Nappy Headed Black Child

Im Tired Of Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 16:39:00 +0000

In creating this blog its i was really just a way for me to get some use of being a poli sci major in analyzing politics and the world around me. That and frankly my at the time my friends had heard my analysis to the point of nausea. Blogging seemed natural. I had a good thing going. I was able to track my growth, get in the habit of putting my thoughts down and I was able to meet much greater minds than myself. However as my own personal politics began to evolve i've noticed that i have less and less to say b/c i seem to be repeating myself and becoming increasingly critical of the conscious community that i was so happy to be apart of a year ago. The blueprint of what we need to do has been throughly laid out. The evidence to support those actions is copious. I've been thinking about what we need and how to get the ball rolling and i have come to the conclusion that what we need isnt another writer or social/cultural/political commentator (or athlete or entertainer or poet no disses though unless of course you mad then i would advise you reevaluate how u spending your time).

We need do-ers, people who are going to enact the plans and strategies necessary for our success.

Im gonna go hang out with them some. I have said before that there isnt an established paradigm for blackness that exists beyond theory. Aside from many of the inappropriate behaviors that hamper our ability to move as we need to.

so with that said this is the probably the last post of this blog. Thanks for reading following promoting. Hopefully i given some of you something to think about.

Thank you sincerely

Jasmine Mans "Nicki Minaj"

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:28:00 +0000

Props to Jasmine Mans

As i look at a Nicki Minaj and the out of love criticism being sent her way by Jasmine Mans, I can't help but notice the fact that Nicki Minaj does not exist in a vacuum and the same can be said for all the other problematic representations of black music culture. We come from communities where certain ideas and certain actions are held to be more valuable over others. In other words it is very very foolish in my estimation to view Nicki Minaj as the problem. She is only the symptom. Music i dont relate to i dont buy, request on the radio, play in my system, recommended to my friends, go to concerts to see perform. I wouldn't support the award shows that highlight them, the stations that play them. Further more i would fight the attitudes that produced them.

something to think about

Just Finished Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:03:00 +0000

Sellout By Randall Kennedy

An excellent book. I found myself enjoying it much more than what i thought i would. In this text Kennedy explores the meaning of racial solidarity with respects to how we go about labeling those who betray that solidarity.

One of the key points of this text is how do we go about determining who is a "sellout" rigorous. Often times the term sellout is tossed around arbitrarily used often a derailing tactic to reduce if not outright ruin a persons credibility over what amounts to disagreements (which are far too often petty ones) or folk who are just wrong.

Given the weight of that term, we should do better. When used sloppily, the threat of sellout stigma functions as a muzzle on criticism and commentary as well as creating the false notion of black people existing as monolithic whole.

Lets be honest here if we as a people are going to move up as a group we must plan and take action based upon who we are where we are. Given the breadth of the black experience when we try to enforce our piece of the black experience on others and ostracize (particular as sellouts and traitors) those who choose to do different things we become more about our particular cliques than about our people as a whole.

Kennedy makes it clear that being a sellout hinges on intention. Meaning purposeful action to subvert or sabotage. And that intention is the bar that must be cleared if we are accurately interested in preventing false accusation. In his presentation of Clarence Thomas arguably the most visible sellout in contemporary memory due to his vehement opposition to Affirmative Action. While Kennedy declines to label Thomas he essentially lays out the facts surrounding Thomas regarding his affirmative action stance which is what earned him is "sellout status" , his other jurisprudence, his philosophy with respects to a judges duty, and the mindfuck race card he pulled (<--my emphasis) in his confirmation hearing regarding the allegations levied by Anita Hill which revealed just how patriarchal the concept racial solidarity is and the culture of black protectionism as well (obama stans). In presenting the case Kennedy is saying if we are going to label someone a sellout we must fully investigate it.

Kennedy also investigates who is black and the phenomenon of passing for white as selling out in addition to the slave catcher house negro informant option.

its an excellent read. check it out. and as you know if i can provide it here i will

African vs. African Descent.

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 04:38:00 +0000

For awhile I have insisted on being defined as as African. When i started this there was a sense of pride i derived from it. But as of late it has begun to fad not for lack of love for the land of my ancestors but because its not specific enough. Africa is not a monolithic whole and I am very limited in my ability to be much more specific than a region. I always say so much of the experience of the Diaspora African in America is about finding a place. Where do we fit? We are so hated here in America and often look to Africa as a home and yet have more in common with the very same western world that oppresses us than the land that we acknowledge as home. As my own search for my ancestral home i see how separated I am. Regardless of how I feel about it I am a westerner. I have more in common functionally with the west than i do with varied peoples of Africa, that i am connected to by heritage.

In my mind if one is claiming to be African and is seriously interested in that being a reality, repatriation is academic. Eliminating and undoing our separation has to happen and folding ourselves back into the land we call home and its peoples makes sense. But lets say if I repatriate today and go home my future children and their children possibly even my future partner will be African but I will always be a westerner. And it saddens me because that means referring to myself as an African as opposed to a man of african descent in an appropriation of an identity that i only have a marginal claim to. I suppose this is what its like to be moses in the biblical account of him looking into the promised land knowing that he could never really be apart of it.

In 30 seconds

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:48:00 +0000

I Can No Longer Call Obama a Good Man with a Bad Job

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:56:00 +0000

the presidency has always been a bad job. the president consistently is getting the heat for something at all times and usually with good reason. Many people don't realize that that blame should be equally shared by congress. Its a democracy its comes with the territory. Understand the intricacies of what it means to be president and what governing in general entails (making compromises) and dealing with a reactionary white supremacist patriarchal Christian electorate i was inclined to cut a lil slack.

But after these FBI attack on the anti war folks i can no longer stand by an attitude of Obama being a good man with a bad job. A constitutional lawyer at least one interested in preserving that constitution in a human way would not be okay with silencing dissent. Look at net neutrality, Shit look at the obama administration want to assassinate american citizens w/o any due process. If this isn't Cointelpro i dont know what is. Granted Obama did reaffirm the patriot act. Add this upon the merely cosmetic changes in social justice issues. It would seem all that noise about change was just that, noise. It seems that Obama is another war machine feeding half stepping politician more concerned w/ political expediency of his party than whats right.

disappointed yes. surprised no.

Thats hope for you

This Should Be The Last Time A Republican Or Democrat Ever Gets Elected

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:21:00 +0000

source

As we head into the November elections and politicians in a hurry to go and campaign, TANF Emergency Contingency Fund to expire today the one really piece of legislation that was actually doing something about the job situation. There is also 5.5 billion dollar shortfall in education money that will kill accessibility for Pell grants and there is also the matter of the money promised to the black farmers that has yet to be allocated.

Now in this era of politics has been characterized, particularly in the case of the most recent Bush, by governing by campaigning. That is governing in such a way that focused purely on doing what is politically expedient any actual good done is purely coincidental. For example take the PATRIOT act has provisions that weaken the ability of unions and labor groups to protest and picket(obviously setting the precedent for other groups to be censored and silenced. Which would go a long way towards preventing political upheaval. Coincidence?). For democrats that sucks as unions make up a significant part of their base and are vital to presidential election strategies. However b/c of the characterization of 9/11 and the "security need" for the PATRIOT act, a vote to prevent union weakening was as a vote against national security. Rock and a hard place. Gotcha politics i suppose you could say.The implication is that no work gets done. If my side cant win make damn sure the other side loses. The republicans are much better at it than the Dems. Despite their marked majorities.

It is well understood why the conservative bullshit is well bullshit. The racism the baiting white guilt and being in the pocket of the corporations thats hurt us. B/c really at this point in the political game, It is the people versus the Corporations for politicians (read mercenaries). The democrats are just as unacceptable b/c their lack of political fortitude to do anything besides what is cosmetic. The democrats are not interested in systemic change (Militarization of the Dream) the want secured power and that requires stability that systemic change simply cannot give them. (are you hearing me black folk).

Solution: Fuck Them Both. We break up the two party strangle hold by lending our political allegiance to people that are actually going to the work that will benefit us instead of attempting to make compromises on things we cannot afford to be shelved or weakened for the sake of political expediency. The unrest and anger that is brewing and can be channeled for good things.

Anyways ill meet yall in the middle.

Gender Performance and Hyper Masculinity

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 01:30:00 +0000

As i think about my own gender assignment of "male" and how my conciousness has interacted with that assignment as well as viewing other people interact with gender. I'm beginning to see gender as i would any other status signifier such as rich, poor, nationality, or race. And like these status identifiers i agree with judith butler that gender is a performance directed by the various contexts by which an individual occurs.

Think about it.

What is hardwired into my dna (as far as i know) is whether or not i have a penis or a vagina. Everything else is a matter or social construction(gender roles for example).

I personally have never experienced any dissonace in relationship to my assigned gender but i do notice a certain amount of posturing that i do as a result of that assignment.

This turns discussions of hypermasculinity on its ear. Hypermasculinity in and of itself confirms gender as a performance and in the black community of which i am most experienced the inability of black men (in the cis sense) to fufill the standards of what this society defines as "masculine". Such as financial status, the ability to provide for the needs of those they care for, ability and power to make decisions and exercise control. This often translates in to destructive behaviors in the few areas we can influence to compensate. Often times this discussion revolves around changing the paradigm of whats considered masculine behaviors without ever approaching the idea that perhaps the concept masculinity in general hyper or otherwise and the gender binary itself is a problem.

Im not attempting to assault what has been defined as masculine and what has been defined as feminine but these things are choices among various options, and I'm not particularly fond of erasure or the perpetuation of a system of internal oppression among my community members to go along with the external oppression.

Also consider this as a further example of how binary can be destructive. How many men are ostracized or called gay b/c they aren't masculine or enough or vise versa with women (not that i am insinuating that there is anything wrong with those pairings but it is an attempt to dehumanize). I wonder how many people in terms of gender are acting in some way other than they norm to fit standards.

This is a dense topic that im still trying to find all the vocabulary for but its something to think about. At this point I am focusing on less on trying establish what a man should be as opposed to what a human being should be.

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:16:00 +0000

CNN is running and op-ed about sexuality in the black church due to the civil charges being levied against Bishop Eddie Long., and per my experiences in the black church its fairly spot on. The black church is very very conservative consider the bible to be the authoritative word of god and have no problem quote scripture as their answers to just about any question. And they are entitled to their outlook. I find that outlook shitty b/c it stagnates critical thinking but its their choice. I've known many people who self identify as Christians who have struggled with their same sex feelings. Being formerly Christian myself i understand the feelings of inadequacy from feeling disconnected unable to hear the "God's voice". I know what it feels like to have struggles and need comfort and then have people cite my relationship with "God" as my problem. I can remember imitating and eventually faking certain actions b/c i thought i would get me closer to "god". So when i think of what it is grow up in that context and then also trying to balance a same sex attraction (or anything that wasn't vanilla or "traditional" sexual relations) has to be exponentially more soul crushing. Being different in a religious context is not well received and the black church is no different. Its not a safe space.

however what i also notice is that to this day i have not seen many investigations of any kind into the catholic church which is predominantly white. My people are often turned into fetish objects (the bad kind) or exotics at best in a society of white normative standards. I take not and exception to the double standard despite how necessary i think the discussion about sexuality, exploitation, and the black church needs to happen.

This is what we call Hyper-Visibility and Invisibility. When there are negative things to say about my people its front page news, its the most actively reported information. Creating and confirming stereotypes about my people. However where there is positive work being done there is Invisibility. These good folks are unseen often b/c of the fact that these folks challenge the stereotypes and in this media world we know that the white normative standard is marketable b/c it satisfies instead of challenges the existing social reality.

something to think about.

For the moment lets focus on shining light on the exploitation and repression that exists among us.

What Does This Mean...Really

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:54:00 +0000

As january approaches and grad school comes i beginning to think about what this means in reality as opposed to the symbolic prestige that is attached to it. In this past year its done very little for me but theoretically provide access to grad school (no funding)and collect dust as most of my employment the very little there has been has been by virtue of other skills. We attach loads of symbolic meaning to a degree in terms intelligence, expertise, the "final say" but the heaviest i would say is this idea of social mobility and financial security.

Consider this article

Here are the highlights

Furthermore, college graduates might earn more, but their higher earnings haven’t kept pace with the extra amount they’re now responsible for paying to go to college. People with bachelor’s degrees make 64 percent more than people without them. But that rate has been virtually the same since 2001, despite the fact that the cost of college has increased at twice the rate of inflation almost every year.

By some measures, recession has exacerbated the divide. The unemployment rate for workers 25-and-older with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 4.6% in August, for example, compared with 10.3% for those with just a high-school diploma. That’s a 5.7-percentage-point gap, compared with a gap of only 2.6 percentage points in December 2007 when the recession began.

school is costing more and netting less. Making MARKETABLE EDUCATION more and more of a privilege.

Even then should one obtain such a degree this recession and its aftermath has only exposed that it only makes you better suited to take advantage of scarce opportunities. Which make more education necessary hence grad school and more debt burden. The bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma. At least it is for me.

Which put me and my peers in a difficult position with a lot of questions. Where is the social mobility and financial security we were promised in middle and high school.

With the premium i place on being prepared i was doing my plan a plan b. For a moment i considered the armed forces. While some might be initially repulsed as i am every time i think about it. However resistant i may be to it, its still there. And if its there for me its there for many of my peers who may not have the options and advantages I do.

Consider the militarization of the dream act. Nothing feeds the war machine like poverty. And realistically ROTC and the money given to military members for education the ground work is laid for many only being able to achieve education through the war machine.

and before we get on our high horses ask yourselves...whos education have u supported so they wouldnt have to go to the military.

I think what scares me most are the things i might have to do to get by.

Quick note on November Elections and economy

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 22:29:00 +0000

Voter anger stands to make the November elections very interesting.

Im fairly sure the dems are going to lose seats if not a result no progress on the economy, the return (for white people anyway) of the culture wars (islamaphobia, LBGTQ community, immigration) the inability of dems to promote success and unwillingness to go on the offensive against the reps. As well as the fact that some people just cant stand to have a black man in charge.

November will show whether or not the Tea Party Endorsement means anything. They have managed to get some folks past the primaries, but it pays to be extra in the primaries. And with the their extra conservative backing it could be signal of the changing face of conservatism. The media has done a particularly good job in painting them as a monolithic whole of racist idiots claiming to be victimized w/o knowing the meaning of the word and venting their anger at the wrong people (some of that may be more me than the actual media). All while holding on to idea that government any kind of federal government is bad (Ronald Reagan).

Btw white victimization and arguments about state rights (which is ultimately what veneration of Ronald Reagen is tantamount to) should make black people very nervous. Dr Claude Anderson would agree and add "when one says they are conservative...What is it that they are conserving?"

Im also beginning to wonder what are the legit plans for a economic recovery. B/c the new deal 2.0 isnt looking like a go. When you think about what FDR Had in terms of a strong manufacturing base, people with those particular skill sets and political environment, I dont see those things or even the financial ability of the governement with two active wars to do those things.

Class Warfare

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 21:55:00 +0000

In my evening perusal of the various news outlets i ran across this piece of information from WorkingAmerica.org

source

Increasing income disparity in the US puts us worse than or on par with much of Latin America in that category.

A former economic advisor to George W. Bush and John McCain is advocating lowering the minimum wage.

Someone making $100 million per year pays a tax rate just two points higher than someone making $175,000 per year.

Wall Street bonuses are expected to rise this year.

Businesses with rising profits are not hiring more workers.

CEOs who lay off more workers get paid more.

Senator David Vitter represents a state where the average household income is $43,635, but he looks out at an audience and tells them that a plan to repeal a tax cut for households making more than $250,000 per year would affect “virtually everybody in this audience.”

Senator Jon Kyl is fighting to protect tax cuts to the wealthiest. He also fought to block an extension of unemployment benefits to struggling families in an attempt to get an estate tax bill that would benefit…you guessed it, the very wealthiest families.

55% of all adults in the workforce say that since the recession began they have been unemployed, had their pay cut or their hours reduced, or become involuntary part-time workers.

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says jobless workers don’t go back to work because of unemployment benefits.

JPMorgan Chase pretty much agrees with DeLay.

i would encourage you to look through the links. Indeed, this is what class warfare looks like. Historically, Capitalism has never really been a whole lot of fun for the Diaspora. Slavery was economic it was free labor, post reconstruction Jim Crow segregation was economic and is apart of the continuing practice of locking the Diaspora out of the economic system and creating an underclass.

I personally have always viewed capitalism along with any other gov't institution or entity as a tool. Something to be manipulated by those in position. And as a result the focus for me as been how do we put ourselves in that position, because lets face it at this point its an inescapable reality of our existence here. With this recession showing me how vulnerable we really are, showing me how vulnerable i am to the fluctuations of a market that was put in peril by people who will be insanely rich irrelevent of the my condition, of our condition has really pushed me further toward smashing the whole fucking thing.

As the Owl of the Asylum would say. The only God in this country is Adam Smith. It way overdue for us to start making move on several levels.

Ernest Withers trusted Photographer of MLK Jr & FBI Cointelpro Informant

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 23:11:00 +0000

Story Can Be Found Here

For those that aren’t aware Ernest Withers was THE ORIGINAL civil rights photographer. Responsible for taking the most famous pictures of the king movement. To hear that this man was an FBI informant for Cointelpro the Program that built around subverting black liberation human rights movements. Im am hurt to my fucking heart b/c journalist have a duty to protect their source and to humanize the demonized. Furthermore this was a black man in the movement and action i would give anything to have been apart of. This is the man who took the famous “I Am a Man” Sanitation strike Photos. How can such a man be in the midst of such a struggle and allow himself to be used like that.

Fuck man

Im not so naive to think that the 60's was the giant love fest of blackness b/c it wasnt. It was dangerous, deadly undertaking that required bravery and sacrifice that many couldn't muster. But b/c then the movement for us was so visible my mind simply can wrap around how this many could be privy to what he was privy to and still do what he did.

The facts arent all out as of yet, and Withers has passed and his side may never be told. Who knows what the FBI could be up to with this information. When u have situations like this you ask yourself the question who can u trust in serious movement towards black self determination.

sad day

I talked with my dad. Born in the 50s he came up watching all of these things. When I told him, his words where "that makes sense". I admit i was a lil surprised by his casual acknowledgement.

He went on to say that "'They' (Cointelpro & FBI) were trying to get anybody they could to infiltrate the black liberation movement. I distinctly remember having professors come in and watch us (my father attended the university of Florida was a member of Omega Psi Phi and a collegiate athlete in wrestling) talking about doing studies. Some even tried to recruit me and my friends. They were a danger to the status quo. What i want to know is what did they have on him, how where they threatening him."

Dad as usual comes through. Like i said whole story isnt out yet.

I Figure Yall Would Appreciate This...

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 21:52:00 +0000

Encyclopedia of African History and Culture Volume i Ancient Africa Prehistory to 500 Ce

Encyclopedia of African History and Culture Volume II African Kingdoms 500 to 1500

Encyclopedia of African History and Culture Volume III From Conquest to Colonization 1500 to 1850

Encyclopedia of African History and Culture Volume IV the Colonial Era 1850 to 1960

Encyclopedia of African History and Culture Volume v Independent Africa 1960 to Present

Invisibility

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 08:02:00 +0000

It has been my study and my observation that the experience of the African descended person in america is dominated by attempting to understand one's identity. This is necessary for any human being but especially for us b/c of the circumstances surrounding the African in the diaspora. Now i could go on for days about that particular topic but however as the topic is Invisibility i would like to deal what those circumstances produce in terms of lived experiences for us. As Ralph Ellison describes in his book

Invisibility is that product.

I am currently Invisible on several levels. I am invisible b/c I am a black man in the midst of white supremacy. I am a black man who refuses the mainstream definitions of value. My way of living make me Invisible to members of my family. Invisible among members of my community. For awhile I was even Invisible to myself.

This invisibility is frankly maddening. Much like the unnamed protagonist such invisibility manifested in my life as attempting to distinguish myself by my merits. I quickly learned that my merits meant little unless i allowed myself to be controlled and manipulated or held up as some fetish object to assuage the guilt of white people who are the heirs, protectors, and propagators of a oppressive past, present and foreseeable future. I was not me i was what was palatable for them.

My other option was to rebel which i did. For a time i reveled in and i mean reveled in a very anti-anything that wasn't black type of attitude. Understanding what I had been separated from, unraveling the lies that had formed the brick and mortar of my life up until that times was traumatic. I was angry, upset and filled with a burning need to know more. I became the protagonist's foil in Ras the Exhorter. As i began to mature if found there was a certain shallowness to that. Ras' invisibility instead of producing an attitude that would direct him to seek status and position within the ranks of an oppressive system. It sent him in the other extreme. In his intense desire to free and empower his people and through that ending his own visibility. However this came at the cost of the visibility of people who did not agree with him. Ras the exhorter essentially became what he was seeking to do away with. This too was unacceptable. And left me feeling fairly empty as i began to see the flaw in the attitudes of the brothers and sisters i had aligned myself with in the rejection of the norms in this society. To see how they were unwilling to deal with these flaw constructively and positively was a deep blow to me. Once again i was found in a situation where I was only welcome as long I made myself palatable

Once again Invisible b/c i dont fit realistically no one really should. That to me at least signals stagnation. But invisibility is a terrible price to have to pay. I recognize im not alone in this but its very easy to feel isolated. Make an effort to reach out to someone and make them know they are visible.

Cross Damon The DC Sniper and Omar Thornton

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:56:00 +0000

Recently in the headlines we have all heard of Omar Thornton. If not Omar Thornton on august 3 went to his workplace a beer distribution center and shot 10 coworkers 8 of them fatally before and before taking his own life called 911 and described his actions to the operator as taking care of the racists in his workplace. His wife relayed that Thornton had complained about a racist environment before the killings.

As I was reading up on this story and the reasoning behind it the DC Snipers were brought to my recollection. John Allen Muhammed in particular due to his similar dissatisfaction with the antiblack environment in america as well as his plans to start some sort of pure black colony in canada.

now the name who recieved top billing in todays blog Cross Damon. Cross is a literary character from Richard Wright's novel The Outsider. Cross is connected to these other two men because he too is directly responsible for the death several people and in the end feels a justification or as lewis r. gordon puts it a sense of innocence about the whole thing.

Cross serves as a foil to Bigger Thomas in Wright's better known work Native Son where Bigger finds himself in a situation where doing the right and human thing could potentially get him killed because he is a black man (think Shirley Sherrod). In these characters we see Wright making a commentary about how black people who attempt to do the right thing and in that action asserting their humanity are problems in this society because the dominant narrative of black people does not allow for such a thing. so the society seeks to force them back into their construct of inhuman and all the while holding them responsible for their actions. (now granted then it was racism is okay) Essentially its an epistemic closure that allows the society to maintain a false reality. Cross Damon is the bigger thomas who stops caring. Displaying that there is a certain responsibility that comes with asserting onself as human and that the inhumanity espoused by this society cuts both ways.

Omar Thornton and the DC Sniper are Cross Damons. In our streets are Cross Damons. And our society seeks to deal with the symptom and not the root.

Now for me this is more than a "them" problem because for me so much of who what it is to be black on this landmass is about asserting that humanity the right to be uniquely us. If in struggle we lose our humanity we've missed the point. Now thats not to say that violence has no place in struggle. They are obviously shooting at us. But I'm not okay with being indiscrimnate in our aim or excessive in our force.

A plea to young black men: Stop killing :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: John W. Fountain

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 03:54:00 +0000

A plea to young black men: Stop killing :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: John W. Fountain

Dear young black man, They used to come for us cloaked in white sheets and hoods under the cover of night. Today they come in black hoodies and ski masks, both by day and by night.

They used to carry our boys away from home, never to be seen alive again. They used to string us up until we dangled like strange fruit from poplar trees, dumped our bodies in murky rivers or beat us in lynch mobs beyond recognition by our own mothers.

Today, they carry us away in the trunks of cars, leave our young, strong and promising sons, brothers and fathers riddled with bullets, lying naked near railroad tracks, in alleys or fields. They come for us by murderous mob, gun down our young as they play outside, even our mothers, daughters at bus stops and our babies as they sit innocently in strollers.

Today, the carnage of their homicidal rampage has left an almost endless trail of bodies and bloodstained streets.

Except they used to be the Ku Klux Klan.

But today, they is you. Oh, young black man.

The Tuskegee Institute in Alabama recorded 3,446 lynchings of blacks from 1882 to 1968 -- the toll of 86 years. The toll of blacks murdered in Chicago alone over 18 years, from 1991 to 2009: nearly 9,500, and counting.

The numbers alone say you have put the Klan to shame in the killing of African Americans and the terrorizing of black communities. There is no other way to put it: You have become our -- your -- worst enemy.

It is not by any means the majority of you who are responsible for this fratricide that causes hearse wheels to roll through our neighborhoods like the wind blows.

There are many young brothers striving to keep the faith, living according to the law, seeking to give more than they take -- good, promising young men. My letter is not to you but to those who on the surface look like you -- those who have allowed evil and hatred to transform them into predators.

Dear brother, as a human being, it is a difficult tragedy to behold. As a black man, it is sometimes even more than I can bear.

So I write to you, amid news of the slaying of 13-year-old Robert Freeman, shot 13 times while riding his bike, and on the heels of nine people shot at a bus stop.

I write even as the dust settles upon the graves of the latest homicide victims, and in the midst of a long, hot and bloody summer in which the death bell will toll and toll again before its end.

I am writing because statistics show that you most often are our killers. Because young brothers involved in gangs, armed with guns, brazen and filled with rage and no regard for human life, are responsible for the gunfire that has transformed neighborhoods across America into terror zones fueled by urban tribal wars.

I write to you in the hope that, contrary to popular opinion, some of you do read, in hope that you might hear the plea of one whose cries reflect the agony of a nation.

So I beg you: Lay down your guns, for the sake of the children, for the sake of our people.

I write to tell you that real power is not in the taking of life but in the giving of life; to inform you that murder is pure evil, and also to share this truth: He that lives by the sword will surely die by the sword, and he who takes a life unjustly will surely have to answer -- in this life, or the next.

It isn't the white man who is making our dear mothers cry.

It's you, young black man.

And why?

How many of us have to die?

Signed with tears, your brother John.

If I Were President. Wyclef's Candidacy In Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:26:00 +0000

This is a very complex situation. The political situation in Haiti was already a powder keg pre-earthquake. Now with elections forthcoming and the possibility of a Wyclef Presidency in the mix and the future of Haiti hanging in the balance this is a pretty vital time.

Now as usual, the context.

When we look at the structure of this election. We see that the Lavalas Party has banned from the election. The Lavalas party is the party of Jean Bertrand Aristide the ousted President of Haiti as a result of a coup d'etat led by the US, Canada, and France in 2004 in the way of that coup a UN army occupied the nation ever since. The following video displays how the UN Army and Puppet government installed there post coup have oppressed the people of Haiti

Now The Lavalas party being banned is significant because this party whenever it has been able to run has enjoyed overwhelming support of the Haitian people. Rene Preval who was formerly of the Lavalas Party was elected in 2006 when security conditions (read the UN and American forces murdering the people) did not allow Lavalas to run. This not to say that Aristide has clean hands. Although Aristide claimed to be a man of the people and promised to clean out the corruption that had plagued the Haitian people, Aristide stands accused of of the same corruption he sought to destroy. Aristide is accused of stealing stealing millions from the public treasury, Stealing Aid money, Aiding and abetting drug traffic, and extorting the business community. As well as utilizing fear and threats to maintain power.

according to William F. Jasper
"Through a series of "elections," coups, and counter-coups between 1991 and 2004 "Father Aristide" served as Haiti's president during three periods (February-September, 1991; October, 1994-February, 1996; February, 2001-February, 2004). After failing a non-confidence vote by Parliament in September, 1991, Aristide was deposed while outside the country (during a trip to the United Nations in New York). In 1994, President Bill Clinton re-installed "Tidid" as ruler of Haiti — at gunpoint, using the United States Army and Marines. After six months, the U.S. military forces turned the operation over to the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH), which was still composed, primarily, of U.S. troops."

We also know that the United States and the international community has its claws deep into Haiti. Bill Clinton especially because as president he is guilty of what the Haitian people called the "Plan of Death" that structurally adjusted Haiti's economy to that which was convenient for america. Which makes Clinton's Presence in Haiti presiding over the rebuilding all the more perverse.

How much of this information concerning Aristide is propaganda and how much of it is fact is an question i dont have the answer to. However the reality is there is alot of violence and corruption in Haitian Politics. There is alot of international meddling and manipulation of Haitian Politics. And as usual it is the everyday people who are suffering as a result. Let us not forget this is just the political context of an election occuring while Haiti is trying to rebuild from a massive earthquake.

Now concerning Wyclef's Presidency Announcement and Speech which according to this he has been contemplating since at least 2004

Wyclef attempted to paint himself as outsider candidate in Haitian Politics meaning a person who is outside of traditional politics as a man of the people. Said several times that he has been drafted by the youth population of Haiti to run for public office. He spoke that he wanted to bring the Haitian people together and that his focuses would be Infrastructure, Job creation, Education, Agriculture, Healthcare, and Security. Im cool w/ that (at least for now anyway there is still the question of how that needs to be addressed). He spoke on using his star power for Haiti's benefit, addressed (although unsatisfactorily) the YeleHaiti money mismanagement claims as well as expressing approval for Bill Clinton. I was particularly impressed with his desire to connect the Haitian people to the diaspora. I was hype when he said that.

Now here are my concerns. Being that CNN is an american news outlet primarily if not overwhelmingly seen by american people. Wyclef's appearance on Larry King is for us. Its an effort to legitimize his candidacy in our eyes. He said it himself he's interested in involving the diaspora is not opposed to using his star status in his campaign. This is problematic for me. The last thing Haiti needs is people outside of its population involved in its governance particularly given the history of international oppression of Haiti which Wyclef referenced as "what my people have gone through for 200 years". There is a concern that Wyclef's star power could cause him to fuction as a vessel for imperialist interests (particularly in the light of his residency status). He is after all actively soliciting international support. Which anywhere else would be political suicide. The situation with YeleHaiti is again large problem. I find difficult to find the logic in supporting a person for president who cant seem to manage their own charitable foundation. There are too many question around the money from YeleHaiti not getting to the people of Haiti. I donated that fund. I would like some answers. The banning of a political party in a "democratic political process" particularly of the most popular party and party whose members have been made political prisoners following the 04 coup is a huge issue and in the eyes of many make this election illegitimate all together. At this time, I'm inclined to agree with that sentiment.

I'm all for a man wanting to help his people. I'm even more for a man utilizing his resources to help his people. I don't see anything wrong with a man going after a dream. But lets remember this is politics. And the Haitian people cannot, I REPEAT CANNOT afford poor leadership, cannot afford corruption. Haiti Must be for the Haitian people.

Thoughts on Black Identity & Community

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:11:00 +0000

this is by no means exhaustive. just some thoughts

Form what i can see at this juncture, the single biggest issue my community is the one of identity. (realistically for any human identity is major but especially for oppressed groups). The unique historical and social reality of the american black person as left us a people w/o a land except one that clearly considers us outside of definition of human. Part of an oppressed people coming oppressive system is the redefining if not out right destruction the social structures that have propagated. At least that what Fanon says (i happen to agree). This is rebellion in its essence. Rebellion being defined in basic as a rejection and replacement of cultural values of which government its a product.

However w/ my people we have been stripped of the basis of what is needed to rebel. And that is a cultural memory of something better. This erasure was purposeful.

Step One has to be reclaiming who we are. After all these centuries of separation the american black has developed into an ethnicity all its own. We have adopted the philosophical underpinnings and have attempted to use it to make America better. Essentially trying convince the dominant group to include us in what is human into what is american. If you're asking a person to recognize your humanity you're giving the option to say no. That "NO" has resounded greatly as of late.

Now there seems to be this divide b/w continental Africans and diasporic Africans. I had a heated argument based on this same issue a few weeks back. I think it stems from either side not completely understanding what it is they have. I think diasporic Africans in America have to understand the privilege we have economically and socially (which is alot in comparison) to other areas of the world and invest into tracing our heritage and finding our tribes and specific origin. The continental africans and african descended folks from places like the Caribbean who have been ruling themselves for a considerable amount of time is that the is an enormous level of oppression on a psychological and economic level that is often not seen or understood even by the folks living here. An inability for us to understand each other who share the same heritage in the end hurts all of us. B/c this system of government and thought processes in this nation do not see nationality they see non white.

I Would Take A Nap on a Good News Day

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:47:00 +0000

First and Foremost wtf is snookered?

For those of you that dont know Shirly Sherrod was forced to resign by the White House as a result of some comments of hers from a video clip regarding her experiences in the USDA that suggested she refused to help a white farmer b/c he was white. Now this video clip was posted by conservative blogger conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.

Now this is politics 101. I am unsurprised by the practice of taking comments out of context to create a negative buzz around a person. Its called spin. However this is also a textbook case of exploiting racial fear as well and again I am unsurprised. Creating this idea of white victimhood (which is bullshit) is what conservative politics is all about (not to mention that liberal politics is unwilling to confront the underlying ideologies of white supremacy/victimology) . However what i am surprised by is the lack of intellectual foresight and the subsequent cowardice displayed by the NAACP.

Fox News and reality let alone accuracy are even in the same dimension so how can an organization that is the SELF PROCLAIMED Nat'l association for colored people take anything that Fox News has to say at face value w/o any vetting. Did we not learn w/ Rev. Wright. And them as opposed to admitting that they (NAACP) made a mistake. Using Fox News as a scape goat is super weak. In a rush to not seem like hypocrites after condemning the Tea Party (read as the 50-11 organizations w/ the tea party in their name) for its racism they make themselves look like idiots. Lets be frank in the public eye mistakes like these cannot happen.

Now we have all this ruckus and the black farmers who won that settlement haven't been paid yet... http://n.pr/apQfha

any ways here is the remix of sherrods words

and here is the complete version unedited

On Rick Sanchez she took ya boy Roland Martin to the woodshed lol

I'm having issues with "Black People Are the Original Children of Israel"

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:15:00 +0000

Correct me if im wrong but the Jews trace the beginnings of their culture to Abraham and Moses. Now In old testament Moses is said to have been and Kemetic (ancient egyptian) prince as he was adopted into the royal family after being found on the nile river. After awhile saw dipped out of kemet saw the burning bush so on, so on, im sure yall know the story. After leading the hebrews out of bondage into the land of Canaan after some 40 years in the desert.

Now where is Canaan. Canaan encompasses modern-day Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and adjoining coastal lands, including parts of Jordan, Syria and northeastern Egypt. In the Hebrew Bible, the “Land of Canaan” extends from Lebanon southward across Gaza to the “Brook of Egypt” and eastward to the Jordan River Valley.

Now As per the late great John G. Jackson Author of Intro to African Civilizations. The biblical individual known as Moses was a Kemetic Priest know as Moshe. Moshe was the head priest of the cult of Aton that was brought to prominence under Pharaoh Amenhotep IV. Amenhotep IV is know as a heretic b/c he banned the worship of all other Kemetic Goddesses and Gods in favor of Aton. In kemetic cosmology Aton is the physical disk of the Sun (Kemet as a fairly complicated system of sun worship). Amenhotep IV (who changed his name to Akhenaten in worship and recognition of Aton) is the father of all monotheistic religious practices. After Amenhotep IV was killed and the cult of Aton disestablished and the previously banned Goddesses and Gods of Kemet were restored, Moshe lead the followers of Aton out of kemet and into Palestine.

This information at minimum would denote that the original jews were black and products of Kemet. Which means they arent children of Israel they are children of Kemet. Which would make them African.

Now because black People were around LONG before the term Israel existed (thanx @7odsquad), to say that black people are the original people are Israel is a huge misnomer. It would lead black people to think that they are something other than African people.

oh and cop this http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-African-Civilizations-John-Jackson/dp/0806521899

Sarcasm

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:46:00 +0000

Prosecuting Attorney David Stein: When you said those words [angrily shouting “bitch-ass n——r!” twice into Oscar Grant’s ear while arresting him], did you intend to challenge him in any way?

Arresting Officer Anthony Pirone: No. It was sarcasm.

(via) the San Fran cronicle

im a peaceful and compassionate man. Im really not interested in taking lives. I feel as though if it comes to such a situation there has been a failure on both sides to be human. But when a Oscar Grant can be handcuffed laying face down and surrounded by cops have racial epithets thrown at him and then shot in the back all recorded on videotape. And it only amounts to Involuntary Manslaughter. What Choice have have i left but to take action in a manner that makes it absolutely clear that Police terrorism will equal police death.

I didnt ask for this war. But im not going to take shots w/o returning fire.

Videotaping isnt enough the Oscar Grant Verdict has shown that. From the judges to the beat cop there is a wall of navy blue. They protect each other while they play fast and loose with our lives. A part of me wants to think that there are good cops but how can i tell when they all stand together. Police Terrorism is systemic. Good or bad when they chose a uniform they chose a side. A side that targets us.

we have no expectation to justice unless we make it ourselves.

Thoughts on Black Masculinity

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:57:00 +0000

The aftermath of the Tyler Perry/Boondocks thing really got me thinking about black masculinity and homosexuality. Particularly b/c my issue w/ Tyler Perry initially begins with his crossdressing in light of the media’s penchant for emasculating black men. As evidenced in men on film from w/ in living color, to wong foo thanks for everything, Martin Lawrence’s portrayal of shenaynay and his on screen mother, wanda by jamie foxx, Geraldine by flip wilson. These portrayals upset me because they are visual representations of how black men are kept from being men. Whether it is a result of overprotective mothers stifling male growth for fear of their safety, absentee fatherhood, mass targeting by police for incarceration which has economic consequences prevent the ability to provide or receive the education necessary to be economically competitive.

Now this brings three distinct thoughts to my mind.

Obviously being separated from our home cultures and mixed into the american mess. The black communities ideas of Manhood have been heavily informed by whiteness which is heavily patriarchal in comparison with traditional african societies. And frankly if i wanted to divide a group people for the purposes of keeping them subservient what better way than to create a model of gender roles that is nearly impossible to maintain for the oppressed group. Take the idea of the male provider for example, that says the best man provides for all the needs of the household is something that is critical to what is considered masculine (particularly as that informs male power) however in these economic times and in the age of women becoming increasingly empowered this mode of thought is outdated yet fiercely held onto. It is especially damaging for the black community where many men have been for a variety of reasons prevented and excluded from economic participation by design of the system and yet there are many sisters who exclude men from their dating pool based soley on this premise and then call themselves feminists/womanists and huge contradiction.

then there is the social reality that being called gay when u are straight is an attack on a man’s masculinity. Which begs the question can a gay man still be masculine. It seems that it is the idea of some people that this is impossible. Now i personally know that who one is intimate with has nothing to do with whether a person is a man or not. Biologically speaking a penis and testicles is all it takes. But again we are talking social realities and it is inconsistent to suggest that a man is made a man by who he fucks and yet lesbians and bi sexual women can still considered feminine when they engage in same sex relations (as often female/female relationships are often depicted for strictly male consumption and lets be frank i’ve never seen butch lesbian porn although quantum porn physics would deliniate that by my mere mention of it, it now exists with a fiercely loyal following.) Thus as far as i am concerned a man’s masculinity is not informed by who he intimate with and i dont know one woman who thinks its attractive for a man to define himself through his sexual conquests because it turns women into trophies instead of divine people. Not to mention the rate of stds.

Another thing that i found interesting is that my analysis of Tyler Perry, Martin Lawrence, David Alan Grier, Damon Wayans, Flip Wilson, and Wesley Snipes’ feminine portrayals is through my lens as a straight black male. I wonder how these roles are perceived by Gay black Men. Where i may see a black man in a dress and bothered by that due to parallels that can be drawn to stifling of black masculinity they might see just an ugly woman. Or for example in to wong foo a role model in terms of expressing their sexuality (as gender is considered much more of a fluid concept in LBGTQ communities some cultures even makes provisions for a third gender i.e Hawai’i). I find this to be a conversation worth having.

These lines of thought bringing me to the conclusion that the way we gender roles and gender in general have to be seriously examine in terms of the relationships that people get involved with as well as these things mean in terms of the survival of the black community. Although we are not nor have ever been a monolithic community we are still connected and will have to depend one another for our progression as a people in this nation. Such a thing cannot be done unless we are willing to delve into understanding not only ourselves but also each other.

discuss

Couldnt Have Said it Better Myself

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:13:00 +0000

Check out the Owl's asylum "For The July Bombs Bursting In Air...A Rich Man's Story" http://bit.ly/dj2sXb

TP vs Boondocks

noreply@blogger.com (Isaac) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:23:00 +0000

my distaste for Tyler Perry productions is well known. I hate the fact that he cross dresses b/c it effeminizes black men. There is a long tradition of black men having to dress up like women in order to be successful. Its a horrible indignity that he contributes to and as a student of theater Tyler Perry should know better. That and he promotes a certified coon in the character Mr. Brown again as a student of theater he should know better. The two things make Tyler Perry Completely Unsupportable to me.

Now The episode clowns the eff out of Tyler Perry but there is a distinct anti gay tone to the episode as is generally the deal with Riley but even more so in this episode particularly but thats what the character Riley is intended to represent. Now i bring it up because i really dislike the idea that a man is made a man on the basis of who he has sex with and how much he has sex and this is the basis of the backlash on Tyler Perry Suing talking about him being exposed and calling TP gay. Which to me begs the question so what if he is does it matter Why are we still so anti gay.

And lets be real i know he doesn’t like his masculinity called into question as at least in his mind he thinks he doing something positive. And then you have the anti Christian stans the boondocks stans and the TP stans. Fact is, its all speculation. Reality is TP is flexing his muscle and his influence cuz he didnt like what was said. Which is one the risks run when u do satire. If your doing a good job your going to piss somebody off.