor, and overcoming obstacles. I overcome obstacles every single day of life. There are black brothers and black sisters now working, helping the poor, fighting against HIV/AIDS, performing almsgiving, working in programs to assist their fellow human beings, and being blessed in other endeavors of their lives. Their contributions ought to be respected. Therefore, we should be a blessing to our people. One of the most important things that we can achieve is to unite with likeminded brothers and sisters in our communities to form some solutions and adhere to Black Power. If one individual can make a difference, we collectively can make the world much better. There is nothing wrong with respecting or acquiring Power if it is harnessed in a correct direction. It is certainly excellent for us to form non-profits, real businesses, better institutions, and a kind heart that have a love for black people (especially those living in poor communities. One of the many signs of how much a human being loves humanity is their love for the poor, the outcasts, or the suffering in life's road). Expressing fashion, soul, engineering, legal parameters, politics, scientific thinking, athletics, music, and dance are great definitions of black culture. We are a creative people. Righteous creativity never can hurt anybody. Maintaining a sense of morality is a critical part of black culture too. So, we should be active in fighting against crime in our own communities. Frankly, no one can effectively solve the problems of crime and other similar topics of our people like we can. For real strength deals with being a peacemaker and rejecting unjust violence at every turn. Inspiration is something that I like to display. Inspiration can build a soul up in an extraordinary fashion. A peep talk or gracious words can go a long way in allowing folks to fulfill goals and to experience happiness. For example, I communicate sometimes with a nice, attractive sister from a store (who looks like Alliyson Felix) in a friendly fashion. I respect the brothers doing the right thing via friendship & brotherhood. I love the sisters forever socially, friendship wise, & romantically (as the black sisters are the most beautiful women in the face of Earth and a joy to be around. Also, to the curvy sisters, skinnier sisters, bigger sisters, all other sisters in the world: all of us real black people love you too. ☺☺☺ We got your backs. We got you, on the real ) performing righteous acts as well. The black sisterhood ought to be appreciated by us indeed. Black Power is more than a slogan. It's a way of life. Black Power definitely is a phrase that focuses on the development of black families (It is truly a blessing when a black man and a black women have black children. Children are always a blessing in the eyes of the Creator. Also, even if a black person isn't married, that black person is equal too and has huge value in the world. True love is true love), and the growth of the black collective consciousness (as the late Brother Kwame Ture mentioned so many years ago). IT’S BETTER FOR US TO LOVE LIFE MUSIC THAN DEATH MUSIC. LIFE MUSIC IS OF OUR AFRICAN SOUL. IT’S ABOUT APPRECIATING LIFE, RESPECTING MEN, RESPECTING ESPECIALLY WOMEN, AND CALLING FOR REVOLUTION (Revolution is fundamentally advocating the elimination of the current system by any means necessary in order to institute a fair system for human beings. You can’t have a revolution unless we condemn the neo-liberal economic system & wicked neo-imperialism occurring today) . Now, in our life, we go through ups and downs. What have I learned is that we should continue to treat our neighbors as ourselves no matter what. We definitely ought to fight oppression, we can still institute programs to help our people, and we can still express creativity. It's just that we can't mistreat people. The reason is that if we mistreat a fellow human being, we will enact the same policies as our oppressors did.
The truth always comes out. The goal is still the same. The goal is to make Africa united and unified along with the defeat of white supremacy completely. One of the greatest gens of our leaders is the knowledge of self. Daily, we should try to learn more about our people, Pan Africanism, our culture, our history, our music, and our black being in general. We have to study constantly and learn literature from Kwame Nkrumah's words, Malcolm X's words, Angela Davis' literature on the prison industrial complex, and a wide spectrum of information from our brothers & sisters. Studying our history and culture can increase black folks' self-esteem and the knowledge of self. If you live in America, you are a black African living in America. You are African. I am an African. Also, we should always be politically conscious of our people. We can join independent organizations that promote progressive solutions for our people. We can rally on real issues ranging from anti-imperialism to fights against poverty. More and more sisters are going natural. That's a good and it represents the greatness of African beauty for beauty is diverse not monolithic. African cultural diversity is one of the greatest parts of our people. I will never be ashamed of my black African identity. Now, we can present ourselves with dignity not as a means to appeal to the sensibilities of white people, but to honor our Creator, to honor our people, and to honor our ancestors. Natural beauty is always superior to skin bleaches, fake tans, and other acts that is part of the Eurocentric white supremacy playbook. So, I am black and I am beautiful . There are many benefits to melanin. Melanin is the primary determinant of skin color. It's found in the human skin, hair, the iris of the eye, and the stria vascularis of the inner ear. Humans with a darker skin produce more eumelanin (which is dark brown to black in color) and humans with lighter skin color produce more pheomelanin (which is yellow to red in color). Although, people regardless of skin color ought to have adequate vitamin D nutrients. So, even brothers and sisters should make sure that they receive an adequate amount of vitamin D. Now, it's a scientific fact that melanin in the eyes, in the iris, and choroid can help human beings to protect them from ultraviolet and high frequency visible light. Recent research by J.D. Simon et al. suggests that melanin may serve a protective role other than photo protection. Melanin is able to effectively ligate metal ions through its carboxylate and phenolic hydroxyl groups, in many cases much more efficiently than the powerful chelating ligand ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA). Thus, it may serve to sequester potentially toxic metal ions, protecting the rest of the cell. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that the loss of neuromelanin observed in Parkinson's disease is accompanied by an increase in iron levels in the brain. According to Dr. Susan C. Taylor, people with more melanin decrease their risks of having skin cancer, especially basal and squamous cell skin cancers (including the fact that more melanin can reduce signs of aging). Melanin is not static since it's a substance that changes when it responds to stimuli.
In our growth spiritually and intellectually, we should give time to learn a tongue from our people (it can be Swahili, Igbo, Yoruba, Ge’ez, etc.) and more about African culture. In this evolution of our black consciousness, our understanding of Africa needs to be greatly accelerated. The Diaspora Africans need to learn more about black history at a very young age. We are victors not oppressors. We are Africans and we are one. There are people of black African descent living in Mexico, in Ecuador, in Guyana, in Suriname, in Uruguay, in Puerto Rico, in the Dominican Republic, in Haiti, in the rest of the Caribbean, in Asia, in Colombia (in a commercial, I saw Afro-Colombians running around to have a joyful time), in Venezuela, in Peru, in Panama, in Africa, and throughout the world. No matter what land we live in currently, we are still Africans, we are still Black, and we are all beautiful point blank period . We fought and struggle for liberation. So, we have every God-given right to promote justice and liberation wherever we exist in the globe. That's the truth. I do believe in having humor and celebrating the greatness of my people. My heartbeat is not static or filled with the heart of stone, but my heart is filled with gratitude, congruent thinking, and LOVE . Just because the reactionary New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (a man who caused New Jersey to have the fourth highest unemployment rate in the USA. He can talk about deficits all we wants to, but human life and human welfare have precedence over deficits) may choice respect over love doesn’t mean I support that evil tenet. I support love above respect and an undying love for my black people, end of story. Dr. Martin Luther King (a real progressive leader) once said that we should rely on love. For love is God. YOU CAN NEVER BE TRULY FREE UNLESS YOU LEARN TO LOVE . We should acknowledge our predecessors since there is nothing new under the sun. Black people spoke of the same words, ideologies, and focused intensions as we speak about today in 2012. Before all of us were born, there were brothers and sisters like Martin Delany, Wilmot Blyden, Henry Highland, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Amanda Berry Smith, Maria W. Stewart, and so many others that created the foundation that we walk on. Without them, we wouldn’t be here literally. One thing that I have learned is that when you listen to real music, when you understand your culture, and when you just open up to love humanity, your soul comes alive. You become more confident, you become more spiritually aware about the Universe, and you feel increasingly motivated in doing activism in order to help black people in the world. There is nothing wrong with harnessing anger and using that indignant anger as a means to promote constructive acts. We have the right to forcefully stop the immoral deeds of an oppressive system. Nonviolent resistance, protesting, charity, working in real programs, educating human beings, and defending our humanity are legitimate actions that we should do in enhancing the world society.
"Leave no brother or sister behind the enemy line of poverty."
– Harriet Tubman
"Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
– Frederick Douglass
"The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism."
-Wole Soyinka
"We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed... For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."
-Martin Luther King Jr.
ON BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS AND OUR BEING : There comes a time in any black human being's life in that we have to develop our black consciousness. It doesn't matter the station in our life or our creed. We have to realize that we are Africans and pan-Africanism is one big solution (out of many) that can grow black human beings. In life, we should live everyday as a means to learn about our history, culture, and our legacy. Stephen Biko defined the concept of black consciousness greatly including cogently. In his mind, black consciousness is the thinking of a black person that realizes that he or she must have total freedom and liberation in order for that black person to be culturally or psychologically liberated. If a human is set free, he or she can do magnificent actions and realize the great value of African culture. That means that we respect our African blood and our black African features. This means that we are in love with Africa as Africans. That means that we have a respect and desire to work with our own black people in a variety of fields. That means that we support each other legitimately. Ironically, Western nations are built upon the exploitation of black males and black females, so we should have an undying love for our people. Certainly, we have to understand the histories of not only ancient Egypt, but of Axum, Timbuktu, Ghana, Nubia, Songhai, Zulu, Mali, and the modern African nations growing in the world currently in 2013. Literature from Marcus Garvey, Dr. Chancellor Williams, Dr. Frances Crees Welsing, and a whole list of black authors can give a black person a strong awareness of his or her world in strong opposition to the evil system of white supremacy. If we do what is right, then the legacies of Marcus Garvey, Sojourner Truth, Patrice Lumumba, Harriet Tubman, Steve Biko, and Martin Delany will continue onward forever. The more knowledge of self that a human beings acquires, the better a human being's future plans can be. It is our duties as black males and black females to manufacture solutions in order for all of us to grow Black Power. Another secret in life is to be a jack of all trades. There is nothing wrong with real music and real sports. On the other hand, long term; we have to develop our intellectual strength (that deals with us learning logic, reason, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, etc.). We have to grow our souls, minds, bodies, careers, relationships with people, and resources as means to enhance our own communities. It is all of our responsibilities to help each other as well. We can pass information to others, work at least in our own areas to handle our situations, be involved in independent organizations, and be a leader. Anybody can be a leader with inspiration, training, and support. Black men and Black women have the right to be leaders in their own lives. Even the black youth can act as leaders as have been shown throughout the essence of human history. So, being black, conscious, and aware of the world is great. Being an African doesn't mean that I hate someone because of their color. It means that I love my black people and I love my Black African flavor or my blackness in general. Activism is the right way to go indeed.
Brothers and Sisters are right in calling for us to be in the streets in spreading the wisdom, building in our areas, and fighting to make Black Power to grow into another level. One sign of progress of the black community is the progress in the streets not in the corporate boardroom. As human beings, we are required to bring our resources and minds back to the black communities, organize our entities plus goals, create operations, and use programs in order to revitalize our communities. Opportunities came for us in order for us to achieve the blessings that we have today. That is why we will not shut the door shut among people who need legitimate opportunities in their lives. Money can help, but we can also use motivation and a collaboration of the wide spectrum of groups in our community. Also, some may view money, persons, and property as all sacred and sacrosanct. Only life is sacred beyond money and property. Money and property (no matter how many rights we may give to property) have no personal being. So, life or human life is superior to property and money. Property is used to serve life not to supersede the interests of human life. Property is not a human being. Property is part of the Earth. It is not man. Therefore, we can use property and money as tools for the enrichment of society collectively (in redistributing economic & political power) not to materialistically exploit society. Labor is a glorious aspect of human activity and we are indebted to the excellent social contributions of labor. Therefore, an avocation of labor and human rights is a necessity in our lives. That undoubtedly means that we ought to do something about poverty and record income inequality. When we serve and assist our fellow man, we experience a sense of moral regeneration.
Developing black institutions is wonderful thing. Having new, creative ideas and innovation will have better growth. That’s a historical fact. I AM A BLACK MAN, SO I WILL KEEP MY GUARDS UP, MY MIND CLEAR, AND MY SOUL CREATIVE. Building from within our black communities and not running away from our people worked among tons of other ethnic groups. It has worked for us too and we have to bring this action of common goals into the next stage of our human history. See, I don’t need to run away and see “something new” to find happiness. I can find happiness by staying home and loving black people . Home is our throne and there is a great deal of satisfaction when a black person learns the incredible fruits of black culture. Petty divisions aren’t important. What is needed is more BLACK UNITY in fighting for BLACK POWER. AS BLACK PEOPLE, WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER IN ORDER FOR US TO GROW EVEN MORE THOROUGHLY. IT’S SO GREAT AND SO NATURAL TO WORK, TO LOVE, AND TO RESPECT MY OWN BLACK PEOPLE. The expression of humor is another great way for us to deal with issues and for us to experience happiness. It is conceivably just for us to have some comedy in our daily lives . So, we as blacks have the right to make our grievances known. The issues of education, the prison industrial complex, the war on terror, health care, etc. are important to us. The Dems and the GOP aren't demigods at all. Both parties have exploited our people for centuries. Now, what we need isn't some faux pro-Tea Party version of Black Nationalism. Not even Cornell West or Tavis Smiley agrees with that nonsense. We need a real black nationalism that yes focuses on business development, self-sufficiency, & economic growth , but also fights poverty by a radical redistribution of economic and political power. I BELIEVE IN SELF DEFENSE NOT JUST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALONE. ALL PEOPLE HAVE A GOD-GIVEN RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES, TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN INTERESTS, AND TO PERSERVE THEIR CULTURE. THAT’S COMMON SENSE . WE (AS BLACK PEOPLE) HAVE A REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY IN THIS COUNTRY OF AMERICA SINCE BROTHERS AND SISTERS FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL LITERALLY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. AFRICA IS FOR THE AFRICANS . RACIST, White supremacists are always of their father, THE DEVIL. THEY ARE OF THE DEVIL PERIOD. I WILL MAKE NO COMPROMISES ABOUT THAT FACT. ALSO, THE CONCEPT OF BLACKNESS IS OF GOD PERIOD . I REJECT PESSESSIM SINCE I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN BE VICTORIOUS VIA HARD WORK AND ACTIVISM. You can never have Power unless you create it or take it from the oppressors. As people say, the poor doesn't need permanent austerity, but real, long term investments . Real Black Power is executed out of a genuine heart . As many have mention, our next stage in the human rights movement is to work internationally (because of problem interlock with various countries. Hunger, economic exploitation, and poverty are real issues transpiring in South Africa, America, parts of Europe, Asia, etc.) to help the developed world including all nations. I will always love my black people with a permanent or undying love. If we do our part, then all forms of poverty, injustice, and discrimination can be eradicated from the face of the Earth. I DO BELIEVE IN REPENTANCE, BUT I BELIEVE IN JUSTICE TOO . All praises are due to the ancestors and the Creator. We have righteousness and soul on our side.
By Timothy
Appendix A: More Inspiration and Quotes from Brothers and Sisters.
It’s almost 2013. Critical, precise, and eloquent information can always be of benefit to give unto black people. In this time period, we live in critical times. What we do now will affect our people for the next 10-20 years, so we have to show wisdom and perform just activism in building up further our own black community. Like always, the following information from our brothers and sisters represents jewels and gems of advice plus truth. Like always, all of this information is free for the price of the truth indeed is incredibly priceless. Some of our ancestors may have suffered chains and oppression, but our hearts stay strong. Some of our minds may have been brainwashed by false standards of beauty, but the vast majority of black people understand the truth. The truth is that beauty is firmly expressed in the black image for black is indeed beautiful. Lies and stereotypes are commonly refuted, because it takes true consciousness, sustainable camaraderie among black people, and Black Power to resist the horrendous rain of deceptions. We must love each other for true love can conquer social ills and other complications. True love is demanding and it stands for freedom and justice. Black Love is a movement that advocates freedom for the disinherited peoples of the world. It is avocation of a great social strategy of the resistance of discrimination and the opposition to the nefarious movement of oligarchy . Chains, lynching, and Jim Crow couldn’t stop us. The burning of our religious buildings didn’t stop us and the lies shown by the mainstream Western culture definitely didn’t stop us. Therefore, our passion, our strength, and our resilient spirit will carry forward irrespective of the changing tides of societal evolutions. Also, don’t take my word for it. Research, verify, and challenge my information and any information that comes your way for the truth requires research. You have the right to learn the truth and use your own independent research too as an independently thinking human being. It’s always Black Power for life with me without preservatives. You know that the truth can’t stop, because it won’t stop on the real.
By Timothy from Virginia (Me)
Therefore, here are more words. Enjoy:
Brother Kwame Nkrumah was a gifted leader and hero amongst Africans and he inspired us into a new dawn, fifty-two years ago. Nkrumah wasn't about time wasting, because he knew what he wanted and he knew how to bring his African family in unity, fifty-two years ago and this was a man who was so bright and energetic and that's what he made him so loved by his fellow African people and family as a whole. peasah2005 2 years ago
Thank you.... I appreciate that because I always try to stand up and fight for the dignity and respect of black ppl! I have two sons!!!!! So my husband and I are fighting for their future as my parents fought for mine!!!!!! good thread its refreshing to read something positive.....
-Kathy Kat
Let Mrs Arie tell you brothers and sisters what it really is......
The Truth: http://www.youtube.com/watch...
Black love And Unity Is Whats Needed To Survive....simple as that....
BAPF!
That sister is something....her voice and songs are truly from the creator......
But the song in the o.p., is what black love truly is....listen to her words closely...;)
Wise up
But thanks for the mention and add to this thread, sisters need to know that in the REAL world there are plenty of brothers old and young coming up that adore and cherish black women from dark to caramel, and thats just REALITY....
BAPF
-216 Elite
BlackHeywood 3 hours ago in reply to Antonia
The race card was pulled on and played against Black folks since we arrived on these shores in 1513 by White folks. It's good to know our history and lay it on those who are ignorant enough to use such terms.One example of Playing the "Race Card" was Jim Crow which lasted 97yrs from 1867-1964.
CourtneyR 2 days agoin reply to Dandelion
Thank you Dandelion. Can't erase truth ,no matter how hard society tries.I just wish more black girls and females could understand their beauty and how its envied. Instead, it was turned back against us.I mean, you have to be a real dummy to not see the propaganda against black beauty and especially dark skin women like Kenya Moore, Keisha knight Pulliam, and those of us that have this skin tone.I will say, I understand what she tried to do by giving these characters browner skin.I mean ,the more black girls see themselves and their skin tone, the more they will see that their is nothing wrong with it..after all, it is a start.what's crazy is, black women come in all types of skin tones to features from broader noses, lips to big eyes , long natural hair ,short hair to thinner lips ,voluptuous ,skinny ,petite,curly, straight,,thick ,thin hair etc. no other race of women do you have so many different varieties .what is absolutely insane is, you have many black males who share the same context in features and skin tone, and will talk about a black woman's beauty like a dog as if it were the ugliest thing ever. In essence, these males are saying that they hate themselves.Its not rocket science, when society continues this assault on black women and our beauty, they are trying to prevent us from knowing and seeing something about ourselves. that we are indeed extremely beautiful creatures and for every ad that comes out against us, we aught to counter those same stereotypes with our own positive ones.They are trying to keep their men and all men away from us. smh.. All women all beautiful no matter the race, but when they try their hardest to leave you out of that club, they are in essence threatened by you. so do the opposite, don't be loud, don't be ignorant, by all means, don't be silent either when tackling real issues head on.but don't give others a reason to use you against you. It's all in how you deal with a threat that shuts that threat up in it's tracks.So ,embrace how GOD made you,because their is nothing wrong with you. Black girls rock :)
Voice Of Truth 7 hours ago
Congratulations to Serena Williams and Gabby Douglas for representing African American women in a positive light. We're proud of both of them.
I always tell my brothers- reach within like Ali did- he told himself every day how great he was - look how far it help him ascend - daily positive affirmations and mantras are key to keeping a strong mind, family and village- ONE TRIBE ONE FAMILY- ZALUTE BLACK KINGS!
TheAfroQween 6 months ago
Make that change. The work of Chiek Anta Diop was even more revolutionary than G. M. James. He set them all straight at the 1974 UNESCO symposium on Km't (Ancient Egypt) and the overall biased scholarship on Africa and Africans (AAs included). lionzion22 8 months
Yeah it is.
I am engaged to a beautiful Somali sister and I can't wait for that day where I look into her eyes and tell her why I am the luckiest man to walk this earth. That day when both my loving parents (who've been married for 35 years now) smile at me for continuing the tradition.
Black love never died, and continue until eternity.
Then I can join my other siblings who are all married.
-Roobie
I disagree that the self-sacrificing model always amounts to co-dependency. It’s my opinion that the societal/cultural pendulum has swung too far in the other (wrong) direction! You can get a good feel for any culture in how its families treat their children and older people (parents, grands, great-grands). Western culture warehouse their – loved ones (?) in child-care and nursing homes. They now pay others to do what we once did ourselves. Western culture is so ME orientated, they can’t or won’t sacrifice their material comforts, well-being and selfish wants for the sake of what’s best/good for their children and older folks. So-called SELF-LOVE nowadays is nothing more that pure – me first, me second, me, me, me, me, me!
-Matari
It has already been reported that large numbers of American citizens do not have the new ID required by those Republican governors. Large numbers of college age youth, elders, the poor, minorities--in fact MILLIONS of citizens lack the ID. Furthermore, there's NO EVIDENCE of massive voter fraud. And given that as many as 25% of African-Americans just in the so-called "swing states" lack such ID, the REAL INTENT of the Repulbican fascist governors is clear. For we know that very few AA folk vote Republican, just as few Blacks voted Democrat during the 19the Century. As far as AA folk are concerned, the aim of the Republicans with their new ID requirements are basically the same as that of the Dixiecrats with their grandfather clauses and poll tax: Disfranchisment. In short, the Right is prepared to STEAL the 2012 election if they cannot win it honestly. Moreover, there NO EVIDENCE of widespread voter fraud which Republicans fabricate as their pretext for the voter ID. The REAL FRAUD is the voter ID laws imposed by the fascistic Republicans. And he who does not see this is the one wanting in intelligence or honesty or both.
-Savant ______
Taking this moment to wish you a Happy Father’s Day because you are appreciated!
You are the strength that bonds us. You are the provider who has to struggle more to enrich your family. You are the warrior who has to protect the family and home.
We really don’t understand the battles you encounter from the naysayers of the world. You feel you constantly have to prove them wrong. Many have tried to jump ahead to plant the seed of doubt that you are not worthy of praise. Many have tried to say good black men who are great loving fathers doesn’t exist. We all know they are incorrect. We all know they thought they could bring you down.
There are some that has to provide in separate residents, but have no doubt we know you love your children and there is nothing in the world you won’t do for them to show them they are loved.
There are some who are distant who has to fight wars here and abroad. You are missed, loved and we are grateful for all that you do.
No matter what type of negativity that might come today, remember you are loved, you are needed and you are appreciated.
Happy Father's Day my Brotha's!
-MsNewNew
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All I can say is that I hope you are right, I haven't seen any examples of this happening but it is always a possibility, however, we would have to unite first and all be on the same page and want the same results before this would happen, this is why I think we would need big names to help us unite as we are not a people that tend to unite at will or without a big purpose or a leader rallying us. The only two instances I have seen blacks uniting willingly without a leader behind us is when we are rioting, but hopefully this will change if enough of us realise that "united" we can force changes. You are right, I always say that it is time for action now, the time for talk is almost over, the white mans system is about to collapse on him and we will get caught-up in it and suffer much worse than anyone else will if we are still here in our current state ... the wealthy people will probably be in heavily gated communities or nice islands while normal folk will be left on the streets fighting and dyeing for scraps of bread! We need to be moving now and getting our people to take action today before it is too late for us. Once the system crashes, we are stuck and cannot leave the country. Things are going to get tough very soon and those who aren't currently working or taking actions towards their goals today may never reach them!
-The Revolutionist
Make that change. The work of Chiek Anta Diop was even more revolutionary than G. M. James. He set them all straight at the 1974 UNESCO symposium on Km't (Ancient Egypt) and the overall biased scholarship on Africa and Africans (AAs included). lionzion22 8 months
I'd have to agree with the O.P...I love it...and have no problem with it...with our history...with our uniqueness...with our beauty...with the things that we have given the world around us!
AND YES AA ARE A SPECIAL PEOPLE...LET NO ONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE...DON'T SIT AND LISTEN ANYONE THAT EVER SAYS OTHERWISE...ASK THEM IF THEY'RE HIGH OR NEED SOME HELP WITH THEIR MENTAL ISSUES IF THEY EVEN SUGGEST OTHERWISE!
TAKE A MOMENT AND THINK OF THE MANY THINGS THAT AA HAVE DONE SINCE WE HIT THE SHORES OF AMERICA...THINK OF ALL OF THE ART,MUSIC, FASHION, WRITINGS, ACTING AND DANCE...THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND THE MARCH TO EQUAL RIGHTS...THE WAY THAT WE HAVE SURVIVED BY DOING WHATEVER HE HAVE HAD TO DO...WE TAKE NOTING AND MAKE IT WORK!
JUST LIKE OUR ANCESTORS AND ALL OTHER BLACK PEOPLE THE WORLD OVER...WE'VE TOUCHED THE WORLD!
-moorspeaks
My definition of pro-Black for me is, empowering the Black race in our diaspora to move towards as a unification and a union to the future as a family.we are one step and one step only. We must not hinder or get side-tracked by unnecessary subjects White Supremacist throw upon us. Being pro-Black is empowering young Black girls and boys in being successful and hard-driven.
Being pro-Black is playing a positive role in the Black community helping people that are of African Blood. Helping our communities to come together, helping our communities with their interests. Knowing your past where we came from and where we are heading. Helping the Black race to fight against Eurocentric lies and flaws. Helping the Black race to continue to maintain our purity and god-like motherland bloodlines. Reconnecting with our motherland again and knowing the motherland's culture and roots, embracing our African roots
Also, we must be aware on problems white supremacists throw upon us. These are the tricks how western world wants to separate Blacks. -Blackfamous_R (A Brother)
Paul H. 3 months agoin reply to tynamarie1 and once they go "out" they should stay out but of course, as soon as they get into trouble with that 'greener grass' they'll come running home
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Paul H.
Brother, all due respect, when BM like me promote BLACK UNITY -- meaning we -- as black MEN -- put our OWN black women and children FIRST -- the same way the WM, brown man, yellow man, and every man on the planet does -- this has NOTHING to do with checking another BM's ****, this is about ECONOMIC SURVIVAL.
There is a reason BM -- regardless of education or location -- lack economic power -- and a reason even brown and yellow immigrants who just got off the boat, run nearly every business in the black community. Real power is not a paycheck, or a platinum rap CD, or a new Lexus, or the biggest house on the block.
Real power is being the PROVIDER of goods and services that other people NEED. Real power is controlling LAND and RESOURCES. Real power is controlling your own images. Real power is the kind of power that NO ONE can take from you.
______
Well sister ida b wells was definitely one of our most beloved sister warriors in our time,but this discussion was about the lynching that took place on December 3rd,2010 to the young brother frederick jermaine carter, and the queen here in this show made sure to wrap around this discussion, the heroine acts and courage of our brothers and sisters of the past during even worse conditions, and tie it into why our people of today arent awake enough to realize it ain't no different
-MegaMalik30
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Dandelion 14 hours agoin reply to sharon
Like Muhammad Ali said, "AIN'T NOTHING LIKE A SISTA".
crammasters Male, Age Private, Chicago, IL Posted December 29, 2010
@ ALL
On the second video -- counter mark 4:00 --
Sammy asked Ali: "What does black power mean to you?"
Ali: "Well, to me, black power means, number one, black men respecting and protecting -- with their lives, if necessary -- their women.
Because we are taught by our leader that a man's woman is the field which produces his nation. If he don't protect his field, he'll produce a bad nation."
This should be the BLACK MAN'S NATIONAL ANTHEM
______
Sam:
Once again, well said. The thing is not to pretend that there are no people who are of diffenrent color but to aknowledge it and say that, regardless of the color, we all should be equal in all meaning of that word and we are still not.
Problems do not go away by pretending they do not exists. Seeing them is the first step forward, denying them is a leap backwards.
Regarding Mr King as well as Malcom X they have been misquoted for so long that people do not understand at all what they were all about. They were both true visionaires who wanted to dismantle and wipe out racism totally. King was not loving the american system and X was not hating whites for fun. They both hated the white american system of oppression and both of them did understand that one basic element of that system, corner stone of that system, was social unequality and poverty. That is why they were both killed by that System.
TrojanPam Says: June 6, 2012 at 12:15 pm Wow, Cree…. I didn’t know about this resistance. I am one of those wrong-headed people that thought black people had mistakenly sought integration instead of equal facilities. This is such important information, I wish we would have included it in the “Trojan Horse: Death of a Dark Nation” book — and we would have, had we known about it. We will definitely ask your permission to include an excerpt from this blog post in our next book — which covers the topic of anti-blackness. Integration/assimilation is one of the cornerstones of anti-blackness and white identification and black self-hatred because it equates CLOSENESS with white people (who are mistreating you) with a SUPERIOR learning and living and loving environment. Huh? How can there be any room for black self-love and black self-respect in a message like that??? I plan on sharing the link to your blog — especially this post — and hope other victims will read and share it — and internalize it. At some point, the horses being led to water must be willing to drink or they will die of thirst. Information is plentiful AND most of it is free via blogs (like this one) and websites (like counter-racism.com) and books (like ours and so many others), and programs (like COWS), and lecturers/speakers (like Dr. Welsing and Mr. Fuller, Jr) and even free videos (like youtube). Anyone black who is searching for truth (and a reason to continue their existence in this debilitating system) only has to make the effort. Our most difficult job is to get more people (and ourselves as well) to make a stronger effort. Thanks so much for your significant contributions to opening our eyes!
Trojan Pam Says: June 7, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Here’s my two-cent perspective on the Guest Post by Josh Wickett (who has written some counter-racist movie reviews that reveal a ton about white supremacy (http://www.thecode.net/features/movies/movie_index.htm)
I agree that Hollywood films are often laced with white supremacy/black inferiority (which is precisely why i seldom pay to see movies). There are a ton of hidden AND not so hidden messages in most films but unfortunately, most black people (in my opinion) see movies and TV as just “entertainment” almost as though we’re wearing the kind of blindfolds Josh talks about.
I have concluded that for us (black people) movies and television are a fatal form of escapism, a way to avoid our own reality, a way to avoid the work that must be done to make ourselves and our children safe in a racist society, and a way to get our daily dose of white crack (white people), cause face it, if you watch a lot of TV and movies, white people are about 95 to 99% of the people you’ll see. Not Asians, Not Hispanics, Not Black or Brown or Red or Yellow people. There might be one or two of us as background material, where we’re smiling and grinning and helping white people, but no real context of black or red or brown or yellow life or lifestyles. That being said, I have torn off my blindfold (for the most part) and try to see what is really there (white supremacy). The scariest part (to me) is the millions of black men, women, and children who are watching a ton of TV and movies and getting that white chip permanently rooted in their skulls with the message that: white is right, white is normal and white is the best, because you can’t tell me that after watching hours of white people doing whatever it is white people do, that you don’t develop an AFFINITY towards them.
You’re watching them day after day crying, laughing, working, living, creating, discovering, and loving with very few images of black people living NORMAL lives or ACTING NORMAL. and so what happens is when you’re away from TV or movies what you really miss is your white people in the form of your favorite white characters on the shows and movies you enjoy most, and you’ll be cheering for them and smiling with them a hell of a lot MORE than you do with the real (black) people in your lives. and after the TV is turned off, most of us (i believe) seldom extend that type of loyalty or friendliness towards the real (black) people in our lives.
The proof is the way we put down and act toward our own (black) people and yet we think our growing dislike for our OWN people is just a coincidence… caused by too many black people acting like….n_____ (not my word) It’s so bad that I’ve actually heard black people who are being victimized by racism (white people) still blaming other black people for being victims of racism (!) and more and more of us are looking at AND judging other black people through white eyes as though we are white, too. You might counter with, wait a minute, TV is escapism for white people, too! Well, yes it is, but they are getting a different message and that is THEY are the smartest, bestest people on the planet, always coming to the aid of these inferior non-white people, and if white people are not careful and do not keep that big white foot on those black and brown necks, these savages will wreck this wonderful society, world, and planet that white people built (all by themselves)
The white supremacy in TV is a WHITE WAKE-UP CALL which is why you see more alien and monster themes, more Planet of the Apes sequels, and more black male and female villains (like the movie Precious, District 9, and certain Denzel movies) and this will lead (as planned) to more blatant racist acts/statements/policies/ and police actions against black people TV and movies are no longer ‘just entertainment’ they are a rallying cry to get the white troops on line with the real message: white supremacy now and forever I just wish more of us understood this when we pay $20 for theater seat and a tiny bag of popcorn laced with artificial “butter.”
Greetings.
On the issue of male superiority, how many you brothers would be where you are if it weren't for women like our wonderful mamas Nanny or Harriet Tubman (among many)? On the issue of female superiority, how many of we sisters would be where we are if it weren't for the men who helped to bring these wonderful mamas into the world?
Which mentality base, male superiority or female superiority, is more valid? Neither is more nor less; they are equal in their power to distract, divide, and destroy.
Where would any of us be if it were not for both male and female? Let us not continue to play into this "men are from mars, women are from venus" nonsense. Let the others continue to love to war over such nonsense. As for us, let us strive to re-establish balance and harmony. Let us never forget that anything which seeks to separate us from one another (and we have to be aware of what are we are seeing as we are looking) could never be good for us. Let us never forget that we need each other.
There was once a time when, regardless of how it was expressed, the concept of balance was not some type of exotic extra but a way of life. So much is flip-flopped and devalued. Balance and respect for the necessity of this balance are foreign now and what was once foreign is common. So now in the place of the essentials are mere things and no matter how the belly is full, no amount of things will ever be enough to deal with the hunger felt.
I do think that things will continue to shift, however, until they are again where they need to be or at least much closer to that.
-Warrior Princess
I'd have to agree with the O.P...I love it...and have no problem with it...with our history...with our uniqueness...with our beauty...with the things that we have given the world around us!
AND YES AA ARE A SPECIAL PEOPLE...LET NO ONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE...DON'T SIT AND LISTEN ANYONE THAT EVER SAYS OTHERWISE...ASK THEM IF THEY'RE HIGH OR NEED SOME HELP WITH THEIR MENTAL ISSUES IF THEY EVEN SUGGEST OTHERWISE!
TAKE A MOMENT AND THINK OF THE MANY THINGS THAT AA HAVE DONE SINCE WE HIT THE SHORES OF AMERICA...THINK OF ALL OF THE ART,MUSIC,FASHION,WRITINGS,ACT ING AND DANCE...THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND THE MARCH TO EQUAL RIGHTS...THE WAY THAT WE HAVE SURVIVED BY DOING WHATEVER HE HAVE HAD TO DO...WE TAKE NOTING AND MAKE IT WORK!
JUST LIKE OUR ANCESTORS AND ALL OTHER BLACK PEOPLE THE WORLD OVER...WE'VE TOUCHED THE WORLD!
-moorspeaks
Ok good post and I agree completely. Hollywood has been using these same tricks for decades. Beauty is also very diverse like you said but people often times only consider certain types which is usually what the media is promoting.
-Conscience Sister
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Greetings.
While it is, to many of us, irrefutable that W.E.B. DuBois was a brilliant scholar whose contributions to the bringing forth of awareness about pan-Africanism (through his activism, writings,mentoring,etc.) should not be discounted, it is rarely acknowledged by many of us that we need to perhaps reexamine and reevaluate the views set forth by W.E.B. DuBois in many of his works and elitism within pan-Africanism in general.
To this day, we can still hear many of our people who are considered "enlightened" speak about the "talented tenth", a concept that was popularized by W.E.B. DuBois (The full text by DuBois about the Talented Tenth can be viewed here: http://teachingameri...sp?document=174 ). However, this "Talented Tenth" concept was infested with elitism as, in my humble opinion, DuBois himself was also for much of his life as one who claimed pan-Africanist.
When elitism is embraced in pan-Africanism, the result easily becomes likened to a bunch of African people in a slave ship in which most on the higher floors of the slave ship look down on their brothers and sisters on the lower floors of the slave ship talkin bout they got da best seats. A slave ship is a slave ship is a slave ship. No African on that slave ship is free and the just as the different floors divide a body of people who are all in the same boat" (slave ship), our many illusions about who we are or who we are not keep us, though we are all in the same boat, separated in our minds. Separate, divided, and defeated.
Instead of embracing elitism, we need to try harder to embrace one another. Instead of forever highlighting our differences, we need to try harder to identify our commonalities. Instead of not wanting to learn what we think we know about each other, we need to try harder to listen to one another. Why are we working against each other instead of with each other? Do we not know that regardless of our seats, oceanview or otherwise, our destination is common? No matter where we physically come from, no matter the nation, the continent, the amount of money we have or do not have, we are Africans and our destination is common, our destiny is one, we are bound to one another, regardless of if we acknowledge this or not. If we don't find it in our selfish minds to overthrow our separatist thinking, then we deserve to keep living exactly the same way that we are living all over this globe, divided and defeated.
There is a proverb which suggests that two men in a burning house must not stop to quarrel. As there is hardly any proverb without double meaning, the most urgent meaning behind this proverb, in my opinion, is that there is a burning house to be concerned about, a matter of life or death to be concerned about; the situation is one of the highest level of urgency and the survival of both depends on their response to this urgency. If we are in a burning house, which is more practical for our survival? To help each other to escape the burning house or to argue about who left the pot burning on the stove? Every second counts. On another note, let me tell you, Brothers and Sisters, even the highest floor of an unchecked burning building will eventually burn right down just as the lower floors.
By the same token, the multitudes of enslaved Africans on a slave ship must not stop to quarrel but instead they must unite and organize whatever insurrection is necessary to liberate themselves.
Let us check the levels and reprogram ourselves for a better tomorrow.
-Warrior Princess ______
How Beautiful! That tug you get in your heart when you see beauty like this says it all. The power we hold is so incredible... if we could just see it. No other woman could understand a black mans struggle like a black woman. BlackSapphire8804 7 months ago
Maybe the Strong will survive physically sometimes, but the Righteous and the Holy will remain spiritually (and their Principles will be Eternal Irrespective of Time or Space).
Yes, I'm a believer.
I still believe in the dream. Uhuru Sasa
R BG for life
We are all beautiful and shine bright like
a diamond.
Peace