I haven't been on Blogger in over two years. A lot has happened, but I don't even have the time to update all that. However, I do want to put down some thoughts on my upcoming birthday. I feel like I really need to get this out.
In the next coming days, I will be embarking on my 28th birthday. This marks a very interesting point in my lifespan. It will officially be ten years since I entered “adulthood.” And really, the last ten years have been quite a ride. However, I think my expectation after I turned 18 was that by the time I reached 28, things would be much easier to figure out. It isn’t that I thought everything would just be easy, but I did think that with age and a little wisdom and maturity, figuring it all out – this life thing – wouldn’t be as much of a struggle. However, as I write this I am confronted with the reality that even with the lessons you learn with age and wisdom, life just isn’t that simple.
As I reminisce, I can very confidently say that my childhood was not very easy at all. There were plenty of struggles to deal with, but I was fortunate that it was never as bad as it could have been, or bad as it was for many of my peers in my neighborhood. It all turned out okay, so I felt like it would just keep getting better with every passing experience and lesson. And frankly, each year has brought some new excitement or achievement that has made me very grateful. At the same time, not everything has been berries and roses.
Life is usually filled with ups and downs, obstacles and triumphs. But sometimes I feel like I’m behind the cuff on trying to keep the balance. It’s all like a cruel situation-comedy with me as the confused butt of the joke. It seems more than a rough patch; it’s a whole rough forest. Weird as it feels, I’m sure there will be better days and clearer answers. But right now, a brother is struggling.
Additionally, it seems that every friendship I have is going through some sort of test; whether it is about lack of free time, not being able to return phone calls or just a matter of growing apart. It’s kind of painful to witness friendships that I value slowly weakening, at a time where I could use good friendships the most. I realize that sometimes these things happen and it is a part of getting older, but I think that part of my concern is that I didn’t take enough time to try to preserve these friendships before they reached their declines. I’m not sure of how I would or could do it, but I may have to figure out ways to make amends to save the friendships that can be saved, and strengthen the friendships that are barely stable.
As for love, who knows! The word “complicated” is overused, but it is so perfect for my love life. I don’t really worry about it too much; being a bachelor can be a good thing at my age, but it has been a rollercoaster lately and now the ride is over… the amusement park is closed for the season, and I’m out here hoping for a carnival to just pop out of nowhere. (Sigh)
Even with all of the issues that are clearly clouding my skies, I’m hopeful that this next year will be better than this past year. I know I have work to do, but there is still a lot of living that I am looking forward to, even through the "rough forests."
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, August 26, 2006
My new MySpace Page
So, I haven't been on blogger in a minute... okay more like five months.
But part of that is because I have a new place to blog - www.mypsace.com/originjay
That's where I'll be for most of the time. My two or maybe three readers can find me there.
But part of that is because I have a new place to blog - www.mypsace.com/originjay
That's where I'll be for most of the time. My two or maybe three readers can find me there.
Friday, March 24, 2006
YES!!!
They just mad 'cause she gifted!
_________
Seven-year-old poet defended, praised
by NAYABA ARINDE
Amsterdam News Staff
Originally posted 3/16/2006
"It's just a poem," Autumn Ashante, 7, explained of her "proud andpowerful" lyrical offering that has set off a firestorm of controversyand a media feeding frenzy.Out of the mouth of babes, the seven-year-old prolific reader andperformance poet has been "unofficially" banned from Westchesterschools because of a dynamic poem she recited, according to herfather, Batin Ashante."My daughter was invited to perform at Peekskill High and MiddleSchools on the last day of Black History Month and responding to anear riot that was avoided on the previous day, and to what sheconsidered to be a racist mural in the middle school, she recited the Black Panther Party's `Black Child's Pledge' and her poem `WhiteNationalism Put U In Bondage.'"
Autumn recited the entire pledge before a bank of journalists at CityHall on Tuesday."I pledge allegiance to my Black People," she said. "I will keepmyself physically fit, building a strong body free from drugs andother substances which weaken me and make me less capable ofprotecting myself, my family and my Black brothers and sisters."Some in the media were less than thrilled by her "White nationalism iswhat put you in bondage: pirates and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them withsteel, tricks and deceit."
Ashante said that his daughter was offended by a four-wall schoolmural with depictions of Black folks kneeling at the feet of AbeLincoln with his hands outstretched "like Jesus;" and then Black folkbuilding the pyramids for a white pharaoh and his wife."She said, `Have you guys seen that racist mural?' and then she toldthem about white nationalism," her father told the Amsterdam News."Autumn announced that she was speaking to the Black and Spanishstudents, and did her poem, and those students started screaming.
The officials didn't like that."The upstate school district "has a problem with her view of whiteNationalism," he added, "I guess they think that a seven-year-oldcan't understand because she has not seen what happened duringHurricane Katrina, right?"The Amsterdam News asked her what she thought about the subsequentofficial school response after her presentation.While saying that the "Black and Spanish" students cheered, a handfulof white students did walk out, Ashante replied, "I think it was sad and I am confused because they are making a big fuss about a poem."She understands however that the official response means that, "It was effective to them."Ashante, a group home counselor, said that his girl "loves to read. She drinks in books and remembers everything. Right now she's reading another encyclopedia, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and FrederickDouglass.
He explained that they worked on the poem together after reading "TheDisasters Darwinism Brought to Humanity."Ashante said that his daughter was invited to the school by PeekskillMiddle School music teacher Councilmember Melvin Bolden."He was suspended, they took him out of the classroom," said Ashante. Bolden did not return an Amsterdam News phone call by press time.Judith Johnson, the superintendent of Peekskill City School District,did not return an Amsterdam News inquiry, but her assistant Alma Jimenez said that all she could do was read a statement. She denied that Ashante has been banned from performing in the schooldistrict, but said, "The controversy surrounding this situation is unfortunate. Autumn … appeared before a culturally diverse [audience]and in her poem and actions she attempted to bring a wedge betweenAfrican-American and white students. The students rejected herefforts. We do not have a racially isolated community, people live andwork and go to school together."The teacher who brought her to the school [Mel Bolden] … said thather performance was inappropriate for a young audience and hasapologized for the incident viewed by many as racist."Parents and "the entire community" were told that Ashante's "views andactions" did not reflect the views of the Peekskill school district."The Amsterdam News responded that the person in question is asever-year-old, but Jimenez said abruptly that "I can only read thestatement."
At Tuesday press conferences Councilman Charles Barron said, "Eliot Spitzer needs to investigate this case. She's a seven-year-old who hasthe right to free speech."Later that same afternoon Rev. Al Sharpton harangued Westchesterschool officials who called in a recorded apology to parents ofstudents at Peekskill High School and Peekskill Middle School.Ashante said that his daughter has been traumatized by what Sharptoncalled "an entire overreaction.""The proper thing to do would have been to call the schools togetherand have an analytical discussion, not apologize as if she didsomething wrong," Sharpton blasted.
Barron presented Ashante with a special proclamation from the CityCouncil. "We don't care what anybody else says, we are proud of youbecause you spoke out for us. She said nothing that was not true orinspiring," he said of the child who, according to her father, speaks three languages."The pubic school system needs to hire her father as "a paidconsultant. Maybe we need to write a letter to [Schools Chancellor]Joel Klein.""I'd love to share my formula," said Ashante. "It is one classroom perchild."Late on Tuesday evening, Ashante called the Amsterdam News to say thatsomeone was littering the Peekskill neighborhood with Nazi fliers.Upstate resident Don DeBar, the Hudson Valley reporter for WBAI's WakeUp Call, told the Amsterdam News that the fliers look "identical tothe expensively laminated inappropriate garbage sent out last year.
It has swastikas and a racist and anti-Semitic blurb."DeBar said that he thinks that it is the work of a "guy in his garagewith a laminating machine, who goes out at the weekend and throws thefliers in his station wagon. I don't think they were made in responseto the poem issue, the flier looks like the generic garbage. Maybe heread about the issue this week and decided to put Peekskill on his route.""I'm not shocked, I understand the times in which we live, and I'm trying to make Autumn aware," said Ashante. "This is near BearMountain, the Klan run this area."He told the paper that he has raised Autumn by himself since she was11 months old. A media veteran already, Ashante has performed at showsand cultural events from the African Burial Ground to Katrina. She isa voracious reader who began reading books at two years old."I've seen how much power we have when our children are exposed toknowledge of our history. The best thing they ever did was to give hera library card," he smiled.Asked what she would tell fellow second-graders (if she wasn'thome-schooled by father), Ashante told the Amsterdam News, "I'd encourage them to read more because knowledge is power."
_________
Seven-year-old poet defended, praised
by NAYABA ARINDE
Amsterdam News Staff
Originally posted 3/16/2006
"It's just a poem," Autumn Ashante, 7, explained of her "proud andpowerful" lyrical offering that has set off a firestorm of controversyand a media feeding frenzy.Out of the mouth of babes, the seven-year-old prolific reader andperformance poet has been "unofficially" banned from Westchesterschools because of a dynamic poem she recited, according to herfather, Batin Ashante."My daughter was invited to perform at Peekskill High and MiddleSchools on the last day of Black History Month and responding to anear riot that was avoided on the previous day, and to what sheconsidered to be a racist mural in the middle school, she recited the Black Panther Party's `Black Child's Pledge' and her poem `WhiteNationalism Put U In Bondage.'"
Autumn recited the entire pledge before a bank of journalists at CityHall on Tuesday."I pledge allegiance to my Black People," she said. "I will keepmyself physically fit, building a strong body free from drugs andother substances which weaken me and make me less capable ofprotecting myself, my family and my Black brothers and sisters."Some in the media were less than thrilled by her "White nationalism iswhat put you in bondage: pirates and vampires like Columbus, Morgan, and Darwin drank the blood of the sheep, trampled all over them withsteel, tricks and deceit."
Ashante said that his daughter was offended by a four-wall schoolmural with depictions of Black folks kneeling at the feet of AbeLincoln with his hands outstretched "like Jesus;" and then Black folkbuilding the pyramids for a white pharaoh and his wife."She said, `Have you guys seen that racist mural?' and then she toldthem about white nationalism," her father told the Amsterdam News."Autumn announced that she was speaking to the Black and Spanishstudents, and did her poem, and those students started screaming.
The officials didn't like that."The upstate school district "has a problem with her view of whiteNationalism," he added, "I guess they think that a seven-year-oldcan't understand because she has not seen what happened duringHurricane Katrina, right?"The Amsterdam News asked her what she thought about the subsequentofficial school response after her presentation.While saying that the "Black and Spanish" students cheered, a handfulof white students did walk out, Ashante replied, "I think it was sad and I am confused because they are making a big fuss about a poem."She understands however that the official response means that, "It was effective to them."Ashante, a group home counselor, said that his girl "loves to read. She drinks in books and remembers everything. Right now she's reading another encyclopedia, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and FrederickDouglass.
He explained that they worked on the poem together after reading "TheDisasters Darwinism Brought to Humanity."Ashante said that his daughter was invited to the school by PeekskillMiddle School music teacher Councilmember Melvin Bolden."He was suspended, they took him out of the classroom," said Ashante. Bolden did not return an Amsterdam News phone call by press time.Judith Johnson, the superintendent of Peekskill City School District,did not return an Amsterdam News inquiry, but her assistant Alma Jimenez said that all she could do was read a statement. She denied that Ashante has been banned from performing in the schooldistrict, but said, "The controversy surrounding this situation is unfortunate. Autumn … appeared before a culturally diverse [audience]and in her poem and actions she attempted to bring a wedge betweenAfrican-American and white students. The students rejected herefforts. We do not have a racially isolated community, people live andwork and go to school together."The teacher who brought her to the school [Mel Bolden] … said thather performance was inappropriate for a young audience and hasapologized for the incident viewed by many as racist."Parents and "the entire community" were told that Ashante's "views andactions" did not reflect the views of the Peekskill school district."The Amsterdam News responded that the person in question is asever-year-old, but Jimenez said abruptly that "I can only read thestatement."
At Tuesday press conferences Councilman Charles Barron said, "Eliot Spitzer needs to investigate this case. She's a seven-year-old who hasthe right to free speech."Later that same afternoon Rev. Al Sharpton harangued Westchesterschool officials who called in a recorded apology to parents ofstudents at Peekskill High School and Peekskill Middle School.Ashante said that his daughter has been traumatized by what Sharptoncalled "an entire overreaction.""The proper thing to do would have been to call the schools togetherand have an analytical discussion, not apologize as if she didsomething wrong," Sharpton blasted.
Barron presented Ashante with a special proclamation from the CityCouncil. "We don't care what anybody else says, we are proud of youbecause you spoke out for us. She said nothing that was not true orinspiring," he said of the child who, according to her father, speaks three languages."The pubic school system needs to hire her father as "a paidconsultant. Maybe we need to write a letter to [Schools Chancellor]Joel Klein.""I'd love to share my formula," said Ashante. "It is one classroom perchild."Late on Tuesday evening, Ashante called the Amsterdam News to say thatsomeone was littering the Peekskill neighborhood with Nazi fliers.Upstate resident Don DeBar, the Hudson Valley reporter for WBAI's WakeUp Call, told the Amsterdam News that the fliers look "identical tothe expensively laminated inappropriate garbage sent out last year.
It has swastikas and a racist and anti-Semitic blurb."DeBar said that he thinks that it is the work of a "guy in his garagewith a laminating machine, who goes out at the weekend and throws thefliers in his station wagon. I don't think they were made in responseto the poem issue, the flier looks like the generic garbage. Maybe heread about the issue this week and decided to put Peekskill on his route.""I'm not shocked, I understand the times in which we live, and I'm trying to make Autumn aware," said Ashante. "This is near BearMountain, the Klan run this area."He told the paper that he has raised Autumn by himself since she was11 months old. A media veteran already, Ashante has performed at showsand cultural events from the African Burial Ground to Katrina. She isa voracious reader who began reading books at two years old."I've seen how much power we have when our children are exposed toknowledge of our history. The best thing they ever did was to give hera library card," he smiled.Asked what she would tell fellow second-graders (if she wasn'thome-schooled by father), Ashante told the Amsterdam News, "I'd encourage them to read more because knowledge is power."
Updates
I know for the possibly two people who might read this blog every once in a while I must be a complete disappointment. I have been very busy over the last two months and have completely neglected my blog, so here is an update.
Two months ago, I started working at a law office in Northern Virginia. It's an okay job. I don't get paid that much (even though I am a lawyer), but I am getting a lot of experience.
I have been trying to plan my future beyond working in this law office. If I stay there till 2007, it will be a small miracle. I hope to get a job at a non-profit, since I want to start my own non-profit down the road. Right now, I'm just trying to get by; pay some bills; learn some new stuff; meet some new people.
_________________
On another note, I really haven't been able to be very social lately. What was funny when I was unemployed was that I wouldn't go out because I didn't have any money and was slightly depressed because I didn't have a job. Now I have a job, but I still don't have a lot of money and now I don't have a lot of time. When I do have time, my friends don't have time - I need some new friends... friends who aren't lawyers!
_________________
I have also been bothered by the fact that I seem to not be able to contact some of my closest friends. Either we are all too busy or there are things going on in their lives which have limited there ability to answer the phone or return a damn phone call. Either way, it's annoying. I suspect that one of my closest female friends doesn't answer the phone when I call because she doesn't want her fiancee to see her talking to another man. I could be wrong, but I have a bad feeling that I am absolutely right.
Two months ago, I started working at a law office in Northern Virginia. It's an okay job. I don't get paid that much (even though I am a lawyer), but I am getting a lot of experience.
I have been trying to plan my future beyond working in this law office. If I stay there till 2007, it will be a small miracle. I hope to get a job at a non-profit, since I want to start my own non-profit down the road. Right now, I'm just trying to get by; pay some bills; learn some new stuff; meet some new people.
_________________
On another note, I really haven't been able to be very social lately. What was funny when I was unemployed was that I wouldn't go out because I didn't have any money and was slightly depressed because I didn't have a job. Now I have a job, but I still don't have a lot of money and now I don't have a lot of time. When I do have time, my friends don't have time - I need some new friends... friends who aren't lawyers!
_________________
I have also been bothered by the fact that I seem to not be able to contact some of my closest friends. Either we are all too busy or there are things going on in their lives which have limited there ability to answer the phone or return a damn phone call. Either way, it's annoying. I suspect that one of my closest female friends doesn't answer the phone when I call because she doesn't want her fiancee to see her talking to another man. I could be wrong, but I have a bad feeling that I am absolutely right.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Say Word
Word Life
By J. Grant
It’s only a word
Words can’t hurt you
Words have no power
Words are just that, words.
If words have no power, no one would care about Shakespeare or Giovanni
No one would care about Angelou or Baraka,
Frost or Fitzgerald
Who would need a Richard Wright or James Baldwin…?
Sonia Sanchez or Langston Hughes…
Zora Neale or Gwendolyn Brooks
Because poets would be unnecessary
And poems couldn’t be used as weapons to the armless
And songs would not be used as soundtracks to rebellion
No one would sit down and listen to a song and say,
“I can feel that”
I can feel Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith
I can feel Marvin and Stevie and Smokey
And Aretha and Ella…
Sing about the highs and lows of love and life
But no one would feel that because words are just that, words.
But words have life, and love doesn’t come from your words
How you gonna say that? You know I got love for you, nigga…
I love you so much, I call you my nigga.
Love, Black man? Love?
Then love me, Black man
Love me like your brother
Your blood
Your twin
Your son
Your cousin
Your nephew
Your heart
Your friend
Show me that love you speak of
That love, that great love my brother has for his brother
Love, Black man, love!
Understand it and breathe life into it.
2006 J.A.G. Productions (c)
By J. Grant
It’s only a word
Words can’t hurt you
Words have no power
Words are just that, words.
If words have no power, no one would care about Shakespeare or Giovanni
No one would care about Angelou or Baraka,
Frost or Fitzgerald
Who would need a Richard Wright or James Baldwin…?
Sonia Sanchez or Langston Hughes…
Zora Neale or Gwendolyn Brooks
Because poets would be unnecessary
And poems couldn’t be used as weapons to the armless
And songs would not be used as soundtracks to rebellion
No one would sit down and listen to a song and say,
“I can feel that”
I can feel Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith
I can feel Marvin and Stevie and Smokey
And Aretha and Ella…
Sing about the highs and lows of love and life
But no one would feel that because words are just that, words.
But words have life, and love doesn’t come from your words
How you gonna say that? You know I got love for you, nigga…
I love you so much, I call you my nigga.
Love, Black man? Love?
Then love me, Black man
Love me like your brother
Your blood
Your twin
Your son
Your cousin
Your nephew
Your heart
Your friend
Show me that love you speak of
That love, that great love my brother has for his brother
Love, Black man, love!
Understand it and breathe life into it.
2006 J.A.G. Productions (c)
Friday, November 04, 2005
Scorpio: An autobiography of my first 25 years as a poet
On October 30, 1980, I was born in the crazy borough of The Bronx, New York.
This past Sunday, I turned 25 years old. I named this post after a collection of essays by Nikki Giovanni when she turned 25, called "Gemini..."; I think it is fitting for a title of my own 25-year life.
If I was to tell a story about my life it would have to start with the interesting life of a black-sheep grandfather who separated himself from the rest of his siblings. It would then turn to a hard working mother who gave a lot so her only son could have an easier life.
My life has never been the smoothest of rides. Growing up without a father was never really a problem because I never had any problems with feeling unloved by the family and friends around me. However, when you don't have a lot of financial resources in your life, you're always wondering if you'll be able to achieve all the things you dream about. Therefore, most of the time I only think about the lack of a father when I'm broke. I understand that over the obstacles I've come a very long way... much longer than what was expected of me and much longer than most people who come from where I'm from. For this, I'm blessed.
This past year, my 25th year, has been an up and down year. I have probably never experienced so much loss and gain at any time in my life - Death came in threes
- A classmate of mine who I went to law school with was killed.
- A college classmate of mine was killed a month later.
- A distant cousin of mine was killed, execution style, in Jamaica.
At the same time, there were great things that happened - My best friend became a father and named me the godfather, I graduated from law school, I passed the bar exam, my cousin is going to college and he likes it!
But even with all that, trying to find work became a very stressful time to the point where I am starting to suspect that my eyebrow hair is falling out (I know that sounds weird, but I think it's true). Also, I think that I lost a friend, which is weird because she wasn't the friend I thought I was going to lose in the first place. And now I have these flashbacks of better times, smiling, laughing, and crying together.
Life is always a mix of comedy and tragedy; this past year I have experienced many emotions that fit into both categories. For goodness sake, I could have an emmy award winning tv show based on this past year. Not to mention that I have no love life to speak of, my bedroom apartment is in desperate need of repair, and I have shamefully become addicted to "America's Next Top Model."
I wanted to have a theme for my birthday weekend... I was going to go out, have fun, make a whole bunch of noise... But I realized that I'm too broke to do any of that stuff. But I still wanted a theme - "They didn't think we'd make it past 25, jokes on them we still alive-weekend" But the joke was on me - all I did was watch football and cook a boat load of pancakes for my Sunday breakfast. But I realize that I still enjoyed myself. I enjoyed myself because I appreciate everyday, and I appreciate all the good, the bad, and the ugly that I have had the ability to experience in this life. So I figure that as long as I don't catch the bird flu, I have a lot to be happy about... I have a lot to live for.
This past Sunday, I turned 25 years old. I named this post after a collection of essays by Nikki Giovanni when she turned 25, called "Gemini..."; I think it is fitting for a title of my own 25-year life.
If I was to tell a story about my life it would have to start with the interesting life of a black-sheep grandfather who separated himself from the rest of his siblings. It would then turn to a hard working mother who gave a lot so her only son could have an easier life.
My life has never been the smoothest of rides. Growing up without a father was never really a problem because I never had any problems with feeling unloved by the family and friends around me. However, when you don't have a lot of financial resources in your life, you're always wondering if you'll be able to achieve all the things you dream about. Therefore, most of the time I only think about the lack of a father when I'm broke. I understand that over the obstacles I've come a very long way... much longer than what was expected of me and much longer than most people who come from where I'm from. For this, I'm blessed.
This past year, my 25th year, has been an up and down year. I have probably never experienced so much loss and gain at any time in my life - Death came in threes
- A classmate of mine who I went to law school with was killed.
- A college classmate of mine was killed a month later.
- A distant cousin of mine was killed, execution style, in Jamaica.
At the same time, there were great things that happened - My best friend became a father and named me the godfather, I graduated from law school, I passed the bar exam, my cousin is going to college and he likes it!
But even with all that, trying to find work became a very stressful time to the point where I am starting to suspect that my eyebrow hair is falling out (I know that sounds weird, but I think it's true). Also, I think that I lost a friend, which is weird because she wasn't the friend I thought I was going to lose in the first place. And now I have these flashbacks of better times, smiling, laughing, and crying together.
Life is always a mix of comedy and tragedy; this past year I have experienced many emotions that fit into both categories. For goodness sake, I could have an emmy award winning tv show based on this past year. Not to mention that I have no love life to speak of, my bedroom apartment is in desperate need of repair, and I have shamefully become addicted to "America's Next Top Model."
I wanted to have a theme for my birthday weekend... I was going to go out, have fun, make a whole bunch of noise... But I realized that I'm too broke to do any of that stuff. But I still wanted a theme - "They didn't think we'd make it past 25, jokes on them we still alive-weekend" But the joke was on me - all I did was watch football and cook a boat load of pancakes for my Sunday breakfast. But I realize that I still enjoyed myself. I enjoyed myself because I appreciate everyday, and I appreciate all the good, the bad, and the ugly that I have had the ability to experience in this life. So I figure that as long as I don't catch the bird flu, I have a lot to be happy about... I have a lot to live for.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Million More Movement (Continued)...
Yes, I was there. I was at the Million More March.
It was beautiful to see so many of my people at one place, at one time, for one purpose - Liberation for the African, poor, and indigenous people of the earth.
It was beautiful to see so many of my people at one place, at one time, for one purpose - Liberation for the African, poor, and indigenous people of the earth.
These are my Thoughts:
The speakers seemed to have a focus on building on this event in a way where we would put together strategies to bring progress to people of African decent. I do think that there were some problems with the event.
For one, there really wasn't a true statement on what the focus of this movement is going to be. For example, we know that the issue of reparations is something we need to discuss and create a battle plan for attaining, but there was no one saying that reparations is a part of list of issues we need to address as a people. The speeches were great and they did mention our issues, but I don't think we got a direct list to work from.
I did appreciate Minister Louis Farrakhan discussing the various "Ministries" that the Black community need to address our issues (Ministry of Education, Agriculture, Defense, Spirituality, Health and Human Services etc.), and an independent political party. I think his speech was one of the most focused speeches.
On another note, I thought the ramblings of Erykah Badu left much to be desired. Erykah made some good points, she even knew how to speak slowly so her voice would not be garbled by her echo. But she then became repetitive and started to wander.
I also thought that having Jim Jones (?) of the Diplomats perform made no real sense. Not that his song wasn't good (even though it was cut short due to technical difficulties), he is not a guy who I would say represents an image in Hip Hop that should be represented at the MMM. Where was Kanye West? Where was Talib Qweli? Where was Mos Def?!!! On the other hand, Wyclef Jean was very good, and he got the crowd going with his carnival inspired tribute to New Orleans.
I also had some problems with the way certain people were rushed, while others were given all day to speak. Dorothy Height, bless her little heart and her trademark hat, was able to take her time. On the other hand, when the coalition of representatives from youth groups came to the stage, they had to beg for time to give their message. I see this as a problem. No movement can be successful without our young people.... No movement can work if young people are not at the forefront! Thus, it would make sense that young people are able to participate in discussing their plans and concerns without being rushed off because grown folk have to talk. Erykah Badu should have been rushed off (I really do love Erykah, but she could have been two minutes shorter).
Then there were problems with who did not get to speak. Apparently, someone representing the gay and lesbian community was not able to speak. It has also been said that Mumia Abu Jamal had recorded a taped message that was due to be played at the event. This is crazy. The gay and lesbian thing is predictable since Black folks have yet to truly deal with issues of homosexuality in our communities. We can't marginalize our gay and lesbian siblings; it is self-destructive. The Mumia thing is ridiculous! Mumia is one of our most important political prisoners. And though many speakers gave lip service to the freedom of our political prisoners, having a message from Mumia would have been so poignant and powerful for all those in the audience who have yet to hear this amazing man's voice. In addition, no one from the various reparations organizations spoke. This also makes no sense since that topic came up so many times during the day, why not have someone who has actually been on the forefront of fighting for this issue speak to the people.
Given all the criticisms that I have and that others that I read have, this was still a momentous occasion. I enjoyed my day so much and felt filled with so much pride that so many people from all over came out to celebrate each other and to hopefully build with each other.
It's funny, a lot of people have come away saying that they wished that we came up with a detailed strategy of how we are going to achieve all the things we need. I don't know why people are saying this... it is not possible to come up with a detailed plan in such an atmosphere. An event like this is not the place to come up with a detailed plan. Detailed plans need to happen where you get a whole bunch of like-minded people together, where we can brainstorm, suggest ideas, suggest changes, come up with critiques, actually organize and assign jobs for everybody to do individually and in groups in and around our communities.
October 15, 2005 was an event. The reason I'm glad they called it the Millions More MOVEMENT, is because we can't stop at October 15, 2005. We have to keep moving, keep coming up with ideas, plans, strategies, organizations, coalitions etc. to progress. Right now, if we're going to be too focused on the event, we have already failed. It's like a marriage - sometimes we get too focused on the event (the wedding) and we don't think about the process of staying in a marriage, staying a family, staying in love. A lot of people plan the dress and tuxedo they will wear, how many people they will invite, what will be the first song they'll dance to, what the flavor of the cake will be etc. However, people do not put as much energy in the marriage relationship itself.
Similarly, we need to think beyond the event of MMM on 10/15/05. It is done, but our movement is not. The movement needs to continue. We need to focus our energy and the energy we received on that day and put it into building this movement. So in the words of Wyclef Jean, "we buiding more than a march, we're building a movement, a million more movement." So, let's build!
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Monday, October 10, 2005
So....
I'm working now... sort of. The temp agency did take me on, but I haven't gotten a gig that lasts for an extended period. Last week I got a gig that lasted two days. I'm hoping to get a 4 week gig soon; the bills are starting to pile up and I need to eat every once in a while.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Indigenous peoples urge action on Arctic thaw
OSLO (Reuters) - Indigenous peoples urged tougher action to slow global warming on Thursday after a U.S. report showed the Arctic icecap had shrunk to its smallest in at least 100 years.
The U.N. Environment Program also said the shrinking ice was yet more alarming evidence of an Arctic thaw that could portend worldwide disruptions including stronger hurricanes, desertification and rising sea levels.
"This is a another reminder" of the fast melt in the Arctic, said Alona Yefimenko, acting head of the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat in Copenhagen.
"All the indigenous political leaders are trying to bring this message to reduce (greenhouse gas) emissions, not only in the United States but also in Europe," she said.
Scientists at
NASA' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said on Wednesday the Arctic ice shrank this year for the fourth year in a row to the smallest area since measurements started 100 years ago.
Yefimenko said shrinking ice was threatening traditional lifestyles. Hunters of polar bears or seals risk falling through thinning ice. Reindeer herders often find reindeer struggling in mud on what was once permafrost.
And Arctic leaders especially want the United States, the world's biggest polluter, to cap emissions of heat-trapping gases from power plants, factories and cars blamed by most scientists for global warming.
Almost all other rich nations have agreed to curbs under the
United Nations' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> United Nations's
Kyoto protocol' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Kyoto protocol.
BUSH PULLOUT
NASA and NSIDC said the rising temperatures seemed linked to a buildup of gases from human sources.
President George W. Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President George W. Bush pulled out of Kyoto in 2001, saying it would be too costly and wrongly excluded developing nations.
Indigenous leaders dismiss Bush's view that more research is needed, saying climate change is already happening.
"In Alaska, for instance, you can't take snowmobiles across lakes and be sure of reaching the other side," said Yefimenko, who is from the Russian far east.
"Around the Arctic, water flows in rivers are unpredictable. It's very difficult for reindeer herders to cross rivers."
The U.S. findings backed a report by 250 experts last year that forecast that the Arctic ice could disappear in summers by 2100, driving polar bears toward extinction.
The impact would be largely negative but could open the Arctic to exploration for oil and gas, mining, logging or trans-polar shipping routes between the Atlantic and Pacific.
"The documentation is getting stronger," said Paal Prestrud, a vice-chair of last year's Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) and head of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.
According to the ACIA report, the Arctic melts faster than the rest of the globe because darker water and ground, once exposed, traps heat far more than ice and snow.
The U.S. report "is yet further evidence that climate change is not a prediction for the future but a phenomenon that is happening now," said Nick Nuttall, spokesman of the U.N. Environment Program.
And he said the world might risk catastrophic, abrupt changes unless it acted quickly.
"An already very bad trend seems to be getting worse," said Steve Sawyer, head of climate and energy policy at environmental group Greenpeace.
Apart from the Arctic sea ice, he said there were worrying signs of a melting of the Greenland icecap. If all the Greenland icecap melted, the world's oceans could rise by 7 meters.
The U.N. Environment Program also said the shrinking ice was yet more alarming evidence of an Arctic thaw that could portend worldwide disruptions including stronger hurricanes, desertification and rising sea levels.
"This is a another reminder" of the fast melt in the Arctic, said Alona Yefimenko, acting head of the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat in Copenhagen.
"All the indigenous political leaders are trying to bring this message to reduce (greenhouse gas) emissions, not only in the United States but also in Europe," she said.
Scientists at
NASA' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said on Wednesday the Arctic ice shrank this year for the fourth year in a row to the smallest area since measurements started 100 years ago.
Yefimenko said shrinking ice was threatening traditional lifestyles. Hunters of polar bears or seals risk falling through thinning ice. Reindeer herders often find reindeer struggling in mud on what was once permafrost.
And Arctic leaders especially want the United States, the world's biggest polluter, to cap emissions of heat-trapping gases from power plants, factories and cars blamed by most scientists for global warming.
Almost all other rich nations have agreed to curbs under the
United Nations' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> United Nations's
Kyoto protocol' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Kyoto protocol.
BUSH PULLOUT
NASA and NSIDC said the rising temperatures seemed linked to a buildup of gases from human sources.
President George W. Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President George W. Bush pulled out of Kyoto in 2001, saying it would be too costly and wrongly excluded developing nations.
Indigenous leaders dismiss Bush's view that more research is needed, saying climate change is already happening.
"In Alaska, for instance, you can't take snowmobiles across lakes and be sure of reaching the other side," said Yefimenko, who is from the Russian far east.
"Around the Arctic, water flows in rivers are unpredictable. It's very difficult for reindeer herders to cross rivers."
The U.S. findings backed a report by 250 experts last year that forecast that the Arctic ice could disappear in summers by 2100, driving polar bears toward extinction.
The impact would be largely negative but could open the Arctic to exploration for oil and gas, mining, logging or trans-polar shipping routes between the Atlantic and Pacific.
"The documentation is getting stronger," said Paal Prestrud, a vice-chair of last year's Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) and head of the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo.
According to the ACIA report, the Arctic melts faster than the rest of the globe because darker water and ground, once exposed, traps heat far more than ice and snow.
The U.S. report "is yet further evidence that climate change is not a prediction for the future but a phenomenon that is happening now," said Nick Nuttall, spokesman of the U.N. Environment Program.
And he said the world might risk catastrophic, abrupt changes unless it acted quickly.
"An already very bad trend seems to be getting worse," said Steve Sawyer, head of climate and energy policy at environmental group Greenpeace.
Apart from the Arctic sea ice, he said there were worrying signs of a melting of the Greenland icecap. If all the Greenland icecap melted, the world's oceans could rise by 7 meters.
Random Question...
If there are any meteorologists out there in blogger world, is it usual for two category 5 hurricanes to go through the same area within three weeks of each other, or is global warming a reality despite Dubya's ignorance?
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Malcolm X quote of the day #2
"Is white America really sorry for her crimes against the black people? Does white America have the capacity to repent - and to atone? Does the capacity to repent, to atone, exist in a majority, in one-half, in even one-third of American white society?
"Many black men, the victims - in fact most black men - would like to be able to forgive, to forget, the crimes.
"But most American white people seem not to have it in them to make any serious atonement - to do justice to the black man.
"Indeed, how can white society atone for enslaving, for raping, for unmanning, for otherwise brutalizing millions of human beings, for centuries? What atonement would the God of Justice demand for the robbery of the black people's labor, their lives, their true identities, their culture, their history - and even their human dignity?
"A desegregated cup of coffee, a theater, public toilets - the whole range of hypocritical 'integration' - these are not atonement."
"Many black men, the victims - in fact most black men - would like to be able to forgive, to forget, the crimes.
"But most American white people seem not to have it in them to make any serious atonement - to do justice to the black man.
"Indeed, how can white society atone for enslaving, for raping, for unmanning, for otherwise brutalizing millions of human beings, for centuries? What atonement would the God of Justice demand for the robbery of the black people's labor, their lives, their true identities, their culture, their history - and even their human dignity?
"A desegregated cup of coffee, a theater, public toilets - the whole range of hypocritical 'integration' - these are not atonement."
New days, new things
I finished reading Malcolm X on Tuesday. It always astounds me how no matter how many times you read a book or see a movie, you always see something you didn't see before. Like I said in my last post, I think Malcolm's autobiography is the most significant work I have ever read. I also think it is one of the most important books in Africana literature; not because of the person who it is about, but because it represents what we should aim for - standing and working for the betterment of our people with no apologies.
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I have another interview with a legal temp agency next Tuesday. I'm hopeful that I might be working soon. I'm just so incredibly broke that I don't know how much more patient I can be....
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I have another interview with a legal temp agency next Tuesday. I'm hopeful that I might be working soon. I'm just so incredibly broke that I don't know how much more patient I can be....
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Reading and Meditating on...
I'm reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley. I'm almost finish (I have one more chapter and the epilogue left). This is the second time I've read this book; the last time was six years ago. It is amazing how relevant this work is. I still think that every person of African descent in this world should read this book. Malcolm is so deep that I don't think a lot of people, even now, are ready for the knowledge he was spitting. This book is the most significant book I have ever read. It is my favorite, and I believe it is the book that has made me the person I am today.
Malcolm X quote of the day
"I'm not anti-American, and I didn't come here to condemn America... I came here to tell the truth - and if the truth condemns America, then she stands condemned!"
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Hurricane Katrina and racism
Hurricane Katrina has pulled away the curtains on some of america's dirty big secrets. One of them being racism. It is very true that classism has also been revealed in all of this, but that is a given in a capitalist society.
Lately, there has been a lot of "controversy" over Kanye West's remarks saying that George Bush doesn't care about Black people. Now, some people are saying that this is not a race issue, but a poverty issue. NO! This is a race issue. It is an issue of how, in this country and in this world, race and class continue to intermingle.
Whether Bush cares or doesn't care about Black folks means nothing to me. However, it needs to be said that race is part of the reason that the people of New Orleans were not helped out faster. Sure, many of us, including so-called people of color, would like to believe that if eighty percent of the people trapped in the dark dome, the filthy convention center, sleeping under highway underpasses, and waiving "help us" signs on roofs were white, it would take the government five days plus to evacuate people from the city. But can we really look at ourselves and the history of this country and actually believe that. And if this was just a poverty issue, is that something we should be celebrating? - Yay, poor white people are treated just as badly as poor Black people... glory, glory hallelujah!
It doesn't make any damn sense. We live in a white supremacist and classist society, but these things are not separated from each other. Classism feeds off of racism. Racism empowers classism. And when I say racist I am not talking about any person calling me nigger, or not being able to sit in the front of the bus, or being able to go to a majority white school, or live in a majority white neighborhood. When I speak of racism, I am talking about institutional racism. Institutional racism is much more powerful than the racism battled against by the so-called civil rights leaders of the '60's.
Institutional racism is the disproportionate amount of Black people who live way below the poverty line; the disproportionate amount of Black men and Black women who are in the prison industrial complex and on death row; Black people being less likely to have proper healthcare and access to healthcare; Black people being less likely to be in adequate public schools; Black people being in neighborhoods where toxic dump sites are present (environmental racism). I could go on and on, but I would just get a hand-cramp from all of the writing. And yes, many of the policies of George Bush and the Republican party has had a detrimental effect on Black folks and other "people of color." And that's not to say that the Democrats have been that much better, because they really haven't, but that is another story for another post.
What bothers me is that it has become "chic" for people to say that something is about "class" and poverty rather than "race." This is problematic. It's problematic because it takes away from the reality that racism (white supremacy) is still one of the biggest problems that this country has yet to deal with. And it is about time that people, my beautiful Black people in particular, stop letting the white establishment off the hook by saying everything is about class. Let us stop these games with the truth. Too often Black people have dealt unintelligently with the truth; we have been walking around it like it is a game of "ring-around-the-rosy" (I think that is the name of the game). And I don't know if we do this so that we don't hurt white people's feelings or because we don't want to endanger our earning potential, or because as the Last Poets said, "Niggers are Scared of Revolution." See, the truth is revolutionary, and a lot of us are too scared to start a revolution.
Malcolm X said that he had made the decision to tell the white man the truth about himself or die. It is time that we decide to live with the truth and live for the truth. Black people, we need to speak the truth when necessary, as necessary, because it is necessary!
Lately, there has been a lot of "controversy" over Kanye West's remarks saying that George Bush doesn't care about Black people. Now, some people are saying that this is not a race issue, but a poverty issue. NO! This is a race issue. It is an issue of how, in this country and in this world, race and class continue to intermingle.
Whether Bush cares or doesn't care about Black folks means nothing to me. However, it needs to be said that race is part of the reason that the people of New Orleans were not helped out faster. Sure, many of us, including so-called people of color, would like to believe that if eighty percent of the people trapped in the dark dome, the filthy convention center, sleeping under highway underpasses, and waiving "help us" signs on roofs were white, it would take the government five days plus to evacuate people from the city. But can we really look at ourselves and the history of this country and actually believe that. And if this was just a poverty issue, is that something we should be celebrating? - Yay, poor white people are treated just as badly as poor Black people... glory, glory hallelujah!
It doesn't make any damn sense. We live in a white supremacist and classist society, but these things are not separated from each other. Classism feeds off of racism. Racism empowers classism. And when I say racist I am not talking about any person calling me nigger, or not being able to sit in the front of the bus, or being able to go to a majority white school, or live in a majority white neighborhood. When I speak of racism, I am talking about institutional racism. Institutional racism is much more powerful than the racism battled against by the so-called civil rights leaders of the '60's.
Institutional racism is the disproportionate amount of Black people who live way below the poverty line; the disproportionate amount of Black men and Black women who are in the prison industrial complex and on death row; Black people being less likely to have proper healthcare and access to healthcare; Black people being less likely to be in adequate public schools; Black people being in neighborhoods where toxic dump sites are present (environmental racism). I could go on and on, but I would just get a hand-cramp from all of the writing. And yes, many of the policies of George Bush and the Republican party has had a detrimental effect on Black folks and other "people of color." And that's not to say that the Democrats have been that much better, because they really haven't, but that is another story for another post.
What bothers me is that it has become "chic" for people to say that something is about "class" and poverty rather than "race." This is problematic. It's problematic because it takes away from the reality that racism (white supremacy) is still one of the biggest problems that this country has yet to deal with. And it is about time that people, my beautiful Black people in particular, stop letting the white establishment off the hook by saying everything is about class. Let us stop these games with the truth. Too often Black people have dealt unintelligently with the truth; we have been walking around it like it is a game of "ring-around-the-rosy" (I think that is the name of the game). And I don't know if we do this so that we don't hurt white people's feelings or because we don't want to endanger our earning potential, or because as the Last Poets said, "Niggers are Scared of Revolution." See, the truth is revolutionary, and a lot of us are too scared to start a revolution.
Malcolm X said that he had made the decision to tell the white man the truth about himself or die. It is time that we decide to live with the truth and live for the truth. Black people, we need to speak the truth when necessary, as necessary, because it is necessary!
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Beauty and Music
I just wanted to dedicate this blog post to a few of the women in music who I really have mild crushes on:
Les Nubians - I think these two are so beautiful, and what makes them even more sexy... they speak French. Their songs are so smooth and dynamic.
Vivian Green - I like her music, she makes music that is honest about love and life. She is also absolutely stunning. Her new album sounds pretty good.
Lauryn Hill - I have loved this woman since 1998. I appreciate her talent as an artist. Her lyrical abilities have always been amazing. She has a great voice and is an underestimated emcee. Most interesting about Lauryn, she was one of the first mainstream Hip Hop/R&B female artist to wear her hair naturally - this was before india.arie and Jill Scott and Erykah Badu still had her head wrapped. Even though it became the "in-thing" to wear hair naturally, Lauryn represented to the fullest, and was stunning with every loc'd strand of hair. Beautiful.
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