Marvo's Thought of the Day

Revolutionary Education!!!

2008-04-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

FYI. This blog was originally created for one of my grad classes at SJU, so pardon some of the educational jargon. I know it may be a tough read, but trust me it will be worth it. This particular blog may take a bit longer to get through, but don't trip out. Most of you are wasting time at work while reading this anyway, so what’s a couple extra minute to help create LIBERATION EDUCATION? I am writing the education platform for a city council candidate in Queens, NY. If anyone has any applicable ideas that will help establish a Liberation Education in Queens NY and elsewhere, PLEASE holla back? We can change the world through dialogue; being connected is one of the best things that could have happened in our struggle for humanity. Please contribute to the education platform that can and will change the face of education. Please post this in every forum, e mail this info to everyone your contacts, call and text everyone you know and spread the word to as many people as possible. We have an opportunity in Queens, NY to set the pace for the new face of education in our community. If any of you have any questions, e mail me or leave a comment!!! Your input will be invaluable.

Pedagogy is defined differently by different educational philosophies and opinions. Pedagogy is defined by Webster Dictionary as the art, science, or profession of teaching, especially education. Pedagogy has also been defined as “the broader and more generalized notion of social education which arises from the influence of the educative society where we are educating through using community influence.”[1] The term pedagogy in this text is a collective definition but most specifically defined as a “deliberate attempt to influence how and what knowledge and identities are produced within and among particular sets of social relations.”[2] Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed explores the dynamic of education as it relates to the oppressed sectors of the world. Freire text focuses on how the oppressed will free themselves and the oppressor from a repressive society through a critical pedagogy. Critical pedagogy is an academic discipline which involves the critical study of education as it relates to human liberation. The goal for pedagogy as it relates to the oppressed is to restore lost humanity and thereby liberate both the oppressed and the oppressor. The philosophy of freeing the oppressed through a liberated education has implications that continue to resound today. An in depth study and proper implementation of Freire pedagogy, along with others revolutionary educators, is necessary to truly liberate humanity.

Many classrooms across America and the world are occupied with students who fit the characteristics of the oppressed as defined by Freire. It is the responsibility of the “humanist, revolutionary educator”[3] to implement the strategies of Freire (and others) in order to ensure a liberated future. Freire states that the praxis, the proper equilibrium between theory and action, the balance between reflection and active attempts at transforming our world, is a necessary component for true liberation through education. It is the duty of the educator to do away with the concept of Banking Model of education[4], the current form of education, and implement what Freire defines as Problem Poising Dialogue. The teaching implication of this process is revolutionary, but also necessary for both the oppressor and oppressed to truly be liberated.

Freire states that oppression consists of any act which results in hindrances upon individuals (the 'oppressed') to articulate and pursue their own dreams. Freire's goes on to state that:
"Any situation in which 'A' objectively exploits 'B' or hinders his and her pursuit of self-affirmation as a responsible person is one of oppression. Such a situation in itself constitutes violence even when sweetened by false generosity; because it interferes with the individual's ontological and historical vocation to be more fully human.”[5]

The exploitation of ‘A’ by ‘B’ is clearly displayed, historically, in the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. Freire understands the parasitic colonial relationship and his opinions are reflected in his extension of the educational philosophy of Franz Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth. Freire expounds upon Fanon’s ideology that emphasized the need to provide native populations with an education which is simultaneously new and modern (rather than traditional) and anti-colonial (not simply an extension of the culture of the colonizer)[6] Freire writes that the colonized had become mere vestiges of their living history, serving as “hosts” for Westernized values, dispirited by an internalized sense of inferiority, dehumanized by regimes of dismissive exteriority. “Freedom,” he wrote, “is acquired by conquest, not by gift. [7]

Freire writes from a Marxist position, but often not exclusively, fails to realize that the parasitic relationship between the colonized and the colonizer will exist regardless of political economic philosophy. The economic system of capitalism allows the factors of production: land labor and capital, to be owned privately[8]. Socialism allows for the factors of production to be owned publicly[9]. Both Adam Smith’s explanation of capitalism in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations and Karl Marx idea of socialism articulated in the Communist Manifesto are rooted in the oppressive systems of colonialism and imperialism.[10]

Capitalism and socialism are economically rooted in what Marx classifies as primitive accumulation or original accumulation and Smith defines as previous accumulation. Regardless of the political economic affiliation, both systems acknowledge the fact that the economic base for their system is found in the oppression of laborors and the exploitation of resources of an external starting point.[11] Neither capitalism nor socialism could exist in Europe without an accumulation of starting wealth. In fact an accumulation of wealth was mandatory in Europe for either capitalism or socialism to exist in the reality of which Smith and Marx wrote their text. Consequently, a relationship of oppressor and oppressed, colonizer and colonized, had to be established, from a European (Western) point of view, in order for the systems of capitalism and/or socialism to be viable political economic ideas in the: political, social, and economic conditions of Europe. It is of no consequence if that accumulation of wealth is reflected in the exploitation of labor or the theft of resources from other places, the result will be the existence of an oppressor and oppressed. The relationship of oppressor and oppressed is established worldwide through the system of colonialism and then imperialism.

In order for any political economic system, based in an oppressor and oppressed relationship, to maintain itself, intuitions must be created to support the relationship created by the system. Freire argues that the education system is designed to support an oppressive social, economic, and political system. Freire describes an educational practice called the Banking System, which is the primaray facilitator of the maintainance of the oppressive relationship. The Banking System of education isolates the learner from the content and process of education. It assumes that the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing. The teacher narrates, prescribes and deposits information which the student then must mechanically receive, memorize and repeat. This transfer of information becomes a symbol and an instrument of oppression that reduces inquiry, creativity and dialogue[12]. Freire makes it clear Banking Education dichotomizes consciousness and the world, thereby domesticating reality. While the teacher acts as bearer of all knowledge, this static and naturalistic conception of consciousness "...transforms students into receiving objects."[13] Consequently, the students are integrated into the world of the oppressor, a world that is based on the dehumanization[14] of the oppressed.

Freire argues that the Banking System does not acknowledge the prior learning experience of students and also treats the world as a static, fixed environment to which students simply need to adapt.[15] This reality supports the continuation of the status quo, where the oppressor is on top and the oppressed is on the bottom. Freire writes:

“Oppression is necrophilic; it is nourished by the love of death, not life. The banking concept of education, which servers the interest of oppression, is also necrophilic. Based on a mechanistic, static, naturalistic, spatialized view of consciousness, it transforms students into receiving objects. It attempts to control thinking and action, leads women and men to adjust to the world, and inhibits their creative power.[16]"

Freire continues to write, that in order to develop an education dedicated to a liberated future, the revolutionary teacher, must adopt a new form of education. Freire writes,

"From the outset, his efforts (the revolutionary educator) must coincide with those of the students to engage in critical thinking and the quest for mutual humanization. His efforts must be imbued with a profound trust in men and their creative power. To achieve this, he must be a partner of the students in his relations with them.[17]”

Freire proposes a different form of education he coins as Problem Poising Dialogue. Problem Poising Dialogue is Freire's answer to the Banking System Model of education. Problem Poising Dialogue is a pedagogical approach of question-posing and dialoguing. This system of education is based on ancient methods of education often accredited to the Socrates, but originally finds its beginning in the educational facilities of African antiquity.[18] Evidence of this is found in an article title “Pedagogy of Ancient Africa” when Asa Hillard III writes that: “In order to explain the culture and particularly the education system of Egypt, we must appeal to the manifestations of the core African culture, not only in the Egyptian part of the Diaspora, but in the rest of continental Diaspora, and later the intercontinental Diaspora.[19] Such an progressive approach to education includes requires the teacher/learner to:

a) Acknowledge and make use of learner's prior knowledge/experience

b) Allow for a more open-ended curriculum that is co-created within the classroom

c) Acknowledge the learning that goes on by all involved-the teachers/facilitators in
addition to students.[20]

Freire believes that the Problem Poising Dialogue form of education is crucial to the true liberation of the oppressed from the oppressor.

Freire encourages students to adopt a curious, questioning, probing stance in exploring educational issues. Freirean education demands a deep commitment to the goal of building a better social world, and requires active resistance against oppressive structures, ideas, and practices. Freire’s challenge to educators has had a profound and resounding affect. In a sense he is challenging educators and students a like, to disregard their position, in order to create the learning environment necessary for liberation. This concept is radical, yet provides the bases for an education system that will produce a world where the balance of power is level and where everyone will have the opportunity to “purse their own dreams”, without a system designed to ensure that those dreams do not come into fruition.

The implication of Freire’s Problem Posing education presents itself in the ideology of conscientization (conscientizacao in the original Portuguese). The goal of liberation education is judged by dialectical relationship, namely that of the world and human consciousness. The concept of conscientization or critical awareness is the foundation to Freire's critical pedagogy[21]. Critical awareness is made possible through praxis which Freire defines as "...reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it"[22].

Freire connects reflection and action (praxis) together, as part of the process in the recognition and transformation of social, economic and political contradictions through a liberation education. Liberation education is designed to interrupt then transform the reality in which the oppressed finds oneself. Freire’s, politically-motivated literacy work served as a "profound learning process" that became the foundation for the formulation of his critical pedagogy of conscientization.[23]

Conscientization is the process whereby individuals develop a greater ability to think critically. The fostering of this critical consciousness, the ability to read one's world more deeply and to ask meaningful 'why' questions, is at the center of Freire's theory of education for human liberation. Freire developed several famous methods for achieving conscientization beside Problem-Posing Dialogue. Codifications, and Generative Themes are two other strategies Freire developed in order to facilitate liberation education[24].

A. Codifications- A codification or code is simply a visual representation of one thing for another. Freire famously used these codes in Brazil-most famously, drawing them with rural peasants in the dirt with a stick--as a way of developing not only literacy but also political consciousness.

B. Generative Themes- generative theme is a single word or phrase that Freire would famously use to start problem-posing dialogue as part of his critical literacy method. Freire would choose a theme very relevant to the people to the lives of the people with whom he was working. For example, he would start with the word 'shovel' if he was working with miners. This theme would be the first word learned within the 'lesson' and be the launching off point for various questions concerning the implications of the theme within the community. Thus, these themes were developed so as to develop ownership among the learners not only of the words themselves but also the political situation surrounding them. [25]

The concept of conscientization is crucial to the revolutionary development and of the current school system. The concept if conscientization is most critical in schools where the population fit the characteristics of the oppressed as defined by Freire. In America the characteristics of the oppressed are most easily revealed in the race and class of certain sectors of American society. This phenomenon of oppressor and oppressed creates the fundamental break down in education along racial and class lines. The class lines were created by the racial lines of which colonialism and imperialism were drawn[26]. Countries where resources and market were available for the expansion of industrialization were generally nations of color.[27] This phenomenon, consequently forced the imperialistic goals of Europe, America, and others to vest itself in the creation of an oppressor and oppressed, colonizer and colonized relationship along the lines of race. Therefore, it should not be a question why many of the schools where the level of educational delinquency is at it highest are inside of schools where the racial and/or class sub group of America has been subjected to the role of the “oppressed”.

Following Freire’s argument one could conclude that it is by design that many of America’s schools are purposely forced into objectivity, hidden inside to confines of “democracy”, in order to maintain the hierarchy of society. Often the poor conditions of majority Black, Latino, and/or poor schools are blamed on parent involvement, poverty, or some other subjective reality. These reasons may be true to a degree, but none of those reasons supersede the base of the educational contradiction America finds itself. The base of the contradiction is that the oppressor, those that benefit from the oppressed being the oppressed, need the system to maintain itself. The oppressor needs the system to maintain itself, at the expense of the oppressed, in order for the oppressor to continue to hold his position in the world and most specifically America. It is the intent of the oppressor to continue the system as it exists, in order not to threaten his livelihood.

Friere goes on to argue that the oppressor’s maintenance of this oppressive system is also harming the oppressor as well. Freire writes:

“As the oppressor dehumanize others and violate their rights (the oppressed), they themselves also become dehumanized. As the oppressed, fighting to be human, take away the oppressors power to dominate and suppress, they restore to the oppressor the humanity they had lost in the exercise of oppression.[28]”

Consequently, the oppressed are not engaging in conscientization, by way of liberation education, in order to switch places with the oppressor. The oppressed engage in conscientization in order to liberate all of humanity from the physical and mental shackles of oppression.

It is the responsibility of revolutionary educators to help develop this process to its revolutionary end. Problem-posing education, says Freire, is

"Revolutionary futurity…affirms men as beings who transcend themselves, who move forward and look ahead, for whom immobility represents a fatal threat, for whom looking at the past must only be a means of understanding more clearly what and who they are so that they can more wisely build the future.[29]"

The act of gaining an understanding of the world around oneself, critically analyzing the situation, conscientization, is only possible in conjunction with dialogue. Freire insists that dialogue is essential to the resolution of the teacher-student contradiction. Through dialogue and communication, students assume responsibility for their own learning process and thus become "...critical co-investigators in dialogue with the teacher". Furthermore, Freire asserts that dialogue is an essential component to the process of conscientization. Freire highlights the potential of dialogue and defends the power of language as a tool that is capable of cultivating dominance or freedom, oppression or liberation, colonialism/imperialism or self determination. Dialogue allows people to name the world and, therefore, to force social transformation and liberation through revolution. Freire's writes: "To exist, humanly, is to name the world, to change it".[30]
Teachers dedicated to truly educating their student, and also dedicated to being lifelong learners will find ways to effectively implement the strategy of liberation education. They will believe and truly internalize the reality that everyone is connected to saving humanity from an oppressive relationship. The collective, both oppressed and oppressor will change the dynamic in which they exist, through true generosity[31] (on behalf of the oppressor) and a self determining spirit (on behalf of the oppressed). Revolutionary educators must be careful not to replace the “oppressors” world view for their own, by simply using the same methods as the oppressor to facilitate its world view. Revolutionary education must transcend the current tyrannical relationship for a solution that makes sense for all of humanity. Freire contributes to this reality, but does not complete it in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, or any of his other text. Freire outlines his premise and then presents in an academic format for the implementation of his educational philosophy. Freire understood that his work in conjunction with other progressive ideas will ultimately liberate those that have been most adversely affected by the current world system.

Dialogue is the first
Step toward liberation,

Marvo

[1] Karl Mannhein and W.A.C Stewart. An Introduction to Sociology of Education. (Lodon: Routlede and Kegen Paul, 1964) p.20
[2] H. Giroux and R Simon, “Popular Culture and Critical Pedagogy: Everyday Life as a Basis for Curriculum Kwoledge” in H Giroux and P. McLarens, eds. Critical Pedagogy, The State, and Cultural Struggle New York SUNY, 1989 p. 239
[3] Paulo Freire. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (New York: Continuum, 2007), p. 75
[4] Banking Education will be discussed further in the body of the paper
[5] Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (New York: Continuum, 2007), p. 55
[6] Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth. Trans. Constance Farington. (New York: Grove Press. 1961, reprint ed. 1986)
[7] Ibid, p 52
[8] Adam Smith, An Inquiry in into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (London: W Strahan, and T cadell) [1] B.I, Ch.6, Of the Component Parts of the Price of Commodities in paragraph I.6.9.
[9] Ibid
[10] Omali Yeshitela. The Dialectics of Black Revolution: The Struggle to Defeat the Counterinsurgency in the U.S .(St. Petersburg: Burning Spears Uhuru Publications, 1997) p. 4
[11] Ibid. p 7
[12] E.W Eisner, From Episteme to Phronesis to Artistry in the Study and Improvement of Teaching and Teacher Education, 18 2002 p375-385
[13] Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (New York: Continuum, 2007)
[14] This concept is borrowed from existentialism (a self-determining agent responsible for the authenticity of his or her choices) of Jean-Paul Sartre. It refers to an act that causes one (literally) to become less human. Dehumanization, in other words, is any act that physically or mentally injures human beings, turns them into objects, or in any other process that puts obstacles in people's path as they attempt to articulate and pursue their own dreams.
[15] Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (New York: Continuum, 2007), p 73
[16] Ibid, p 77
[17] Ibid, p 75
[18] George GM James, Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy. (Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press, 1992).
[19] Hilliard, Asa G. "Pedagogy in Ancient Kemet." Kemet and the African Worldview: Research, Rescue and Restoration. Edited by Maulana Karenga and Jacob H. Carruthers. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press, 1986: 131-50.
[20] http://www.ukzn.ac.za/cae/pfi/fd.htm#Critical (accessed 4/13/2008).
[21] Rich Gibson, The Frozen Dialectics of Paulo Freire, in NeoLiberalism and Education Reform, (Hampton Press, 2006.)
[22]Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (New York: Continuum, 2007), p 36
[23] Ibid, p.41
[24] http://www.ukzn.ac.za/cae/pfi/fd.htm#Critical (accessed 4/13/2008).
[25] Ibid
[26] Omali Yeshitela. The Dialectics of Black Revolution: The Struggle to Defeat the Counterinsurgency in the U.S .(St. Petersburg: Burning Spears Uhuru Publications, 1997)
[27] Ibid
[28] , p 32
[29] Ibid, p 72
[30] Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. (New York: Continuum, 2007), p 76
[31] True generosity consists of an act of sacrifice on behalf of the oppressor which attempts to free the oppressed from their condition. Such an act consists not of a temporary, meaningless 'hand-out' meant to sooth the conscience of the oppressor but instead a conscious effort to work alongside the oppressed in order to reduce their dependence and allow them to take up work that transforms the social conditions of this world.

UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL

2008-04-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

I got FIRED folks; http://www.globalgrind.com/ couldn’t handle the heat I was bringing. I went at the bosses head and they gave me the axe. Actually, they gave (I can't say for legally purposes) the axe, and I kind of got caught up in the mix. Globalgrind.com wanted (can't say for legal purposes) to kow tow to their philosophy and we weren’t down with that. I called that I would't be over at globalgrind.com for long last month and lo and be hold, I am not. I guess when you call out Russell Simmons that’s what happens. Russell released two videos trying to rebut the information about ALL diamonds being blood diamonds. You can find the videos here http://youtube.com/watch?v=ptAnISBsOv0 and here http://youtube.com/watch?v=2jlOpBqVWBA. He tries to cover his tracks with charities and other nonsense to help confuse the people. I think it is important to paraphrase Malcolm X and say that you can’t put a knife in my back six inches pull it out four and expect me to be happy. Russell Simmons has done many great things for our people, but his philanthropy does not absolve him for being criticized for exploiting Africa. If that means I will loose a ton of clicks on my blog than so be it. If you didn’t get a chance to peep the power point presentation, entitled Russell Simmons Exposed, you can check it out here http://www.slideshare.net/marving2/blooddiamonds2.

This month I think it is important for me to discuss an important topic to my credibility as a writer on the side of liberation. I try to always support the ideology that DIALOGUE is the first step toward liberation, today I am sure to write something that will cause DIALOGUE from coast to coast. Many of you out there know that I am a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, many of you may not. With that being said, some of you may have some reservations about the role that black fraternities play in the development of a liberated future. I got into a really progressive conversation with a good friend of mine which inspired me to set the record straight for all that may have questions about the Africaness of Black fraternities, and most specifically, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated (Alpha) has a DEEP history as it is related to its connection to Africa. In fact, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. set the precedent for all future black collegiate organizations to invest their efforts into an African based philosophy/world view. Alpha also contributed greatly to a lot of African centered thought post 1906. The racial make-up of the ancient Nile Valley and the people of Kemet (Egypt) in particular, continue to be a topic of controversy in many circles. Within the media and scholarly world, there has been and continues to exist an attempt to make the ancient Kemetans (Egyptians) anything but the Africans they were[1]. Alpha has contributed greatly to combating this ideology. Alpha’s history is clear, but often misrepresented by those that do not have the proper information or wish to confuse.

Alpha, utilizes themes from Ancient Kemet/ KMT (Egypt), images and songs depicting the Her-em-akhet (Great Sphinx of Giza), pharaohs, and other Kemetic knowledge and symbols to represent the organization. Kemet can be roughly translated as the "Land of the Blacks.”[2] It was the Greeks who would rename Kemet, Egypt.[3] Alpha uses these symbols because it is important to Alpha to preserve the history from which we have come. The ideology of the Sankofa is exactly what Alpha embodies. We understand that it is important to study the continent from which we came, in order to be best prepared for the world in which we live, and for the future in which we will meet.

This is in contrast to other fraternities that traditionally echo themes from the golden age of Ancient Greece. Alpha's constant reference to Athopia/ Aksumite (Ethiopia) in hymns and poems are further examples of Alpha's mission to imbue itself with an African cultural heritage. The Edfu Text is an important source on the early history of the Nile Valley. This famous inscription, found in the Temple of Heru-sa-Aset/ Heru-ur/ Heru-pa-khart (Horus) at Edfu, gives an account of the origin of Kemetic (Egyptian) civilization. According to this record, civilization was brought from the south under the leadership of King Heru-sa-Aset/ Heru-ur/ Heru-pa-khart (King Horus)[4]. Charles H. Wesley, Alpha’s greatest historian, wrote:

"To the Alpha Phi Alpha brotherhood, African history and civilization, the Her-Em-Akhet (Sphinx), and Athopian/ Aksumiteian (Ethiopian) tradition bring new meanings and these are interpreted with new significance to others. As Americans of European parentage point with pride to the ancestral history of their people, so Alpha Phi Alpha would have the Negroes of America look with pride upon African civilization with its kingdoms, its governments and its laws, its social institutions, its buildings and roads, and its evidences of indigenous progress, unaffected as it was, by outside influences [5]”

Alpha understands clearly that the root of African civilization lies in Africa; Alpha also understands that our root as a people has been skewed by those who wish to confuse. (The region we now call “Ethiopia” is much smaller than the ancient layout of “Ethiopia”. When I say “Ethiopia” I am referring to the land south of what is now called the Sahara.[6])

Alpha often uses terms like Sphinx, or Egypt in order to create a sense of familiarity among people that have been led astray. Our people were not led astray by Alpha, but by centuries of disillusionment by sectors of European society. We could use other terms to describe or African roots, but the climate during the time Alpha was created (1906), and the current consciousness of our community (2008) does not allow this, in most circumstances.

I participate in a reading group that is an example of this phenomenon. It has been stated that our reading group is not for everyone looking for a sense of consciousness. We have suggested that one should start by reading text like the Autobiography of Malcolm X or The Souls of Black Folk. Certain text should be the pre requisite to text like Marimba Ani's Let the Circle be Unbroken or any of Naim Akbar’s writings. Should everyone read Akbar’s body of work? YES! Is everyone initially ready for Akbar? NO! Is it Akbar’s fault that his body of work cannot not be absorbed by the consciousness of some of our people? NO! For that same rationale, Alpha should not be blamed for some of the language that it uses. We are a lifetime organization trying to bring young colligate minds into a view of Africanism that they may not be aware. We ALL need to work toward building the consciousness of our people; I believe Alpha has done this for many Black and Brown young men.

Alpha sometimes use “Greek” terms similar to how the masses of Black people use the term Africa. Africa is not the original name of the continent, but it is the name most associated with the continent. Scipio Africanus is where Africa gets its name, a Roman, who allegedly won many battles in “Africa”[7]. Names like Akaluba, Nubia, Ethiopia, or countless other names would be more of an “African” name for the continent. Confusion has been caused by certain sectors of European society, resulting in names like Akaluba being lost or not often used. Alpha did not create this confusion, but we try our best to serve, despite the confusion.

The Great Pyramids of Giza symbolize the foundation of our African knowledge for African people all around the world. Alpha is no exception to this reality. Alpha understands clearly that the “Greeks” received their information from Kemet, whose father is Athopia/ Aksumite “Ethiopia”. George GM James wrote in Stolen Legacy:

Greek philosophy is somewhat of a drama, whose chief actors were Alexander the Great, Aristotle and his successors in the peripatetic school, and the Emperor Justinian. Alexander invaded Egypt and captured the Royal Library at Alexandria and plundered it. Aristotle made a library at Alexandria and plundered books, while his school occupied the building and used it as a research centre. Finally, Justinian, the Roman Emperor, abolished the Temples and schools of philosophy, i.e., another name for the Egyptian Mysteries, which the Greeks claimed as their product, and on account of which, they have been falsely praised and honored for centuries by the world, as its greatest philosophers and thinkers. This contribution to civilization was really and truly made by the Egyptians and the African continent, but not by the Greeks and the European continent. [8]

I read Stolen Legacy when I was first introduced to Alpha. George GM James (The man responsible for popularizing the reality that the Greeks benefited from the knowledge of Kemet) is strongly suggested reading for every aspiring ALPHA. In Stolen Legacy James proposed that the origins of Greek philosophy lay within Kemetic (Egyptian) theology, what the Greeks called the Mysteries. His objectives, as he clearly stated, were as follows:

1.) To prove that Greek philosophy was a misnomer
2.) To demonstrate the African origin of the Mysteries Schools
3.) To create a social reformation through the new philosophy of African redemption.[9]

Whether Greece truly "stole" Kemetic (Egyptian) knowledge is debatable. Some argue that in Greek society there were Black people. As a consequence of the knowledge that they (African’s in Greece) brought with them out of Africa, the Greeks benefited. It is probably better stated that what we know about Greek or Hellenist culture was influenced GREATLY by African culture to the point at which Africa deserves more recognition than which it has been given[10].

What can also be understood is that it is from the great African societies that the modern “Greek” lettered fraternities and sororities were founded. Like George GM James stated of Greek philosophy, the Greek letters used by Black fraternities and sororities is a misnomer. For though the letters used were “Greek”, the founders of these organizations understood well their African lineage and origins. Thus the letters masked an even deeper meaning rooted in Africa itself[11].

All Alpha Men, just like members of other organizations, that want to learn about a deeper sense of his/her humble responsibility to the world, can find it, within their organization. It is up to the individual to make that journey, the same journey that many other organizations encourage. Becoming an Alpha is just the first step forward, but is often where the buck stops with too many Alpha Men. Alpha as an organization needs to do more to encourage our young brothers to continue the journey they started when they joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Reading a few books while “on line/pledging”, “intake” or during “rights of passage”, isn’t enough. I am sure there are members of every progressive collegiate organization that can find members that may not be as involved in their journey as they should.

Charles H. Wesley, Alpha’s greatest historian, wrote that:

“I have stood beside the Her-Em-Akhet (Sphinx) in Kemet/KMT (Egypt), Akaluba (Africa) in July on my third visit there, and I brought greetings to this silent historical figure in the name of Alpha Phi Alpha and I crossed the continent to Athopia/ Aksumite (Ethiopia).[12]”

Alpha’s foundation is rooted in our connection to Africa, and it is reflected in our membership. Adam Clayton Powell, Norman Washington Manley, Fredrick Douglas, Martin Luther King Jr., Dick Gregory, WEB Dubois, and many other great men all are distinguished members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Folks like Steve Cokely, who I often disagree but respect greatly, have their opinion on the Garvey/Dubois debate. Cokely likes to highlight the Boule/Sigma Pi Phi to support his argument against Dubois, but that’s another topic). There are countless other pillars of the Black and Brown community connected to Alpha, all reflecting the light that Alpha carries http://www.brown.edu/Students/Alpha_Phi_Alpha/famous.html .

Being a pillar of the community is not limited to members of Alpha, but to all who carry on the legacy of our African heritage. Whether you want to call that legacy the light, or the flame[13] all of us are carrying the legacy that is firmly rooted in Mother Africa. Alpha has a mix of political philosophies and opinions, but they all fall under the same umbrella. Alpha is not an organization of monolithic thought or philosophy, but where we all do agree as Alpha’s, is our responsibility to help the community in which we have pledged to serve.

I try to explain the dichotomy of Alpha by comparing Malcolm and Martin. They both had the uplift of the Black community in mind, but initially had different opinions on how the process should be facilitated. Both Malcolm and Martin would have had space to exist inside of Alpha (although Malcolm was not a member of Alpha), because they both meet the aims of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. “manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind.” Africa brought the light to the world, Alpha’s among many others, have continued to carry this light that began with mother Africa.

I clearly do not agree with the way some Alpha’s express their dedication to our community, in fact I stand in complete opposition to some of the political positions of some Alpha’s. I recently SLAMMED Andrew Young on my blog http://marvinthinks.blogspot.com/2008/01/thanks-to-all-folks-that-have-followed.html for some of the comments he made about Barak Obama. Does that mean that I hate Young or call for his removal from Alpha? Absolutely not! I am a firm believer that DIALOGUE is how we move forward as a community. Dick Gregory is another ALPHA who slammed Young, live on Warren Ballentine’s radio show http://youtube.com/watch?v=xDVajxU80EU. From the outside it is hard to explain how two men in the same organization can take two very different views. Upon proper analyses it becomes clear how this can and will continue to happen. This dialogue that often goes on inside of Alpha and our community as a whole is important for the forward movement of the organization and our community. Don’t get me started on Charlie Rangle he felt the raft of MARVO a couple of times you can check it out here http://marvinthinks.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-day-or-same-ole-song.html .

Alpha’s 21st General President, Thomas W. Cole said, "Alpha Phi Alpha must go back to her ultimate roots; only then can she be nurtured to full bloom.[14]" I agree with Alpha’s 21st president. Alpha’s roots are grounded in African philosophy, and that root is the heart and soul of the organization. With that being said, I applaud an organization like Malika Kambe Umfazi Sorority Inc. (MKU) and other more recent Black/Brown fraternities and sororities that have embraced an African world view as well. I would also say that it is important for all our, to understand the foundation in which WE stand in 2008. We all stand on the foundation of Mother Africa.

MKU (Black, Orange, and Gold) and Alpha (Black and Ole Gold) share the two of the same colors. Black and (Ole) Gold, is this a coincidence? Is it a coincidence that both of our organizations were started in upstate New York (Ithaca and Buffalo) and that our second chapters were both located in DC, the root of Black collegiate life in America. Is it a coincidence that both of our official shields (not to be confused with Alpha’s crest which is found on Alpha apparel) have symbols reflecting our African roots? I don’t think so. I believe that at our base, both organizations share the same values, and dedication to our Africaness. What I will also say is that sometime the Africaness that we both embrace is expressed differently. Furthermore, I would also argue that many other organizations share this base as well. I don’t raise MKU to criticize the sisters. I am using MKU as an example, because the conversations that inspired this blog was with a sister from MKU. I could easily replace MKU, with Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, or Lamba Theta Alpha (Latina sorority). My point is that WE all should understand our responsibility to our community. I believe the sisters of MKU to be true warriors on the front line of our struggle. I would suggest any young lady interested in joining a soroity to look into MKU, along with all the other progressive soroities. (Shout out to the sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporatred, the sisters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated)

One would be hard pressed to find an Alpha that disagrees with MKU’s principles of: From what I have researched the official principles of MKU are:

Mahatma: High-mindedness and selflessness
Kinship: Relationship based on race, culture, or background
Utilitarianism: Usefulness above beauty[15]

In fact, most Alphas would encourage the sisters of MKU to keep up the good work. A good Alpha Man would share in the vigor in which the sisters of MKU embrace the responsibility to the African/Latin community. All Alphas, at some point, have engaged in everything that MKU is about; I would also say that ALL Alphas should be currently engaged in the work to improve our community. It is exciting for me to see ideals that were started on the college level in 1906, manifest itself inside the principles of organizations designed for students of color in 2008.

MKU has dedicated itself to working with ALL organizations that are rooted in helping move the Black/Brown community forward. I believe that we ALL need to take a page from these sisters and put aside some of our petty differences and work together to improve the community which we all have pledged to serve. Regardless if that organization is Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, or the Queens of Malika Kambe Umfazi Sorority Inc., whether you are a member of the Divine 9 or any other Black/Brown fraternity/sorority. We are ALL dedicated to the uplift of our people!

We are ALL in this boat together. We are all “fighting the good, fight”, and need each others support to move the work of uplifting our community forward. I think WE all need to take a step back and evaluate how we will work together in order to create a brighter future for ALL of us, both Black and Brown. The fighting and bickering that goes on between our organizations is shameful. We are all supposed to be in this together, yet we act at times, like we want to tear each other apart. No one organization is absolutely correct although we ALL are grounded in our African roots. It is our responsibility, as decedents of Mother Africa to create an environment for our children that is greater than when we came. I believe, Alpha, MKU and many other organizations have the same sentiment in mind. If you find an Alpha that disagrees with anything I just wrote, you can send them my direction.

There is no room in 2008 for any further misappropriation. We have a responsibility to do and be examples of our GREATNESS. I hold myself and others to that same standard. Yes, we will we slip at times, in the face of adversity! What we cannot do is let the fact that we slipped stand in the way of always moving forward. WE must continue marching onward and upward towards the light. My prayer is that we ALL wake up and realize that there is a world outside of our “organizations” that is dedicated to the destruction of our community. It would be in ALL of our best interest not to attack, but understand the position that we all take, and find a way to use the best of our organizations to move OUR community forward. We must remain dedicated to the philosophy of "Forwards ever, backwards never, TOGETHER in bond and struggle"

I truly believe that
Dialogue is the first step
toward liberation,

Marvo

PS If any one still has some concern about the connection Alpha has with the community look at our 100 year report. Then ask yourself can you name many other organizations that have been so dedicated for so long. Our connection with OUR community goes beyond the African symbols we use. Our dedication has been reflected in the work that Alpha has been doing for the last 101 years. 111111-9-06!!!!!!
http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.org/Resources/ImageFile/File/image/WPC06-WEB.pdf

ENDNOTES

[1] Cheikh Anta Diop, The African Origin of Civilization, edited and translated by Mercer Cook, Lawrence Hill Books, Chicago 1974
[2] J. Gardner Wilkinson, The Ancient Egyptians. London: Guernsey, 1994, p. 302
[3] Ibid
[4] The Temple of Edfu: A Guide by an Ancient Egyptian Priest By Dieter (sp)
[5] Wesley, Charles H. [1929] (1981). The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life, 14th edition, Foundation Publishers.

[6] Richard Pankhurst, The Ethiopian Borderlands: Essays in Regional History from Ancient Times to The End of the 18th century (Asmara: Red Sea Press, Inc., 1997), pp.5, 7, 9.
[7] H. H. Scullard, Scipio Africanus: Soldier and Politician, Thames and Hudson, London, 1970.
[8] Stolen Legacy: The Greeks Were Not the Authors of Greek Philosophy, But the People of North Africa, Commonly Called the Egyptians. 1954
[9] Stolen Legacy: The Greeks Were Not the Authors of Greek Philosophy, But the People of North Africa, Commonly Called the Egyptians. 1954
[10]African Roots http://www4.wittenberg.edu/student_organizations/greek/alpha_phi_alpha/AfricanRoots.html
[11] Ibid
[12] Wesley, Charles H. [1929] (1950). The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in Negro College Life, 6th edition, Foundation Publishers.
[13]like Malika Kambe Umfazi Sorority Inc. History http://www.geocities.com/delphiniabrown/2welcome.html
[14] Mason, Herman "Skip" [1997] (1999). The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha, 2nd edition, Four-G Publishers.
[15] http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/sankofa/purpose.html

Russell Simmons Exposed

2008-02-29T18:37:00.000-08:00

As an introduction to my presence at globalgrind.com I have decided to take a stab at the creator of the site Mr. Russell Simmons. Why would I take a stab first time around at the boss man…who knows? Maybe he deserves it, maybe he doesn’t, but the bottom-line is that you are going to get it today. I know many of you have been waiting all month for this analysis, and I apologize. I have been extremely busy, and I didn’t want to just throw to together anything.
It is only right to take a stab at Russell Simmons, seeing that he has used every avenue possible to exploit the cultural of Hip Hop. Don’t get me wrong I have a huge amount of respect for Russell Simmons. We have what “they” call a love/hate relationship. I must admit he does have a number of programs to help the community that he funds both publicly and privately. I know firsthand the philanthropy of Russell, because I live in Southeast Queens the home of Run DMC, LL Cool J, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, and the in/famous Russell Simmons. Just because we are from the same neighborhood doesn’t mean that he can’t be called out when he is on some BS. Most would praise Russell Simmons in their first blog on his site, but I have decided to take the road less travel. There are a number of issues I could attack in regard to Russell: sweat shops, over priced clothing, slave record deals etc etc, but today I will simply be talking about his diamond deals.
The term blood diamonds and/or conflict diamonds is a word that has been thrown around recently, that doesn’t necessarily reflect the true nature of the diamond trade in Africa and the Diaspora. The term blood diamond/conflict diamond denotes the idea that there is a reciprocal to the ideology of these specific diamonds from Africa. One could come to the conclusion that there is a “blood free” or “conflict free” diamond. This rational is inherently false, there is no such thing as a bloodless or conflict free diamond. Every diamond that is taken out of Africa is a Blood Diamond. Instead of writing five pages on Russell Simmon’s and his relationship to DeBeers and the diamond trade, I have decided to create a PowerPoint presentation. They’re limiting my words at globalgrind.com, so I figure a presentation would help me get around that hump. Hopefully you guys like my new format, and I look forward to bring you the REAL from the mind of MARVO.

Follow this link to the powerpoint, then click “full” in the bottom left hand corner of the screen that reads Blood/ Conflict Diamonds Russell Simmons Exposed:
http://www.slideshare.net/marving2/blooddiamonds2

Everyday Struggle

2008-01-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

Febuary 5th WE will be able to make the same statement they made out in South Carolina. Be sure you are playing your part in creating the space neccessary for a libeated future. You can start right from your PC or Mac by signing the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/obamaqns/petition.html Please forward the link to EVERYONE you know.

Before I get into commentary about Febuary 5th and the tatics of the white power structure, I have a couple of quick comments about the blog in general.

I would like to thank all the folks that have followed the blog over the last six months. Thanks to your loyal following and comments I have been able to expand my audience by leaps and bonds. Consequently, I will be changing the format of the blog slightly. There is a new website created by the Russell Simmons called http://www.globalgrind.com/ . I was approached by the content manager of http://www.globalgrind.com/, to potentially write a weekly blog for there website. I agreed, and will begin posting there the first week of February. When better to start with a new platform than Black History Month? I don’t know what http://www.globalgrind.com/ was thinking when they approached me, but you can guarantee I will turn it upside down over there. For all of you who like the long version of the blog at http://www.marvinthinks.blogspot.com/, I will still be writing them. But, I am sure some of you would also like the read a short 250 word column once a week as well. You can check out Russell Simmons talking about http://www.globalgrind.com/ here at about the 4 minute 20 second mark http://youtube.com/watch?v=tbXC46KNo-I .

In the clip Russell Simmons is trying to convince his brother, Rev. Run, to invest in globalgrind.com. Globalgrind.com has asked and they will receive my services. And, in honor of my introduction to globalgrind.com, I will write a brief synopsis on why Russell Simmons needs to get called out for his investments in the diamond trade in Africa. I think it is a very important issue that affects Black people all around the world. A clear picture of the situation around the diamond industry in Africa, needs to be painted. Why not use my introduction to globalgrind.com as a means to step on my boss’s toes in my first article. LOL Before I move on PLEASE fill out and tell others to fill out the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/obamaqns/petition.html .

Last week I gave the Uncle Tom award to Bob Johnson with an honorable mention going out to Charlie Rangle. My premise in giving them the award was not based on there support for Hillary Clinton, but for there overt attack on Obama’s Blackness. I thought after the Clinton’s pulled out the “boys” to take care of the racial issue with Obama going into South Carolina they would “chill” in the word of Rep. Rep. Clyburn . Check his comments here http://youtube.com/watch?v=rFe3TgmBCl0 .

Of course the Clinton machine didn’t “chill” and continued there assault on the Blackness of Obama. So in defense of Obama’s Blackness, I will send a couple more shots at the “boys” the Clinton’s send out to say what they politically can’t say. My first shot goes out to a man that I respect a great deal. He is a member of the GREATEST fraternity ever to exist on earth, and a pillar of the Civil Rights Movement. Despite his alliance with greatness I, as a defender of the principles of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., must rebut the comments of Andrew Young. Checkout what he said here http://youtube.com/watch?v=breSVtVYSmo&feature=related . On what plant is a white male, more black than a Black man. Only the extremely confused would make such a ridiculous comment. Only an even more confused individual would make a joke about a white man fornicating with numerous Black women. Especially, given the history of white male slaveholders and the women held hostage on plantations. Young’s comment sits right up there with Toni Morrison comment about Bill being the first Black President. (Toni Morrison has since come out as a supporter of Obama you can read about her endorsement here http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/28/614795.aspx )Toni Morrison original comments are in sharp contrast to Alice Walker who has come out in support of Obama. Check out her comments about Obama here http://youtube.com/watch?v=W3-9gq_htUo .

What exactly makes Obama less Black than any other Black male? Because he went to Harvard? Because grew up in various place around the world? Because he spent a number of years in Kansas and Hawaii? Because his father is African? What makes Obama less Black? NOTHING!! What makes Clinton Blacker, because he slept with Black women? Because he cheated on his wife? Because he plays the saxophone? Andrew Young comments are a vivid signal of self hate. The comments from all these gentlemen: Rangle, Johnson, and Young are disgusting and a shameless example of how the white power structure will do anything to maintain it position. It also is an example how some Negros will dance, just because "masa" says so.

The Clinton’s need Negros to attack the character of a Black man, as the try to steal Black votes in South Carolina. They use the men to make the most vicious attacks, then use the women to make the subtle attacks. I love and respect Maya Angelo, but check what she said here http://youtube.com/watch?v=T45O9q_BQKA . In comparison to some of the comments coming from the men this OK, but it is an obvious attempt to coerce Black women to vote for Hillary. The Clinton’s are pulling out all there “big dogs” in an attempt to railroad South Carolina. The Clinton's attempts failed and Barack Obama won South Carolina in a landslipe victory, 2 votes to 1!!!!

The media, in conjunction with the white power structure, is trying to spin these attacks by these Negros as some sort of generational gap in the Black community. I believe this to be a farce, and a blatant attempt by the white power structure to divide the community. I believe the only split in the Black community is between field Negros and house Negros. This fact is seen clear in the opposite positions of Alice Walker and Maya Angelou. You can be any age, sex, height, weight, or complexion, to fall on either side of this phenomenon. Check out what Malcolm X says about this issue in the Black community here http://youtube.com/watch?v=znQe9nUKzvQ&feature=related .

I am not quit ready to call Obama a field Negro, but I do know that Obama is more of a Black man than Bill. For some of these house Negro to get that confused is a sign that some of our leaders need to “respectfully” get out the way. I know some of you will read that and grind your teeth, so let me reiterate the fact that I write now because of the work of many of the people I criticize, including Andrew Young. With that being said, it is my duty, based on the work that they engaged, to continue the progress of our people. You can tastefully disagree with Obama’s politics, I do all the time, but to attack Obama’s Blackness makes a mockery of the “change” that the old guard (not old people) implemented. Belittling Obama’s Blackness in the shadow of a white man is clearly the work of the white power structure and anyone, fraternity member or not, that engages in that type of behavior needs to be called out. I don’t write this based on my own knowledge, but on the knowledge of those before me.

In order for the community to move toward a liberated future we need to continue our discussion about our future as a people, and let the people decide the direction we should go. The vote in South Carolina is a sign of the direction the Black community wants to go. A wise man once said the white folks are the cause of our oppression; WE need to be the cause of our liberation. The good people of South Carolina made it completely clear the direction they want to go. Obama may not be the key to liberation completely, but one thing I know for sure is that the LIBERATION that I speak WILL NOT be found in the hands of the Clinton’s and the white power structure.

On to more madness. Another major issue I had this week comes as a consequence of Huckabee saying that he agreed with the fact that South Carolina uses the confederate flag as there state flag. Watch the clip here http://youtube.com/watch?v=DvENHC1pX_8 It is impossibly illogical for anyone to defend the confederate flag, that is not CLEARLY racist. The confederate flag represents an insurrection by section of the United States which in short was designed to overthrow the United States government. The confederate south in many ways is similar to the current position of Al-Qaeda. Not from a religious point of view but in the effect that they are/were both dedicated to the overthrow of the US government.

On top of the flag representing a terrorist organization in side of the United States, the flag represents hate and extreme in justice in the mind of Black people in this country. Why make mention to confederate flag at all, if you were seriously concerned about issues that affect the Black community? He wasn’t asked a question, he interjected his opinion, because he understands quite well the “code words” that we discussed in New Day same Ole Song the last article written on http://www.marvinthinks.blogspot.com/ . (This same reality will be pointed on again when I discuss Bill Clinton) I don’t think anyone was confused about the position Huckabee takes as it relates to the Black community.

Moving on to a “friend” of the Black community Bill Clinton. He is often held in high esteem by the Black community and is campaigning very hard for his wife Hillary Clinton. After writing the article last week about Bill I got some backlash from you Clinton supporters, past and present. You guys mentioned his voting record and all the great things he did for the Black community while he was President. I agree, and even made mention to his relationship with the Black community in my last article. Although he did allow for 2 million Black people to die in Rwanda under his watch and he did create stiffer laws that where and have been used to incarcerate Black/Latino males at an alarming rate, no one is perfect...right? I also understand the President has a lot of hard decisions to make, and is not going to hit a homerun all the time…right? I also don’t think it is a coincidence that our elected officials tend to strike out a lot when it concerns Black people all around the world. With that being said I understand in the overall spectrum of his Presidency, one could make the argument, without sounding completely ridiculous, that he did right by the Black populous that helped get him elected…right? This in no way is a reflection of my feeling on the democratic process as a whole, as it relates to Black/Brown people. I believe we should use the democratic process as a means to a liberated end, not in an effort to create a bigger crumb for us to feed.

With that out the way I can get to why I brought up Bill Clinton in the first place. Last week there was so much controversy around Hillary’s comments about LBJ vs. MLK that everyone would be watching the Democrat debate, and the various MLK events that where going on all around the county. At a televised MLK event Mr. Bill fell asleep. Check the video here http://youtube.com/watch?v=BpEckWHSvXk . If the fist clip isn’t clear enough check this one out http://youtube.com/watch?v=HYpbBWhwcMk&feature=related . What type of respect does this show. How can anyone of you Clinton supporters see this and still hold the Clinton’s in the same regard, especially after all the racial rhetoric that he and his “boys” put out last week. After his wife gets stomped in South Carolina Bill then compared Obama to Jesse Jackson. Check the clip and the commentary here http://youtube.com/watch?v=te6RmXTlhY4 . This goes right back to those code words we discussed earlier. The reporter didn’t even ask him about Jesse Jackson, he like Huckabee, just decided to throw in there own answers. Which in turn contribute to the white power structures attack of Obama. Hillary then has the nerve tell Obama to stop calling Bill racist check the clip here http://youtube.com/watch?v=te6RmXTlhY4 . Why shouldn’t anyone call out someone who is clearly engaging in racist behavior? Is is impossible for Bill to be engaging racist rhetoric? Checkout Obama’s response here http://youtube.com/watch?v=te6RmXTlhY4 . It isn’t a revolutionary answer, but he does talk about differences in “frame of reference” which is code of me that some white folks just don’t get it. There world view is completely different from mine, and that it doesn’t make sense to try to convert these folks regardless of how “down” you believe them to be.

The Clinton are clearly showing their allegiance to the white power structure. There mission is to de rail any momentum Obama will have going into the February 5th primaries. It is clear that they can’t compete with Obama as it relates to politics, so they will resort to race. This is not an uncanny characteristic of the white power structure. We as Black and Brown people need to realize the righteousness in our vote, and understand that the rightness of our existence is the ground in which we politically stand. This terrifies the white power structure (NOT all white people) to its core, and that the attack that we have witnessed is just the start of the attack that we will see. The attack on Obama is nothing more than a reflection of attack that we have seen our entire existence in the Western world. It is up to us to make sure that our history guide or steps toward a liberated future.

Marvo

PS

Don’t forget to visit http://www.petitiononline.com/obamaqns/petition.html in order to sign the petition to get Barack Obama to come out to Queens, New York. You should sign even if you aren't from Queens. Southeast Queens has the largest Black/Latino voting block in the state. This area has all the potential in the world to shave off some of Clinton's delegates that she will win in New York. Since New York is not a winner take all the delegates state, EVERY VOTE COUNTS. Lets help Queens, NY make the difference in New York.

New Day or Same Ole' Song

2008-01-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

Uncle Tom is a term I rarely use in a discussion around political issues. In many aspects I believe that people have the right to their own opinion even if I strongly disagree with their opinion. Many that have followed the blog over the last six or so months know that I engaged in an all out diatribe against Bill Cosby and the comments that have consistently come out of his mouth. At no point in the discussion around Bill Cosby did I ever allude to the fact that I thought he was an Uncle Tom. Uncle Tom is a term often used to describe an individual whose political views or allegiances are considered by their critics as detrimental to Black people as a group. I believe this term should be used with extreme discretion, and kept in reserve for times when it really needs to be used to describe an individual. This should be common practice so the community can know that when someone is labeled an Uncle Tom its serious matter.

Yesterday I witnessed one of the worst display of “Uncle Tommism” on a national political stage that I have seen in a long while. Not that there hasn’t been displays of Uncle Tom like behavior on a national level, in fact, it happens on a daily bases. What separated yesterday’s incident from the other Tomlike behavior, which comes along with politics, is the calculated, overt, and shameless display of “Tommism”. There are a couple candidates for the Uncle Tom Award of the Month. Our first nominee is Charlie Rangle, and our final candidate is Bob Johnson. Based on their Tom like behavior this week both of these gentlemen have been nominated for this award. The winner for the 2008 Uncle Tom of the month award goes to… Imagine a drum roll… Bob Johnson. Check the comments out for yourself http://hiphop.popcrunch.com/bob-johnson-barack-obama-slam-video/ .

Let me be clear from the jump, Johnson, and Rangle can endorse Hillary Clinton if they want, even if I don’t agree. The Clinton’s impact on the Black and Latino community has been significant, especially when we put into perspective the twelve years prior to Clinton’s election was pure hell for most Black and Latino people in this country. I don’t say this to over glorify the Clinton years, but to highlight why someone may feel some sense of loyalty to the Clinton camp regardless of how ridiculous it may seem. My beef with Johnson and crew stems from the personal attack against Obama, not their allegiance to the Clinton’s. At first glance this might not seem as dramatic as I am portraying it to be, but upon analyses it is. Let me do a little back ground information as a reference in order to properly display how the Clinton machine is waging a silent war against Obama based on his race not his politics.

The Clinton’s attack began with comments by Bill that portrayed Obama’s presidential candidacy as a “fairy tale”. Check the clip here http://youtube.com/watch?v=K1Ytbr-7VaE . I don’t want to get into the whole "code word" discussion, but white people use them all the time, and Bill has become a master at this practice. Terms like “urban” or “ghetto” are the most obvious code words for Black and Latino people. They also like to use comments like “he/she speaks/writes so well” as code for I am surprised that they are intelligent. It seems like the Clinton’s are pulling out there Tom’s of the month to interject the code language they like to use so much. Check out Charlie Rangel calling Obama “stupid” and “articulate” all at the same time here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHcd0QB2_9k .

Clinton knows very well when he uses the word “fairy tale” he is referring to the fact that you Negros must be living in a dream world if you think Obama has a shot at winning. This is a clear attempt to coheres the 50% Black voting populous that their vote in South Carolina will be better suited with a real candidate versus a “fairy tale” candidate. Visions of the Disney film Songs of the South, where Disney displays a “Happy Negro”, walking through the field singing and shuffling represents the language of a “fairy tale” that Bill Clinton decided to use. With all the controversy Disney caused with this type of imagery last year I am sure the Clinton machine knew exactly what they where doing when Bill referred to Obama candidacy as a fairy tale. Check the Disney clips here http://youtube.com/watch?v=LcxYwwIL5zQ&feature=related & http://youtube.com/watch?v=47ak4vjiNzw and commentary why Songs of the South was controversial here http://forum.gorillamask.net/archive/index.php/t-42125.html .

The second push inside of the Clinton attack came last week when Hillary Clinton made these comments. Check the clip here http://youtube.com/watch?v=v9LhWUsrJnM . Obama wasn’t mistaken when he said that Clinton was trying to down play the significance of Martin Luther King Jr., by passing some of the credit off to the lily white Texas boy President Lydon B. Johnson. Clinton gives credit to the same LBJ who is responsible for the creation of the “Projects” and clearly, based on his previous voting record, was most likely not in favor of the Civil Rights Act. Most people who are familiar with history would agree that the Civil Rights Act was passed because of the intense pressure the Civil Rights Movement lead by MLK (but really run by the women of the movement) put on the white power structure of America. The world was looking at the treatment of Black people in this country and the US government, lead by LBJ, had no choice but to sign the legislation. LBJ didn’t go looking for a Civil Rights Bill to sign into law. LBJ shouldn’t get any credit for being some sort of visionary based on the signing of the Civil Rights Act. In fact if you really look at the picture when the Civil Rights Act was signed MLK looks like he has a smirk on his face solidifying for me that he knew quite well that LBJ didn’t want to sign the Civil Rights Act. Check the picture here http://www.civics-online.org/library/formatted/images/civilrightsactphoto.html and judge for yourself.

The Clinton machine would like to try to make us believe that the Obama camp is trying to interject race into the campaign. But anyone who has been following Obama knows full well that he has not. In fact he has gone out of his way not to interject race. I personally disagreed with Obama’s strategy, but Obama made it clear from the jump that he wasn’t going that direction. So for Clinton to make this argument is crazy! What started this whole MLK discussion came as a consequence of the speech Obama gave after he won the Iowa Caucus. Check the speech here http://youtube.com/watch?v=cNZaq-YKCnE . After hearing the speech many people around America compared the speech to the MLK “I have a Dream” speech. This sent the Clinton machine into a frenzy double time: one because he won Iowa, and two they understood quite clearly that winning Iowa would give him a boost in New Hampshire and South Carolina. Especially in South Carolina, where the voting populous is 50% Black, and that population was looking for signs that voting for Obama wouldn't be a wasted vote.The Obama race attack didn’t move into full swing until after the New Hampshire primary because they understand they would need to throw some type of road block in a 50% Black voting populous. On a side note Obama won Iowa in a 95% white state, why would he need to play the race card in a 50% Black state? Logic says that Clinton if anybody will need to play the race card, in order to divide the Black vote in South Carolina. The Clinton camp is bringing out there biggest Tom’s to make this happen.

In short, if Johnson and others want to support Clinton at least inform us why in a way that doesn’t attack Obama. When they attack Obama, especially around issues of race, it looks like you are siding against your own people. Obama is a Black man, just like you!! In fact Obama is the perfect reflection of what Bill Cosby and the like stand for. Obama in many ways has embodied and stands in support of many of the issues that the “old” Black guard has raised. So while you are going around doing all you can to undermine Obama and his presidential election they are calling both of you boy in the background.

This week did show some promise of reform for Colin Powell, who for many years has been at odds end with many in the Black community. The root of Powell’s disconnect from many in the community stems from his decision not to run for president in 2000 and his decision to serve as Secretary of State in the Bush administration. Many believe that he sold himself out to the Bush administration. When the guilt of starting an unnecessary war got to heavy he decided to back out of the Bush administration. The Bush administration then went and got another “Happy Negro” to take his place, her name is Condoleezza Rice. Subsequent to Powell leaving the administration Powell has come to his senses and has gone on record in support of Obama, and didn’t say one negative thing about Hillary. Check out his comments here http://youtube.com/watch?v=E1MJJFI5HXA It is not surprising that the once the former Republican “Black Guy” says something positive about Obama, the powers that be inside of the Republican party make their own statements about Obama, calling him lazy. Check out Karl Rove’s comments here http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992615845679531.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries in the Wall Street Journal. Lazy, has historically been another one of the infamous code words of the white power structure. Karl Rove, like Bill Clinton, knows this quite well the language he is using.

Back to Bob Johnson. Johnson has been on the fence as it relates to Black issues with me for a while. The programming over at BET has always been questionable, and the cancellation of BET Nightly News pretty much solidified BET's political position in my mind. I think that is clear that the Clinton’s are using certain Black figures to try and steer the Black vote the way they want it. I hope they don’t believe the we are “Stupid” enough to fall for their trap. In my family we have had very intense conversations about Hillary vs. Obama especially as it relates to the women in my family. My argument has always been that if you support Hillary because of her politics fine, but if you are supporting her because she is a woman you should re think your position. It is important for all people of color to remember that we were going to be born with melanin before our sex was determined. Consequently, when making a decision solely based on gender or race, your race must come first, it is the natural progression of life. I think the Clinton’s understand this concept quite well and will do anything to find a way to further divide the Black vote, in order to propell their intrest. Which is not the Black community. This can be dubbed as a new version of the Willie Lynch letter. The concept of dividing the Black community is as old as our existence in the Western world. We must stand united on this issue and be clear that we support our community, and that we will not fall victim to the tricks that the Clinton’s and others will try to use to manipulate our vote.

The next stage in the Clinton machine’s attack, which is nothing more than the liberal expression of the white power structure, will be to pit the Black and Latino vote against each other. There are mumbles of this already taking place, but as the western states begin to come into play you will see more of the Black vs. Latino conversation engaged by those who understand the Neo-Willie Lynch ideology. All of this is designed to marginalize us as a voting block, and perpetuate the status quo in both communities, which in many communities around America is the same community. BET, by way of Bob Johnson and crew, will contribute to this as well, but that is whole different topic that will be discussed latter.

IN conclusion, calling out the folks that engage in this behavior is essential to a liberated future. Obama being elected president may not contribute greatly to this liberated future, but it definitely won’t take anything out. In fact, Obama becoming president will open up some space for the conversation of liberation to breath. Anyone who stands in opposition to the space neccessary for a liberated future needs to be called out and BOB JOHNSON is my number one candidate for the week.

Marvo

PS
This may be old to some but many of you may not know about it. Two Black and Latino males where attacked by group of white males, the two men of color where the only charged in this clearly racist attack. The Black male was charged with a felony. Judge for your self. Check out the clip here http://youtube.com/watch?v=fvCl8-WwM8Q

PSS

I heard about an interesting story out in St. Petersburg Fl. Apparently there is a company named Boley that handles the housiong vouchers for the city of St. Pete. The company has decided to target the Black community, and evict a number of people from their homes for "non compliance". A sector of that group has specifically been targeted for there work with the Black community in St. Pete. Below you will find a clip of a young lady speaking about her experience and a clip from Chairman Omali Yeshitela the leader of the Uhuru Movement, which seems to be the direct target of Boley assult.

Clip of young lady explaining the situation

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hP7o2mA4I-M

Clip of Chairman Omali Yeshitela leader of the Uhuru Movement

#1
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2SiiSv71HYQ&feature=related

#2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=V5uuMuicUZA&feature=related

#3 Checkout what Chairman Omali has to say about Uncle Tom's!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_Uds1EhIK7s&feature=related

Stay Involved!!!

2007-12-10T17:43:00.000-08:00

It’s been a few weeks since I have written anything for the blog. I have been SUPER busy and haven’t had the time to write much of anything that wasn’t related to my job or graduate school. There are a number of issues that I want to hit so just bare with me if it seems like I’m all over the place. Trust me when I say that it all will come together at the end.

The first issue I would like to discuss has to do with Black films. A friend of mine asked me to write about the heavy bootlegging of Denzel Washington’s movie American Gangster and Tyler Perry’s Why did I get Married. To start, I planned to watch both movies in the theater. I am a huge fan of film, and take advantage of anytime I can see a good movie. I believe firmly that it is important if we want “quality” Black movies to come out we need to support the movie with our dollars. In the event that we don’t support these movies in the theater the only Black movies that come out will be movies like Soul Plane and other coon-like films, that cater to a crowd that is confused or stand in opposition to the self determination of the Black community. I think it is also clear that these movies were illegally released by the film companies. The quality was not of a random person filming the movie while sitting in the back of the theater, the quality was crystal clear DVD quality. The American Gangster copy even had a PLAY option at the start, instead of just beginning like most bootlegging DVD do. I think most people realize this fact and made a conscious decision that even if they watched the bootleg they still where going to eventually see the films in the theater or buy the DVD when it is released.

I have beefs with both movies as far as content, and other “quality” Black films that have been released since these movies. (The only Latino person in This Christmas was the Latina maid. Situation like this only lend itself to supporting stereotypes that we should protest at every junction. White folks type caste Black folks in their movies for years. We should not follow behind their ridiculous example!)I could list a number of things that could be improved upon in an effort to lift the community, but that would be beside the point. In short, although Black films have a long way to go, they have come along way throughout its history. In order for the movies that are a reflection of our community to continue to grow we need to support them with our dollars. The bootleg of American Gangster and Why did I Get Married are simply an extension of Black films that Hollywood tried to sabotage.

Historically, movie houses have given movie tickets to patrons of color with different movies from the one in which they purchased. (Movie sales are tracked the stubs that are printed when you purchase a movie at the box office.) This same process has been used in the music industry to curb the sales of our artist. This is a game the “industry” has played for years. To combat this we have to be diligent in our criticism of films that display our community, we need to support these films with our dollars, and be aware of the tricks Hollywood uses to sabotage the success of art that reflect our community. Before I conclude this issue I want to plug another Denzel/Forrest Whitiker film titled The Great Debaters. For all of you that went so hard to see American Gangster you need to make sure you support this film check out the clip ht tp://youtube.com/watch?v=8tP1bEIHRQo .

Moving on to topic number two. In May of this year there was a shooting in Brooklyn, NY. This shooting resulted in the death of a young man. The death of this very popular young man brought hundreds of teenagers from the surrounding areas of Brooklyn and Queens. The police where at the funeral in an attempt to monitor what they classified as a potential meeting of the alleged gangs involved in the shooting. At the funeral the police arrested scores of young men and women. They eventually let the young women go, but kept all of the young men for 40 hours. The young men that were detained for seemingly no real reasons have become known as the Bushwick 32.

Many of the young males that where arrested are students at Bushwick Community High School in Brooklyn. An associate of mine, Brian Favors, is a teacher at the school. Being the supportive and engaged teacher that he is, he attended every court date of the young men. On Friday December 1st Favors attempted to let the Public Defender of the boys know that she should move to get the cases against the young men dismissed in the light that the District Attorney was not ready to present their weak case. The Public Defender got annoyed with Favors and asked the Court Officer to remove Favors from the court room. The Court office mistook Favors for another young man in the crowd that looked “similar” to Favors and asked him to leave. (You all know how that goes, we all look alike.) Nkululeko Sechaba objected to leaving the court room initially, but soon realized that the court officers behavior was getting more aggressive. He decided that it would be best to leave and explain his case in the hall. Favors followed behind in support of Nekolulako. Favors attempted to tell the court officer that it was he who the Public Defender felt should leave the court. In the mist of the conversation a scuffle ensued after the police shoved Nkululeko Sechaba for trying to re enter the courtroom. A couple of students of Bushwick High School who saw the incident came to the aid of their trusted teacher. In the end all parties involved where beat up, and arrested. One of the high school students even ended up with a severe scare on his nose from being smashed into the wall.

Immediately after the incident occurred a number of e mails, phone calls, and text messages where sent to people around the city in order to rally support for the four brothers. The men where scheduled to be arraigned on Saturday morning at 9 am. It was essential that we showed the judge that these men had community support. Needless to say the courtroom was packed and all for men where released. I say all that to say this. It is important that we show support for not only Black films, but for real issues that are going on in the streets of all of our cities. Just like we can keep “quality” Black film in the theaters by supporting the film, we can keep Black men out of jail with community support. It is essential that we apply this concept to all aspects of our lives. Our numbers and dollars are enough in most cases to make the immediate adjustment to issues that affect us. Brian and Nkululeko both spoke of a sense of calm knowing that their where people on the outside that where in support of them. They knew that we would be working toward there release and that there would be hell to pay if they were not. We understand that getting them released the next morning is a small victory seeing that they have future court date, the point I am trying to make that it takes a united front, in order to make the moves toward a liberated future.

Any judge across America would think twice about holding our community in jail on trumped up charges if they knew there where thousands of people in support of the individual. Often, the judicial system works the way it does because they know in many aspects of our community we are not organized. The tide of this trend of un-organization is beginning to change dramatically. There are a number of grassroots organizations that are helping our community every day. The International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, the Malcolm X Grass Roots Movement, the December 12th Movement, The New Black Panther Party, The Zulu Nation, The Sankofoa Community School Program, etc. etc. all represent organization that are on the ground everyday in support of our community We need to take a stance and be apart of this collective of organizations that are working together to liberate the Black and Brown community. (Ironically the men that where arrested on Friday represent a number of different grassroots organizations in NY, this is a beautiful sign that we all are working together toward one goal of liberation).

On a side note, subsequent to the arrest of Brian Favors he was suspended from his job. The NYC public school system would rather have a dedicated teacher like Brian out of the classroom, then in the class showing through his actions the same resistance that he gets paid to teach about.

Moving on to topic number three. A very good friend of mine recently ran into some racial issues at work. I think most of us, who are fresh to the work force, are reaching the point where we are starting to see a lot of the crap that comes along with a “good” job and a “good” education. My friend is by no means a “revolutionary” type guy, he is all about the progress of Black people, but he isn’t all about the movement either. He’s a hard working young man, who handles his business day in and day out. No felonies, no baby mamas, nice “American” name, high school and college graduate the whole nine yards, the quintessential Bill Cosby approved type of guy. (This info was provided for all of you that believe you need the proper qualifications to avoid injustice). He works for the federal government in one of the more labor intensive jobs.( I don’t want to say what he does exactly, but you see these guys trooping up and down the street providing theirs services rain, sleet, snow, or hail).

A couple weeks ago while my friend was completing his daily routine he was accosted by his supervisor. After completing his probationary period on the job, they moved his to a new office. His first day at the new office, he was trying to get himself acclimated to the new station and neighborhood. He went out that day to complete his daily duty, but ended up spending more time in route than he originally had anticipated. When he returned, about an hour after his allotted time, he explained to his supervisor that a lot information they provided him was inaccurate. The manager decided to use this opportunity to berate my friend for his lateness. The supervisor said that this is what happens when they start to hire monkeys. (This is not a direct quote, but you can get the picture, about her comments) My friend was so taken back by her comments that he didn’t know what to do or say.

No diss to my friend, but the same person who doesn’t really follow the politics of Black people, or involve himself in the movement at all is ready for some sort of rally about the supervisor’s comments. All of us are guilty of this same behavior. We all are concerned about the state of Black people, but we don’t take any action until it affects us personally.

I say all that to say this, issues involving race are easy to ignore or justify when it isn’t happening to you. It’s easy to say pull your self up by the boot straps, when your boot straps are pulled up. The problem is when issue like the one mentioned above take place we all should be ready to take action. Not just the individual involved in the situation. In short I told him that he should write a letter to the station manager and his union rep explaining to them the situation. I also suggested that the most important thing he should do is professionally ( not politely) approach the supervisor about her comments. I am a firm believer that people talk crazy, because they are certain that there won’t be approached for their behavior.

In the event that they knew that they (white, black, brown, or other) would be held accountable for their behavior toward our people, they would be less likely to take such a ridiculous stance. The same vigor that we should take to the theater in support of our movies, or in support of our men and women who are being jailed at an alarming rate, should be institutionalized in our places of work and community. We need to create an environment where we are carving out the political space to move our community forward.

The final issue I would like to discuss is the issue surrounding a police shooting out in Brooklyn. The police shot and killed a mentally disturbed teenager after the mom, out of complete desperation, called the police to help her with her child that was having a mental break down. There is no real need to re hash the whole story you can read about it here http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/another-fatal-police-shooting-in-brooklyn/ . The contradiction of the police shooting another young Black male is clear. I have discussed it a number of times in the blog, and I don’t want to make it seem like this situation isn’t worthy but I think this situation raises a less discussed contradiction.

What is going on in our community when a single mother has no other option but to call the police to help her with a child that is out of control? Where is the since of community that is common among all people of African descent. We as a community in order to survive in a world where we are under constant attack, have to band together. That young man was not only assassinated by the police, but the community as well. We cannot always point to the immediate contradiction for a solution, sometimes, we need to point all the contradictions that created the situation. The contradiction of the police in the community is clear, but the reality of the breakdown in community is reflected vividly in this situation.

A break down in our collective effort is contributing to the demise of our community. We have signs of greatness (The National Black Out Day), but we have to keep our effort sustained. One day of resistance is not enough. In some cases a lifetime may not be enough, but we must be diligent in our effort to see change. Whether that change is at the theater, in the courts, at our jobs, in our community or elsewhere, we have to be proactive in making that change. Apathy is the tool of the oppressor and we ALL must say no longer are we going to fall for this trap.

Marvo

PS I want to send a BIG 11111906 the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. On Dec 4th we turned 101 years old. I know some of you revolutionary brothers out there are saying to yourself, Marvo is tripping shouting out those bourgeois Negros. All I have to say to that is check our resume!!! There are tons of brothers among our ranks that have contributed to the benefit of Black folks. Some of which you may agree and others you may not, but what cannot be denied for over 100 years the brothers of A Phi A have been at the front of our struggle. Just check the blog; I’ve been a member since Spring 03. A Phi A doesn’t represent one collective thought, what is collective is our dedication to the improvement of our community and working in the arena that you feel is the best way to lift our community. So I say with pride 111111906!! I want to send a shout out to all the Black “Greek” letter organization, non “Greek” letter organizations, and grassroot organization that have dedicated themselves to the onward and upward progress of OUR community. ’06!

NBD, Noose outside School, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Halloween costumes, and a broken wrist. How can I keep up, when everyday there is a new attack?

2007-11-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

National Blackout Day (NBD) was a SUCCESS! All the major media outlets covered NBD, and all of them are trying to figure out how we all knew about the boycott. They assume since they didn’t cover it, we wouldn’t be aware. They are completely shocked that we were able to corral major sectors of the community into one cohesive movement. The internet, text messages, and radio (BLOGS also LOL) all played a major role in getting the information out to the community. I know the white power structure is having a meeting right now, trying to figure out how to combat our ability to communicate with each other. The NBD has the potential to send shock waves to the greater community of Black people. The spirit of NBD was felt from LA to NY. I know many of you may have spent a few dollars on lunch or coffee, but the NBD was on your mind, and that’s the first step. We need to continue to create the dialog, which will create a consciousness that permeates throughout the community. The collective thought of the community is the most powerful expression of our ability to create a future where we will be able to determine our own destiny. Thank you for all that participated in NBD both action and spirit.
Switching gears a bit CNN ran an excellent documentary about nooses last night. If you get a chance you should check it out. Here a clip from the show (http://youtube.com/watch?v=bkqjiXRqvtk ) you can check cnn.com for scheduling in your area.
Since we are on the topic of nooses, check this out. http://img218.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img218/8060/11940485279t2.smil These photo where taking across the street from my job. I was disgusted, as I drove into work, that the nooses were allowed to swing from the trees. I found myself even more upset when I was one of the few who was upset about the nooses.
Before I get into my opinion, I want to give you a little back ground on the noose situation in NYC. If you have been reading the blog over the last month you are aware of the climate in the NYC, but if you haven’t been reading there is some info you need to form your own opinion. NYC is a powder keg which will eventually erupt, if (when) the series of events continue to proceed in the matter in which they are currently progressing. There is a serious amount of tension between the community and the police; who at the core and surface represent an extension of the white power structure in every city across America. There have been a number of events where the police have attacked, both Black and Latino young men. The height of the tension stems from the murder of Sean Bell, and the attempted assassination of Juan Guzman and Trent Trent Benefield.
NYC was already on pins and needles in regard to the Sean Bell assissination, before word about the Jena Six began to circulate around via e mail, radio, and BLOGS. The Columbia University noose situation followed the Jena Six rally, and 11 other nooses incidents followed Columbia in NYC. Coupled with the nooses, an off duty NYC police office killed a young Puerto Rican man in a clear cases of road rage (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyrage23vr5428313oct23,0,5078644.story ). All of these situations and many I have not named has all lead to the tension in NYC. The series of events has created an environment so thin that it will eventually snap.
Moving forward to the nooses outside of my school (http://img218.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img218/8060/11940485279t2.smil ). I don’t believe that the people who hung the nooses meant any harm. ( I’m sure that the liberal voice inside of me saying that) I believe they where trying to make their home look festive for the Halloween season. I really believe they didn’t think that there actions could create a firestorm in the heart and mind of people that passed their home. What I can’t understand is how they didn’t think that someone may take offense to nooses hanging out side of their home. The fact that it is clear as day to me that someone may take offense, but it isn't to other is scary. This provides evidence that these people are living their lives creating situation, but are unaware of their action. I rather deal with the klan, than that, at least you know what your getting. The people across the street probably view themselves as nice, stand up, Christian people.
I know this sounds like a contradiction, but it’s a futile attempt on my part to rationalize the mind of some white people. For those that may think I’m just over re acting, ask your self what would be the reaction of a Jew if you put a sticker in your car window that displayed a swastika with a heart drawn around it in February in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Both, Halloween and Valentines Day have similar pagan roots, and are not regarded as “real” holidays by most people. Would your sticker cause a reaction of insensitivity and anti Semanticist ideology, or would it be looked at as an attempt to promote the spirit of Valentine’s Day? I believe the answer to that is simple.
The fact that a noose can be displayed in any capacity and we can just brush it off as if it’s nothing is amazing. The symbol of the swastika didn’t kill anyone directly, but the noose killed thousands of Black people. In fact the noose, by many estimations, has killed more people than the Holocaust. Yet the swastika evokes a reaction out of the people that was influenced by its meaning. The reciprocal would be the reaction that the noose creates. Why is a noose any less significant? Why is the demise of Black people any less import than the other? Both the noose and the swastika have a history outside of the people most often affiliated with there use, but the swastika’s impact as it relates to the symbolism that it infers, is much grander than the noose. I don’t get it. Needless to say the nooses where gone after some of the neighbor saw me out their taking pictures. I wonder what happened. I guess the Halloween season is over. We need to take a proactive approach to our struggle in order to combat all attacks, both conscious and sub conscious, on our spirit.
We need to get to a point as a community where we don’t let things like this settle or even happen. If we don’t speak up about these things or think there important no one else will. If you think hanging nooses out side of your house is OK, then every one else will also. If you think nothing of nooses hanging from trees, then your children will think nothing of nooses hanging from trees. We will take initiative as a community, and defend ourselves from attacks both purposely and accidental. Our reaction to the variety attacks may be different, but the reaction that there should be some sort of action will be automatic. Apathy has contributed to the condition of our nation; no longer will we allow this type of inactivity plague our community.
Moving on to something a little more cut a dry. Dog the Bounty Hunter re affirms my position that many white people carry a deep seeded hate of Black people, but hide it in there daily lives. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=5MVjNVI6RzI ) Most white people support the white power structure in ways they don’t even understand, or try not to understand. Dog’s comments about his son’s girl friend are perfect reflection of this reality. How can you not mean to say nigger in a derogatory way, then use it in a derogatory way in the next sentence to explain you point? “I don’t care if she is a Mexican, a whore… I’m not loosing everything because some f*** nigger heard us say nigger”. Listen to Dog try to say that he said nigger, like some Black people use “nigga.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2S85DVq6Kw ) Does Dog sound like he is using it the same, does he really thinks we are stupid enough to believe him? I think his rational behind his comments made me even more upset. Once again the white power structure tries to put the blame for there actions on Black people (see Tell them why you mad Son, Tell them why you Mad from October). He even said that he use to say that he is Black, so he thought it was OK for him to say “nigger”. How? He isn’t half Black, no one in his immediate family is Black, and even if he there where it wouldn’t excuse his actions as a man who is clearly white. He was yelling at his son about not dating a Black girl, because they use nigger in the house. Not nigger in a friendly way (if that is possible), but nigger in the most horrible capacity it could be used. He is now trying to say he uses it like a brother, how many ways can he insult our intelligence. The sad part about it is that some of you reading this will continue to blame Dog’s obvious racism, on some Black people’s use of “nigga”. On a side note according to Micheal Eric Dyson the broader sectors of the Black community don’t use the word “nigga” (at least not in public), in fact the comparison between the two show the number of Blacks that do use “nigga” regularly is a very small sector of the community.
For those that still follow that logic I don’t know what to say, other than I pray you wake up one day. I don’t care what Dog says about how cool he is with Snoop, or how much respect he thinks he gets in the community, or how many time I say nigga in a week, there is no rational argument that can be made that Dog used “nigger” comes as consequence of Black people use of "nigga". I don’t think any logical thinking person can come to that conclusion. My conclusion, as a self proclaimed logical and forward thinking individual, is that Dog is a racist, that just like all other racist, try to find a way to blame their behavior on the actions of Black people. Evidence of this is found in this clip (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tpy15Gzo1OM). (See The Battle of N's Pt I and II for more on this topic.)
No need to dwell on this one its pretty clear. All those that like to watch the Dog chase after folks, will have to find something else to watch. What disturbed me even more than Dog’s comments about his son’s girl friend, and his attempt justify his comments by saying that he felt he had some sort of respect in the Black community is the comments made by his Negro preacher Pastor Tim Storey. ( http://youtube.com/watch?v=x3uW5hh3cro ) I can’t believe some of the things that come out of the moths of the Negro community. They find all type of ways to defend the white power structure, at the expense of the sanity and the reputation of “us” as a people. I’m sure Pastor Storey doesn’t want to loose the healthy offering that Dog puts down every Sunday, so he is willing to sell himself out to a rationalization that doesn’t make any sense. No one in their right mind should mount a defense for Dog. His comments where clearly racist, and should be taken as such. I don’t care if that was a private phone call, between family members. The only thing that is solidified in my mind is what Dog, and others, feel about Black people is vividly displayed in the phone call. Dog’s inner thoughts about Black people are put on blast in his conversation, and I believe that his thoughts are nothing more than a microcosm of the larger community in which he represents.
For Pastor Storey to say that he hopes that Dog doesn’t loose his TV show, is a sign that he is insane, and he should be exposed for the sellout coon, that he is. I know some of you a saying that my language is harsh, but we can no longer stand for obvious traitors of our community. In order to create an environment of a liberated future we have to shed the dead weight. We have to draw the line of what is, and is not acceptable in our community. (Drug dealers, pimps, etc. etc. are also examples of dead weight) Those that justify or rationalize the comments of people like Michael Richards (http://youtube.com/watch?v=U3RjiVcIlhY ), Don Imus (http://youtube.com/watch?v=RF9BjB7Bzr0 ), Emily from Big Brother (http://youtube.com/watch?v=rlcKmsGzL6o ), Bill O’Reilly or any of the other millions of attacks on our humanity need to be exposed for the traitors that they are.
Moving onto other news, the White House’s Homeland Security department had a Halloween party where they awarded the most creative costume to a man that wore dreadlocks “brown face” and an orange prison outfit (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/06/ice.costume/index.html ). I would normally add a link for the pictures but they removed them from the net, as soon as they become available again I’ll put them up. The award winner wasn’t the only person dressed in racist garb, there were a “few” others that where wearing “racially offensive” outfits. This type of behavior is happening at the highest levels of this government. The people that are in place to allegedly protect America from attack are the ones doing the attacking. I think the award that they gave this guy is a form of terrorism. They released a statement saying that they apologize for the “offensive” nature of the outfit. What about the racist nature of the outfit. He was clearly mocking the Black and Brown community in America. The same people locking us up are the same ones laughing about it in public at the higest levels of this government. What type of attitude do you have to carry in order to think that coming to a “government” party dressed as a blackened prisoner, is appropriate? What kind of mind set do you have to be in order to think giving that person an award would be acceptable? I tell you what mind set you have to be in, the type of mind set that supports the white power structure. The American government has clearly demonstrated over the years which side of righteousness and justice it falls. It is our decision to decide which side of righteousness and justice we want to fall.
The final issue I would like to draw attention to is a situation at a school out in LA. A school security guard broke the wrist of a student, and called her nappy head. The young man who took the video then was assaulted, along with another young lady who was with him. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=DZ4sEX31tyw ) The girl’s mother was then arrested and fired from her job for speaking out against the brutality that her daughter had to endure. There have been some reports that her arm was not fractured, but a deep bruise, I believe that to be beside the point and an attempt to undermine the entire situation. This event is more evidence of the attack that our community endures on a daily bases on all fronts of our life. This security guard, assaulted three students, and attempted to conceal evidence. This is something that I would expect the LAPD to be involved. The security guard handled her similarly to the police officer out in Florida that stop a young lady for being out after curfew (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sIiFAPYRF4 ). I don’t know how many more examples I have to give to display that we are under attack!!!
As long as we don’t have our own schools, our own police, security guards, our own media we will continue to be under attack, by a system not designed in our favor. We have to build institution where we are able to determine our own future. Until then we will continue to see the white power structure attack our livelihood. We will also continue to see folks like Pastor Storey defend the white power structure, and we will continue to see a government that clearly thinks the condition of our community is worthy of a Halloween costume and have neighbors that put op decorations that reflect our demise.

Marvo

Don't Let Them Fool You. We are in this Fight Together!

2007-11-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

Another noose was found in NYC. This recent incident marks number two for Queens, and number nine for the NYC area. (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/10/24/2007-10-24_noose_found_at_ozone_park_in_queens-1.html ) The count is increasing, and the tension in the city is reaching a boiling point. Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book titled The Tipping Point, the term tipping point refers to the moment when something unusual becomes common. The book seeks to explain "social epidemics" or sudden and often chaotic changes from one state to another. When the smoke clears and historians look back on this time period, I believe they will write that 2007 was a tipping point. 2007 will mark the tipping point for Black people, and other disenfranchised and oppressed people in America and around the world.
Jobs are few and far between, schools are under performing, housing prices are increasing, prison population rising, and there are nooses popping up all over the country. We have another Clinton running for president, a Black guy that has an imaginary shot at becoming president, a Mormon who is a top candidate for president, and a president whose brother is the governor of the state with the highest concentration of the ills mentioned above, who by the way is rumored to be running for president in 2012. The direction in which we tip will be determined by our actions. Tipping to the side of justice, equality, and self determination is essential to the future of Black people. Instead of letting the pendulum tip, the climate today can lead one to the conclusion that we will have to knock the whole apparatus over.
I’ve been going back and forth over the last couple days trying to find something interesting to write about. There has been plenty issues that pissed me off (Dog the Bounty Hunter, I'll get to that latter), but I don’t want to turn the blog into my personal diary. Periodically, I may go off on a tangent, but I’m going to TRY to keep the blog in an atmosphere where it gives analyses around issues that affect our community.
One issue I found interesting was a story I heard about the Black Cherokees. The relationship between Africans and Native Americans is as old as this continent. There is indisputable evidence that there where Africans in the America’s prior to the European infestation… of disease. Evidence of the African presence comes by way of the Olmecs (http://www.essaysbyekowa.com/olmecs.htm ) in Mexico and South America, and the Moors (http://members.tripod.com/pointingbird/lostfeatherintl/id64.htm , http://members.tripod.com/pointingbird/lostfeatherintl/id60.htm ) who traveled west to the America’s in search of trade. Another indisputable fact of history is that the overwhelming majority of Africans that became intertwined with the Native Americans came from run away slaves. The Marons of the Caribbean are but one example of Blacks that escaped from slavery and settled with the Native American that lived in the mountains of Jamaica. The examples of this phenomenon can be given in any area where Black people and Native Americans where found. The relationship between the two communities has historically been good, but not perfect. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=_txH0HJMIYU , http://youtube.com/watch?v=ry27Q_Nfzk8 , http://youtube.com/watch?v=jmoep-XtGfU )
Many Native American tribes, who where under constant attack by the Europeans, still found it necessary to help their Black brothers and sister who escaped from bondage. It was relatively easy for Blacks to blend in with the Native Americans because many in the Native population have blood of the Africans who traveled to the Americas hundreds of years early. Many Native Americans are also full of melanin, independent and subsequent to their African roots.
There were some Native American traitors that fell for the trap set by the Europeans, contributing to the carnage of the European in the Americas. I think it is important to make it clear that in no way is this sub section of Native Americans a reflection of the over all population of indigenous people. Some Native American fought in the Civil War, along side the Confederate Army. There where a number of Black soldiers that fought on the Confederate side of the Civil War as well, supporting the conclusion that they where manipulated into their traitor behavior, but that’s another topic. (http://www.civilwarhistory.com/slavetrade/blacksoldiersCSA.htm ) It is also important to note that the ending of slavery as an institution was a foot note to the Civil War, not the catalyst. The war was primarily about the new industrial standard versus the old agricultural standard, but that another topic also.
Another forgotten fact of history is the fact that the Native American tribes that sided with the white power structure owned slaves, both African and indigenous. The European use of Native Americans as slaves was a short lived Spanish system, called encomienda, which is another little known fact, this is where they learned the European version of slavery. (http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php/sections.php?artid=633&op=viewarticle ). The Buffalo Soldiers where a group of Black soldiers who for all intents and purposes assisted the white power structure, in moving the Native American population off their land. (http://www.nativeamericans.com/BuffaloSoldiers.htm ) Many Blacks praise the Buffalo Soldiers for being the first Negros to fight as American soldiers. But, among some Native American populations they are seen as traitors just like the other Native Americans who sided with "pale faces", and in my opinion rightly so. My intent in raising these points is to high light the fact that the African and Indigenous struggle against the white power structure is long, intertwined and complex. Some of our history is has lead to helping each other, and some has lead to the others demise. Regardless of our past, in the end we all have been victims of the white power structure. The European called Blacks niggers and Native Americans fools all in a attempt to take away our humanity. An organized front of resistance, and an eventual dismantling of the white power structure is necessary. This destruction of the white power structure will need support from all sectors that have been victims of its oppression.
Malcolm X’s speech The House Negro versus the Field Negro remains true to this very day, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znQe9nUKzvQ ) as it relates to Black, and the Native American populations. There is a sector of the Cherokee Nation that believe they are part of what they call the Five Civilized Tribes. These forces have adopted European customs and norms and are clearly operating in the interest of white power. The have turned their back on their members, and have specifically decided to ostracize the Black members of the tribe, also known as Freedmen. The Judicial Appeals Tribunal (JAT), the Cherokee Nation's highest court recently ruled that the law not allowing descendants of Freedmen joining the Cherokee Nation is unconstitutional, thus they should be allowed to join and vote as legit Cherokee citizens. This ruling has been challenged and during the challange period many Black Cherokees are being forced to re apply for Cherokee citizenship.
The only reason this vote was even raised comes as a result of the Cherokee Nation receiving federal gaming funds. The profits from these funds are then allocated to services that are provided to members of the nation. Certain sectors of the Cherokee Nation wish to create amendments barring Black Cherokees from their portion of these allocated funds.
The division in the Cherokee Nation has been evident from as early as the Civil War. The Cherokees had a civil war between different factions of the tribe in regard to the issue of slavery. The fact that there is a sector of Cherokees that believe calling themselves the “Civilized” tribes as acceptable speaks volumes about the mental assault that went on amongst their community. The white power structures assault did not end with Africans, but also played a major role in the demise of the indigenous population of America. This reality manifests itself in the insane and self hating behavior of both Indigenous and Black people.
The oppressive nature of the white power structure has resulted in the debate raging in the Cherokee community. Chad Smith, (an unusually European name, might I add) is the Principle Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Notwithstanding the fact the he looks like a white boy, and has more European blood than indeginous blood, by some accounts(http://www.chadsmith.com/SmithIntro.htm ), he and his cohorts have banned together to expel its Black members who have indigenous and non- indigenous blood (Some of the Black Cherokees come from the time of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, others are a result of the intermarriage between Black and indigenous people, and others come from the African presence in America prior to the introduction of Europeans.) There are Black members of the tribe that have more indigenous blood than the Chief Chad Smith, yet his membership is not being called into question. The motives of white power supporters in the tribe are clear and should be exposed for what they are, traitors and supporters of the white power structure.
The division that the white power structure is causing in the Cherokee Nation can be seen in a variety of different capacities. The white power structure plays us against each other constantly. They keep us poor, uneducated, and fighting over the crumbs that they throw at us. The economic interest is evident in the fact that the citizenship of the Black Cherokees was not called into question, on a grand scale, until the gaming money became an issue.
Black and Mexican, Puerto Rican and Dominican, Cuban and Haitian, the list can go on and on in the area of divisions created by the white power structure. (On a side note Latinos have also had battles in the past with Native American tribes about there citizenship, which is completely ridiculous because the link between Native Americans and the so called "Latino" population is extremely clear in most cases) The white power structure has effectively played each of us against each other, when we should be focusing on them. They get away with this practice because we don’t see each other as one people. One people affected by the same power structure that has lead to the oppression of all of us. We all have the house “negros” that side with the white power structure. Blacks got Condoleezza Rice, the Mexican had Vicente Fox, and the Cherokees got Chad Smith. (I could continue naming people, but that would be pointless) Independent of the traitors of their respective communities, we have to make an effort to create a mind state where we are clear who our enemies are, and that enemy is the white power structure and all that show it support. Not the Mexican, Dominican, West Indian, El Salvadorian, or African family that moved in next door, but the white power structure that put us all in a state of desperation.
The plan that the white power structure has put in place in order to ensure its survival has caused enough carnage over the last 400 years. The fact that the Blacks and the Native Americans are fighting over the scraps that the US government is throwing us is pathetic. Both groups are poor and desperate for a life line. The sad part is that we can’t see that we are our own life line. Blacks and Native Americans have been in this fight together since day one, and we will be in this fight together until the end. Folks like Chad Smith only represent a small portion of the masses of people. When the masses rise people like him will try to hide behind there white power rhetoric, but we as a community will be ready and the people’s justice will prevail. Tipping or knocking the pendulum of history BACK in our favor.

Marvo

The Battle of N's Pt II

2007-10-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Correction: Nas' album will not be titled "Nigga", but "Nigger". It makes no real difference to the conversation, but I wanted to make that correction from the Battle of N's Part I.

The conversation around the “N” word has caused much debate and healthy conversation. I ran across some information that may shed more light on the topic. In my original post I said that the term nigga comes from the Spanish word negro. I was only partly correct. The Spanish word for the color black also has a history that I was not aware of until now. Below is information taken in pertinent part on the topic of the infamous "N" word.

"Thou shall not take the name of the Lord, thy God in vain," is one of the ten commandments, yet, the racist term "Nigger" a derivative of the original name for God, "N-G-R"(pronounced "Net-ger") is continually used and taken to insult. The term "Nigger" has its origins in the sacred and divine title for "God," and came from the Egyptian WORD FOR GOD. That word is "Net-yer" or "Net-ger" from which the English terms "nature" and "nurture" came from. The idea of God being nature and nature being God, comes from the African and Egyptian idea of what God is which shows down to the similarities in the terms used to describe aspects of the Godhead.

The ancient Egyptians called their Pharaohs "N-G-R" (Net-ger) because the Egyptian Pharaoh was seen as a representation of the sun and the Sun God. The original Pharaohs who were pure Black Africans SAW BLACK SKIN AS SACRED AND A DIRECT BLESSING FROM THE SUN GOD, ATEN. In fact Blackness and black skin became associated with God and the sun. BLACK PEOPLE WERE POWERFUL, CULTURALLY ADVANCED, MILITARILY SUPERIOR, BLACK/DARK BROWN IN COMPLEXION, STRONG STATURE, TALL AND DESCRIBED AS A "HANDSOME" RACE , (SEE HERODOTUS, "THE HISTORIES, DESCRIPTIONS OF "ETHIOPIANS" OF AFRICA AND SOUTH INDIA).

The recognition of the Pharaoh as a living God and the black skin as a blessing spread worldwide to other cultures. In fact the term "Net-ger" became the Ethiopian "Negus" or "Negashi."

The term "Ngola" (Angola) means "King" in the Angolan languages. This term was mistaken by the Portuguese to mean the DESCRIBE "Ndongo," the kingdom.

The first people to corrupt the term "N-G-R" were the Roman invaders of Egypt who may have heard the term used to describe the leader of Egypt or Nubia. The term "Niger" was later used to mean any Black/Negroid person that the Romans saw in Africa or anywhere else.

The Romans colonized and spread the Latin language to Europe. Due to this linguistic influence, the Latin term "Niger" became "Negre" in French and "Negro" in Spanish.

The English colonialists and slave entity borrowed the term "Negro" from the Spanish. The term for Black people in England before Shakespeare was "Moor" or "Black-a-Moor." The English slave owners degraded and defiled the entire name by turning the Negro into a slave and turning the original term "Ned-ger" or "God" into the racist term "Nigger." One can say that they have insulted the sacred name for "God" and have oppressed the original people created by God. This phenomenon is due to their sense of inferiority.

http://africanamerica.org/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/19370808/m/2301023941

I find it interesting that the sub conscious of the youth have taken a word back to its root in an obscure way. Is it a coincidence that the Bastards of the Party have begun to call the finest marijuana Cush? Is it a coincidence that some of the dances created by the youth are very similar to that of Africa? I don’t think so, I think their minds have suffered the worst type of torment, resulting in a twisted sense of reality. Yet, they still find ways to get back to their root. The sad part is that there is no one to explain this to them. Consequently, they grow up and become adults, with a world view similar to that of a kaleidoscope. They need to be educated around this information, instead of being criticized and blamed for every thing under the sun. Nas calls himself the "N". The letter "N" is one of the most important prefixes in many African languages, and dialects that have arrived from those languages. The letter "N" is also the word that denotes any title pertaining to human beings. In fact in Bantu or Niger-Congo and Cushic languages, the letter "N" is found as the first letter in many names. For example the name "Ndaba," = "consil" while the name "Ndabaningi" is the first name of Africans in region thereof. In short, Nas has a plan around his album, but he hasn't been given an opportunity to present his material. Read the lyrics to I Know I Can, http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nas/ican.html . Nas is very familiar with the theft of African culture. We were robbed, and many of us refuse to take what is ours back. The white power structure has done a number on the minds of all of us. It is our responsibility to engage in a process to take our minds back.
Stolen Legacy, by George GM James, speaks in large detail about the theft of African culture. The information provided sounds similar to the reality discussed in James’ book. I would suggest that all of you do more research around the topic In order to come to your own conclusion.

Marvo

PS

I changed the settings to allow anyone to post to the blog. You no longer have to be a member of Google. Let me know if it works without a log in.

PSS

This is a story about the EIGHTH noose found in the NY area, this is the most recent, this one at a high school in Brooklyn. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/nyregion/23noose.html Another noose found in GA (http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read/109913), tied around the neck of Tupac, at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts. This didn’t get much press, I guess because he was a rapper. Most people don’t know about this Tupac http://youtube.com/watch?v=KM6MwXZ84gc or this Tupac http://youtube.com/watch?v=5gRlnxSey2s. All they know about Pac, is that he was a rapper, and according to most people that means criminal, misfit, drug dealer, etc etc. They fall for all the same BS the media spits about young Black males. I say Pac is a N-G-R of my generation.

I'm smarter than what you look! Why Jim Watson is an IDIOT.

2007-10-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, time for another round of the world according to Marvo. I first want to start with the police. There have been a couple of mishaps that are clear evidence of the role the police play in our community, and their connection to the white power structure’s struggle to maintain it’s existence.
In Chicago there was a gentleman that was sodomized with a screw driver by two officers during an alleged drug violation. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-screwdriver_alloct17,0,6801143.story?coll=chi-elections-utl) The young brother was not in possession of any narcotics, for all of you that may need some sort of assurance that the young brother didn’t bring this assault on himself. I think it sad, that some of you may need this kind of assurance. Some of you may think the sad part about me is that I wouldn’t care if he had a kilo of coke in his trunk, raping someone with a screw driver is ridiculous and in human.
Another sad note is that the cops didn’t receive any jail time, but the courts did award the young man 4 million dollars. I don’t know if you can put a price tag on taking a man’s manhood. I guess the police are keeping up the long tradition of the white supremacy system attempt to steal the manhood of Black men. Remember the plunger incident by the NYPD, what about the castration of Black men during a lynching? It isn’t a far stretch to understand that the incarceration rate, the level of police brutality, and the over all antagonistic behavior toward our community by the police as an institution, not necessarily as individuals, is an attempt to squelch the spirit of the Black male, and the community as a whole. This case out in Chicago is an extension of that history, and just one of the millions examples that could have been referenced. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abner_Louima & http://www.usm.maine.edu/crm/faculty/jim/Lynching.htm) On a side note I guess cops have resulted to doping in order to keep up their job (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nycops185419226oct18,0,4276079.story ). I wonder will this be all over the news like they did Marion Jones. But, I digress.
Today’s main topic is dedicated to a story that I read on one of the major news outlets web page. (http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/18/nobel.apology/index.html, http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/race-hate-and-dna/2007/10/20/1192301099165.html ) The story is about Jim Watson, the individual involved with “discovering” the double-helix structure of DNA. DNA is the part of ones body that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. Understanding the role of DNA in relation to Jim Watson and the “discovery” of the double helix is essential to the conversation.
Jim Watson represents the upper echelon of the scientific wing of the white supremacy structure. These individuals are charged with the responsibility of scientifically justifying the annihilation and oppression of non white people. This reality is not an over exaggeration and their existence has repeated it self time and time again throughout history.
The attempted extermination of the indigenous population of America is an example of this occurrence. Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s forefathers and premier scientist (he is primarily known as a statesmen, but also was a scientist), engaged in a genetic experiment dedicated to the removal of the indigenous population from America In an attempt to prove that the indigenous population had smaller brains and where genetically less intelligent than whites, he would kill members of local tribes, then measure and weigh their brains. His experiments in relation to the indigenous population of America resulted in domestic legislation. The so called Trail of Tears, (http://www.powersource.com/cocinc/history/trail.htm ) is a prime example of the domestic policy of Thomas Jefferson put into practice based on conclusions he made during his experiments.
Jim Watson’s scientific conclusions fall into the same category as Thomas Jefferson’s, potentially and currently have the same affect on public policy. Watson won the Noble Prize for his work in genetics; he is a world renowned scientist and his opinion on topics influence the science world in a huge way. His opinion about Blacks, reflect the opinion of the white power structure, and policy will be reflected by his opinion. Watson is by far not the first well known scientist to come to the conclusion that whites are intellectually more astute than Blacks. In 1994 Charles Murray, a historian, and Richard Hernstein, a behavioral psychologist published the Bell Curve. The Bell Curve argued that Black people, on the whole, are of lower intelligence than whites as a whole. (http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/bellcurve.shtml ) I could give hundreds of example of whites making this claim.
I believe that the white supremacy structure focuses on the topic of there genetic superiority, to the degree in which it does, in order to justify their brutal maintenance of the world in which they created. If you convince the public that Blacks are genetically inferior to white, then it becomes easier to create an environment where the white power structure can oppress others. (Most specifically, Black people, who have the most dominate genes on the planet, consequently making Black people the number one threat to the white power structure.) It makes it easier to wonder if the young man in Chicago was guilty of a crime before the cops sexually assaulted him. It makes it easier to ask yourself if Sean Bell and his friend were shooting at the police, which resulted in the police shooting their car 50 times. It makes it easier to blame the incarceration rate on the “bad decisions” of young Black males. It makes it easy for a family to sit around the table at dinner time, watch the news and hear the thirty innocent people in Iraq where killed, and think nothing of it.
The mistruth of genetic white superiority is also designed to make you feel as though, one personally, is inferior to whites. Many people inside of their own mind, consciously and subs consciously, have been convinced that white people are superior to their own existence. Consequently, they accept the oppressive reality in which they live. It makes it real easy to not care that little Tyrone's teacher believes from the first day of class that he is incapable of doing the work because he is genetically incapable of absorbing the information. The subtleties of this reality have ramification in every sector of our lives. WE NEED TO TAKE THIS CONTROL BACK!!!!
The white power structure has created a world where Black people are looked at as savages. To a large degree, Black people look at themselves as savages, based in the reality imposed on them by the white power structure. This entire train of thought has been contrived by the white power system, in order to maintain its existence. They understand quite clear, that if they don’t maintain this level of mistruth, their existence, GENETICALLY, is in jeopardy.
I don’t make this argument with the implication that Black people are genetically smarter than whites. I believe all individuals have a capacity to learn given an environment where their potential is allowed to develop properly. I do not believe that this development can happen among the masses of Black people and other people of color as long as the white power structure is allowed to continue its effort to maintain itself. Many whites support the structure, consciously and sub consciously, resulting in their loyalty to the structure, which in their mind maintains their existence: socially, physically, emotionally, economically etc. That doesn’t mean that all white people must cease to exist in order to stop this process, it simply means the structure that currently has the world under its control must end. This must happen in order to properly introduce a world where the equality of all humans is able to be maintained. Many people: white, black, brown, yellow, and green, will fight to the death to avoid this from happening in support of the white power structure.
Jim Watson comments simply reflect the consciousness of the white power structure as a whole. The fact that he won the Noble Prize deepens my belief that the white power structure is a live and continuously trying to find way to insult our intelligence, end our existence, and continue to oppress Black people all over the world. I believe we need to defend ourselves in a world where we are constantly being attacked, a world where the alleged “highest level” of academic thought, plainly states that Blacks are less intelligent than whites. This is a system that we all need to be working diligently to dismantle; all of our effort should be concentrated on creating a world where we can exist without attack. A world where we have the power to establish freely our own future.

Marvo

The Battle of N's Pt I

2007-10-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

I have been kind of busy the last few days and haven’t been able to write as much as I would like. I really don’t have much time today, but there are a couple of issues I would like to write about. The first two issues are relatively brief, and will be expounded upon future blogs. Issue number one: there was another noose found in NYC. The third noose was found at the post office near ground zero. (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nynoos1013,0,779650.story, http://www.wnbc.com/news/14326081/detail.html?rss=ny&psp=news ) This is the THIRD noose incident in the NYC area in the last month. NYC is becoming more racially charged by the day as the Sean Bell murder trail gets closer, the racial tension is increasing. I think the concentration of noose incidents reflect the consciousness of many white people in NYC. The consciousness of many white people in NYC, times the disenfranchisement of the Black and Latino community is going to equal a peculiar situation for New Yorkers in the very near future. On a side note if you look at this clip http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-columbia-noose,1,1351457 at the very end the media guy tries to imply that the noose at Columbia University may have been put there by one of the "non- white" faculty members at the teachers college. This sounds eerily similar to the fourth person story the media tried to float around after the murder of Sean Bell. There was also a noose incident in the Chicago area (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=5701065 ) the madness is spreading!!!
Second: Mychal Bell has been sent back to prison (http://www.dogonvillage.com/blogs/african_american/archives/33-Mychal-Bell-of-the-Jena-6,-sent-back-to-jail-for-prior-charge.html ) The POWER that initially caused his released needs to be sustained in order to properly allow justice to transpire. The white power system down in Jenna and all around the world is in full gear, we also have to be in full gear in order to combat the insanity involved in this situation and others.

Now for today’s topic…

The word “nigger” evokes emotion in the hearts and minds of Black people. The word historically, in the Americas and beyond, has been used to express hate for a race that has been deemed, in many circles, inferior. The institution of racism has contributed greatly to the impact this word carries and creates fervor among people when it is used. Before we get into the dialog I want to make a couple of references:

A. When I write “nigger” I am writing about the racial slur
B. When I write “nigga” I am writing about the slang word
C. When I write the “N” word, I’m referring to both “nigger” and “nigga” simultaneously

As I was reading a popular Hip Hop website today I ran across an article that said Nas AKA The “N” (not N word, just “N” for the first letter in his name) is going to name his forthcoming album Nigga. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_odC1tYHmw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnahright%2Ecom%2Fnews%2F ) For those of you that are not familiar with Nas, he is arguably the most socially conscious and influential rapper within the last ten years. Although recent media outlets have slammed him for his title, they clearly are not familiar with his music, because if they were they would understand that Nas wouldn’t name his album Nigga, out of ignorance. The media assault on Nas further deepens my understanding that “they” just don’t get. But I digress.
After reading the article I thought it would be a good idea to explore the use of the word nigger v. nigga. I think to move forward as a community we need to examine whether nigger and nigga are the same word, do the words carry the same meaning, should the either word be used at all, and how we as a community can more forward as a whole around this issue.
The NAACP recently held a mock burial for the “N” word at their national conference. No disrespect to the NAACP, but they haven’t connected with my generation at all. In fact they often represent views contrary to what I believe to be the proper stance on certain issues, I’m sure my sentiment can be echoed by many. This disconnect is demonstrated clearly by Jessie Jackson and the NAACP’s response to Nas’ album title. Jackson said “The title using the 'N' word is morally offensive and socially distasteful," Jackson said via a statement. "Nas has the right to degrade and denigrate in the name of free speech, but there is no honor in it. Radio and television stations have no obligation to play it and self-respecting people have no obligation to buy it. I wish he would use his talents to lift up and inspire, not degrade, making mockery of racism," he added. "We will not support and we will not continually be assailed by other individuals who want to use that type of term in our presence," stressed national NAACP spokesman Richard McIntire. "This has gone on long enough".
How can you be familiar with Nas’ music and claim that you represent the masses of Black people and think that Nas would do anything but up lift and inspire Black people? Is the use of the “N” word in any capacity wrong? Nas may very well be trying to make a prolific point, but he has not only been immediately attacked by the media, but by some Black folks as well, namely the NAACP.
No disrespect to Dick Gregory, but he wrote an excellent book titled Nigger. Dick Gregory was a comedian, and has served our community as a social activist for years. Does the same connotation around Dick Gregory’s autobiography, exist as it relates to Nas’ album title? NO! The question I raise then is why not? Nas’ is a musician and a social activist as well. The only difference between the two, is that Nas is a part of the “Bastard of the Party/Hip Hop generation”. This explains why, before Nas has the opportunity to explain his position on his album title, he is being attacked. The disconnect between groups like the NAACP and sectors of the Black community is clear. The white power structure will use this division to further, manipulate and control our community. Jackson and others should be ashamed, that they are contributing to this reality!!
A very good friend of mine completely disagrees with the use of the word nigger, nigga or any other variation of the “N” word. She stands whole heartily against its use. She stands on the grounds that the word is degrading to Black people and, most importantly, our use of the “N” word opens the door for its use to white people. She doesn’t buy the most recent separation of nigger v. nigga and believes that using either variation of the word is a sign of hatred, whether it is self inflicted or external. She believes it is a contradiction to say that “we” can use the word, but white people can’t. She also argues that the use of the word by Black people today shows a complete disregard for the struggle that many of out forefathers had to bear in our interest.
My good friend is not alone in her distaste for the word. There are whole organizations dedicated to the abolishment of the “N” word in all forms (http://www.abolishthenword.com/ ). I believe that all the individuals who take this position have a righteous point of view and should be encouraged to complete their goals and objectives. My only concern is the motivation behind, why certain organization and groups take such a hard line position. The same shackles that are said to be on the minds of people, who use the “N” word, may have the same grip on individuals working to abolish the “N” word, depending on their motivation.
I grew up in a world influenced heavily by Hip Hop. Hip Hop is the voice of a generation post the Civil Rights Movement, and post the Black Power Movement. There is a very interesting documentary on HBO about this generation of Black youth called the Bastards of the Party, the documentary highlights the experience of the youth that live in the aftermath of both historical time periods. (http://youtube.com/watch?v=JOPp-Y0AupE ) The Hip Hop generation took words like bad, fresh, and cool and changed it to meet the culture. Nigga as opposed to nigger doesn’t fall into the category, completely, of words just mentioned, but it has definitely been embraced by the “Bastards of the Party”. (see earlier blog The Church is as much to Blame as Hip Hop for a more detailed explanation of the Hip Hop generation)
Many born in the Hip Hop generation have taken the position that it is acceptable for Black people to say nigga, but if a white person says it, in any capacity, the line for a fight has been crossed. This point is clearly demonstrated in white rappers who would never use “nigga” in their lyrics for fear of backlash from their fans. The Hip Hop generation claims that they have taken a word that was NOT created with the intent to degrade Black people, and made it into their own. Some argue the word nigger comes from the Spanish word negro, which means black, not necessarily Black people but simply the color black. The word Negro became a term used to describe Black people, similar to Caucasian for white people. White Southern’s couldn’t pronounce the word Negro properly, and eventually settle through accent on nigger to describe the African slaves. Through the white peoples usage of the word negro, negative stereotypes have developed over time around the word nigger, resulting in the feelings around the “N” word today. Because of the recent history (Trans Atlantic Slave Trade forward) of the word nigger, many have come to the conclusion that white people simply cannot use this word. This conclusion also applies to the new usage and spelling of the “N” word, nigga.
I don’t think it is completely ridiculous for today’s generation to come to this conclusion. The “Bastards of the Party” understand quite well that white people can do anything they want on this earth. The same youth also understands that most people of color cannot do what they want on this planet, due to the influence of the white power structure. The sentiment of the youth is also reflected in the broader sectors of the Black community. Ask any one on my block what would happen if a Black man or women was elected president. 9 out of 10 people would say that he/she would be assassinated. I’m sure this is not only the truth on my block; I’m sure this same understanding is true in most neighborhoods around this country.
Based in this reality I believe some Black people have come to the conclusion, both consciously and sub consciously, that the use of the word nigga is one thing we can do, that white folks cannot. I believe this to be a POWER move made by the “Bastards of the Party”, independent of them realizing this or not. That same resistance can be found in the ass whooping those young men in Jena put on that white boy. I’m sure those young men didn’t know they were fighting for POWER, but they were.
Many white and Black people cannot understand the concept of seizing POWER. They say things like “There is something that white people can’t do? Why not, we’re all equal aren’t we? Why can you say it and not them/us? What’s going on, I’m confused!! You guys are saying that white folks can’t say nigga, but you can? How can this be?”
These reactions show me that many people cannot remove themselves from the white wash that has transformed their mind. The NAACP and Jessie Jackson are victims of this phenomenon, based by their reaction to the title of Nas’ album. I am not saying I agree or disagree with using the word nigga in any capacity, or that I agree or disagree with Nas’ naming his album Nigga. I’m simply stating that if we shouldn’t use the word nigga, a better argument needs to be made than, because we say it, white folks will be more inclined to say “nigga” also. This argument states in short, if Black folks want white folks not to use the “N” word, we shouldn’t use it either. I think that this conclusion is ridiculous, and has the potential to create deeper misnomers of disunity in our community. If you listen to this interview about Nas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_odC1tYHmw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnahright%2Ecom%2Fnews%2F) the commentator clearly says, “I thought their was a memo stating that ‘we’ wont be using this word anymore.” Where does this we come from? What we have decided is that you can’t say the word, and we will continue to have dialog in our community around whether or not we will continue to use the “N” word. My not using the “N” word is not a prerequisite for white folks not using the word.
In NYC there is a neighborhood in Queens, named Howard Beach. Howard Beach is infamous for its treatment toward Blacks, and their upfront racism of their neighborhood, as it is related to anyone who is not white, and specifically Italian. Outside of the racist undertones that exist in the neighborhood they openly use the terms “ginny” and “guido” in reference to each other. Both terms were created as an ethnic diss to the immigrant Italian community. No other group of people would dare go into Howard Beach and call an Italian ginny or guido, without expecting a fight. The broader sectors of the Italian community may not use ginny or guido, but they understand the strength of their community won’t allow anyone else to use the terms. I’m not trying to compare the historical framework of ginny and nigger, it is quite clear that nigger has a longer, deeper, and more inhumane history than ginny. I make mention to this situation in order to bring forward the argument of community reaction. Our reaction to the “N” word is splintered, not because a sizable percentage of us use the word, but because we feel we have to justify our usage of the word, to “them” the white community at large. This is a backward logic, in my opinion.
Many will rebuttal my argument by saying that the history of the word as it relates to Black people is so deep that using the word in any capacity revisits that era. My answer to that would be I agree. I would go on to say Black people’s greatness reach far beyond the length of time that white folks have been referring to us as niggers. Making the above mentioned comments about the history of the “N” word, in my opinion, belittle the strong history of the African presence and spirit. Does that mean that white folks should be allowed to use the “N” word in any capacity, whether it is friendly or antagonistic? Absolutely not! I believe that it speaks volumes if the African community stood firm in the position that regardless of whether we choose to use the word or not as individuals, you cannot use the word any longer. And in the event that you do use the word, friendly or antagonistic, you should be prepared for the repercussions.
I wrote in “Tell Them Why You Mad Son, Tell Them why you Mad!”, an earlier article on the blog, that one thing that pisses me off is the fact that white power structure tries to find any way to blame their hatred for Black people on Black people’s behavior. I want to extend that to say that it pisses me off that some NEGROS defend the white power structures, hatred of us, on Black people behavior. They almost make it seem like, “You see, you guys use the word”, this is why they hate us so much. You are degrading yourself by saying nigga, because that’s what white people used it for. Like it is impossible for us to use nigga the way we want too. To reiterate I’m not saying that we should say nigga, lets find a better reason why we shouldn’t. Power is what the white power structure is all about; you start taking the power away from them, even if its something as simple as a word, you will see them get up in arms. The sad part about every time we try to take some power away from the white power structure we got NEGROS who defend it!! Hopefully, one day, both ends of the conversation will understand that we have a bigger problem out here than beefing with Nas.

Marvo

An informed Community is a Ready Community! The tragedy in West Virginia and why we didn’t know.

2007-10-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to wrap my mind around the attack in West Virginia for a couple of weeks. It was hard to get information on the topic initially because it got very little press in the national media. I didn’t want to write about it until I got all my facts together, and could properly facilitate my opinion on the matter. For six days these people raped and beat a young lady named Megan Williams. When I saw the faces of the people who did this I couldn’t help but think devils. http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com/2007/09/megan-williams-tortured-by-6-people-for.html click link and scroll down to see their pictures.

When I look at these people I see nothing but pure evil. One of the guys looks like Timothy McVeigh, the guy that killed those people out in Oklahoma City. If I had to put a face on the devil, it would be one of these six, and if not one of these six I’m sure he/she would look similar to the bunch. Maybe a little more cleaned up, with a middle name like Walker, I don’t know, just trying to draw a picture here.

They pulled this poor woman’s hair out of her head, sexually assaulted her, made her eat rat dropping, and forced her to drink from the toilet, these are just a few of the horrendous things that made the news. I’m sure the reality of the week long ordeal was much worst than what was reported in the papers. Between the six of them, they have had 108 criminal charges filed against them. That equals about 18 charges a piece, if you do the math. It baffles me how these people where even in the “free” world anyway with that type of history. The most serious of the crimes committed was murder. Frankie Brewster only served five years after pleading guilty to manslaughter. How she pulled that one of is beyond me, but once again only in America, where white power reigns supreme, can white women get of with five years for killing someone with a public defender after 17 other charges.
This story got very little publicity, around the same time Michael Vick and Isaiah Thomas were on the cover of every news paper in New York City. Where are the priorities of the media? I know where the media priorities aren’t, and it’s not with reporting about incidents that affect our community. ( Not that Vick and Thomas don’t affect our community, but I believe their situation got light years more press than this.) We need more and have a few of our own media outlets that cover the news from an angle that affects us.Sites like http://blackelectorate.com/, http://blackamericaweb.com/, and the http://www.colorofchange.org/ (website primarily responsible for getting the information about the Jena Six out to the community) are good examples of media outlets that reflect the well being of the community.
I don’t mention these sites because I agree with all of the politics that are on the sites, often time I disagree. But, the site do serve as a launch pad to deepen my understanding around something I may have heard in the news.

I’m sure if the six faces looked like this http://www.nbc6.net/news/9740757/detail.html

they would have been all over the news. Can you imagine if one of these brothers was dating a white girl, they break up, and weeks later his family kidnaps her? After kidnapping her they pull out her hair, make her eat rat droppings, sexually assaulted her, called her cracka for a whole week, and had been arrested 108 times between them what the media would be saying? I don’t have to draw a clearer picture than that. Meagan Williams is the victim here, but we all should feel violated by the lack of coverage this issue received.
We need to have our own media outlets so that we can stay connected to each other. I need to know about an issue if it happens out in Chicago, St. Louis or Houston. And, you guys need to know if something happens out here in NYC and we shouldn’t have to wait for CNN to report it to figure it out.
The seven gentlemen shown above represent another case that has received absolutely NO media attention. These brothers have become known as the Liberty City Seven (http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Methods_questioned_in_investigation_leading_up_0629.html) . These brothers have been charged with trying to blow up the Sears tower and a Federal building in Miami. If you know anything about Miami Florida, you know Liberty City is the poorest section of the town. There’s is no liberty in Liberty City Florida. These men where so poor they couldn’t afford boots, the also where borrowing water from their neighbors. How are they going to blow up the Sears Tower if the don’t have shoes, and can’t afford water. By some standards they may be considered a little extreme in the position they took, but not terrorist. There is tons of evidence that says there was no talk of any senseless behavior like terrorism, until the FBI came around. The story doesn’t make much since, it sounds like the FBI tried to set these brothers up, to make it look like the government is fighting terrorism on all fronts. If these same men that are being charged with a crime as serious as sedition, get no press, but would have been front page material had they done the same thing to a white girl that was done to Meagan Williams, we have a problem. I would say a state of emergency.
How about the young lady in Florida who was got man handled and punched in the face by a police officer. She is fifteen years old and got stopped by the police for being out after curfew and this happened. ( http://www.videonewslive.com/view/123313/police_pepper_spray_teen ) Why is it that most of you haven’t seen or heard about this? Not because you don’t watch enough news, but because the mainstream media doesn’t cover issues like this. We have to keep ourselves informed in order to make informed decisions about the world around us.
These are just two example of information that we as a community need to know about, but most of us don’t. The white power structure tries to disconnect our power by keeping up blind to information that will create movement in the community. The community in which they served is well informed about issues that affect them; we have to continue to build an environment where we do the same. We are headed in that direction, but we need a lot more. West Virginia is not an isolated incident; neither is the Liberty City Seven, Jena, Columbia University, or the other thousand issues that have plagued our community in the last four months. As the winter gets closer the assault keeps coming, we need to be in a position to move when we need to. The rally that went down in Jena was powerful, the immigration rallies that our Latino brothers and sisters put together last year was powerful. We need to support each other and make sure our power is concentrated so when it time to move we move as one.

Marvo

Tell Them Why You Mad Son, Tell Them why you Mad!

2007-10-10T21:31:00.001-07:00

You know what really pisses me off, I mean really pisses me off. Every time there is a story in the news about some sort of racial incident, people at my job find some sort of way blame the incident on the behavior of Black people. Regardless of the topic, no matter what the situation, it’s always our fault to some degree. Sean Bell got shot, oh he shouldn’t have tried to run over the police with his car, oh his friend could have run off with a gun, oh he has a record, BLAH BLAH BLAH! If they don’t find a way to blame it on the behavior of Black people, they dismiss it like it isn’t important. “I haven’t heard anything about the Jenna Six, yeah I watch the news everyday, but I haven’t heard anything. How about those mortgage rates? Go Yankees” I can’t stand it anymore!!! These people are really trying to drive me crazy.

I write these long blogs just to keep from snapping, but these people just keep pushing and pushing. Today there was a story in the New York City news about a professor at Columbia University that had a noose hung on her door. In Queens there was a story, about a lady who threaten to kill “the little Black babies”, then flashed a noose at a family over a bicycle. (Links to these stories are provided at the bottom of the previous blog posting). In Long Island, a police deputy cheif had a noose hung on his locker (http://video.wnbc.com/player/?id=161951 ). The Columbia University story made the front cover of the Daily News (The third string paper in the city), and caused some conversation at work over lunch. First I don’t know why I eat with these people, and secondly I don’t know why I am shocked sometimes by what come out their mouths, both Black and White.

I have a clear understanding of the mental locks put on the minds of some Black folks, and I understand, to a degree, the white washed world that most white people live, but it is beyond me why people are so silly. Many things that are clear as day to me seem so foreign and obscure to other people. Maybe it’s me, maybe I think too much. Maybe I need to relax, and not let my emotion control me so often. My blood starts to boil when I hear some of these ridiculous statements that come out of these people’s mouths. But, I digress. I know it’s not me, and I also know that a part of the strategy of the powers that be is to make me believe that it just me. But, I know I’m not alone out their, I know some of you feel what I’m writing. I know some of you feel that there are thousands of people that should be happy that we don’t spass out when we should. In fact we should start a national “Spass Out Day”, but I digress again, sorry.

The white people at work often speak from a level of superiority. (once again why am I surprise). They speak about issues like Columbia as if it happened in a vacuum. How can you read a story in the Daily News about a noose at Columbia University, and a noose in Queens, and not make the “noose” connection to what happened in Jenna. They say things like “I wonder what she did to piss of the person that did that?” Once again why would she have had to do anything, they find anyway to lay the blame for an incident on the Black person. They also made comments like “Why did this story make, the front cover of the paper” As if the Yankees loosing is more important, to their world. The mentality literally makes me hot, like I can really feel myself getting hotter. I know I should let these things bother me, but they do. There is an interesting article about that in regard to the health of Black men, but I digress again. (Check the article out here: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-blackmen24sep24,0,4092176.story?coll=la-home-middleright )

Then you have some of these Negros, which speak from an educated yet, subservient position. They find any reason to co sign the ridiculous comments of the white folks, and will look at you like you are the unruly one if you speak up. There is woman at my job that said “I don’t know why the students are protesting, or why they are planning a walkout. Its not Like Columbia can do anything, what do they expect Columbia to do, ban twine and rope on campus.” It’s almost as if she enables some of the thoughts of the white folks by:

A. dismissing the incident as trivial and

B. suggesting that the students at Columbia demanding some sort of action about the incident is inconsequential.

I think her comments pissed me off more that the white peoples. I know her comments don’t actually co sign the comments of white people, but it a shame that she doesn’t see it.

I tried my best to drop some sanity into the conversation, by trying to connect the Jenna Six, to the incident at the deaf university, to the naval academy, to the Queens story, to the historical framework of the whole issue. Instead of bringing some understanding to the conversation do you know what I get? I get the infamous “Angry Black Man Look”. For those of you who don’t know what the “Angry Black Man Look” is Ill explain. It a warning look that I think white people and Negros have developed that alerts them to try to cool a conversation down, because they don’t want to push too much in an environment where there may be repercussions. They will push you enough to get a rise, but when they all get the feeling that “The Angry Black Man” might come out, and then they try to pacify the conversation, by putting on the “Angry Black Man Face” in the room face. I know this may sound silly, but I swear there must be some research out their that will support my theory. But, I digress.

The fact that they make these faces, and put out this kind of calm down energy pisses me off also. If I was going to flip I would have along time ago (any one who knows me, knows that to be the truth), and secondly why can’t I explain what I think on an issue, without resulting to smacking them around. As much as I would like to some time, I understand that would add fuel to the fire already burning in their mind. I have more formal “education” than everyone who was in the conversation, yet I still get the “Angry Black Man Face”. Why am I surprised, beats me, this consequently further aggravates me because I know it shouldn’t bother me but it does. Why would my level of education stop such riduculous comments, I know this quite clearly, but often I cant escape my thoughts!! Some would say this is some sort of class struggle, but I don't think so, I think its just the after affects of society on my brain. But I digress, again, sorry.

I guess the moral of the story is you can’t fix them, so why worry about. I should focus my time and energy in trying to help people that can actually be reached by my effort. Those are the people I should have a lot more patients with: my extended family, friends, siblings, wife, cousins, parents, grand parents, neighbors, students, community etc. etc. Why worry about folks that are designed to act the way they act. Changing them isn’t going to help my cause or change the condition in which our community exsits; helping people help each other will help my cause. We can all help each other; I obviously have some issues I need to workout also, I can definitely use some help. LOL

For all of you that are reading this at work don’t let the “crazy bald heads” as Bob Marley put it get you down. I think a big part of what holds the power inside off us back, is that we spend so much time trying to fix them, and very little time trying to help each other. This blog is a way we can help each other, VENT PEOPLE, VENT!!! We have all the time in the world to discuss the impact of socialism v. capitalism, whether or not we should use the “N” word, or the validity of Christ reality versus the pictures that are hanging in many of your churches. Best believe we’ll get to all that, but some times we just need to VENT. “Knowledge of Self” as the Egyptians and Ethiopians would say is of the up most importance, and absolutely essential to solving the problems in our lives. But, I’m sure even the Egyptians and Ethiopians would have to take a break just to VENT for a minute, even if it was just to chit chat about the temperature out their in the Nile River Valley. LOL You now have a place where you can do that, among people that will understand. This whole blog thing started from you guys talking about my long e mails discussing why I was bothered about something. You might as well join in the fun while we got the space and an audience. I get e mail responses from all of you and it's cool, but I think some of you have some great things to say, that should be shared with every one that reads the blog. It only takes a minute to sign up, trust me its therapeutic.

In short, Check those "crazy bald heads" if you have too, but otherwise don’t raise your blood pressure worrying about what Suzy thinks about the Jenna Six or Columbia University, in all reality, doesn’t matter anyway. What matters is how we are going to affect our own destiny and how we are going to regain “Knowledge of Self”. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN1KYkeBYTk&mode=related&search= , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKn4k389-nA&mode=related&search= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAHKGlQpJUo&mode=related&search= We shouldn’t concern ourselves with fixing Suzy, or worrying about why she is so stupid. I bet if most of us would stop worrying about Suzy so much and focus more on our community our blood pressure wouldn't be so high. That just my theory, I don't know if there is any reseach to back me up. LOL

Marvo

There is No Such Thing as Illegal Immigration!

2007-10-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/03/military.deportation/index.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/20/national/main2956093.shtml

There is no such thing as illegal immigration!!

The above mentioned articles discuss two Latino soldiers who have wives that are being threatened with deportation. I picked these two situations as a launch pad to discuss “illegal” immigration as a whole. The contradiction of deporting a soldier’s wife while he is a way in Iraq is clear. What may not be so clear is why situations like these occur in the first place. The government, working with the media, has tried to box the conversation of immigration into two opposing factions. On one side you have those that are for more comprehensive laws in regard to immigration and on the other side you have those that are against easier immigration law and wish to tighten the laws we currently have in an effort to decrease the influx of immigrants, both “legal” and “illegal”. I believe this boxing of the argument into two opposing factions is ridiculous, and supports the white power structure of superiority.

If you support the more comprehensive law side of the debate you fall victim to the American capitalistic machine that is attempting to exploit the labor of immigrants. This philosophy will create another stratosphere of second class citizenship, parallel to other catastrophic exploitations of labor (ex Chinese immigrants and the railroad system, http://cprr.org/Museum/Chinese.html). Brown and Black faces (depending on your coast, east or west) make up the majority of this alleged immigration problem, consequently, supporting white powers attempt to continue to oppress the colored faces of the world. If you fall on the other side of this alleged debate, you find yourself supporting the white power structure’s attempt to keep America as white as possible. We need to understand clearly that both sides of the arguments support the white power structure by failing to recognize the fundamental situation that exists in regard to immigration. That fundamental contradiction lies in the question how the did these borders, which constitute illegal immigration, come to be in the first place!!

Without getting into a civics lesson about what makes the nation or state, there are a few issues that are important to the conversation, as it pertains to the issue of immigration. The nation or state needs four critical components: population, government, sovereignty, and territory. These four components are the building blocks of what makes a nation. Immigration, in any capacity, has the potential to destabilize one or more of the components necessary for the nation to exist. Immigration, legal or illegal, can destabilize a nation’s ability to exist by exerting external pressures on a government’s infrastructure, in the case of this nation the infrastructure of white power. In regard to both sides of the debate, one side wishes to control the influx, while the other wishes to cut it off completely.

Each period of American history where immigration has been a topic, there has been opposing views, all of which were in favor of supporting the system as a whole, regardless of which end of the discussion you landed. The current debate around immigration is the same as it has been historically, both views ultimately support the white power struggle designed to oppress the rest of the world. The white power structure has mastered the art of manipulation so well that it has convinced most people to pick a side and ride with it. Unbeknownst to that individual, both positions support a system that ultimately is oppressing the individual who has taken a position.

America has had six major periods of immigration. Four of these major waves of immigration pertain primarily to Europeans and the other two primarily pertain to people of color. The first European immigration wave began in what is now the United States with the colonists of the 1600's and reached its peak just before the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775. The second European major flow of immigrants (many from Asia also immigrated during this time) started in the 1820's and lasted until a depression in the early 1870's. The greatest in pouring of Europeans took place from the 1880's to the early 1920's. A fourth and wave began in 1965 because of changes in U. S. Immigration laws, making it easier for individuals from European and other countries that were being forced to live behind the imaginary iron curtain of communism.

Each of these periods of immigration was celebrated during the time by the masses of white people in this country. It was primarily celebrated because it would help ease some of the labor issues of the time. The Industrialization of America created one of the largest needs of labor in the history of the world. There where however pockets of whites, that protested these periods of immigration based on the influx of people not being "white" enough, and not having a Protestant background. Irish, Polish, Albanian and other white ethnic groups were met with this struggle initially, but, within a generation, this debate eased with the assimilation of the European offspring into the white power structure as it existed in America.

The other two major waves of “immigration” come as a consequence of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade (I hate to refer to this as immigration, but by definition it fits, I point this out not to lump slavery into the pot with other means in which people arrived in the Americas, but to high light the fact that this phenomenon did contribute to the population shifts of people in the Americas), and the migration of individuals from Caribbean and Latin American countries (most of which are victims of the Trans Atlanic Slave Trade, or the theft of indeginious land) into the United States in more recent history (Late ‘70’s forward). The individuals from the Caribbean and Latin America often end up coming to the states in order to secure jobs and resources that have been pulled out of their country, and now are being bought and sold for the benefit of the white power structure. Why would a Cuban come to the US to work at a sugar mill in Florida? If looked at superficially it seem mundane or silly. But, when examined closely the economic policy of the US toward Cuba and other nations force this backward behavior to exist. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement )is a perfect example of this reality.

I saved the last two points of immigration not because they follow the chronological order of immigration waves, but in order to make the point that the white power structure soaks up the labor and resources that come out of institution like slavery or the current immigrant population, but do not appreciate the laborers. This comes as a consequence of the white power system understanding that if they become out numbered within boarders that they claim, their existence will eventually be eliminated by the dominate genes of other groups. The fact is clearly displayed in the US during the 1800's. When the African population out numbered the European population, it quickly became illegal to ship Africans from Africa to the US. By 1808, the Congress of the United States made it illegal to bring more slaves into the country. This didn’t end the institution of slavery; it simply limited the number of slaves that could be in America. This is also reflected in the laws during Jim Crow that outlawed the marriage of “Negroes, Moors [Muslim North Africans], mulattoes, mestizos and Indians” to white people. America hated the African, and other people of color, but couldn’t function without the labor.

Still, the smuggling of Africans as slaves into the United States continued well into the mid 1800's. Slave trading within the states continued up until the day of Emancipation in 1863, some historians argue that chattel slavery continued well into the 20th century.

The immigration topic as it is discussed in the media is a result of contending forces of the white power structure. The same contending forces that fought during the Civil War are at it again. (The Civil War WAS NOT fought to end slavery; in fact Abraham Lincoln is on record as saying “If I could save the Union without ending slavery I would”. The Civil War was a fight between the Industrialization and Agriculture sectors of the white power structure) We shouldn’t concern ourselves with this argument; because it doesn’t benefit us to do so, in fact taking a side strengthens the different sectors of the white power structure. We have been tricked by this argument once; let’s not fall for it again.

Borders as they exist now clearly support the white power structure. The borders are designed to keep the balance of power in the favor of white power. If violations of the borders contributed to the white power structure would there be an issue? I believe most reasonable people will come to the conclusion that it wouldn’t, based on the fact that Irish and Polish illegal immigrants were welcomed in large part. We need to focus on destabilizing as many of the four necessary ingredients of the nation as possible. By weakening the characteristics of the state, as it exist, we consequently weaken the white power structure. This is a key strategy of winning power in our favor!!!

When the government tries to deport the wives of soldiers allegedly fighting to defend this country, it makes it clear to me what they are willing to do to keep power. The question I pose to the readers is what we are willing to do to gain power. We need to be able to freely associate ourselves with all those, regardless of country, that understand the need to destroy the white power structure that has so many of us stuck in a never ending whirlwind of despair. There is no such thing as illegal immigration, when you don’t recognize the borders that the white power structure has developed to maintain their power. Africans did not observe the boarders of the plantation when heading north to escape physical bondage, nor should we respect those same borders now! The boarders then where designed to support white power, and much has not changed since then. Our whole being needs to be focused on destroying this system that has crippled colored faces all over the world. Taking a correct stance on immigration is one step in the direction of a liberated future.

Marvo

PS
Just to be clear I don’t think we should replace the current oppressive white power system with an oppressive black, brown, red, or yellow power system. That line of thought is backward and impractical. Taking a “Black Man” and putting him in the same oppressive role of the “White Man” doesn’t fulfill the power structure that I am trying to promote. My position would be the same, given the swap in race, and the same set of circumstances that exist today.

PSS

Columbia University Professor had Noose left on her door.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/10/columbia.noose/
http://www.wcbs880.com/Noose-Found-In-Columbia-University/1070828

Richmond Hills, Queens residents threatens to kill Black babies while flashing a Noose
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/10/10/2007-10-10_teen_nabbed_for_threat_to_kill_black_nei.html

Police Pepper spray and punch teen for curfew violation
http://www.talkleft.com/story/2007/10/5/172241/181

The game don’t stop yall, I’m telling you. This has to change, or something’s going to give. How am I suppose to get my work done if every other day, their some BS going on the I have to vent about? I’ll figure it out, better to write about it, then flip out...SOMETIMES. LOL

Crisis in Education

2007-10-06T10:15:00.001-07:00

I just watched a documentary about the Little Rock 9 on HBO. The purpose of the documentary was to highlight Little Rock Central High Scool 50 years after the school was required to integrate. The documentary talked volumes about the current school population, and how the classes are still overwhelmingly segregated, although the school has been integrated for 50 years. The overall rationale given on why the school is in its current state was placed on the Black students.
I don’t know how many times they referred to the Black students as lazy, and referred to the white students as ambitious. The documentary laid 90% of the so called underachievement by the Black students on their will to succeed. The documentary did not discuss any political analyses explaining why this phenomenon exists in Little Rock. If one watched the documentary it would be easy to come to the conclusion that the Black students aren’t trying hard enough.
While I was watching I was literally sadden by the information that was coming out of my television. HBO did a horrible job summing up the conditions of Arkansas. They did show the poor AKA Black side of town and the rich AKA white side of town, and drew a slight connection between the clear correlation between poverty and school achievement. Instead of deepening that understanding, they blamed the parents of the students for living in that neighborhood. The parents must have not worked hard enough, consequently, reflecting in their children, who in turn pass that along to their children. The complete blame for the condition of Arkansas was blamed on the Black community.
The following blog is something I wrote for a friend of mine that lives in Milwaukee. She was concerned about education gap in Milwaukee that is no different than any other city in America. I believe the explanation given here gives a better analyzes of the achievement gap in Little Rock than just the students being lazy, or have children to early, or parents are drug addicts. There is a clear underlying problem that hopefully will become clear after you read the info.

Crisis in Education

The solution to the problem in education is simple, yet many refuse to recognize it because of the power structure that exists in this country. In the US, one out of every five children under the age of 18, live below the poverty level. Another mind blowing statistic is that Black and Hispanic children were more than twice as likely as white children to live in poverty. 42% of Black children and 39% of Hispanic children live below the poverty line. The poverty line in American for a family of four is $23,000. The high school drop out rate for both Black and Hispanic students, in a city like Chicago, is 50%. The statistics are crippling if not put into proper perspective.
Current economic and public trends are creating a society that is split in two; those who have money and those who don’t. Instead of recognizing the correlation between economic attainment and school achievement, they play up the belief that we are just lazy resulting in the disproportion of school achievement. This may be true, but it ignores the fact that many schools in urban areas are broken, and the economic structure in many states, in regard to Black and Brown folks, is inept. In short, the critics ignore the fact that the living in poverty seriously restrict a student’s ability to learn. This is not just my opinion this is fact according to tons of research on the topic. Fix the poverty situation, and watch the scores begin to improve. It has been my experience that America has no want or need to fix the poverty situation in these neighborhoods that were caused by the government itself.
Milwaukee has a serious shortage of jobs especially showing itself in the Black community. Detroit (the poorest concentration of people in America), Baltimore, St Louis, Little Rock and tons of other cities face this same problem. You can ask any sociologist about the link between poverty and violence, school achievement, or family structure and they will tell you that it has an adverse affect. This reality is reflected at any point in history. The so called European Enlightenment came as a consequence of the general population getting an economic boost, primarily based in the start of the slave trade. Without the start of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, Europeans may very well be still living on fiefs where they were serfs and paying absorbent taxes to the “Sheriff of Nottingham”. Look at the Clinton years in this country, the economy was better consequently reflecting itself in school achievement. Not that I’m praising Clinton in the least bit, my point is to highlight economic improvement not the administration.
The gap between Black and white was still present, but it wasn’t growing at the rate that it is now. When the economy is doing well, people have the time to write books, paint, make music, write plays or movies, people can make these things happen when finances aren’t a huge concern. The fact is established firmly by the so called level of achievement. Unless you believe that white students just have superior intelligence, then there has to be an empirical explanation of the conditions.
Family responsibilities and individual love for learning are all factors that contribute to successful school tenure. I would be an idiot to deny the reality that my folk’s stress of education wasn’t a factor in finishing high school and college, then moving on to pursue a graduate degree and doctorate. But, one cannot also deny the fact that the two major contributors to school achievement are socio- economic status and previous school achievement. How do we expect a 15 year old to succeed in school if he is reading on a third grade level? The fact that the student made it all the way to high school reading at the third grade level reflects a problem with the system not the student.
This leads me to conclude that in order to catch the black males up, and all other under achieving groups is to hook them on the importance of education early, and fix the poverty that exist in their neighborhood. That doesn’t mean pump the school full of money, because some people make that argument. The reality of Little Rock Central High School (discussed in HBO special) is evidence that big money in a school isn’t the complete answer. I’m saying to pump those millions of dollars into the community via jobs and economic development and the problem will begin to correct itself. The US government spends 10 billion dollars a day, 500,000 dollar a minute in Iraq and wonder why the school system is falling apart, for both Black and white students.
I am not an idealist believing that the government is all of a sudden going to grow a heart and help out the Black community. We generate enough money in this country, to make this happen independent of the government. It is crazy that before integration the percentage of Black males students where better in many areas. We have to recapture that spirit and channel it today. We might not be able to jump right into out own school system, but we can start at Saturday schools, that teach our children how to be successful. There are African centered curriculums that can be put o the ground now if they received the proper exposure, we have to get the information out to our people that WE are changing our future now. The Sankofa Project in New York and Target Hope in Chicago are two great examples of this change happening NOW. I can remember getting up early on Saturday morning taking the train down town in order to go to Saturday schools. I’m no genius, but my community built me up to believe that I was one though, and that spirit carries me to this day. We know what the white power structure is doing to us. We have to combat that by harnessing our own POWER. Controlling our own educational prowess is an area where we need to concentrate.

The following are few links that display these things already happening all around the US.

http://cuip.uchicago.edu/schools/woodlawn/7_curriculum.html

http://www.nbufront.org/html/ProjectsIssues/edu.html

http://www.bronzevilleonline.com/newsarchive/afrischools.htm

The following link is a 20/20 special that I found very interesting.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pfRUMmTs0ZA .

POWER. Why we need it!

2007-10-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Coast Guard Cadet Noose
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/04/coast.guard.nooses/index.html

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=104&sid=1256171

Attack at Deaf University
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/03/deafschool.racial.incident/index.html

College Students Reenacting Jena Six
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1002071jena1.html

I had the final points I wanted touch for the conclusion of the week ready to go. I wanted to start the immigration discussion, the Christ discussion, and the West Virginia story which I am kind of late on. As I was preparing the information for the blog the above mentioned stories popped up and interrupted my plans. I had to drop a Marvin Think’s on these ASAP, not because it’s more important, but because it follows the discussions we've been having a little more closely. For all of you out their that were waiting for the discussion about two Latino brothers who serve in the military, one of which is missing, while the US is trying to deport their wives, I’ll get to that next week (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/03/military.deportation/index.html & http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/20/national/main2956093.shtml ) . For those they were waiting for the Real Christ v. the Eurocentric Christ discussion (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3958241.stm ), you might have to wait a little longer while I get my research together. The West Virginia piece is coming along and Ill have that ready next week also. So just sit tight because there coming (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWxDfFx17S0 ). I hope the information provided will hold you over until we can deepen the conversation.
I am use to the attacks by the white power structure, and I believe their attacks come as a consequence of certain sectors of the overall white populous understanding their genetic limitations. What concerned me about these particular incidents is the fact that the individuals who engaged in said behavior are adolescents. I don’t believe the average white person is directly tied into this grand plot to maintain the white power structure, but do understand that they both consciously and unconsciously support and understand the system that clearly weights in their favor, and designed to oppress everyone else. What is made clear by these stories is that the younger generation of white people understand and support this system as well. And, they do intend on carrying this philosophy into the future.
I make this point because I believe that certain sectors of our community, believe that American and the Western European thought is changing for the better. Large sectors of our community really believe that if the racist left over’s of Jim Crow, where signs like “No Dog, No Negro, No Mexicans” were acceptable would just die off; we all would be in a better place living in harmony with the “new, more tolerable” white people. (http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm) Sectors of our community believe that things are getting better because they don’t have to sit at the back of the bus, that people aren’t calling them nigger or boy to their face, or the fact that there is a Black man running for president, they assume everything is all good and looking up. (Many forget that Shirley Chisholm, http://nh.essortment.com/shirleychisholm_ruol.htm , a sister from Brooklyn, NY, ran for president many moons before Barack, Jessie, or Al) These four situations (including the Jenna Six, which also included adolescents) are evidence that the average white person, including their youth, understand very well the hierarchy of this power structure that oppress people all around the world, and are a willing participant in the implementation of the structure. Terror, being one of the many facets used to support the white power system, present in each of the events discussed in this blog. THINGS ARENT GETTING BETTER YA’LL!! In fact in many areas they are getting worst. But, for some reason we fail or decided not to see it.
Many are afraid to say it, but I’m glad those young men in Louisiana whooped that white boys ass!! In the least bit, it shows that our youth are up for the challenge that faces them in the future. The young men out in Jena, although they may not have realized the significance, took a stand against something that was clearly operating with the intent to end their existence. One of their white classmates accosted them with a shotgun, outside of a gas station mini mart. Their position was clear, the young men where fighting for their lives. Something we all should take in to account, and imitate. I am personally proud of their courage to actually stand up and fight back against a system that attacks them everyday. By know means do I advocate senseless violence, but I am a firm believer in defending myself, and I believe every Black person should feel the same.
The college students who reenacted to the Jena Six situation are from the state of Louisiana, where Jena is located. They knew very well the seriousness of the racial tension in the state. Regardless of tension they still decided to not only reenact the Jena Six, but do it in “black face”, record it and post it on Facebook. Somebody needs to go down their and whoop they ass also!! I don’t want to hear an apology, from them. They new very well what they were doing was pure bigotry. A week prior to them making the tape 50,000 people, by some estimates, where in Jena. If it was a matter of simple educating the white people about the situation, it was thoroughly done then.
It’s not about educating them though, it’s about EMPOWERING US. Understanding the power that we hold, and executing our will upon issues that affect our lives. No judge in their right mind (many have proven that they are not in their right mind) would keep a Black man in jail if there were 50,000 people outside demanding his release. Consequently, we saw the release of Mychal Bell from prison. Understand and executing our POWER is an essential step to our liberation.
What’s even crazier than the Jena Six reenactment is the incident at the deaf university. Six white deaf students and one Black student kidnapped a Black student and tagged his body with swastikas and KKK symbols. Even the deaf, understand and are willing to execute the plan designed to keep the white power structure sustained, and keep us oppressed. I’m going to let that sink in for a second… even the DEAF understand in a real way the significance of the white power structure. (Not that the deaf do have the ability to understand) I could spend some time examining what the hell is wrong with the one Black kid involved with the attack, but I’m sure the media is either tying him into the story to water it down, he was scared to death that they where going to do the same to him if he didn’t cooperate or tried to resist, or he just so damn confused that he actively participated in the attack. It really doesn’t matter why he is alleged to be involved, the fact remains that there is a Black child that forever will be mentally scarred. Each time this type of thing happens we all should be mentally scarred!!! The attack on our livelihood is alive a strong, and will continue to do the same until we, among other thing, regain our understanding of POWER.
Not two minutes ago a student of mine who graduated last year, walked into my classroom. I asked why he was here, and he damn near broke down in tears by a situation that transpired on his campus. He attends a university in New England, and yesterday a couple of white boys broke in his room and wrote “Fuck you Nigger, GO HOME!” all over the walls. This situation will never make the news and is happening everyday. I can go into literally hundreds of stories similar to this just from the five years I spent duting my undergraduate study in the mid west. If there is one thing I learned during my undergradute tenure is these white folks understand their position and are playing for keeps. They understand the power structure that holds them up and oppresses everyone else, and are willing to defend it at all cost. We need to understand our power and exercise it. My former student’s parents brought him home, partly because they feared for his safety. As hard as it is for a young Black man to get into college in the first place, he should be coming home because his family fears for his safety. Thing are allowed to happen like this when POWER is stripped from a people.
The term Black Power, didn’t come from no where. It can from Kwame Ture, understanding the significance of power, and applying it to a slogan that was catchy. (http://www.mumia.org/wwwboard/messages/1983.html ) That same spirit needs to be harnessed and displayed regularly or this won’t be the last time we here about so many attacks on or sanity in one day. The white folks have a clear understanding, whether conscious or subconscious, of what they must do to maintain the white power structure. We need to take a note from the brothers in Jena on how to back that down, and display the POWER that we all have with in!! That same POWER that got Mychal Bell out of prison ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/27/AR2007092700470.html )!!

PS

Some of you may be aware of a debate that transpired between a good sister down in Tennessee and I. The root of our debate was around an officer that got shot, and paralyzed in the line of duty. I believed that we as a community should do more to help her independent of the police department of Memphis, Tennessee, they clearly have displayed their want to help. Although I have very mixed feeling about officers of color, I still ultimately believe that we should help her out if we can. The police department let her down and we shouldn’t have to go to ABC for help tp fixing her home for wheel chair accessibility. We are perfectly capable of helping this sister out, displaying the POWER that is mentioned above. The sister from Tennessee sent me some info so that we could directly help Danita Marsh out. Let this be a lesson, if you sleep with dogs, you will get fleas! Beyond that jab at the police, it’s up to us to provide the flea control. Danita Marsh needs our help, and we should step up! For all those that may be interested in helping Danita Marsh the information is as follows:

http://www.nashvillescene.com/blog/pitw/archives/00001226.shtml

Marvo

The Church is as much or more to blame as Hip Hop

2007-10-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

Ever since the ridiculous comments by Don Imus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9BjB7Bzr0 ), the media, Al Sharpton , Opera and others, have targeted Hip Hop for its misogynistic lyrics. Many have even gone to the lengths of blaming Hip Hop for many of the ills that affect our youth and community. I would agree that some lyrics by Hip Hop artist don’t reflect the best of the Black community, but I also understand that the sector that engages in these lyrics are a relatively small portion and does not represent the overall art form (although they often get all the attention). I also believe the language and attitude of Hip Hop toward women, in part, take its origin and is a reflection of the hierarchy of the Black church and other historic institutions that are present in the Black community. The Black community as a whole has become highly patriarchal, reflecting a society not of our own, but that of the European.

We can get into a long drawn out discussion about the history of Europe and the role of the men and women versus African or Indigenous population of America. That would be drawn out and kind of dry and I don’t want to hold you hostage to that. So to sum it up in a nutshell, the balance of men and women in places like Africa and early America followed a principle of ma’at, regardless if they called it this in their language or not (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma ), meaning balance. Men had certain roles, and women had certain roles, but it wasn’t a situation where it was said that women can’t play this role or that. In fact, the roles were designed for the survival of the unit, as opposed to upholding some sort of tradition or hierarchy, the opposite of this reality is present all throughout the history of Europe. The ideology of balance is reflected in a number of places in our history, whether it be female pharaohs such as Hatshepsut
http://touregypt.net/historicalessays/hatshepsut.htm, or female generals like Dahia- Al Kahina http://www.swagga.com/queen.htm . The role of women in African society is well defined, but our original tradition definitely not being reflected now.

The role of indigenous women to America was similar to that of Africa. This in fact is reflect in the role of Mayan Queens http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/106590 , who where responsible for the calendar and the concept of zero. They also had a number of women religious leaders who played a role in the faiths that were present at the time (http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2005/1524489.htm ). At some point we lost our concept of reality, and adopted an outside concept. Religion was the leading role in creating this shift in ideology, and the European is the cause of this change.
The question remains then in 2007, why are Black and Latino women displayed so negatively in the music. In my opinion, I believe it stems historically from the church in America and abroad. The hierarchy of most Christian churches was patterned after the Roman Catholic Church which is clearly patriarchal, which is opposite of what Christ would have wanted, but that’s another topic. The hierarchies of most monotheistic faiths have a patriarchal approach (Islam and Judism included). I believe this world view has affected our community in a monumental way. It doesn’t make sense in my mind for Al Sharpton to criticize Nelly for the Tip Drill video, which is very raunchy and inappropriate for individuals under 18 years of age in most cases, when women everyday are not allowed to take leadership roles in the church. I don’t make this argument to excuse Nelly from a clearly inappropriate video that degrades women in ways I won’t even get into. I make this argument to make the point that the problem is bigger than any hip hop video. With that being aid, I also think that one video shouldn't define his whole carrier. Nelly has contributed greatly to bone marrow reserch in the Black community, (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_3_104/ai_105556882 ,but but accomplishments like this get very little attention.

The problem of misogynistic behavior in our community is older than 25 or 30 years; the length hip hop has existed. The root of our misogynistic behavior, in my opinion, takes its root in the churches hierarchy, which takes its root in the European falsification of the revolutioary practices that Christ implemented. I would like to get more into the discussion around Christ role realistically versus, what the European has converted it to be, but that is another conversation to be had in the future. Today, I want to make the point that women everyday are subject to second class citizenship in the church, although they make up more than half of the churches population.

Women are blamed historically, for the downfall of man. Mary Magdalene was accused of being a whore, when the Bible doesn’t mention that about her at all. The list of mistruths about women goes on and on. You don’t have to call a woman a bitch to treat her like one. The church does this day in and day out, and refuses to admit that this practice exists.

The Hip Hop generation has taken its cues from the generations that have preceded it. Evidence is found in the heavy use of samples, and the homage that it pays to older Black forms of music like jazz, funk, blues, rock n roll (Yes Rock N’ Roll was created by Black people in America, then stolen by Elvis and others), and GOSPEL. The church is one of the oldest institutions in the Black community, and has influenced almost every aspect of Black life in America and abroad. Hip hop often takes the best and worst aspects of Black life and puts it on steroids, then throws it in your face. LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE MADE!!! The Hip Hop generation came post the Civil Right Movement, post the revolution of the 60’s, Hip Hop was conceived during the crack wave of the late 70’s and 80’s, reared in the 90’s, and is still grow more mature every day. Mos Def said during the introduction of his classic album Black on Both Sides, “If you want to know where Hip Hop is going, ask yourself where I am going, what am I doing? If you are smoked out then Hip Hop will be smoked out”, if you treat women like trash Hip Hop will be treating women like trash. The argument I make to the church folks, is that we have a systemic problem in our community of misogynistic behavior. Hip Hop is influenced by the community, not the other way around! We have to purge ourselves of a way of life that is contrary to our existence in our community.

Dr. Amos Wilson (http://authors.aalbc.com/amos.htm , http://www.afromerica.com/knowledge/culture/history/amoswilson.php ) wrote in his discussion around the psyche of the Black community in the Eurocentric Political Dogmatism, Its Relationship to the Mental Health Diagnosis of Afrikan People that
“The patient’s face (hip hop) is a mirror. And in that face we see our own madness. It mocks us. We feel a compulsion to break it into a thousand pieces. We want to shoot it, and destroy it, because it tells us something we don’t want to hear about ourselves. We want to lock them up, and put them away, because they indicate our own failings (and triumphs) as a society”
This is what I believe is happening in our community in regard to Hip Hop. Dr. Wilson goes on to say, that “The Black bourgeoisie is as much a creation as is the Black criminal (not that the Hip Hop generation are criminal, although this is how they are often displayed); they are both reactionary styles, and both means of dealing with the dilemma of white oppression.” Both parties in this discussion around Hip Hop have been deeply affected by outside influences. That influence, primarily is the white power structure. We need to begin to fix all of what is wrong with our community, independent of if “they” ever get it, in fact we shouldn’t concern ourselves with “them” at all in relation to our sanity and liberation of our community. Turning inward and taking a real look at our entire community is essential to our liberation, anything else is a tool of the white power structure to create an even deeper wedge between different facets of our community. The Willie Lynch Syndrome (http://www.thetalkingdrum.com/wil.html ) lives on if we allow this to take place. Women like Michelle Obama, who is on t the front line with her husband Barack Obama everyday, are over looked because of the society in which we live. The senator from Illinois will play a major role in creating the democratic space for real talk about liberation to take place. Michelle, will play an intricate role in opening that conversation up to the "Black community" and especially the women who are often subject to marginalization.

I added this clip at the end. I didn’t want to skew anyone’s opinion of the church prior to reading the blog. If this doesn’t prove that there is a thin line between the church and the street, I don’t know what will. We all need to "separate ourselves from mental slavery", as Lauryn Hill (Hip Hops first lady as far as I’m concerned) so eloquently said.

http://hellonegro.wordpress.com/2007/08/18/black-folks-fighting-outside-the-church/the-church/

Mike Vick/Bill Belichick

2007-10-01T20:47:00.001-07:00

This Marvin Thinks comes as a request from my little bro. He wanted to know what I thought about the Michael Vick situation (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071701393.html) , versus the Bill Belichick (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7222570 )cheating scandal. My thoughts on this topic are skewed for a variety of reasons. To start I believe that Michael Vick has been a target of the NFL since he was drafted, and I know he has been a target of this country since he was born. Donovan McNabb, the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, mentioned a couple of weeks back that he felt black quarterbacks were treated differently than white quarterbacks. Many people ignored his comments, and chalked it up to another angry black man situation. Although his comments may have been misguided, for the simple fact that more than black quarterbacks get treated different than white quarterbacks, I agree with his overall point. Black males have been demonized to the point that even other black people fear us, consequently treating us differently. This creates a situation that is compounded by the fact that black males are generally considered dumber than most other people. This situation is once again compounded on the football field, when a black male is quarterback; the stereotypical smart mans position on the football field.
This reality results in people second guessing the ability of the quarterback to succeed. This is no different than what goes on with black males on a daily bases, especially those of school age. From the first day they enter the classroom they are looked at to a large degree as the trouble makers that eventually are going to fail. They are automatically looked at as less of an intellectual and consequently lead to believe this falsehood themselves. This perception of ones self worth is then reflect in every other aspect of this child's life. This perception of ineptitude follows these young men through adolescence, into adulthood. Molding and shaping the opinion that they have about themselves, along with the perception that other have about them.
This reality weighs heavy on the mind of a black male, whether the individual believes that to be the cases or not. This consequently, manifest itself, in the psyche of a black male subsequently resulting in his actions and the actions of others. It’s easy for a black man to shoot another black man, because the individual doing the shooting does’t see anything of value on the other side of the pistol. It’s easy for a cop to lock up black males because they see no value in their relationship to the community. It’s easy for a teacher to disregard the education of a black male, because their benefit to society in marginalized. Its easy for the world to look at black males as criminals, when the character has been displayed as such consistantly. This situation repeats itself over and over again inside the life of a black male that it becomes second nature to discredit, disregard, and dismiss the humanity of black men.
In short, do I think that Michael Vick got a raw deal? OF COURSE, but I don’t think his situation is any different than the situation presented to black males everyday of their life. Michael Vick is no different than the 1 million black males locked up in prison. No different the 50% of black males who “drop out” of high school in Chicago. No different than the black males in Milwaukee that are struggling to learn to read in high school. No different than the 50% of black males that are unemployed between the ages of 18 and 35 in New York City. Michael Vick, in fact is an extension of the reality that black males face everyday of their life. The reaction that people are having toward Michael Vick is nothing more than a reflection of the position that America takes on black males as a whole. The same position that they have been taking since slavery and the rise of Imperialism.
How does this relate to the Patriots coach? The NFL’s response to the two situations was completely different. Bill Belichick was caught CHEATING in a NFL game. Yeah he got a half a million dollar fine, but what everyone fails to realize is that he signed a multi- year contract that same week that gave him a bonus that dwarfs a 500K fine to peanuts. Vick got caught fighting some dogs, and lost his entire carrier and potentially will spend 5 years in prison. Millions of dollars down the drain and 5 years of his life for fighting dogs? Dog fighting is a horrible event and I truly believe that it is an inhuman sport to engage, but all in all their dogs. They are treating those dogs that where “rescued” better than Michael Vick. They are trying to throw away this mans life as thou he is a dog!! Yes he is guilty of fighting dogs and betting on those fights, but is that worth throwing a way this young man’s life. NO!!!!!!!!! Should he be punished to some degree YES, and I think the same punishment that they gave Bill Belichick would suffice in this situation. But, seeing the history of how black males are treated, I’m not surprised at all by the conclusion.
This isn’t a question of how black quarterbacks get treated, or how Vick got railroaded; this is a question of the reality that black men have to live. This reality will continue to exist until we begin to take control over the basic elements of our existence: our mind, body, and souls. Everything is designed to destroy the character to black males, until the whole world is calling them STUPID and DUMB. We have to take back the weapons that have been used to create these terrible mistruths. The media, the schools, our household, and the way we think and talk have to be re programmed in order to develop a community where, when a black male is born that day is celebrated, not the day that he get out of jail!

Tomorrow, the relationship between the hierarchy of the black church and hip hop videos.

Arkansas 9/Jena 6

2007-10-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I have so much to write, in so little time. I don’t want to be so “long winded”, but who cares. Most of you are at work wasting time anyway why not read what I have to say about events that affect us. The first topic of the day relates to the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock
school integration. If you’re not familiar with the situation there you can read about it at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/23/national/main3289554.shtml . I make mention to Little Rock 8, not because I think integration was the crown jewel of the Civil Rights Movement, I make mention to it because it shows the resiliency of our community. Something that I believe should be recognized every time we get a chance.
The attempt to integrate schools and other public places hasn’t been successful in the least bit. 70% of Black and Hispanic students attend majority minority schools. You can tell what race someone is, for the most part, by their address. You can even tell in some cities by the first three digits that follow the area code in their phone number. If the success of situation is based on the reality of an integrated America, the historic courage of the Little Rock 8 unfortunately is a failure. If the success of situation like Little Rock is seen as one victory in the in war against white power and the attack on oppressed people around the world, then it was an undeniable triumph. The latter, is why the Little Rock 8 should be recognized, for their contribution to our ongoing fight against the powers that be. For that I apologize and would like to take a moment to celebrate the courage of all those that had the will to take the steps toward progress in Little Rock Arkansas.
The anniversary of the Little Rock 9 was overlooked in my daily e mails primarily because of the comments made by Bill O’Rielly. I watched the Bill O’Reilly show last night to get some insight on what exactly he was thinking. He tries to make the argument that his comments were taken out of context. In my humble opinion, they were not. The conversation that was going on was an attempt on his behalf to convince white America that Black people are safe and civil. His attempt to “defend” Blacks failed. His tone was condescending and done deliberately so, in my opinion. His entire approach was disingenuous and I believe this to be true by the way he speaks about the situation. No humility at all, not that I would expect that from him anyway. The fact that we got sucked into the Bill O’Reilly foolishness, neglecting to mention the Little Rock 9, and their contribution to our struggle against the intuition of white power, is inexcusable. For that, I again apologize. The contribution deserves to be recognized and anything less would be uncivilized. LOL
Moving on to the next topic of interest. On the show last night O’Reilly tried again to explain to whoever would listen what is wrong with the Black community. His primary reason for the situation in the Black community is the percentage of children born out of wedlock. As hard as it is for me to agree with Mr. O’Reilly, I will concede the fact that it is a HUGE problem. So HUGE, that if that one area of our livelihood was resolved, to a degree, many issues in our community would begin its resolution phase. What I can’t concede is that it is the catalyze of the problems that exist in our community. I believe that the family breakdown is a symptom of a larger problem in our community. That larger problem is what O’Reilly represents, the white power structure. If every household had a mother and father, which they rightly should, the contradictions that exist in our community wouldn’t change drastically, and in some cases not at all. Would there be movement toward positive change, for sure. But, having a household with mom and dad won’t stop mom from loosing her job. It won’t stop dad from getting harassed by the police. It won’t stop Jr from being taught lies in history class. The break up in the family is a symptom of a larger problem, that folks like O’Reilly tend to ignore. Many of us get tricked in to becoming die hard supporters of this backward logic. Let me give you some stats to back up what I’m writing.
In Illinois, 60% of drug use and sales in the state occur in the white community and 13% in the Black community. 70% of arrests made in the state are made in the Black community, and 10% in the white. So when you say 70% of black children grow up in single parent homes. What can we concluded about, why their fathers aren’t at home in large part… these children’s fathers are in JAIL, on their way to JAIL, or recently released from JAIL. I can go into a whole rant about how the prison system is feeding the white community in many rural areas, but Ill save that for another day. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what going on here; we just have to equip ourselves with the information to make an informed decision.
Many Black people, every night, go to sleep blaming themselves in large part for the condition of their family, finances, relationships, etc. etc. That’s not to say that we don’t have to work twice as hard to fix our problems or lay the complete blame on an institution separate from ourselves, because we do have to work!!! We need to look our enemy in the eye and work twice, three times as hard to fight the resistance that we meet everyday. The greater lesson in that despite how well we do and try there is a corrupt system that needs more than reform, that affects our lives in major way. Despite that fact, we need to continue to make positive movement forward.
This brings me to my final point of the day, and then all of you can get back to work. The Jenna Six situation is deepening everyday. Mychal Bell was released from jail, it’s a happy day. The DA in LA, took time out on this happy day, and had the nerve to say that it was an act of God that Jenna didn’t get destroyed on Thursday. Why, might I ask would Jenna be destroyed? In his mind the same reason, why O’Reilly said what he said about the civility of Black people. Maybe the DA can make the same argument as O’Reilly that he was speaking on behalf of what the white world believes to be true. They believe us to be animals, people without any constraint or civility. You can check out the DA comments here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21000774/. At the conclusion of O’Reilly’s interview with Jessie Jackson, Jessie said that I hope I have contributed to your civility (speaking to O’Reilly), O’Reilly then responded “I don’t think that is possible”. The assault continues…

BREAKING NEWS

Fight at the church, between board member and the pastor caught on tape. http://hellonegro.wordpress.com/2007/08/18/black-folks-fighting-outside-the-church/the-church/

Bill Cosby

2007-10-01T08:00:00.001-07:00

This is my daily rant about something that pissed me off, I almost think this is kind of therapeutic.

Cosby clips:http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/billcosbypoundcakespeech.htm

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=4235750

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3194001
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4628960

Bill Cosby

All around this entire world Black people are poor and white folks are for the most part financially secure. Anywhere you go on this earth Black people are going to be poor, it doesn’t matter if you in America or South Africa, Haiti or South America, we all are poor. In the US 42% of Black children live below the poverty line. Bill Cosby’s comments, at Howard and a variety of other places, reflect his disconnection from the everyday life of most Black people in America and around the world. The reality is that the problems that exist in the “lower class” are economic, and this problem is imposed on us by the white power structure not only in America, but all over the world. Not because we don’t work as hard or because we came to work late, but because this is the way the system is currently designed to operate.
Cosby criticizes the community for having sectors that drop out of school, he obviously is not aware of the conditions of public schools. He also must not be aware or doesn’t care about the mis education that goes on inside of these schools. Who would want to sit through class, and be subjected to a teacher trying to explain why Imperialism was good for Africa? Who would want to enter a school where the police search you everyday like you were entering the county jail? The fact is that if every Black man graduated high school and college it would be enough jobs to support the influx of graduates. Is that a coincidence, I don’t think so. The white power system is designed to keep us disenfranchised.
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t strive to receive an education, but we have too look at the bigger picture. You can’t blame the oppressed for their situation you must blame the oppressor. You can’t blame a twelfth grader that can’t read for his lack of skills, you must blame the system that allowed this injustice to take place. Some of you are saying to yourself what about the parents? Statistics say that if a child can’t read odds are the parents can’t either. The statistics also say that those same parents either went to the same high school as the children, or within five miles. How many people do you know that have family that have lived in the same area for generations. The same foolishness that was going on back when you grandma was young is the same thing going on now.
Bill Cosby calls for more Black male teachers, I agree. But, I also understand that even if we had 1,000 more Mr. Jackson's or Mr. Williams it wouldn’t be enough to change the circumstances for the masses of Black people in this country. Would things improve for the students in those specific classrooms, potentially, but we are talking about 1 or 2 teachers out of an entire day and school year of BS. Hiring more Black teachers, can’t be the solution, similar to hiring more Black police officers. Do we need them, absolutely, but it would be foolish to believe that the problem would be solved if only WE did a little more. We have been doing a whole lot, if wealth was generated by how hard you work, WE as a people would be extremely wealthy.
Bill Cosby also discusses the amount of Black men in prison. His analyzes does nothing but let the white power structure off the hook. Economic develop, as opposed to police presence will decrease the number of Black and Brown men in prison. No one grows up saying they want to be a pimp or a drug dealer. Most young men have aspirations of great goals. The economic situation inside of the Black community fosters an environment where an illegal economy is almost necessary for the community to survive. This type of behavior is clearly unacceptable, but what alternative means of income are available to some of these young men. (Drug dealers, pimps, and thieves support the white power structure also, but that another topic)
Bill Cosby would make the argument that each individual has a choice to make, and if you make the wrong choice it’s your fault. Following that logic everywhere on earth Black people are making the wrong decisions, and white people are making all the right decisions. That logic seems pretty irrational. The prison system is economically supporting the white community. Without the prisons many counties all across this country wouldn’t be able to support itself. The situation that currently presents itself in the Black and Brown community would then be transferred to their community.
Prisons need clientele and Black and Brown faces make perfect since in the mind of white power. The fact is the white people engage in more criminal activity than any Black person ever could. Blue collar crimes, white collar crimes, and drug activity are more prevalent in the white community than the Black community. Why is it then that the police infest our neighborhood looking for criminals, while ignoring the white community, where the real criminals reside? The goal is to criminalize us, in order to make us believe our condition as a people are our fault and that if we just got our act together we would be alright. I say that’s B.S and Bill Cosby should get called out for his support of the white power structure.
Do we need a value check in our community? YES!!! Do we need to take more responsibility for our families, neighborhoods, and neighbors? YES!!! Will all these wonderful things correct the institutional ills? NO!!! Instead of spending so much time attacking what clearly is primarily an economic problem, lets attack the institutional level that cause all these problems. Let’s not continue to beat, the beaten, nothing constructive can come from that.
Bill Cosby is the undisputed champion of donations made to HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). He has been an advocate of education for as long as I can remember, and I’m sure many years before that. I believe that his heart is in the right place, most of the time, but I also think that his head is in the clouds. It easy to say praise his value system, with all the money that he has in the bank. Money won’t solve every problem, but it does have the potential to create a school system that teaches about our greatness, maybe a hospital that actually focuses on diseases and conditions that affect us, or a farm where we can grow and raise food that doesn’t contribute to our demise. Bill Cosby has the ability to contribute to change in a huge way, and in many aspects he has. But, as he gets older his attack of the people that should be defended and helped has become more vicious and personal. If he has lost vision of what is important, then he needs to move out the way.

Marvo

On a side note Cosby was the start of this debate around “Black” names. No need to re hash that, I talked about that yesterday. I really think writing these little blurbs helps my blood pressure LOL. I always feel like I’ve let off a little bit of steam. I’m going to confront my co worker from yesterday, after school lets out, its always good to give yourself sometime to cool down. Those that know me, know what I mean. Thanks for reading!!!!

Bill O'Reilly

2007-10-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I think I just need to start writing a Colum called “Marvo Think’s”. Every week there’s some BS that comes out of the mouth of people that completely pisses me off. For those of you who haven’t heard the local idiot Bill O’Reilly has made a Don Imus like comment. The audio clip and some video commentary (found at the bottom of the page, just click the links, the clips will then be in the upper right hand corner) about the clip are found here http://mediamatters.org/ .
Bill O'Reilly has a history of making malicious comments, and these comments contribute to his assault against Black people. I believe, like Imus, he should loose his job. Not to compare the two, but in many ways I believe his comments to be worst than the comment made by Imus. I believe this to be true because O’Reilly’s comments attack the civility of all Black people. Not that Imus comments didn’t, but O’Reilly comments seem to be more calculated, while Imus more belligerent.
I wonder how many Black restaurants O'Reilly frequents. He clearly hasn’t visited the other 150 Black restaurants in Harlem. He clearly hasn't visited Chicago, where the concentrations of Black owned restaurants are at a level uncanny to any where else in the entire nation. Places such as Flavors, in the south suburbs of Chicago, or Harold's Chicken. He has never been to 311 or Swanks in Milwaukee, WI. On what grounds does he make the comments about Black restaurants does he stand. His comments aren’t based on the restaurant business at all; his comments are based on how he, and his constituent, view Black America.
Ill be the first to say it if no one else will, I have just as much or more disdain for their community as they have for ours. I don’t want to hold hands, I don’t want to sing songs, and I don’t want to talk and try to work it out. In the wake of New Orleans, and the Jena 6, how much more will we take before this generation goes on the offense! We cannot sit hear and continue to be berated by folks that clearly don’t have our best interest in mind. I’m sitting in lunch today, not a half hour ago, listening to one of my co- workers call the names that Black parents name their children crazy and ridiculous. Every culture on earth has names that distinguish who they are as a people, (including O’Reilly) why can’t we do the same. This is the conscience of white America as a whole. It permeates beyond simple conversation, and vests itself in the mind state of the whole. If it didn’t then a rebuttal to such ridiculous comments like Bill O’Reilly’s would exist. In fact, people like Bill O’Reilly, even if they felt a certain way, wouldn’t dare mumble such idiotic statements. The proof is in the pudding as they say.
For the last week, here in New York, there have been front cover stories on each of the three major newspapers, and the 5 minor news papers about Isaiah Thomas and his alleged comments about black women (on a side note: Thomas' comments are completely crazy, and in no way am I defending the comments of Thomas, in the event that he actually made the comments in which he is being accused). Do you think O’Reilly made the cover of any of the papers, in New York as of today 9-26-2007? NO!!! In fact in most of the papers you have to dig almost to the middle of the paper to find anything mentioning O’Reilly. This in my opinion contributes to the view of the Black community. It affects how we think about each other, and how others think about us. The white power structure, successfully tricks us every time.
In short, I hope his ass gets fired. The only way white folks feel it is in their pockets. I hope this issue is another step forward in the minds of Black folks, that it doesn’t matter how well you do, you’ll still be a nigger, whether they say the word or not. O’Reilly says the Black community is “changing”, how would he know? What I do know is that he is right to certain degree, the conversations among Black folks is changing. Its getting more courageous, more upset, more educated, and more ready for change. I hope that all reading this blog are on the right side of change, and don’t end up getting lead out to pasture like Bill O’Reilly and the litany of white, black, brown, red and yellow folks that try their hardest to adopt the mores (mor-rays) of the white power structure.

Marvo

PS
On a side note, proof of O’Reilly recessive genes is found in his comments about tea. Most students of history are familiar with the role tea played in the imperialistic nature of Europeans. If you don’t recall this fact, a brief example of this fact is found in the reality that a whole revolution in the US started over throwing some tea in the ocean. I don’t think it a coincidence that he made mention to tea, during his attack of black people. This may seem kind of crazy, but in his effort to stereotype the type of beverages black people (and most people) enjoy, he exposed a throw back ideology of the European coming from a place where something a simple as tea cannot grow.

PSS

As soon as I was about to send this e mail I get an e mail from this lady down in Nashville, about another e mail I wrote earlier this week. I guess I’m pissing people off all over the country. She was upset about something’s I wrote about Danita Marsh, a police officer that got shot down in Nashville. Then I got an e mail about Bill Cosby fool ass! How am I suppose to work if people keep pushing m buttons. LOL If you didn’t get my stuff about Danita Marsh and you want it holla back. Bill Cosby tirade to come tomorrow. I might piss someone off way out in Cali with the next one.