The Great Debaters

Recently I watched the film “The Great Debaters” starring Denzel Washington and found myself examining (as I usually do) the parallels between the youth of today and the youth of that era. James Farmer at 14 possessed more intellectual property than many 40 year olds that I know today. I hope that the actor that portrayed brother Farmer inspires some of us to continue our education considering the great impact that a single intellectual mind can have on the masses of our people. Let us contend with each other in the best manner and forge relationships based on intellectualism and the development of “third-world America” (a.k.a. the HOOD).

Peace

Old Colonizer/Same Tricks

I recently had a discussion with a friend about the current state of what many call “Black America” and its potential to develop into a full and equal participant in this political/social experiment that we call America. I must be honest with all readers when I say that the place that we have become accustomed to calling “Black America” is nothing more than a colony of the larger socio-political-economic power structure known as the United States of America. The Black community that I speak of is the community that men such as Larry Hoover, “Freeway” Ricky Ross, and Frank Lucas governed. The streets where the voice of Democracy go unheard or ignored. This is the community that falls victim to capitalism, leaving its children and families dependent. This it the community (colony) where a third of the male populous has lost the right to guide this community by political means withing the structure of the colonizer. We are no different than the original 13 colonies that were oppressed and manipulated by the throne in Brittan. Let us look at the indictment laid out against King George (of that era) and I challenge anyone to argue a difference in the conditions or the level of oppression set forth. Now the big question….

Should the colonized accept a pseudo citizenship and continue to hope that those in power relinquish their throne in order to share in the spoils of their exploits?

I say no…

It’s time that the colonized develop independent government based on the same principles that the founding fathers laid out in this Document  (America’s Delcaration). In fact, keep you eyes peeled for my version of the Declaration of Independence for the Black community that outlines the many issues that will forever link the Black community with the original 13 colonies in that the modes of suppression were veiled in someones interperation of justice and fair dealing. I guess you can say that I’m not very optimistic about America and it’s political processes, but if you have any information that may change my perspective, I’m open minded but prepared to defend my positions.

Peace

Imam Warith Deen Muhammad Dies

Not that I ever expected the media to show some showing of support of sympathy of a “Black Male” or “Muslim” life and contribution to this society, but none of the media outlets attempted to give the public a glimpse into the life of this wonderful brother of ours.  I’m willing to bet my life that if Imam Warith Deen had blown up some building or threatened the US in some manner that could be used to strike fear in the hearts of the American masses this story would have been widely publicized. I don’t want to associate this brother and his passing with my own venting and frustrations with the “powers” that govern the media and the “lives” of the masses so I will just say to my brother…

We miss you already and love you for the sake of Allah (SAW) and your service wont be forgotten.

As Salaamu Alaykum

America’s Black Seed (The Painting)

This painting actually accompanies the poem entitled “America’s Black Seed” and was meant to express the internal frustrations that exist withing young Black men in modern America. Now be mindful this is not the sentiment of the Black men who live in “Black America” as you know it. This the the Black part of America that would be better defined as a “colony” that an actual “active participant” in the American experiment that is Democracy. This painting (or the man in it) is not one to conform to processes or political correctness. He is outside of the matrix that is America as he has only seen and experienced the disgusting, vile, dark, and dilapidated places that those in power refuse to acknowledge. This man lives on 55th, 43rd, or 79th in the places where the police hesitate to explore without guns drawn. He’s from the place that resembles apartheid South Africa in the 70′s and 80′s. Ultimately he is a man who has been denied so much that he has begun to deny himself the right (no the responsibility) to be human, to be happy, to be at peace…

Wonder why I dont vote…

I dare not lend validation to an invalid system. I don’t support systems, or nations that promote the destruction of people who look like me; in the name of self preservation of course. I don’t see how I as a Black man living in America should accept these facts with a smile. I, being among the formerly incarcerated refuse to bend to the oppression of this society just because my people are still forced to hold the names of our kidnappers. Lets let these stats speak for themselves…

SOUTH AFRICA UNDER APARTHEID (1993), BLACK MALES INCARCERATED

851 PER 100,000

U.S. UNDER KING GEORGE BUSH II (2006), BLACK MALES INCARCERATED

4,789 PER 100,000

GET REAL…

You can have Obama and McCain!!! GIVE ME JUSTICE!!!!

Use your imagination!

What should the people known as “African Americans” do if the conditions in America dont change in the next 100 years? Should we continue to “HOPE” for this system to provide equality, or abandon it totally and accept some form of nationalistic political ideas for our future. Like I said, use your imagination! This post is not for the overly sensitive type, just be real….

Can Black America Forgive?

Can Black America forgive the U.S. Government for the Black Holocaust that took place here in America without legal action being taken against the U.S. Government via the international community?

I doubt it. With 1 in 3 Black men being without the vote, AID’s running rampant in the community, drug addiction, cultural deficiency and identity issues, lingering effects of the destruction of the family unit, and public policy that openly wages what would be considered acts of war in any other nation in the world. Black America (the Black America that rarely produces the likes of Barak Obama) is a displaced nation of people forced into a system that rarely recognized them as “African” or “American” and only seems to treat them with respect when other nations or liberal Whites puts its policies under the microscope.

Can they forgive?

Does the criminal justice system forgive in Florida, Texas, and California when people get 25 to life for stealing food or possession of substances that paralyze a persons sense of self and ability to gain mental stability. How often do we hear about Black men succeeding in the mass media or do we see images that would make a Black man fear himself if forced to face the reality that he is in fact ONE with the men in the images. Do they recognize the psychological effects associated with always “fitting the description”? Or the rage that lies loosely in the hearts and minds of Black youth whom have no venue or method of release or relief.

To tell you the truth,

America should be treated just as the Nazi’s were treated after the Jewish Holocaust. Corporations the benefited from the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade should be demolished and their owners and beneficiaries investigated and jailed if found to have had knowledge of their wealths sources. Legislators should be sought out and brought before international tribunals to determine if their motives were in accordance with that of the founding fathers who sought to perpetually subjugate Africans here in America. The KKK, and other American TERRORIST organizations should be sought out and destroyed and their membership jailed for being associated with an organization that brutalized so many Africans here in America. The constitution should be revamped with displaced Africans at the forefront in the development of policy both international as well as domestic. The holidays that honor such rapist and slave owners as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson should be dishonored and erased from the calendars as it represents nothing more than a slap in the face to the great grandchildren of the people whom they terrorized. Organizations should be created in the tradition of the ADL (Anti Defamation League) with the full financial and material support of the U.S. and other nations in order to police the media in such a way that prevents the blatant disrespect and disregard of our humanity and abilities.

And most important of all,

Provide the opportunity for those Africans in America who are willing to return to Africa the opportunity along with 25 years of financial and material support in the West African nation of their choosing. This option should not me used as a means to penalize those whom choose to leave for the option to return should remain open for the duration of the 25 year period. This would open the door for forgiveness in my heart and mind. This would be an honest attempt to repair the damage done. I can care less about the Africans whom sold slaves to slavers. I AM NO LONGER IN THEIR POSSESSION!!! I am here in America with you now deal with it. Our Jewish brothers developed a beautiful example of nationhood and freedom when Justice, support, and freedom was dealt their way. Why does America view its victims as people deserving less?

I dare not say that this is THE ANSWER, it’s just an alternative to the current methods used to dodge Justice and Freedom in their purest forms. Nationalism Lives

Justice must be served before Closure, Closure must come before Forgiveness

To Be Free, or Not to Be Free

With one in three of our men incarcerated or on probation or parole, the prison industrial complex affects all of our families and communities in ways that no others are affected in America. We are faced with a state of emergency when our men are being shipped to far away prisons in numbers that rival South Africa’s incarceration rates under the racist apartheid government. Where do we turn when our men come home socially, economically, and politically disenfranchised? Do we continue to support and promote a system that has effectively eliminated a third of our men’s voting rights? I move that we begin to dialog about our political alternatives considering that we (Black men) have been effectively reintroduced to the relationship that our sharecropping forefathers had with the U.S. Government. We return from prison seeking employment, freedom, and opportunities but only find rejection, discrimination, and stereotypes. Black men who are convicted felons face a type of stress that would drive the average American insane. The fear and self-esteem issues alone are enough to destroy a person’s ability to succeed in under this system not to mention the effect that his inability to find stable employment or political status has on his relationships in the community whereupon he lives. Upon release the prisoner is set free from one prison and transitioned instantaneously into another by which he is intended to fail and return to the other. The solution: well the solution is multi tiered and requires the returning prisoner to first begin a process by which his self-esteem is rebuilt and strengthened. This man returning from prison must educate himself in the science of self; meaning that he must build his self esteem and courage by studying examples of other Black men whom overcame tremendous odds to find freedom and success. Imagine a man whom studies and molds himself after the likes of men such as El Hajj Malik Shabazz, W.E.B. Dubois, Huey Newton, and David Walker and the phenomenal potential that this man will possess after such study. We must remember that the society in which we live There exist a void in the spirits of Black men that we can never fill with jobs, money, or Black presidents. This void is what exists after generations of men and women are destroyed and subjugated to the extent that they develop a hatred for their own Black selves. In order to find liberation, justice, and freedom outside of the prison walls we must explore and exploit all political resources including Nationalism, Socialism, and other means that alert the international attention of the conditions under which Black men live here in America. Ultimately “to be free or not to be free” should be the political statement for Black men in 2008. With Barak Obama running for President and the political scene appearing primed for change, it is to be seen whether or not the change that is awaited will affect those who struggle to survive in a nation that appears to ignore the severity of their situation.