seriously.

crabs in a bucket. lack of cultural identity? black on black crime?

help me out. rather than fuss about someone doing something TO us, why not do for self?

help me out.

------QUOTE STARTS HERE------
BooDaah-OkayActivist Moderator
** PLEASE READ THE POSTING GUIDELINES:
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-----------------------------
Sister SheRise's Activist Stew Recipe:
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-----------------------------

--------sig-----------
"If you are an asshole keep your thoughts to yourself"
"If your intent is to hurt someone else's feelings for the sake of making yo'self look like a 'supastar', rethink your intent."
Nappiness is next to Godliness!!!
"To thy ownself be true"
Ms. Nappiness

---------------
Veronica-Precious
'Moon'

Check out my publishing company
UnSilenced Woman Press
www.unsilencedwomanpress.com


AquaMoon
Aqua Beats and Moon Verses: Volume I
http://www.spokenexistence.com/aqua_moon.html

that sad (but truthful) song about slave mentality, in-grained and/or taught mistrust, Jim Crow, Klu Kluz Klan, Strom Thurmond, Mr. Lynch, Somebody - no, EVERYBODY done me wrong song, blah, blah, blah.......

Boo, I see what you saying and perhaps even where you going - I don't particularly care for the "white man holding us back" jam either. But I just see an opportunity for self pity - although conceivable just but......

Some day I'd like to be labeled a great actionary as opposed to reactionary....giving "the man" something to respond to FIRST instead of the other way around......

Oh, but don't get me wrong....WHEN this (post) gets "heated" I'm IN IT!!!!!!! Nothing like good conversation, verbal elation, sharin'situations, temptations, education, relaxation, elevation..... (You know who said it; and if you don't: Ask Somebody!)

Live from the Shoe Sto'
NuShooz

I,I, I Can't Wait!

nushooz@blackplanet.com

Live from the Shoe Sto, the Mall and NOW the courtroom


I, I, I Can't Wait?
U've waited long enuff!

the world is effed up, and nobody owes you me or us jack. why SHOULDN'T those in power opress, suppress, depress those on whom their superiority is based? sure, fair is far, but so what? who said life was fair?

at what point do we feed into the idea of being our own enemy?

why ASSIST those who keep you down?

which is more important:
asking for the chains to be released or running with them on if thats what we have to do?

at what point will we learn that appealing to anothers sense of guilt or empathy or "righteousness" is pointless?

i wish somebody would seriously help me out.

Dag boodah, all those questions can be overwhelming and such a strong sense of anguish in your post.
There's a lot to think about with all those questions b/c some Black folks hate to believe their own people will do them wrong. i think it all goes back to human nature. There are just messed up folks.
And i also believe that some black folk are in a state of complacency b/c they feel like there's nothing to struggle for. We got the right to vote (but we don't utilize it), we got good jobs now (but we don't even keep the money in our communities...statistics say that black folks have money in their communities for 6 hours, compared to 4 days in chinese comm.), we can go to public schools now (and that ish is going down hill b/c it seems like so many are not valuing an education).
Black folk, we've lost our sense of struggle and the game is still going. now it's just psychological. There are no physical barriers holding us back, so what's our excuse now.
Boo-Dah, i don't know if i answered your questions but that's how i feel on some things

Peace
Ail


"Everybody's got issues, every-stinkin'-body"

"Boy, you look like steamy hot chocolate poured out on a milky sunrise- Unknown female "Mack"

"I don't know why I love you so much, I don't know...(sound of distress)..." some Stevie Wonder-ish

My Blog. Swing Phi Swing
http://swingbigphi.blogspot.com

My Mommy Blog. The Bourgie Baby
http://bourgiebaby.blogspot.com

"I bitch! Yooouuu Mooooaaaan....So I try another tactic..." --Jill Scott

OOOOhhhh, Do I FEEL YOU!

What can we say though?
Yes, the world is effed up....It's SOOOO Unfair that we be treated as "the least"......The Playing field is not level.....Blah, Blah, Blah but YOURE RIGHT: We can either sit on the side lines or PLAY in the uniform we've been issued! Dammitt!
>
>at what point do we feed into the idea of being
>our own enemy?
Boy, this is a familiar aurgument for me. It was not long ago that I said that we were are own worst enemies and it turned into an aurgment about societal unfairness and Freeway Rick when ALL I wanted was for US to take responsibility FOR US! Dammitt!

>why ASSIST those who keep you down?
Some folk don't realize that they are a part of the PROBLEM - remember: either you a part of the problem or you are a part of the solution. That's simple to me. Do drugs sales (on either end) make you a part of the solution or the problem? Does having your ass hanging out in a video make you a part of the problem or the solution? Does exposing your children to foul language and behavior make you a part of the problem or the solution. FOR ME the answers are PLAIN! But for others????? There is NO REASON for the purposely "assisting" but ignorance denotes otherwise.

>which is more important: asking for the chains to be released or running with them on if thats what we have to do?
I'll say it again: Run, Nigga, run! Dammitt! (yeah, I said it!)

>at what point will we learn
>that appealing to anothers sense
>of guilt or empathy or
>"righteousness" is pointless?
>
>i wish somebody would seriously help
>me out.
Man, Boo, you ain't the person that really needs the help. You've been designated as the "helper" This time has been ordained for you to pull others up. Hell yeah! I said it. "Pull up" because to think that the world owes you or that the government is the master of your fate puts you in a "down" position and YOU NEED TO B PULLED UP! You know better, Boo and so now it's your responsibility to educate/share with others. Don't get stopped on YOUR road to Damascus!

Much Love & Much Respect Infinitely to you....a Brother I have NEVER met but my life remains enriched by your inclusion!

Live from the Shoe Sto'
NuShooz

I,I, I Can't Wait!

nushooz@blackplanet.com

Live from the Shoe Sto, the Mall and NOW the courtroom


I, I, I Can't Wait?
U've waited long enuff!

>which is more important:
>asking for the chains to be
>released or running with them
>on if thats what we
>have to do?

this question is so powerful on so many different levels. my "i'ma try and make it back to this post later" answer is that i think a lot of us are running with the chains on.

a quasi-parallel just struck me b/t the chains you mentioned and the "bags" ms. badu sings about. sometimes you can't cut the chains or drop the bags...you just have to keep moving in spite of and "see what the end's gonna be" like that old spiritual says.

just sayin'.


~~wbg~~
AIM: wbgirl218

http://www.breastcancer3day.org
between this and the (re), Chicago in 2001 will be on some whole new fantabulous shyt! (c) me

september as ol' school quote month:
"...i get right to the point/my composition's not long or short/it's like a sport/hanging in the middle/and now that you're puzzled lemme kick the whole riddle..." (c) d-nice

~~wbg~~
"I pray sometimes to keep my head together,
because you can use prayer however you want.
There are no rules one way or the other."
--Jami Attenberg

http://helpcde.blogspot.com
http://queeneulalia.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/queeneulalia

Does anyone have any personal strategies that they employ to use those chains whilst they run the race?

peace
k. orr

http://breddanansi.tumblr.com/

first of all i never lose sight of the goal. rather than worry about how hard the race IS, i keep progressing so i won't be overtaken.

how?

using the knowledge i've gained for something other than a check. if i learn something i think it should be SHARED so the next won't have to repaeat my same mistakes. example. i have a degree in computer science. rather than use that knowledge for a corporation who only care about e till i become obsolete i share that knowledge with others who don't have the opportunity i had to get that degree (free computer seminars, classes, utoring, etc).

second, i operate on the "two heads" theory. i find folk who are likeminded about the goals and vision i have and we work TOGETHER. i thnk of all the intelligent minds who have different experiences and skills who i've come across. why be seperated and go let others pimp us, when we can join together and have something that is OURS?

third, i respect other folks opinions and let them fight their battles. as long as what they are trying to do doesn't hurt me, mine, or the ones's i'm ultimately trying to help, i don't knock anyones hustle. as lng as the goal is the same, i let those that choose to follow another path do their thing (as well as keeping a channel open by which we can work together directly as situations dictate).

also I operate in the long term. the work i do now, will (hopefully) help my descendants so they don't have to struggle as hard as i did. i may not be the direct recipient of any "good works" that i do, but rather than consume all the harvest i plant seeds that hopefully will be harvested long after i'm nothing more than a memory.

i could go on forever, but ultimately this is a topic i want to save for the roundtable discussion at the next reunion (God willing that i be there).

------QUOTE STARTS HERE------
BooDaah-OkayActivist Moderator
** PLEASE READ THE POSTING GUIDELINES:
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-----------------------------
Sister SheRise's Activist Stew Recipe:
Step1:inform yourself step/Step2:inform others/Step3:discuss the problem/Step4: DISCUSS SOLUTIONS/Step5:EXECUTE SOLUTIONS/Step6:evaluate the results/Step7:start over at 1 until desired result is accomplished.
-----------------------------

as usual i'm gonna come from an education perspective. my strategy, is continue to educate the kids.
fact: the u.s. education system wasn't created for us or by but it has served to keep us down.
personal strategy: so what i do
a.i acknowledge that the system is fucked up and has always been; there has never been equity in education. for me it was very imp. that i acknowlege that even with 'school reform' the system is still inadequate for poor Black students(my focus is for those from low ses-socio-economic status)b/c the system is based upon systematic/institutionalized racism. revolutionary acts need to take place not no reformatory acts.
b.i help these little crumb snatchers. like i've said before i have kids who come to my after failing SEVERAL times, that shoudln't happen. i can't help the world but i can help these kids one by one.
c. b/c in chicago u can get straight A's but if u don't do well on the standarized test u will not go to the next grade. so i teach the kids test taking skills. so that until there's a revolution in education at least they can do as the 'romans while in rome'.

--------sig-----------
"If you are an asshole keep your thoughts to yourself"
"If your intent is to hurt someone else's feelings for the sake of making yo'self look like a 'supastar', rethink your intent."
Nappiness is next to Godliness!!!
"To thy ownself be true"
Ms. Nappiness

---------------
Veronica-Precious
'Moon'

Check out my publishing company
UnSilenced Woman Press
www.unsilencedwomanpress.com


AquaMoon
Aqua Beats and Moon Verses: Volume I
http://www.spokenexistence.com/aqua_moon.html

>the world is effed up, and
>nobody owes you me or
>us jack. why SHOULDN'T
>those in power opress, suppress,
>depress those on whom their
>superiority is based? sure, fair
>is far, but so what?
>who said life was fair?

word I agree shits hard enough as is and folks think that because there are a couple of laws that say that black folks are ok now-that everything is alright-if I was white I would be trying to get over too, cause even those who don't believe in anything believe what goes around comes around-unfortunately we had some prosperity and gotten lazy-and when we do get angry we only hurt ourselves(i.e:riots and sensless violence against each other)

hell we invented the most powerful form music of in the world(hip-hop)and for the first time and all we can use it for is to talk about some superficial shit-

black folks we are wasting our shit

Becuz I was vibin with a friend of mine and she was reading some slave narratives for a class...and i think it is important to look back on our past (slavery, civil rights, all that good stuff) b/c some of us can deny it but it is all a part of us.
But anyway, I was thinking could all of the pain and suffering that our past descendants went thru could be passed to us genetically? Just think of all the slaves who suffered from depression and split personalities (to disassociate from horrible physical and sexual abuse), and any other mental problem.
Is it easier to blame the White man or the way our descendants handled their problems?? Why can't some people talk about race issues without getting emotional? i really think there is an emotional and mental tie to anguish and confusion that Black folks are going thru. Could that be holding us down?
And also, my friend was saying how on the slave ships, (as her professor was explaining to the class) how the women were savagely raped and separated from the men, and once they got to firm ground, the men were so ashamed of them, there was a rift between them...could these be the budding problems of Black men and women relationship problems? Are our Black men ashamed at us b/c we don't seem loyal? Do we distance ourselves from Black men b/c we don't think they are there to support us emotionally?

Could i be on to something?
Ingest and manifest this post...
Peace
Ail


"Everybody's got issues, every-stinkin'-body"

"Boy, you look like steamy hot chocolate poured out on a milky sunrise- Unknown female "Mack"

"I don't know why I love you so much, I don't know...(sound of distress)..." some Stevie Wonder-ish

"Fuck it, imma be a preacher!" Common

My Blog. Swing Phi Swing
http://swingbigphi.blogspot.com

My Mommy Blog. The Bourgie Baby
http://bourgiebaby.blogspot.com

"I bitch! Yooouuu Mooooaaaan....So I try another tactic..." --Jill Scott

the concept of a generational curse?

it basically means that the burdens (sins) of a parent can be passed down to and through their children to future offspring (ex: teen pregnancy, alcoholism, drug abuse, crime, poor education).

your post reminded me of that.

------QUOTE STARTS HERE------
BooDaah-OkayActivist Moderator
** PLEASE READ THE POSTING GUIDELINES:
http://www.okayplayer.com/guidelines.html
-----------------------------
Sister SheRise's Activist Stew Recipe:
Step1:inform yourself step/Step2:inform others/Step3:discuss the problem/Step4: DISCUSS SOLUTIONS/Step5:EXECUTE SOLUTIONS/Step6:evaluate the results/Step7:start over at 1 until desired result is accomplished.
-----------------------------

Biblical.....sorry I can't give you chpt and verse....but it's in there!

Live
Nu
I,I, I Can't Wait!

nushooz@blackplanet.com

Live from the Shoe Sto, the Mall and NOW the courtroom


I, I, I Can't Wait?
U've waited long enuff!

of course, history is so relavent. some Black folks wanna remove themselves from the past. but u can't remove yourself and break the vicious cycle until u understand and deal with the past.
the effects of slavery ain't just some ole theoretical ish that Black scholars came up with. the Black family has been strained since slavery and how we interact we each other is also as the result of slavery. Willie Lynch's 'divide and conquer' tactic was brillant and we are still falling prey to the madness of self-hate and intra-racial conflicts.
like i use to tell Black folks on my college campus it is so interesting how we are followed around the stores, women clutch their purses when we approach, administrators try to shut down our cultural center but as an unified front we didn't attack back; but whenever a phi beta looked at a kappa the 'perceived' wrong way then it's a rumble. why not fight the establishement, fight against the injustices that happened on that predomiately white campus.

--------sig-----------
"If you are an asshole keep your thoughts to yourself"
"If your intent is to hurt someone else's feelings for the sake of making yo'self look like a 'supastar', rethink your intent."
Nappiness is next to Godliness!!!
"To thy ownself be true"
Ms. Nappiness

---------------
Veronica-Precious
'Moon'

Check out my publishing company
UnSilenced Woman Press
www.unsilencedwomanpress.com


AquaMoon
Aqua Beats and Moon Verses: Volume I
http://www.spokenexistence.com/aqua_moon.html

****************************************
Jealousy , hate and unhappiness with their own lives.Lack of unity.Materialism.Ignorance.Fast money. Lack of morals.Lack of spirituality.No dreams or goals.Lack of involvement in the community.LAZINESS.


I could go on , but it is horrible. No one wants to get involved , no one gets outraged . No one cares. *SIGHING*




My Top Ten Prince Songs

10.I Wanna Be Your Lover

9.Little Red Corvette

8.Controversy

7. Purple Rain

6.Erotic City

5.She's Always In My Hair

4.Beautiful Ones

3.Insatiable

2.Joy In Repetition

1. Irresistable Bitch

****************************************
My Top Ten Prince Songs

10.I Wanna Be Your Lover

9.Little Red Corvette

8.Controversy

7. Purple Rain

6.Erotic City

5.She's Always In My Hair

4.Beautiful Ones

3.Insatiable

2.Joy In Repetition

1. Irresistable Bitch

and there is no definite answer to this dilema, but there are solutions.

Talk with and guide our next generation. I'm including the extended family, the kids in your neighborhood and your friends kids etc. If that means providing a positive example or stopping a kid when you see them doing wrong. Do it!!! We cannot afford to be afraid of our own children. I know from my experiences, when I see a young kid doing wrong, they don't know it. They don't have anything else to do and nobody said stop, so they do whatever comes to mind. I just don't believe that our children are inherently bad, so if I see something that's wrong I'll go talk to them. My wife thinks one of these 14 year olds is gonna shoot me for telling them to stop cursing, but I just don't think thats gonna happen.

I got a perfect example: One night, last summer, my wife and I got in about 9:30 p.m. There was a lot of noise in the front of the house, so I went outside to see what was going on. My neigbors were out having a drink on the porch. One of them says: "Look at your kids over there tearing up the school." There is a grammar school across the street from my house and tonight the neighborhood kids (about 10 to 12 of them) were riding this brand new fence. Basically, they were gonna break it. My first question was: "Why are you watching them do this?" They were like "I aint saying nothing to them kids!!" So I walk across the street and talk to the kids. I ask them what they're doing? All together they say "nothing!!" I explain that the fence is there for them and that the adults in the neighborhood paid for that fence (through taxes). They apologize and disband, I reminded them that they should be in the house by now because it is late. My wife's like: "what did you say to them?" Nothing, I just talked to them. These are the same kids that I have water fights with in the summer, they know who I am, they know where I live. I pay them for shoveling my snow. I speak to them when they walk past the house. I buy the cookies and candy when they sell them. I shake their hand and me them look me in the eye when they talk.

I am a neighbor.

That's how I was raised.

Peace

Pseudonym-less Wendell

Peace

Wendell

Whenever I see this kind of thread, I immediately think of my brethren that I see on the news. But I should really be looking in the mirror.

Sure I'm not there selling drugs, shooting up the neighborhood. And yes I have done my share in helping the cause, on the professional and on the volunteer tip. But when I really start to think about "our" problems on a grand scale I see how limited my efforts are.

The kids that I tutor gain something, but a person of my talent and education (include yourself in this description if you have finished college) can do much more for my community than be a role model or a surrogate parent/father figure. Not that is a small and trivial thing.

It seems most of the strategies that I see suggested, voting, marching, having community meetings, volunteering at community centers, attending school board meetings, following local politics don't really address what I think are the core issues.

The core issue in black America is having to go to white America for everything we need. I'm not talking about scholarships or reparations, I'm talking about jobs.

You think my vietnamese brethren have to explain getting off Lunar New Years day when the boss is also from the same spot? You ever wonder if your Indian counterparts have to take the turban off at work?

There are lots of brilliant black folks all working to fill the coffers of some one else. The book and food stores are nice, but what up with the black manufacturers? I remember sitting in a NSBE meeting listening to Proctor and Gamble talk about job opportunities. It then occurred to me, that if we pooled our intellectual resources we could do something without proctor and gamble. There is plenty of govt money set aside for minority contractors. How come we don't really take a big chunk of that?

There are definitely some personal strategies that the african american community as a whole could benefit from, investing, saving, real estate, avoiding conspicuous consumption, avoiding credit...But shouldn't we be thinking about an Onyx/Obsidian bank card? Shouldn't we be supplying chip designs to Transmeta?

peace
k. orr

http://breddanansi.tumblr.com/

>I immediately think of
>my brethren that I see
>on the news. But
>I should really be looking
>in the mirror.

there you go. that's it right there.


------QUOTE STARTS HERE------
BooDaah-OkayActivist Moderator
** PLEASE READ THE POSTING GUIDELINES:
http://www.okayplayer.com/guidelines.html
-----------------------------
Sister SheRise's Activist Stew Recipe:
Step1:inform yourself step/Step2:inform others/Step3:discuss the problem/Step4: DISCUSS SOLUTIONS/Step5:EXECUTE SOLUTIONS/Step6:evaluate the results/Step7:start over at 1 until desired result is accomplished.
-----------------------------

i feel what you are saying but on the otherhand i've seen Black folks burn themselves out and lose sight of self for the sake of the 'cause'. so i believe that every little bit helps and if everybody did at least a little bit then there will be change. i also think that things sometimes get so grandscale that shit don't happen b/c folks try to outdo themselves.

--------sig-----------
"If you are an asshole keep your thoughts to yourself"
"If your intent is to hurt someone else's feelings for the sake of making yo'self look like a 'supastar', rethink your intent."
Nappiness is next to Godliness!!!
"To thy ownself be true"
Ms. Nappiness

---------------
Veronica-Precious
'Moon'

Check out my publishing company
UnSilenced Woman Press
www.unsilencedwomanpress.com


AquaMoon
Aqua Beats and Moon Verses: Volume I
http://www.spokenexistence.com/aqua_moon.html

Telling people straight up "fix yourself" tends to get negative reactions. YOu have to help push people to WANT to change. It's easy to say, but if it were easy to do, I figure people woulda already DONE it. You make people feel as if they are powerful, that they can do what they want...build up in them that senseof "I can do this". Now, that's hard to do for someone who has learned that they can't do what they want. and that's just the reality of it. I don't think black people are any lazier than any other people in the world. But definitely damaged by the past. And it won't be simple to break through that. period.

http://www.funkknots.com look at the wonderful art! No it ain't mine! Just go there!Support your fellow player, ffunkknots

"Let them have their toy, we've got books."
Bill Cosby's response to Tavis Smiley of "BET Tonight "regarding the lack of minorities on television."

"Multiculturalism is a white people joke. Black people have always been here as different. People need to stop saying that there is one way to be--and then the issue will disappear." Ntozake Shange-interview in _Mother_ _Jones_

And it lies in education. When I say "education," I am not speaking in terms of institutional learning (although I am not mad at my B.A/B.S./M.D/PHD havin' brothas and sistas). It starts with self-awareness and pride, qualities that are (for various reasons) lacking in the black community.

If change is “a-comin’” Young progressives will be at the helm of the movement (as we so often are). Informing the masses will be at the top of the agenda. Our music will have to reflect a new way of thinking. Gone will be the days of “Back That Azz Up” “Nygga- this” and “Bytch-that”. Neighborhoods will begin to transform into the communal environments that our African ancestors thrived in (where violence/self-interest was frowned upon)…

This may sound far-fetched but many young sistas and brothas are coming to the realization that if our downward spiral continues at it’s current pace…who knows? It’s about taking our communities back by the reins and educating our people like never before. It will be a grass-roots effort but I believe that it can be achieved…


"We live the now for the promise of the infinite" --Mos Def

"I'm tryin' to soar to altitudes unknown to man, woman or the most agile of birds"

I go down to LA jus about every week to go to Crenshaw and see a show called Project Blowed, and its on Crenshaw, which is hella ghetto, basically black folk for miles. Now, I dont live there, I live in a mostly white, suburb of Los Angeles. There is a fair amount of black people, but no ghettos by any stretch of the imagination, although many would make you believe that.

So anyways. I was thinkin bout it the last time I was up there, and its like damn, look where all these people are livin? Cops all over the place, patrollin, you seein em every few minutes, whereas where I live, you barely see any at all. Also, jus the general attitude.

One thing Ive learned over the years from working, etc. is that pretty much you are who you kick it with. See, I kick it with people who are going places. About all my close friends, have plans for their lives, are going to college, blah blah blah, etc. But, at many of my jobs, Ive met working class people, who are stuck in my town basically having to feed for their kids off minimum wage. And they seem to know every one of the people that comes in thats in the same boat.

Its wierd for me to see people like that because Ive never been around underachievers, so I naturally have a drive and most importantly, the CONFIDENCE that I will succeed. But had I been raised around a totally different environment, one that maybe didnt seem so positive, I might be those underachievers that I know at my job, and thats all I would know. Sure, theres always the story of the kid from the ghetto defying the odds and going to Harvard, and becoming a lawyer, but thats the exception, not the rule. And its a normal achievement in a place like where I am.

Its jus our environment.... I dont know. Im rambling, once again analyzing while forgetting a solution. You guys find one.... Im out, peace. Kamikazee




******Yo, ask me bout Societal Evolution. Any body want it keep in touch, Ill be finished soon...Kamikazee

Hit me up if you wanna trade or sell vinyl, E-mail me or IM me if Im ever on, haha, I need more!! MORE!!! Im addicted, get at me and well connect. One love to all my vinyl addicts, keep playin the real ish, peace.

"You cant spend time twice..."-me

"The second somebody dies, somebody else is born, somebody celebratin while other people mourn, home may be home to you, but to me its foreign, even the matador dont pull the bull by the horn, one mans enemy is another mans friend, one mans poison is another mans medicine......"-Aceyalone

AIM:Kamikazee101******

money don't mean ish.....for example i was raised on free cheese and government food. when i was younger we were 'po'. but my thinking, my mindset, my spirit wasn't poor. although we were poor my mother found programs, activities, etc. etc. etc. for me to be involved in. so i don't give a freak what your socio-economic status is, your mentality doesn't have to be the same. it's not about if you surround yourself with rich or poor folks that's just the shell of a person but what are their hope, dreams, aspirations. and if you are surrounded by underachievers it is yo job to show them the light and show them that they can strive to change their condition.
that reminds me of when the equal housing laws were passed and all of the 'affluent' Black folks let their neighborhoods for a piece of the white and suburbia pie leaving all of the 'havenots' in the ghetto/hood. many of these folks ain't looked back yet to go back and help those they left behind out. not that's some bullshit

--------sig-----------
"If you are an asshole keep your thoughts to yourself"
"If your intent is to hurt someone else's feelings for the sake of making yo'self look like a 'supastar', rethink your intent."
Nappiness is next to Godliness!!!
"To thy ownself be true"
Ms. Nappiness

---------------
Veronica-Precious
'Moon'

Check out my publishing company
UnSilenced Woman Press
www.unsilencedwomanpress.com


AquaMoon
Aqua Beats and Moon Verses: Volume I
http://www.spokenexistence.com/aqua_moon.html

I think people forget how scary this 400+ journey has been for us, the African Diaspora in America. Our shining leaders were assasinated, our strength has been suppressed by violence, segregation, and conditioning.

We maintain a self-fulfilling prophecy that keeps us in a perpetual, mental prison. Freedom begins with self but without esteem or worth how can one overcome or rise up?

"When you move beyond your fear, you feel free."

Please check out "Who Moved My Cheese?", a book about dealing with change.

"Haw realized he had been held captive by his own fear. Moving in a new direction had freed him."

I spend less time worrying about my enemies or people doing things I have no control over. The only person who can hold me back is me so I stay true to my self. I spend all of my time looking for personal freedom and purpose. If every single person felt free inside there would be no fear and no crabs in the barrel.

Peace!

"No matter who you are or what your age may be, if you want to achieve permanent, sustaining success, the motivation that will drive you toward that goal must come from within." - Ultramagnetic MCs

<--- Blame this lady for Nutty.

Moma always told me 'don't nobody owe you a damn thing', and I have preserved that mental mind state to this day. Altho I have been blessed to have a loving family to help support me when I lick my wounds, I'm out on the forefront trying to blaze new trails while traversing old ones walked by granddaddy's momma's daddy, dig?...

I'm a black man, and within my scripted formula for success, racism has already been factored in, period. Even within this American Babylon, even within our trails of tears of 500 years, even after the lynchings, the rapes, the homicides and the maimings, we are still here, and bottomline, there is no excuse worthy of any real mental attention. Whenever I begin to feel sorry for myself, I try to envision the hulls of ships full of caramel people looking forward to their death and my life, and that self-pity goes away.If I am blessed to have my health, mental and physical, I have no choice but to keep it movin...

People might not like this, but eff that marching drama.Overstand, those who marched for humanity down those dark streets getting their cabbage cracked for my benefit, nothing but love and respect! But today, everytime a brother/sister gets shot or killed or effed over by pigs, we got Rev. Chickenwing and prosperity-preachin Evangelist Creffro on CNN talking about a march...hire, train and recruit some MOP-types to take these killers out who don't receive their just-do in court, a 'hitman for harmony' of sorts...
41 shots?!!! and those men haven't received a visit yet?!!!Ante the f*ck Up!

Like Big Tymers on Rap City, its the same shit over and over... and people keep relying on that 'white man' excuse when we speak of our own degredation. Take what you learn, and infiltrate your own.

Unfortunately, some of us bear the burden of being 'Super-Negro', when it comes to the workplace, trying to be the outstanding, non-conventional, non-stereotypical, non-threatening Black person. DON"T DO IT! Be yourself, because you are still the enemy regardless of how much you front for others and self...

I'm an equal opportunity discriminator, because I don't trust anybody that ain't spiritual family, black or white, and it takes time for me to trust you, period. Sometimes I don't trust my damn self...I'm afraid of black people and white people, for reasons distant and the same.

For real, the 60's were just a dress rehearsal, and if people don't collabo now, our fragmented troops will get rolled on.
Water...never thought you would have to buy it...
Land....getting scarcer by the minute, like the ozone layer
Currency...paper bills are replaced by cards and credit reports.




http://www.funkknots.com.
ORIGINAL HIP HOP INSPIRED ART!

"...The rooster had gotten horse in his old age, and sometimes his crow was nothing more than a whisper... but atleast that muthafucka tried!"
-Walter Mosely, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

and we wanna be like Dwight Mann.

Not to sound bias but Islam is the only solution, but how many negroes are willing to sacrifice ans submit? are you?

look in the mirror, the problem lies there.

"Thought Twice, shoulda thought once... got played for the dunce" Malik B

www.instagram.com/schemeofthings

>and we wanna be like Dwight
>Mann.

do we? really? i don't. explain.

>Not to sound bias but Islam
>is the only solution,

really? why the ONLY? how?

>but how many negroes are willing
>to sacrifice ans submit?
>are you?

here's the rub isn't it? to what lengths are any of us willing to sacrifice? in my case I beleive that my survival/well-being is far bigger than my house/job/whatever material. now on the other hand, i have a wife to consider. would i saacrifice HER happiness (or my mothers for another example? i dunno. what about YOU? whee is YOUR line of questionable demarcation?

>look in the mirror, the problem
>lies there.

me? interesting. to a certain degree i might be inclined to agree (in the sense that there are times when my desire to see my people overcome is secondary to the wellbeing of those in my immediate family as described above). or are you speaking to me specifically? elaborate...

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>>Not to sound bias but Islam
>>is the only solution,

first, i'll tell you a couple of true stories:
a couple of years ago i was sitting talking with my sister's now-deceased husband about islam. i asked him about something i had heard regarding the fact that there are muslims who believe that if you are not a follower of islam that you should be put to death (basically asking if this were true or not, orthodox or not). he basically said that yes this was true. i said does that mean that because I (the brother of his wife and uncle of his two sons) wasn't islamic that I too should die. he said that ultimately the answer is yes, but that because I was a "good person" that he doesn't believe it applied to me. now this very same man (whom i respected) would prech islam from here to there, but ultimately died young leaving my sister to raise two hellion boys via circumstances that were completely avoidable (he smoked himself into a grave, literally).

second
atlanta, 1992. the day after the rodney king riots in the atlanta university center. the student body decided to have a candleight vigil to protes the court decision. we were to march from our respective campus chapels to the libary which is near the center of the center. the atlanta polic had other ideas based upon events of the previous day (some people from the projects in the auc are had looted downtown atl, and the cops chased them back to the area. as a result they decided to stamp out any public displays of dissatisfaction -- using force if necessary). anyway as you could imagine when you have such a charged environment, all hell broke loose. students vs atl police. after getting our a$$es kicked for several hours (including being bumrushed like sheep into campus buildings where we were barricaded so they could throw tear gas inside), i remember thinking: for several years I have been going to school here, and not a day has passed when these campuses weren't dripping with bow-tie wearing brothers hawking final calls and bean pies. everyday they would scream to high heaven about a coming revolution, and the need for Black folks to stand up for their rights and protecct themselves (using an eye for an eye type violence if that was what was being used against us). throughout the whole incident with the cops i didn't see one bow tie from the mosque which was less than 5 minutes away. even after it was over and the auc students were being blasted in the press at no time did i see any of those folk with whom i had spent many an hour discussing the "Plight of the Black Race (tm)".

now my point in telling these stories is not to imply that islam is "bad" in any way, but to simply state that in all my experiences with muslim brothers and sisters, that ultimatly they stike me as a group no different that any other people following a particular path to glory. again, i'm not picking (or implying anything either), i just want you to explain how islam is the "only" way in light of the fact that i can turn on the news right now and show you several places where Black muslims are just as bad off as anyone else (again, pleasse don't take this as an attack on islam, because that is completely not my intention).
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Although I am not Muslim, my teenage mentors were and they were around to help guide me through my last few years of high school (Louisville) and into college (Brooklyn). I learned a lot about their lifestyle and family but they never felt the need to tell me that Islam was the only true religion or that I was lost if I did not become a Muslim. They taught me to feel worthy of myself, of my talents and abilities, especially in the white world.

Looking in the mirror to find answers to why Blacks keep themselves down is a good idea. Saying to others that your beliefs, your religion, your family or anything about your lifestlye is better or more righteous than other's personal freedom and spiritual awareness is only part of the problem. It contributes to that "crabs in a barrel mentality".

It's a a shame that people can't step out from beneath religious doctrines or other "standards" to enlighten themselves and others. If you (or your religion) is not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Free your minds!

Peace!

"No matter who you are or what your age may be, if you want to achieve permanent, sustaining success, the motivation that will drive you toward that goal must come from within." - Ultramagnetic MCs

<--- Blame this lady for Nutty.

let me say that in asking these questions and telling my little stories, I am merely relating my personal experiences and trying to gain enlightenment regardinng the reason why islam is supposedly "the only way" Black folk are going to get themselves together. in no way am i blaming the belief for the actions of it's followers (that is a whole different thread).

frankly i honestly believe that ONE thing we need to do is look beyond our ideological differents (relion for example) and actively work on that which is a common goal (our overall uplift as a people). this goes back to a statement i made before about realizing that while we may not agree on how to get there we should at least work TOGETHER where we can so we both reach the final endpoint.

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** PLEASE READ THE POSTING GUIDELINES:
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-----------------------------

My last post had less to do about Islam than it had to do with hiding behind ideology or some kind of standard/belief instead of representing (for oneself) self-determination, awareness and personal freedom. Empowerment happens within. How can anybody support a cause or community when they are conditioned to feel unworthy or powerless?

I am talking about a mindset that goes beyond religion and includes all kinds of institutionalized thinking (social/political). I am talking about the domestication of a planet.

We live in a society that is ruled by fear. It exists on many different levels. We are searching for truth that right in front our faces. We just choose not to look, not to see. We can not see that we are part of a big dream, a big illusion so we live in a fog. We can not help but keep each other down in order to maintain this illusion. We keep searching and searching, going in circles rather than transcending or elevating ourselves from this fog...just like crabs.

Sorry for rambling. I feel that we, as individuals, have some much personal power that can be directed at freeing our minds and opening up a path for others.

"We keep searching and searching, when everything is already within us."
- Don Miguel Ruiz' "The Four Agreements"

"No matter who you are or what your age may be, if you want to achieve permanent, sustaining success, the motivation that will drive you toward that goal must come from within." - Ultramagnetic MCs

<--- Blame this lady for Nutty.

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0036/noel.shtml


"So down with myself, bitch I can chill as a bum, ho hum" - Slim Kid Tre/On The D.L.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

Interesting article. I am not surprised in the least but I am disappointed to hear that after over 40 years, NOI still can't get it together. Of course NOI does not represent all of Islam, nor does it encompass all Black Muslims in this country. However, I think the article points to why people can't hide behind ideology.

I know why I feel so strongly about this issue. After so many centuries, we are caught in a political vacuum and the self fulfilling prophecy lives on.

Thanks for the link.

"No matter who you are or what your age may be, if you want to achieve permanent, sustaining success, the motivation that will drive you toward that goal must come from within." - Ultramagnetic MCs

<--- Blame this lady for Nutty.

I was at Mo'house at the time, and remember first watching the chaos in the AUC on the news...couldn't believe my eyes because it seemed so surreal. So I walked outta my crib off Ashby Street, just in time to walk straight up in a standoff between the students and pigs directly in front of Morehouse chapel, with the enormous statue of Martin King Jr. observing it all....still got a few pictures of it.

sorry...old man flashbacks..please continue

http://www.funkknots.com.
ORIGINAL HIP HOP INSPIRED ART!

"...The rooster had gotten horse in his old age, and sometimes his crow was nothing more than a whisper... but atleast that muthafucka tried!"
-Walter Mosely, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

as salty-real as the sweat on your brow from the mass activity of brain cells colliding, and as elusive as the definition of love. The many reasons for our collective demise are infinitely soft to the skin like the antebellum Southern breezes during family pic-a-nics/lynchings...

Human Factor-humans are social creatures who are primarily self serving, self sometimes being the individual, or the collective self, a herd of cattle separated from the whole bonded together for preservation. True unity, even amongst people of your plasma, will never exist on a grand scale.
White people in America aren't truly unified except perhaps in their collective deep-seeded angst about indigenous/imported colored creatures, and they still can't decide what to do with us! I take that back, we can sing, perform various acts with a ball, populate the slave-auction prisons, or die in these killing streets...

Class-There is a strata separating negroes from afro-americans from coloreds. Most of us are right at or below the poverty line. Success breeds contempt, and many who do succeed do not want to revisit their roots. Poverty is glorified and despised simultaneously.Riches are sought by any means, and if it means shooting you over a bubblegoose, the sangre will flow!

Self-Hate
Intra-Race Bias
Self Denial
Economic Roadblocks

And all those other things I can't mention due to time constraints. However, the most serious thing I perceive is a lack of self-discipline and also hope. I see the proverbial glass half-full, filled by the tears people stuck in the empty half. I refuse to discredit the struggles and sacrifices of my people by always lamenting, always blaming 'the man','my daddy wasn't here for me', 'I have to work 3x as hard as a white boy'.Racism and your black skin have a wonderful marriage, and if it lasted 500 years so far, don't look for any divorce proceedings in the near future. Its here, its infiltrated every sector of your being, its vicious and unforgiving-factor it in, carry the one, and move on...
If some people had half the blessings and opportunities I have and many young people have in this country,our collective situation would be much brighter. I am the result of many hundreds of births and deaths...my seed was sown long ago. I think my umi must know Mos Def, cuz mine says the same thing, 'shine your light'.
Black people will never work it out. Sad but true. Its not a coincidence that Native Americans are even worse off than us. There are many successes in our community, coupled with many failures.We can't save all of our people altho our hearts say otherwise, because some are already too far gone, and some simply don't want to be saved, but if you extend your brown hand, redemption can be salvaged one person at a time.




http://www.funkknots.com.
ORIGINAL HIP HOP INSPIRED ART!

"...The rooster had gotten horse in his old age, and sometimes his crow was nothing more than a whisper... but atleast that muthafucka tried!"
-Walter Mosely, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned