Sinead O’Connor Goes In On Trayvon Martin, Hip-Hop and The Black Community
Posted on March 24, 2012 by www.nouaintradio.com
The shooting death of 17-year old Trayvon Martin occurred February 26th, but his story has been dominating headlines for the past week, catching the attention of political figures and celebrities alike. Irish singer Sinead O’Connor took to her blog to passionately speak out about the teenager’s untimely death. No U Ain’t Radio definitely respects Sinead for “tellin it like it is…not like it was.”
Read O’Connor’s open letter from her website and let us know what you think:
22.03.12 Treyvon Martin
I would like to extend my very deepest sympathies to the family and other loved ones of murdered teenager, Treyvon Martin. I am very sad today (and am certain the whole of Ireland is) to learn of poor Treyvon’s terrifying ordeal and horrified by the fact his known and named and admitted killer has not been arrested, despite the crime having taken place a month ago. This is a disgrace to the entire human race.
For those out there who believe black people to be less than pure royalty, let me inform you of a little known, but scientifically proven, many times over, FACT. Which after reading, you will hopefully feel both very stupid and very sorry. For you dishonor your own mothers and grandmothers.
EVERY human being on earth, no matter what their culture, creed, skin colour, or nationality, shares one gene traceable back to one African woman. Scientists have named it ‘The Eve Gene’. This means ALL of us, even ridiculously stupid, ignorant, perverted, blaspheming racists are the descendants of one African woman.
One African woman is the mother of all of us. Africa was the first world. You come from there! Your skin may be ‘white’.. because you didn’t need it to be black any more where you lived. But as Curtis Mayfield said.. “You’re just the surface of our dark, deep well”. So you’re being morons. And God is having the last laugh at your ignorant expense.
If you hate black people, its yourself you hate. And the mother who bore you. If you kill or wish ill on black people, its yourself you kill and wish ill on. As well as the mother who bore you.
When you dishonor the the utter glory and majesty of black people, you lie. Your heart lies to you and you let it. Despite seeing every day, all your life, how you and your country would be less than wonderfully functioning and inspiring to the world, without the manifold and glorious contributions made by the descendants of African slaves, who did not by the way actually ask to go to America and leave their future families there to be disrespected for eternity.
What are you doing hating yourself by hating your brothers and sisters who daily show you nothing but inspiration and love, despite having NOTHING, in their own country? Despite having barely a chance of anything, because of racism. Despite being granted no ‘permission’ for proper self-esteem.
These beautiful people continue to believe in and even manifest Jesus Christ better than you do. That alone could stand as the greatest reason your racism is blasphemy, were it not for all the other reasons.
These people you hate and fear ARE the body of Christ, just as we all are. Every child, woman or man. And they know it. Maybe thats why you cant bear to look at them. Because you see Jesus Christ and you cant stand the light.
Stop this ridiculous and uneducated attitude. You would be dead without black people. Think of all the greatest music ever composed. The greatest songs. The greatest inspirational heroes.. Muhammad Ali, Mandela, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Soujourner Truth, Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield. So many absolute angels, sent from God.
Without the inspiration of these people many millions of so-called ‘white’ people, including myself would not have had the strength to pay the price of life.
And black youth in America. I’m talking to you here too. I love you. So I don’t mean to sound cross, I’m just being a mother.. Why are you killing each other? Why are you hating yourselves? You are the most important people God ever sent to this earth, every man, woman and child among you! Don’t let uneducated people win and take your self-esteem or your esteem for each other, and make you kill each other. over guns, drugs, bling, or any other nonsense.
You are now entering YOUR version of a sort of civil rights movement and you’re gonna see history being made in what has certainly the profoundest potential to become THE most wonderful country on earth. Because soon ALL ‘isms’ and ‘sits” will end. including racism, as the people of the earth begin to understand, we are all one.
We came from one mother. We are all brothers and sisters. And we CAN get beyond this ILLUSION of separateness. With prayer and love. It CAN change. It WILL change. And YOU guys (young people of all kinds) are the ones who are gonna GENTLY change it. And you know where it starts? With MUSIC.
Don’t be guided by rap. Gangsta or otherwise. Sure.. enjoy it.. adore it.as I do.. but realize this.. rap ain’t about your civil or spiritual rights, baby boys and girls. It.. along with most music nowadays.. is about falsenesses and vanities. Bling, drugs, sex, guns and people- dissing. Its giving you the message you ain’t ‘good enough’ if you don’t have bling and ting.. and money. Or if you’re not what it deems ‘sexy’.
(This is true of all popular music not rap alone. I know. Its tragically true of all popular youth culture the world over).
Poor Curtis Mayfield must be crying all day and night ALL day and night in heaven, every day and night.. To see what has been so successfully achieved by those who sent guns, drugs, and bling to squash the civil rights movement. Now you all don’t have to be murdered by racists any more.. you’re murdering each other FOR them! And your parents and grandparents are left crying.
Go back to strong black musical guides who left you information in the 60s and 70s. when they were living through the civil rights struggle. Curtis Mayfield. The Impressions. Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson. Sing back the Holy Spirit ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, as those artists did.
Forget bling. Forget “Get Rich Or Die Trying”. That is an evil message. Evil my dears is only life backwards. Turn it the right way up. With music. The messages American black youth are being given through music are not about the spiritual and therefore strong and conquering but PEACEFUL making of YOUR country into the wonderful place it secretly is and can be.. BECAUSE OF YOU, and BY YOU!!
You know not how you are adored, appreciated, valued, loved, cried for,smiled for, prayed for, all over the world. You know not how much inspiration and uplift-ment of heart you give to millions just by your presence on earth.
These musical guides will give you self-esteem. When you have self-esteem you can achieve anything. You can stand in the street as many did yesterday and change your country peacefully and with song. Chant down Babylon as the Rastas say. Rastafari will also give you self esteem. Investigate it.
You will notice, my beautiful sons and daughters, when you study, as you must, footage of all civil rights gatherings, how singing and music and sound and voice and the Holy Spirit were all employed and were so much part of the energy which moved things along.. just as running was in the South African gatherings I saw on tv in my own childhood, which inspired me to survive my own horrors.
What you listen to musically and whether or not you employ the Holy Spirit’s highest will for your life is whats gonna make you transcend all you’re having to suffer (the worst of which is low self-esteem.. or esteem based upon material ‘success’ or ‘sexiness’)) as a result of being the descendants of people who didn’t ask to be stolen and leave you where you are. Delete bling. Get conscious with your music. Demand conscious music from your artists. Go back to the artists who left you proper guidance.
This is some serious stuff and we (all manner of musical artists) are too silent on matters of enormous spiritual importance. Lemme ask you.. Jayzee and Eminem et al. Why was it always the black people only worked in the post rooms of record companies, which was always in the basement? Why was it that as each floor went up the skins got paler till it was fuckin ghosts at the top? And all us artists.. even me.. said nothing? Those buildings (record companies) always struck me as being a microcosm or painting of America, racially speaking. Christ almighty.. if its like that in the music business how is anything ever going to change?
We, musical artists are too silent on important stuff. And it is our job to be the gate-keepers of truth. ALL the people of this earth must come together eventually and see that we are one. ALL artists must stand up. Black, white, yellow, green, pink, fucking polka dot.. and be a light in these times.
The world is going to shift massively this year.. spiritually speaking. Musical artists are to be a massive part of that shift. Get up, lets all of us. And light Jah fire.. and BE lights.
Where’s the fire gone from music? Where is the love? the oneness? The knowing that music CAN and WILL move things in the right spiritual direction without hatred or violence? We must box clever. Sing the devil to sleep at your feet. Thats what Curtis teaches. He is the master of ALL musical masters. forget, forget, forget and forget again bling and guns and drugs and the worship of fame and money. Its time to wake up. We KNOW the power of music. Why aren’t we using it to change anything important?
Musicians all over the world should now gently demand this child’s killer be arrested immediately and the family of Treyvon Martin be immediately apologized to upon bended knee. Frankly. I myself would like an apology! America is a country I love and adore. what this man has done is un-American in the most horrific extreme.
Him not being arrested is extremely embarrassing and does absolutely NOT paint the true picture of of a country and a people who for the 90% majority are the kindest, most loving, intelligent, and wonderful people you could know.
Please.. ALL Americans should deplore this crime. As should ALL people of ALL nations. And deplore the fact this man has not been arrested. All Irish people should do the same. And I ask that we here in Ireland should express through our American embassy that we would like to see this man arrested this very minute. Because racism is not acceptable. Nor is vigilantism. And this was very clearly in no way at all a case of self-defense.
I leave you with some lyrics of Curtis Mayfield’s which I feel are appropriate for this situation. I am certain Curtis would have wanted to contribute to discussion on the issue of Treyvon’s murder and the condition of young black people in America today.. so here goes.. the song is called This Is My Country.. from the album of the same name.
Some people think we don’t have the right
to say its my country
before they give in
they’d rather fuss and fight
than say its my country
I’ve paid three hundred years or more
of slave-driving sweat and welts on my back
This is my country
Too many have died in protecting my pride
for me to go second class
We’ve survived a hard blow and I want you to know
that you must face us at last
And I know you will give consideration
shall we perish unjust or live equal as a nation?
This is my country.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
It Takes A Village to Maintain A Healthy Marriage
I just came across a wonderful article by sis. Monea Tamara Abdul-Majeed (http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2012/03/08/it-takes-a-village-to-maintain-a-healthy-marriage), that i thought would be helpful in our community. Enjoy.
Now Get Up.
T. Tehuti Bandele'
-------------------------------------------------
By Monea Tamara Abdul-Majeed
When I got engaged and first got married, I received a lot of advice (some unsolicited) on how to stay happily married.
As soon as I mentioned I was engaged, people would start with their advice and opinions. After a while, it became sort of annoying but I was initially very receptive to advice. I heard all sorts of things like, “Communication is key,” or “Make sure you all are on the same page,” or “Make sure you greet your husband when he comes home from work,” or “Don’t let your family know your business,” and “Make sure your husband leads you in prayer daily,” and on and on. Now, here I am, 2 years into my marriage and I have joined the ranks of the advice givers.
I’d like to share some words of wisdom that no one ever told me but that I am realizing everyday—It takes a village to be married. I know what you are thinking, “A village? Yeah right! What happens in my marriage stays in my marriage! I ain’t telling no one MY business!” You may be right but read on….
From the minute of the proposal, to the day of the wedding, family and friends gather around to support the couple. Everyone flocks to help with the wedding to make sure that this is the happiest day of the couples’ lives! Some families get too involved and overbearing during the wedding, but nonetheless, they are there. After all of the commotion dies down, the couple is left to figure out how to love each other and coexist in a way that is healthy for both. The couple is left to do this marriage thing alone, which is not easy.
The biggest “marriage shock” that I experienced is that marriage can be a lonely place. I remember feeling so supported by family and friends during the wedding. Everyone said that we could come to them if we ever needed help or advice. Then, within that first year, my husband and I had our situation that I deemed beyond us, and to me, we needed help. I began to call family members to help. Let’s just say that did not go over so well…we live and we learn.
After that troubling experience, I declared that I would “never” seek marriage advice from anyone. I was going to do it alone! Then, I realized that I had half of the equation right- it does take a village to be married. It takes support and advice from trusted loved ones; however, I had the other half of the equation wrong. We must be careful of who we invite into that “village.”
The purpose of this article is to share my experience with finding the support a marriage needs to flourish and grow. Not everyone will agree with me. Some believe that their marriage is only between them and their spouse. I respect that, as it has worked for some. But, from my experience, there is great value in having a village to support the union of two people all the time so that when times get rough, the village can be there. Again, the challenge is finding the right people to form your village. Here are my suggestions:
All village members must be married and/or value the institution of marriage. To me, it does not make sense to consult people about marriage who do not value the institution of marriage. The minute you or your spouse consults them, their first response is leave. Members of the village must encourage the couple to go to any lengths to work things out.
All village members must be objective parties. This is where it gets tricky. Family members can be members of the village only if they are completely objective and fair, which is often not the case. It can be the case but it is rare to find in-laws who are completely neutral. A truly objective party can be a therapist, counselor, or even a mentor. I have an elder who I deem my “marriage mentor” who has been married for 30 years. She has no attachment to me or my spouse, which is why her advice is neutral. She is so neutral that she is able to tell me when I am wrong and call me out on my stuff. I value her. As much as I love my mom, she would probably always see my side and empathize with me….she’s my mom; but, a neutral party can be completely objective and act as a neutral third party. A therapist is excellent for this. They are getting paid to be neutral so they should be….well, a good therapist, that is.
Both husband and wife need good friends in the village. Good friends may not even know what role they play in the village. Most times, good friends are not only to give marriage advice. They add to the marriage by just being a friend to the husband or the wife. I have girlfriends that I have lunch with, go to concerts with, get manicures/pedicure with, etc. not because they give me marriage advice but because hanging out with them gives me time to nurture myself, purely, as a woman with other women who understand. It also gives me time to miss him and to have great conversation later. It adds depth to our marraige. As much as I love my husband, he is not my girlfriend. I will never be able to tell him how I feel about certain issues and have him understand…really understand. He may nod and listen but that is being polite, not deep understanding. The same is true for him. I can never be “one of his boys.” I am sure he gets such freedom from hanging with them, keeping it simple, and not having to deal with all of my idiosyncrasies.
In other words, good friends bring balance to the marriage. Let’s be honest: no couple likes all of the same things and that is fine. There is no reason for me to drag my husband to a yoga class when I have a girlfriend who joins me willingly. Good friends enrich our lives by helping us maintain a sense of self outside of our marriage. Yes, we are husbands and wives but we play other roles too. We enjoy our spouses but we have other hobbies too, all of which should be nurtured in marriage. Good friends create those opportunities.
Beware of the single friends who have good intentions but really don’t understand how marriage works because they have never been married. It is very supportive to have friends (single and married) who respect your marriage so that when they ask you to go to dinner and you decline and say, “Not today. I’d like to be home before my husband gets there so I can cook for him and eat dinner with him,” they respond by saying, “Ok, cool! Let’s do lunch then!” That is a friend. I’d be cautious of the “friend” who responds, “What? Cook for him! Are you his maid?”
Other couples should be members of the village. The wife should have her friends, while the husband has his, but the couple should also have mutual friends, preferably other married couples or couples in committed relationships. It helps a marriage to see other married couples doing the same thing that you all are doing and finding creative ways to coexist. Unfortunately the reverse is true also- it is helpful to see couples not relating so well to provide examples of what not to do.
Individual or joint support groups should be in the village. Being in support groups really helps, especially in painful moments. I am in a support group that helps set healthy boundaries in relationships. The group teaches me better communication and provides a safe space for me to share how I feel and learn from others. I like not having my husband in this group because it allows me to be completely honest, without the fear of expressing something incorrectly and damaging my marriage. Many churches, masjids, or other religious institutions have such groups.
Joint support groups have been helpful too. My husband and I had the painful experience of a miscarriage last year and a support group really helped. We met other couples who went through the same thing. I plan to continue my relationship with the group by meeting up periodically to just check-in and see how couples heal through adversity. Most importantly, support groups remind us that we are not alone. Whatever we have gone through, someone else has gone through the same thing and come out just fine, which gives me hope. We may think we are but really we are not that unique. We are more alike than different. If we share with others honestly, we will quickly see what’s “normal” or expected in a marriage. How many woman complain that their husband is not a good communicator? And how many husband say their wives talk too much? We are all together in this family….it takes a village.
Last but not least, God must be the center of the village! Every village must have a chief, who has all power. When all other resources and support systems fail (and they are sure to fail us), we can call on God and surrender to His will for our marriage. When God is the chief of the village, He can even guide you to other village members who can bless us. I believe that God speaks through people. He will show us and guide us but we must be open to the many channels He will use to speak. And, after He speaks, we must listen.
Ultimately, it is up to the couple to work out their differences. The village just provides support and options. It may sound crazy to pursue a “marriage network,” but many of us network all the time, especially when we want to do well on our jobs. We will attend meetings, dinners, etc. just to meet people to advance our career. Our marriages require the same amount of effort.
Monea Tamara Abdul-Majeed has a PhD in sociology. Read her blog at The Spiral Notebook
Now Get Up.
T. Tehuti Bandele'
-------------------------------------------------
By Monea Tamara Abdul-Majeed
When I got engaged and first got married, I received a lot of advice (some unsolicited) on how to stay happily married.
As soon as I mentioned I was engaged, people would start with their advice and opinions. After a while, it became sort of annoying but I was initially very receptive to advice. I heard all sorts of things like, “Communication is key,” or “Make sure you all are on the same page,” or “Make sure you greet your husband when he comes home from work,” or “Don’t let your family know your business,” and “Make sure your husband leads you in prayer daily,” and on and on. Now, here I am, 2 years into my marriage and I have joined the ranks of the advice givers.
I’d like to share some words of wisdom that no one ever told me but that I am realizing everyday—It takes a village to be married. I know what you are thinking, “A village? Yeah right! What happens in my marriage stays in my marriage! I ain’t telling no one MY business!” You may be right but read on….
From the minute of the proposal, to the day of the wedding, family and friends gather around to support the couple. Everyone flocks to help with the wedding to make sure that this is the happiest day of the couples’ lives! Some families get too involved and overbearing during the wedding, but nonetheless, they are there. After all of the commotion dies down, the couple is left to figure out how to love each other and coexist in a way that is healthy for both. The couple is left to do this marriage thing alone, which is not easy.
The biggest “marriage shock” that I experienced is that marriage can be a lonely place. I remember feeling so supported by family and friends during the wedding. Everyone said that we could come to them if we ever needed help or advice. Then, within that first year, my husband and I had our situation that I deemed beyond us, and to me, we needed help. I began to call family members to help. Let’s just say that did not go over so well…we live and we learn.
After that troubling experience, I declared that I would “never” seek marriage advice from anyone. I was going to do it alone! Then, I realized that I had half of the equation right- it does take a village to be married. It takes support and advice from trusted loved ones; however, I had the other half of the equation wrong. We must be careful of who we invite into that “village.”
The purpose of this article is to share my experience with finding the support a marriage needs to flourish and grow. Not everyone will agree with me. Some believe that their marriage is only between them and their spouse. I respect that, as it has worked for some. But, from my experience, there is great value in having a village to support the union of two people all the time so that when times get rough, the village can be there. Again, the challenge is finding the right people to form your village. Here are my suggestions:
All village members must be married and/or value the institution of marriage. To me, it does not make sense to consult people about marriage who do not value the institution of marriage. The minute you or your spouse consults them, their first response is leave. Members of the village must encourage the couple to go to any lengths to work things out.
All village members must be objective parties. This is where it gets tricky. Family members can be members of the village only if they are completely objective and fair, which is often not the case. It can be the case but it is rare to find in-laws who are completely neutral. A truly objective party can be a therapist, counselor, or even a mentor. I have an elder who I deem my “marriage mentor” who has been married for 30 years. She has no attachment to me or my spouse, which is why her advice is neutral. She is so neutral that she is able to tell me when I am wrong and call me out on my stuff. I value her. As much as I love my mom, she would probably always see my side and empathize with me….she’s my mom; but, a neutral party can be completely objective and act as a neutral third party. A therapist is excellent for this. They are getting paid to be neutral so they should be….well, a good therapist, that is.
Both husband and wife need good friends in the village. Good friends may not even know what role they play in the village. Most times, good friends are not only to give marriage advice. They add to the marriage by just being a friend to the husband or the wife. I have girlfriends that I have lunch with, go to concerts with, get manicures/pedicure with, etc. not because they give me marriage advice but because hanging out with them gives me time to nurture myself, purely, as a woman with other women who understand. It also gives me time to miss him and to have great conversation later. It adds depth to our marraige. As much as I love my husband, he is not my girlfriend. I will never be able to tell him how I feel about certain issues and have him understand…really understand. He may nod and listen but that is being polite, not deep understanding. The same is true for him. I can never be “one of his boys.” I am sure he gets such freedom from hanging with them, keeping it simple, and not having to deal with all of my idiosyncrasies.
In other words, good friends bring balance to the marriage. Let’s be honest: no couple likes all of the same things and that is fine. There is no reason for me to drag my husband to a yoga class when I have a girlfriend who joins me willingly. Good friends enrich our lives by helping us maintain a sense of self outside of our marriage. Yes, we are husbands and wives but we play other roles too. We enjoy our spouses but we have other hobbies too, all of which should be nurtured in marriage. Good friends create those opportunities.
Beware of the single friends who have good intentions but really don’t understand how marriage works because they have never been married. It is very supportive to have friends (single and married) who respect your marriage so that when they ask you to go to dinner and you decline and say, “Not today. I’d like to be home before my husband gets there so I can cook for him and eat dinner with him,” they respond by saying, “Ok, cool! Let’s do lunch then!” That is a friend. I’d be cautious of the “friend” who responds, “What? Cook for him! Are you his maid?”
Other couples should be members of the village. The wife should have her friends, while the husband has his, but the couple should also have mutual friends, preferably other married couples or couples in committed relationships. It helps a marriage to see other married couples doing the same thing that you all are doing and finding creative ways to coexist. Unfortunately the reverse is true also- it is helpful to see couples not relating so well to provide examples of what not to do.
Individual or joint support groups should be in the village. Being in support groups really helps, especially in painful moments. I am in a support group that helps set healthy boundaries in relationships. The group teaches me better communication and provides a safe space for me to share how I feel and learn from others. I like not having my husband in this group because it allows me to be completely honest, without the fear of expressing something incorrectly and damaging my marriage. Many churches, masjids, or other religious institutions have such groups.
Joint support groups have been helpful too. My husband and I had the painful experience of a miscarriage last year and a support group really helped. We met other couples who went through the same thing. I plan to continue my relationship with the group by meeting up periodically to just check-in and see how couples heal through adversity. Most importantly, support groups remind us that we are not alone. Whatever we have gone through, someone else has gone through the same thing and come out just fine, which gives me hope. We may think we are but really we are not that unique. We are more alike than different. If we share with others honestly, we will quickly see what’s “normal” or expected in a marriage. How many woman complain that their husband is not a good communicator? And how many husband say their wives talk too much? We are all together in this family….it takes a village.
Last but not least, God must be the center of the village! Every village must have a chief, who has all power. When all other resources and support systems fail (and they are sure to fail us), we can call on God and surrender to His will for our marriage. When God is the chief of the village, He can even guide you to other village members who can bless us. I believe that God speaks through people. He will show us and guide us but we must be open to the many channels He will use to speak. And, after He speaks, we must listen.
Ultimately, it is up to the couple to work out their differences. The village just provides support and options. It may sound crazy to pursue a “marriage network,” but many of us network all the time, especially when we want to do well on our jobs. We will attend meetings, dinners, etc. just to meet people to advance our career. Our marriages require the same amount of effort.
Monea Tamara Abdul-Majeed has a PhD in sociology. Read her blog at The Spiral Notebook
Monday, January 16, 2012
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: A Soldier in An Army
Another Dr. King holiday has come upon us. Another weekend full of movies, documentaries, and audio and video clips of speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Finally, another weekend where people contemplate Dr. King's contribution to the forward progress of the United States of America.
That last sentence brought to mind something that Sista Souljah offered on one of Public Enemy's albums. The track By the Time I Get to Arizona starts off with her giving a summation of what Dr. King's contribution was and is. She ends by saying that Dr. King tried to teach white people the meaning of civilization. Indeed, for Dr. King to thrust into the Civil Rights movement the teachings of Mahatma Mohandes Ghandi was revolutionary in and of itself. As it stands, America is and always has been a nation seething with agression. It was founded on agression, when Europeans landed here and declared war on the native Amerindians and, worse, their culture. The agression continued when Afrikan people were kidnapped and dragged to America to be enslaved and forced to build this country.
That agression continued when European American men set out to subjugate and oppress women (white, Afrikan and otherwise), preventing them from exercising their inherent rights as well as their very humanity. Lofty dreams, pronouncements, and declarations notwithstanding, this was a nation founded upon oppression, genocide, and pillage. History will bear this out even when apologists seek to deny it.
Such oppression, genocide and pillage continued down into the twentieth century, though not in the same fashion as in the sixteenth century. And the oppressed, whether they be Afrikans or women or Latinos, or other non-white groups of people, have had to struggle to secure their very humanity. The struggle of Afrikan people, for example, began when the first Afrikan stepped on these shores and continues to this very day. Our struggle has never ceased from that day to this.
Our oppressor (and even many of us) have this vested interest to encapsulate a people's struggle into one single person. Maybe that is so that when that one person is killed (in one way or another), the masses are left to feel as though there is nothing left to do, to struggle for. Although Afrikan people do not control what is presented to them, they do not have a say in how things are presented to them. Sure, we can disagree on the corner or in the barbershop or the hair salon or the barroom, but unless there is some mass, organized reaction, how things are presented to us will remain the same, with the oppressor deciding how and what is presented to us.
The so-called Civil Rights movement is an example. Our struggle for desgregation (and not intergration) is presented to us in way that sometimes defies logic. According to mainstream (read, white) historical analysis, the Civil Rights movement began in 1955, when the Montgomery bus boycott began. This follows logic, especially for those who wish to make the movement into one man. According to this same historical analysis, that struggle ended in 1968, with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. That's a period of thirteen years. This analysis leaves out hundreds of years of movement and struggle, as well as hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people who struggled alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and many other so-called leaders.
Of course, the names of the hundeds of thousands (if not millions) of those who struggle(d) for the humanity of all Afrikan people will never be known. But this shouldn't stop us from at least acknowledging them. Too often, just a few are mentioned and, because of the extremely sexist society that we live in, many of those few mentioned are men. We know very little of the scores of women who struggled alongside men. In movie after movie after movie, it's always made to appear as though Dr. King was the Civil Rights movement. Dr. King was no more the Civil Rights movement than Oprah Winfrey is the barometer to measure all Afrikan people. Dr. King was the minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist church, the Ebenezer Baptist church in Atlanta, and the founder and executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. That's it.
I know that that may come as sacreligious to those who have canonized Dr. King, but it is the truth. Dr. King didn't defeat the oppressive segregationist forces in Montgomery Alabama. He alone didn't force the owners of the bus companies there to change their position on segregated seating arrangements. The masses did this. Had Dr. King attempted to overturn segregation in Montgomery, he would have been lynched almost as soon as he had tried. It was because the masses of Afrikan people had gotten to a point of anger and frustration regarding their treatment on the buses. They were sick and tired of the mistreatment, the disrespect, and the neglect they encountered on a daily basis. This anger, more than anything else, sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.
This isn't an attempt to dismiss Dr. Martin Luther King's contribution to the Black Freedom Movement. Far from it. His contribution could never be dismissed or downplayed, no matter how much some people try to. It is, however, an attempt to place a greater emphasis on the masses of Afrikan people, who were instrumental in forcing change. The point is that Dr. King nor Malcolm X nor Barack Obama couldn't have done any of what they did alone.
Hero worship doesn't benefit anyone but the oppressor. The oppressor's history and culture promulgates this "cut off the head, the body will whither" ideal. They assume that if the general is cut down, the army will disperse. This is exactly why, in America, movements are promoted as one person (usually). It serves as a means to dissuade the masses. Dr. King needs to be looked at in this light. Again, he did contribute and ultimately gave his life for the forward progress of America in general and Afrikan people in particular. He made the ultimate sacrifice when he refused to allow cowardly bigots to scare him into 'non-action'. This will never be taken from him and we will defend him against any such attempt no matter where it comes from. Let us not, however, place him on a pedastal that he shunned while he was alive. He didn't want to be a hero. He wanted to, as he said often, "do God's will." That, to me, meant comforting the suffering masses.
This was and is his extraordinary contribution to this world.
Now Get Up.
Tarikh Tehuti Bandele'
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Patriotism Revisited, Ten Years Later
Peace Family (and others),
This is an updated version of something I wrote immediately after the so-called terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001. Reading a piece about those attacks by Hiphop journalist and historian Davey D prompted my digging this up and posting it.
------------------------------------------------------
Alafia Ndada ya Ndugu.
(Ever notice how easy it is for certain groups of people to remember their tragedies, but not us???)
This so-called patriotism (which is really more arrogance than patriotism) will not last as long as we think it will. Sooner or later, Afrikan men in America will continue to be police-profiled, Afrikan children in America will have their intelligence questioned, and Afrikan nations will continue to be destabilized for no clear reason other than greed.
It is straight hypocritical for this media (mainstream and otherwise) to make it appear as if all is well here other than this tragic event. For those with either short memories or no inclination toward history, what happened to Afrikan people in this country AFTER this nation was rallied to 'defend democracy' in World War One??? What happened to Afrikan people in this country after the 'great Nazi threat' was put down in World War Two???
We are always trying to find some reason to justify our fascination with the same nation that enslaved many of our fore parents, destabilized our native homeland, stripped us of everything that could be stripped from us (even our very humanity, which even we question from time to time), and continues to oppress us (President-of-color notwithstanding). It would appear as though some of us just can't let go, like some spurned lover that's been shown the freakin' door (a long time ago). Sounds rather stalker-ish, doesn't it??? ("If I can't have you, no one can.")
I saw Negroes (and that's what they are) out, in the streets, waving flags and honking their horns. At the plantati, uh, job I worked at when this went down, everyone was encouraged to wear red, white, and blue the following Friday. And as expected, Negroes showed up with American flag ties, ink pins, cups, hats, jackets, umbrellas (not a damned cloud in sight), gloves, glasses, coffee mugs, watches, and blue jeans, red sneakers, white shirts, or some other combination with these colors (that, apparently, don't run!).
However, I didn't see the same outrage several years later when 'Katrina' went down. I didn't see these same Negroes mobilizing to help, in any way they could, those brothers and sisters that really needed our help. Most of what they did was complain. I heard a few "that's a damn shame!", and several "they (meaning the government) ought to be ashamed of they selves." And, of course, the theories started popping up. But that was it. Hell when the mobilization was going down around the Jena Six situation, you couldn't get these same Negroes to wear a freakin' button, let alone wear all black the same day that hundreds of thousands rallied and marched in support of those young brothers. (And, I am aware that the mainstream media said that only several thousand people turned out. Do you honestly believe that the mainstream media wants to report that hundreds of thousands of people showed up in support of the Jena Six??? One newspaper said that there were only a few thousand attendees at the Million Man March in '95. GO FREAKIN' FIGURE!!! As a rule, we should always add AT LEAST ten to twenty-five thousand [or more] to any media tally. So, if they say that only five thousand showed up, we gotta add another ten to twenty-five Gs to that. But I digress.)
What has to happen to show these "deranged" Negroes that America is not a friend of ours and that we are not Americans??? Katrina wasn't enough; The Jena Six (which was just blatant white supremacy) didn't do it. Sean Bell being shot the way he was didn't do it??? What has to happen to get these Negroes to come out of that 'Crow on the fence' mindset??? You know, the one that says if you come across a group of Crows sitting on a fence, and you shoot one of them, the rest will immediately take flight. But, five minutes later, they will return like nothing every happened, their 'comrade' laying dead right below them.
Hypocrisy has NEVER been as blatant and at the same time as misleading as it has been in the last few days.
Am I being callous toward those families that may have lost loved ones in this 'mess'??? That would be up to those that read this. But I will never be drawn into some false sense of American patriotism and forget what has happened and continues to happen to certain groups of people in this nation.
And to think, there are capitalists out there making millions feeding people's so-called patriotism (i.e. those flags dangling from car antennae aren't free; somebody's paying for them, even if you got yours for free).
Interestingly, those same whites that find themselves roaming streets with bats and sticks looking for some "foreigner" (read Arab, Sikh, or anything in between) to exact vengeance upon are the very same ones that don't want to be lumped together with the sins of their slave-holding fore fathers and mothers.
I can hear them now: "I didn't have anything to do with slavery. Why should I pay???"
ADDENDUM: While we are being encouraged to never forget 9-11 or the solemn mood that existed for those few days after, let us never, ever forget what was visited upon our ancestors, and what is still happening to us today. Let us, like the Jews, never, ever forget what was taken from us and what we have to struggle to get back. Let's teach our babies that we didn't land here by accident; that there were forces, cold and calculating, that conspired to get us here.
Now Get Up.
Tarikh Tehuti Bandele
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Guns, not Butter: Disaster Capitalism Reloaded
Guns, not Butter: Disaster Capitalism Reloaded
At a time when our Ayaitian brothers and sisters need as much help as possible, the U.S. and her "vested interests" (i.e. her oligarchical multinational corporations)(once again) militarizes a disaster. On Meet the Press, George H.W. Bush is asked what is the top priority for the current situation in Ayaiti. Without batting his eyes, he responds “security”. Doctors without Boarders cannot land their planes in Ayaiti, but the U.S. military can??? Other aid groups are being turned away, but the governor of Pennsylvania’s plane can land??? Secretary of State Hilary Clinton can take a three-hour tour (Gilligan's Island style), but U.N. "peace keepers" are being “warned” about looters and violence???
If we replace the word Ayaiti with Katrina, we are looking at the same set of events as with what went down in Louisiana in 2005. The mainstream media focuses its attention on looters and violence more than on the toll this earthquake has had on the people of Ayaiti. CNN seems content with reporting on the literacy rate and the building violence. Why is the U.S. military called into “secure” Ayaiti, and who are they “securing” it for???
Interestingly, Israel arrived in Ayaiti the day after this tragedy, setting up a hospital to help victims. The U.S. has a military base one half-hour away and it took them almost three days to arrive??? China was there before the U.S. as well.
This is exactly what took place in Louisiana, immediately after Hurricane Katrina. The media seemed to report nothing but the building violence, the looting, and the anarchy. Like with Katrina, we are looking at an island whose people (among the poorest in the Americas) have lost everything. They didn’t have much to begin with, and the little they had they just lost. They see bodies piling up in the streets, friends and family members. Their island has been virtually destroyed. There is very little water and there is very little food for the survivors.
What person, in their right mind, would not take it upon themselves to resort to any means necessary to make sure that they and their loved ones survive this tragedy??? They have survived the devastating earthquake and its after-shocks. They have survived building collapses and mudslides, only to starve to death??? What European, in his or her right mind, would sit and wait for help in a similar situation??? Are we Americans (who have never really experienced anything like this) to assume that the Ayaitian people should behave with white supremacy's definition of decorum and tact, minutes away from starvation??? Our brothers and sisters there are traumatized. There are mass graves everywhere; people are literally living outside on the streets; bodies are being piled up in dump trucks (at last count, there was 70,000); and all CNN and MSNBC can report on is looting??? In my opinion, they aren’t looting enough.
Why has the United States taken over the main airport??? Why has much of the aid effort been moved to that main airport, and not in the epicenter of the tragedy??? Why was Cuba able to send 400 doctors not 24 hours after the earthquake and set up a hospital that has, at this writing, treated over 900 Ayaitians??? How is it that Venezuela has been able to send doctors to Ayaiti not 24 hours after the earthquake???
Anyone interested in some very poignant answers to the many (and rhetorical) questions raised in this piece should read Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.
Now Get Up.
At a time when our Ayaitian brothers and sisters need as much help as possible, the U.S. and her "vested interests" (i.e. her oligarchical multinational corporations)(once again) militarizes a disaster. On Meet the Press, George H.W. Bush is asked what is the top priority for the current situation in Ayaiti. Without batting his eyes, he responds “security”. Doctors without Boarders cannot land their planes in Ayaiti, but the U.S. military can??? Other aid groups are being turned away, but the governor of Pennsylvania’s plane can land??? Secretary of State Hilary Clinton can take a three-hour tour (Gilligan's Island style), but U.N. "peace keepers" are being “warned” about looters and violence???
If we replace the word Ayaiti with Katrina, we are looking at the same set of events as with what went down in Louisiana in 2005. The mainstream media focuses its attention on looters and violence more than on the toll this earthquake has had on the people of Ayaiti. CNN seems content with reporting on the literacy rate and the building violence. Why is the U.S. military called into “secure” Ayaiti, and who are they “securing” it for???
Interestingly, Israel arrived in Ayaiti the day after this tragedy, setting up a hospital to help victims. The U.S. has a military base one half-hour away and it took them almost three days to arrive??? China was there before the U.S. as well.
This is exactly what took place in Louisiana, immediately after Hurricane Katrina. The media seemed to report nothing but the building violence, the looting, and the anarchy. Like with Katrina, we are looking at an island whose people (among the poorest in the Americas) have lost everything. They didn’t have much to begin with, and the little they had they just lost. They see bodies piling up in the streets, friends and family members. Their island has been virtually destroyed. There is very little water and there is very little food for the survivors.
What person, in their right mind, would not take it upon themselves to resort to any means necessary to make sure that they and their loved ones survive this tragedy??? They have survived the devastating earthquake and its after-shocks. They have survived building collapses and mudslides, only to starve to death??? What European, in his or her right mind, would sit and wait for help in a similar situation??? Are we Americans (who have never really experienced anything like this) to assume that the Ayaitian people should behave with white supremacy's definition of decorum and tact, minutes away from starvation??? Our brothers and sisters there are traumatized. There are mass graves everywhere; people are literally living outside on the streets; bodies are being piled up in dump trucks (at last count, there was 70,000); and all CNN and MSNBC can report on is looting??? In my opinion, they aren’t looting enough.
Why has the United States taken over the main airport??? Why has much of the aid effort been moved to that main airport, and not in the epicenter of the tragedy??? Why was Cuba able to send 400 doctors not 24 hours after the earthquake and set up a hospital that has, at this writing, treated over 900 Ayaitians??? How is it that Venezuela has been able to send doctors to Ayaiti not 24 hours after the earthquake???
Anyone interested in some very poignant answers to the many (and rhetorical) questions raised in this piece should read Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.
Now Get Up.
Celebrating Life NOW: Dr. Lenworth Gunther
Celebrating Life NOW Pt. 2
In a recent blog, I wrote about the necessity of acknowledging those who have sacrificed and dedicated so much to the forward progress of all human beings, Afrikan people specifically. Many emails, online, personal and radio discussions prompted me to write what I wrote about Dr. Yosef ben Yochannan, a giant among us now. Also, with the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Minister Malcolm X and its "celebration", I was moved to acknowledge, show appreciation for, and hail our living repository of Ourstory, Dr. Ben.
I now extend the same "celebration" to my personal mentor and teacher, Dr. Lenworth Gunther. Other than my own father and then Malcolm X, no other human being has had as much of an impact on my way of thinking and loving Afrikan people as Dr. Gunther. Sitting in his Afrikan American History classes, his impact on me was immediate and extensive (as well as long-reaching). Listening to his lectures reminded me of listening to Public Enemy albums, where so much information was rapid-fired to you in about an hour. Your mind was literally opened up wide and "information" was poured in.
Dr. Gunther's ability to reach me and many of my comrades was life-changing. I cannot nor attempt to speak for them, but my perspective on life changed. I had always had a love and appreciation for information. To come across a teacher that shared that same love and appreciation was refreshing and phenomenal. He inspired me to seek knowledge wherever it could be found (i.e. my very trip to the Schomburg Center in Harlem, New York was inspired by a lecture Dr. Gunther gave, where he mentioned the famed repository several times.)
There are certain things that, when one sits at the feet of Dr. Gunther, are crystal clear. His passion is immediately obvious. His vast breadth of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding is evident. And his love and compassion for Afrikan people (in specific) is unmistakable. And just like Dr. Ben, Dr. Gunther has many detractors and cynics as well. There are some people that are just intimidated by one who knows and understands so much. Detractors and cynics notwithstanding, his commitment cannot be questioned. His dedication cannot be doubted. (Well, it actually can, but that's not the point.)
Doc, I love you very much for what you have meant to me and so many others. I appreciate your shining example, an example that has been so very important for so many people the world over. And I have the level of love and admiration for Afrikan people and our story because of giants like you. As you continue to travel and inspire, I will forever acknowledge you as my friend, my mentor.
Alafia Ndugu,
Now Get Up.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Blast from the Past: Voting OUR Interests...
Voting OUR Interests...
Peace!
Recently, the mainstream (as well as the not-so mainstream) media has been saturating its viewers and listeners with the contest for the next president of the United States. Getting more attention, however, is the contest for the next Democratic Party nominee for that office. Listeners and viewers hear or read, over and over, how the next Democratic Party nominee will be an historic selection, as there has never been either an African American or woman in this position. It's historic! It's unprecedented! It's monumental!
Hyperbole notwithstanding, by and large African Americans are taking sides in this Democratic Party nomination race. (After all, isn't this what so many of our people died for?) But interestingly, there are those among us who are declaring their support for one or the other candidate for the shallowest, most dubious of reasons. "I'm voting for Hillary because I think she's a strong woman, a great example for women everywhere", a feminist- leaning sister exclaimed to me. (For the record, I do also know some feminist-leaning sisters who are supporting Barak Obama.) This got my "wheels" turning. I was compelled to ask this sister to explain this line of reasoning. In other words, how did she come to the conclusion that Hillary Clinton is a strong woman? Needless to write, this sister could not concisely support her position, not even to herself.
African people cannot afford to continue to be naive politically (or in any other way for that matter). Why are there so many black people claiming support for Hillary simply because she is a woman? Isn't this just as naive as voting for Barak simply because he is a black man, or for someone simply because of Party affiliation? Hillary is a politician to her core (and she has proven this in the last few weeks). What is Hillary's voting record, especially where we are concerned? What is Barak's voting record, especially where we are concerned? Now is not the time for such naiveté' as to assume that because a candidate is black or a woman that this will translate into power for blacks or women.
To learn of both Hillary and Barak's voting record, a good place to start is www.votesmart.org
If we are going to approach voting as though it is a panacea, then let us do so in as sophisticated a manner as possible. Let's not vote for a candidate because he or she is black, a woman, cute, handsome, speaks well, speaks eloquently, or has long money. And let us not assume that voting a black man into the office of the president of the United States will translate into black power, in the same way that voting a woman into the office of the president of the United States will translate into into woman power. This is merely ceremony without substance (i.e. window-dressing), which unfortunately, some of us seem satisfied with.
Lastly, for those of us that are hell-bent on voting for a woman simply because she's a woman, sister Cynthia McKinney is also running for the same office that Hillary Clinton is running for.
Now Get Up.
Tarikh Bandele'
http://www.runcynthiarun.org/
Peace!
Recently, the mainstream (as well as the not-so mainstream) media has been saturating its viewers and listeners with the contest for the next president of the United States. Getting more attention, however, is the contest for the next Democratic Party nominee for that office. Listeners and viewers hear or read, over and over, how the next Democratic Party nominee will be an historic selection, as there has never been either an African American or woman in this position. It's historic! It's unprecedented! It's monumental!
Hyperbole notwithstanding, by and large African Americans are taking sides in this Democratic Party nomination race. (After all, isn't this what so many of our people died for?) But interestingly, there are those among us who are declaring their support for one or the other candidate for the shallowest, most dubious of reasons. "I'm voting for Hillary because I think she's a strong woman, a great example for women everywhere", a feminist- leaning sister exclaimed to me. (For the record, I do also know some feminist-leaning sisters who are supporting Barak Obama.) This got my "wheels" turning. I was compelled to ask this sister to explain this line of reasoning. In other words, how did she come to the conclusion that Hillary Clinton is a strong woman? Needless to write, this sister could not concisely support her position, not even to herself.
African people cannot afford to continue to be naive politically (or in any other way for that matter). Why are there so many black people claiming support for Hillary simply because she is a woman? Isn't this just as naive as voting for Barak simply because he is a black man, or for someone simply because of Party affiliation? Hillary is a politician to her core (and she has proven this in the last few weeks). What is Hillary's voting record, especially where we are concerned? What is Barak's voting record, especially where we are concerned? Now is not the time for such naiveté' as to assume that because a candidate is black or a woman that this will translate into power for blacks or women.
To learn of both Hillary and Barak's voting record, a good place to start is www.votesmart.org
If we are going to approach voting as though it is a panacea, then let us do so in as sophisticated a manner as possible. Let's not vote for a candidate because he or she is black, a woman, cute, handsome, speaks well, speaks eloquently, or has long money. And let us not assume that voting a black man into the office of the president of the United States will translate into black power, in the same way that voting a woman into the office of the president of the United States will translate into into woman power. This is merely ceremony without substance (i.e. window-dressing), which unfortunately, some of us seem satisfied with.
Lastly, for those of us that are hell-bent on voting for a woman simply because she's a woman, sister Cynthia McKinney is also running for the same office that Hillary Clinton is running for.
Now Get Up.
Tarikh Bandele'
http://www.runcynthiarun.org/
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