For a very long time now I have always felt that the one most damaging things that has ever happened to Blacks in this country was the integration of the schools. Some have agreed with me strongly and others have vehemently opposed my views, and while I have respected their opinions on the matter, I have not and will not change my tune.
I think removing young Black boys and girls and placing them in the classrooms of well funded and better equipped schools was a very good thing. Placing them in the hands of teachers who hated them based on the color of their skin was not. Yes, I am well aware of the fact that not every white teacher hated Black people or their Black students, but I believe those teachers were vastly outnumbered by those teachers who did.
Putting those young minds in the hands of those who hated them was one of the most damaging and destructive things ever done to Black people. It gave those that hated us the ability to make us question our self worth at a time when we were at our most impressionable, at the most vulnerable times in our lives. A teacher has amazing powers, everyone knows this, imagine sitting in a classroom where the teacher can't stand the site of you and regards you as inferior just because of the color of your complexion. Imagine that teacher feeling like they were being punished because YOU were placed in their class. Imagine how destructive that teacher could be.
I won't say this particular case in Coatesville, PA is what I'm talking about since the men the video is about aren't teachers, but being on the school board and feeling this way is just as bad, if not worse. It's a disgusting display of hatred by men who should know better, who should be more compassionate since they are the ones involved in making policy the schools in their district must adhere to. However, I also came to realize many moons ago that ignorance knows no bounds and that no matter what age someone is, their ignorance never ages and therefore never changes.
Here is the link to the video.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Do You Remember May 13, 1985?
Do you remember what happened on May 13, 1985? Does that date sound even remotely familiar? Does it ring any bells? If it doesn't I'm not surprised. Most have no idea what that date represents, but that day forever blemished America in my eyes and if you continue reading, it just may do the same for you.
On May 13, 1985 I was sixteen years old and I of course was busy being a teenager. Occupied with all the usual crap teenagers are occupied with. On May 12th I was concerning myself with underage drinking, hanging out with my boys, trying to get laid, thinking I was grown, and remembering where I hid my mothers Mother's Day gift. On May 13th, all of that went out the window, for that was the day the powers that be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania lost their minds. That was the day authorities of the United States decided to drop bombs on US citizens. More specifically they dropped ordinances on MOVE, a small radical collective located in a middle class neighborhood in West Philadelphia.
According to the police, they went to evict MOVE and serve arrest warrants on four members of the organization for the murder of a police officer. What followed led to a violent standoff where at least 10,000 rounds of ammunition were fired into the house and a C4/Tovex Bomb was dropped. The bomb blast blew the house apart killing everyone inside except Ramona Africa. Eleven members of MOVE were killed as were five children.
This was all due to a confrontation the city of brotherly love had with MOVE back in 1978. Nine members of MOVE were given lengthy prison sentences (30 to 100 years each) for the murder of a police officer who died from a single bullet. Those nine members were known as the MOVE 9 and the leader of MOVE, John Africa demanded justice. He believed the police arrived with warrants because MOVE wouldn't let the issue die. The eviction part of the issue was due to complaining neighbors regarding the rats, roaches, and living conditions within 6221 Osage Ave, where MOVE was headquartered.
On May 12th, authorities evacuated the block telling residents there was going to be a police action the next day, and the next day the police destroyed the entire block, took sixteen lives in the process, and made countless others homeless. As 6221 Osage Ave burned, the fire department was told not to put the fire down and to instead let it burn. The fire began leaping from rooftop to rooftop and consequently destroyed the entire block of houses. The neighborhood was predominantly African-American.
That was the day I ceased being proud to be an American and began to look at this country with a different eye. That was the day my radical side was born because if they could drop bombs on Black people in this country, what are they doing to Black and brown people abroad? What atrocities was this country committing to people of color in distant lands that we never hear about? On May 14th I was no longer concerned with trying to get drunk or trying to get laid. Now I was educating myself, sharing with my boys what was going on, and hugging my mother tight because that's when I realized there was a target on our backs if we dared not fall in line.
There is a documentary coming out on this tragedy entitled Let The Fire Burn and I cannot wait to see it. In fact, I will be first in line. Never forget that the struggle continues!
On May 13, 1985 I was sixteen years old and I of course was busy being a teenager. Occupied with all the usual crap teenagers are occupied with. On May 12th I was concerning myself with underage drinking, hanging out with my boys, trying to get laid, thinking I was grown, and remembering where I hid my mothers Mother's Day gift. On May 13th, all of that went out the window, for that was the day the powers that be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania lost their minds. That was the day authorities of the United States decided to drop bombs on US citizens. More specifically they dropped ordinances on MOVE, a small radical collective located in a middle class neighborhood in West Philadelphia.
According to the police, they went to evict MOVE and serve arrest warrants on four members of the organization for the murder of a police officer. What followed led to a violent standoff where at least 10,000 rounds of ammunition were fired into the house and a C4/Tovex Bomb was dropped. The bomb blast blew the house apart killing everyone inside except Ramona Africa. Eleven members of MOVE were killed as were five children.
This was all due to a confrontation the city of brotherly love had with MOVE back in 1978. Nine members of MOVE were given lengthy prison sentences (30 to 100 years each) for the murder of a police officer who died from a single bullet. Those nine members were known as the MOVE 9 and the leader of MOVE, John Africa demanded justice. He believed the police arrived with warrants because MOVE wouldn't let the issue die. The eviction part of the issue was due to complaining neighbors regarding the rats, roaches, and living conditions within 6221 Osage Ave, where MOVE was headquartered.
On May 12th, authorities evacuated the block telling residents there was going to be a police action the next day, and the next day the police destroyed the entire block, took sixteen lives in the process, and made countless others homeless. As 6221 Osage Ave burned, the fire department was told not to put the fire down and to instead let it burn. The fire began leaping from rooftop to rooftop and consequently destroyed the entire block of houses. The neighborhood was predominantly African-American.
That was the day I ceased being proud to be an American and began to look at this country with a different eye. That was the day my radical side was born because if they could drop bombs on Black people in this country, what are they doing to Black and brown people abroad? What atrocities was this country committing to people of color in distant lands that we never hear about? On May 14th I was no longer concerned with trying to get drunk or trying to get laid. Now I was educating myself, sharing with my boys what was going on, and hugging my mother tight because that's when I realized there was a target on our backs if we dared not fall in line.
There is a documentary coming out on this tragedy entitled Let The Fire Burn and I cannot wait to see it. In fact, I will be first in line. Never forget that the struggle continues!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
And Yet Another Name Added...
I tried my best to not write this blog post. I did whatever I could do to avoid it, to leave it behind but no matter where I went, there I was was. I realized there's no hiding from conscience just as there is no hiding what happened to 24 year old Jonathan A. Ferrell at the hands of, or more like at the gun of North Carolina police officer Randall Kerrick. Jonathan was shot at 12 times and was hit 10, he died at the scene.
Unarmed and more than likely disoriented from being in a car crash, Jonathan ran towards the police when they arrived. Apparently fearing for his life, Officer Kerrick opened fire and unloaded on Jonathan. He unloaded on someone's son, someone's loved one, someone's fiance. It seems that thought never entered Kerrick's mind when he un-holstered his weapon, took aim, and emptied his clip at Jonathan.
If someone is that chicken shit then they shouldn't be given a badge and a gun. Now I wonder how many other people could have potentially lost their lives when Officer Kerrick showed up at the scene. How many other people did he almost shoot while doing his "job"? I am heartbroken and disgusted beyond belief about this because now a mother has to bury her child, and that should never be the case. A parent should never bury their child, that's not the natural order of things, and yet here we are again, doing it all over again, while adding yet another name to the list that's already far too fucking long.
Rest in peace Jonathan A. Ferrell. You will never be forgotten.
Unarmed and more than likely disoriented from being in a car crash, Jonathan ran towards the police when they arrived. Apparently fearing for his life, Officer Kerrick opened fire and unloaded on Jonathan. He unloaded on someone's son, someone's loved one, someone's fiance. It seems that thought never entered Kerrick's mind when he un-holstered his weapon, took aim, and emptied his clip at Jonathan.
If someone is that chicken shit then they shouldn't be given a badge and a gun. Now I wonder how many other people could have potentially lost their lives when Officer Kerrick showed up at the scene. How many other people did he almost shoot while doing his "job"? I am heartbroken and disgusted beyond belief about this because now a mother has to bury her child, and that should never be the case. A parent should never bury their child, that's not the natural order of things, and yet here we are again, doing it all over again, while adding yet another name to the list that's already far too fucking long.
Rest in peace Jonathan A. Ferrell. You will never be forgotten.
Monday, September 16, 2013
More Names...
Have you ever heard the name Virgil Ware? Now you're probably wondering to yourself, "Should I have?" The answer to that question is undeniably yes though the fact that most of the world doesn't hold that name up high isn't anyone's fault, circumstances determined that.
Virgil Ware was 13 years old and riding on the handle bars of his oldest brother James' bike when he was shot in the chest and face by a group of white teens returning from a segregationist rally. The white teens were Boy Scouts and as the story goes, Larry Sims had Michael Farley's gun when they spotted the Ware brothers. Wanting to put a good scare in the boys, Larry fired two shots at them. They both found their home in in Virgil, killing him at the scene in his older brothers arms.
Larry Sims and Michael Farley were both tried and convicted of second degree manslaughter and sentenced to just seven months in jail. However, a judge suspended their sentences and gave them an even more unjust sentence of two years probation and no jail time.
Have you ever heard the name Johnny Robinson? Again, you're probably rummaging through your head wondering if you have, you can stp because you probably haven't. It's for the same reasons you've never heard of Virgil, circumstances.
16 year old Johnny Robinson was shot in the back by police officer Jack Parker. Johnny and a group of Black kids threw rocks at a car draped in the confederate flag and full of white teens who hurled racial slurs and Johnny and his friends. When the police arrived, Johnny and his friends scattered. Jack Parker, obviously fearing for his life by a fleeing Black teen pulled his revolver and shot Johnny in the back, killing him.
Two grand juries were convened and both refused to bring Parker to trial for the murder of Johnny Robinson, and no one was ever prosecuted in the case of his murder.
The reasons you may have never heard of these two young men is because they were murdered in Birmingham, Alabama on the same day as Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair were murdered. Those are the names of the four little Black girls that died in the church bombing in Birmingham 50 years ago yesterday. Their murders were so heinous that Virgil and Johnny's murders were pushed aside and all but forgotten about. I wanted to put their names out and alongside the names of those four little girls in the hopes of informing someone that they too died for no other reason than the color of their skin, and that they should never be forgotten.
Virgil Ware was 13 years old and riding on the handle bars of his oldest brother James' bike when he was shot in the chest and face by a group of white teens returning from a segregationist rally. The white teens were Boy Scouts and as the story goes, Larry Sims had Michael Farley's gun when they spotted the Ware brothers. Wanting to put a good scare in the boys, Larry fired two shots at them. They both found their home in in Virgil, killing him at the scene in his older brothers arms.
Larry Sims and Michael Farley were both tried and convicted of second degree manslaughter and sentenced to just seven months in jail. However, a judge suspended their sentences and gave them an even more unjust sentence of two years probation and no jail time.
Have you ever heard the name Johnny Robinson? Again, you're probably rummaging through your head wondering if you have, you can stp because you probably haven't. It's for the same reasons you've never heard of Virgil, circumstances.
16 year old Johnny Robinson was shot in the back by police officer Jack Parker. Johnny and a group of Black kids threw rocks at a car draped in the confederate flag and full of white teens who hurled racial slurs and Johnny and his friends. When the police arrived, Johnny and his friends scattered. Jack Parker, obviously fearing for his life by a fleeing Black teen pulled his revolver and shot Johnny in the back, killing him.
Two grand juries were convened and both refused to bring Parker to trial for the murder of Johnny Robinson, and no one was ever prosecuted in the case of his murder.
The reasons you may have never heard of these two young men is because they were murdered in Birmingham, Alabama on the same day as Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair were murdered. Those are the names of the four little Black girls that died in the church bombing in Birmingham 50 years ago yesterday. Their murders were so heinous that Virgil and Johnny's murders were pushed aside and all but forgotten about. I wanted to put their names out and alongside the names of those four little girls in the hopes of informing someone that they too died for no other reason than the color of their skin, and that they should never be forgotten.
Virgil is on the left, Johnny on the right.
May you both continue to rest in peace.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Charles Morgan Jr.
I remember a conversation I had with a family member when the last episode of Roots ended. He was so incensed at white people at the time that he begged us not to let him out of the house. When I asked why he replied, "Because I'm bound to go upside the head of the first white person I see." He said it with a smile, I remember that distinctly because while he may have been smiling, it was that kind of sick, demented smile which told me even at the young age I was at the time that he was dead serious.
I asked him if he felt all white people were bad if there were any good ones and he said they were all bad. That the words "good" and "white person" didn't go together in any way, shape or form. I didn't adopt his attitude until I was 19 and divestment from South Africa was the battle cry of the land, well New York City anyway. I was a radical militant and had no kind words for anyone of the Caucasian persuasion but I grew up and matured. I realized that I had no right to judge all white people based on the actions of some, especially since I didn't want them judging me.
I knew there were heroes of the Civil Rights movement, that championed the cause, and stood shoulder to shoulder and back to back with Black folk in support of changing the face of this country. I didn't know all their names, it was impossible to learn their names back then and I still don't, but I learned of one today, one I will never forget. His name is Charles Morgan Jr. While you may have heard of him, I never had and I found his speech, A Time to Speak. I found it to be stirring and 100% true. Listen to his words and you let me know if you think he was telling the truth.
I asked him if he felt all white people were bad if there were any good ones and he said they were all bad. That the words "good" and "white person" didn't go together in any way, shape or form. I didn't adopt his attitude until I was 19 and divestment from South Africa was the battle cry of the land, well New York City anyway. I was a radical militant and had no kind words for anyone of the Caucasian persuasion but I grew up and matured. I realized that I had no right to judge all white people based on the actions of some, especially since I didn't want them judging me.
I knew there were heroes of the Civil Rights movement, that championed the cause, and stood shoulder to shoulder and back to back with Black folk in support of changing the face of this country. I didn't know all their names, it was impossible to learn their names back then and I still don't, but I learned of one today, one I will never forget. His name is Charles Morgan Jr. While you may have heard of him, I never had and I found his speech, A Time to Speak. I found it to be stirring and 100% true. Listen to his words and you let me know if you think he was telling the truth.
Friday, September 13, 2013
The Racist Thoughts of Rush Limbaugh.
Has there ever been a person you just wanted to meet for whatever reason? Was there that person you just hoped you bumped into one day or actually got to sit down with and hold a conversation with? I'm sure there is, and I'm sure for most it would be some kind of TV or movie star and for some it would be a sports athlete. I am sure there are others that would love to meet their favorite musician or artist be they writers, dancers, singers, painters and the like. Or maybe you would want to meet the President or the First Lady or someone else iconic.
Years ago when I was in my teens I always wanted to have a sit down with the leader of the KKK. I know, I know, but I was convinced that a straight up conversation with the likes of me would make that man realize just how backwards thinking he really was. I then realized that no matter what I would have said to that man, whomever he may have been, wouldn't have changed a damn thing. Sometimes ignorance is just too thick to break through and defeat.
Today though, after hearing what I heard the insane blowhard Rush Limbaugh said, I would really love to meet him. Not to talk some sense into him, we both know that would be impossible on any level. No, I want to meet him just to slap the shit out of him and see just how many pills he had taken. Today's quip took the cake and I swear, if I ever get the chance to meet this bloated douchebag, he should get prepared to be slapped down and force fed some Chicken McNuggets.
Years ago when I was in my teens I always wanted to have a sit down with the leader of the KKK. I know, I know, but I was convinced that a straight up conversation with the likes of me would make that man realize just how backwards thinking he really was. I then realized that no matter what I would have said to that man, whomever he may have been, wouldn't have changed a damn thing. Sometimes ignorance is just too thick to break through and defeat.
Today though, after hearing what I heard the insane blowhard Rush Limbaugh said, I would really love to meet him. Not to talk some sense into him, we both know that would be impossible on any level. No, I want to meet him just to slap the shit out of him and see just how many pills he had taken. Today's quip took the cake and I swear, if I ever get the chance to meet this bloated douchebag, he should get prepared to be slapped down and force fed some Chicken McNuggets.
Ahhh...The Greek Life
It's hilarious to me, these fraternities and sororities. White Anglo Saxon and African American kids living the "Greek" life is a massive contradiction in terms, but I'll get to that later. Now I personally see no purpose in a frat or sorority but I guess that's because I was never part of one. Had I pledged a frat and crossed over, I am sure the world would be putty in my hands thanks to the network. The network of brotherhood.
A frat or a sorority is all about networking and who you know. Two kids vying for the same job, both fresh out of college, one has a far better GPA than the other, with more letters of commendations under his/her belt means nothing in the face of brotherhood or sisterhood. If the person doing the hiring belonged to the same frat or sorority as the applicant, guess who's getting that job. It wouldn't matter if that kid was a drunken buffoon who rarely went to class sober, he or she is practically set for life once a part of a house.
I say that to say this, one of the last strongholds of segregation on college campuses are fraternities and sororities. While most colleges embrace diversity and inclusion, the "Greeks" do not and seems like they never will. Before you attack me, I am sure there are houses out there that are integrated, how could there not be, but for the most part it's "go be with your own". Case in point, the University of Alabama student newspaper did a story recently exposing four traditionally all white sororities who have reportedly blocked two Black females from crossing over.
One of the girls who pledged had a 4.3 GPA and had "family roots that link directly back to the university", and yet she was denied. The article in The Crimson and White which is entitled "The Final Barrier: 50 years later, segregation still exists" listed Alpha Gamma Delta, Tri Delta, Chi Omega, and Pi Beta Phi as the four sororities that denied the young ladies strictly based on their skin color alone. Why these young ladies decided to pledge these all white houses to begin with is mystifying to me, unless these women grew up in a world surrounded by those that look nothing like them.
Let's say these two beautiful young Black women grew up in predominantly white suburban enclaves. They had sleep overs with their white BFF's, dated white boys, dressed like their white friends, listened to the same music, read the same books, and grew up in a household where they were told there was no such thing as racism. All their lives they lived in a sheltered environment where they believed that their skin color didn't define them, that it wasn't going to stand in their way, that it didn't matter. I suppose after this, after being dropped from the lists of pledges of FOUR houses the world they thought they knew, wasn't the world they thought they knew. Hopefully they've taken off the rose colored glasses and they now see the world in a much more realistic light.
Kids pledge frats and sororities for the networking it can provide. A great career, security, power beyond the wildest of imaginations can be obtained through joining the right frat or the right sorority. Why white Anglo-Saxon and African-american kids choose to be "Greek" is beyond me, but it's an identifier, it's a badge of honor, it's something that says, "Hey, I was a drunken buffoon in my college days too, welcome aboard"
A frat or a sorority is all about networking and who you know. Two kids vying for the same job, both fresh out of college, one has a far better GPA than the other, with more letters of commendations under his/her belt means nothing in the face of brotherhood or sisterhood. If the person doing the hiring belonged to the same frat or sorority as the applicant, guess who's getting that job. It wouldn't matter if that kid was a drunken buffoon who rarely went to class sober, he or she is practically set for life once a part of a house.
I say that to say this, one of the last strongholds of segregation on college campuses are fraternities and sororities. While most colleges embrace diversity and inclusion, the "Greeks" do not and seems like they never will. Before you attack me, I am sure there are houses out there that are integrated, how could there not be, but for the most part it's "go be with your own". Case in point, the University of Alabama student newspaper did a story recently exposing four traditionally all white sororities who have reportedly blocked two Black females from crossing over.
One of the girls who pledged had a 4.3 GPA and had "family roots that link directly back to the university", and yet she was denied. The article in The Crimson and White which is entitled "The Final Barrier: 50 years later, segregation still exists" listed Alpha Gamma Delta, Tri Delta, Chi Omega, and Pi Beta Phi as the four sororities that denied the young ladies strictly based on their skin color alone. Why these young ladies decided to pledge these all white houses to begin with is mystifying to me, unless these women grew up in a world surrounded by those that look nothing like them.
Let's say these two beautiful young Black women grew up in predominantly white suburban enclaves. They had sleep overs with their white BFF's, dated white boys, dressed like their white friends, listened to the same music, read the same books, and grew up in a household where they were told there was no such thing as racism. All their lives they lived in a sheltered environment where they believed that their skin color didn't define them, that it wasn't going to stand in their way, that it didn't matter. I suppose after this, after being dropped from the lists of pledges of FOUR houses the world they thought they knew, wasn't the world they thought they knew. Hopefully they've taken off the rose colored glasses and they now see the world in a much more realistic light.
Kids pledge frats and sororities for the networking it can provide. A great career, security, power beyond the wildest of imaginations can be obtained through joining the right frat or the right sorority. Why white Anglo-Saxon and African-american kids choose to be "Greek" is beyond me, but it's an identifier, it's a badge of honor, it's something that says, "Hey, I was a drunken buffoon in my college days too, welcome aboard"
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
That Time Of Year Again.
Yes, it's that time of the year again when the thousands if not millions of out of work Black and brown actors and actresses turn on their TV's and say, "I'm better then him/her". It's time for the fall TV lineup, and as usual there are very few people that look like me on network TV. Granted, NBC threw Black people a bone this season by hiring Blair Underwood to play Ironside, a role made famous by Raymond Burr, yep the big fat white guy. Forget doing something original, forget crafting a show that is tailor made for Blair. Instead, let's reboot an old show where we confine him to a wheelchair and make him the ONLY Black cast member. Great idea NBC.
My mother made a funny the other day when I brought this up with her, and mind you my mother is really not all that funny, but she caught me completely off guard when she called CBS the Caucasian Broadcasting System. Now you may have heard that before but I hadn't, and for that split second not only was my mother the funniest woman on the planet, she was absolutely right. I guess those behind the programming at CBS don't believe Black or brown people exist outside of LL Cool J. Unless of course it's March Madness or some other sporting event. As for as scripted shows, no dice. I won't even bring up their train wreck of a show, Big Brother.
ABC has one of the most popular shows on TV in Scandal, a show about a Black woman, the lovely Kerry Washington who is a crisis manager in Washington DC. She is sleeping with the President of the United States. Yes, the Black woman is the OTHER woman, the home wrecker and if she were on Maury or one of those other shows, she'd be the whore. Cliche much ABC? I'm aware that there is a Black woman behind the show which makes it even harder to stomach. It seems Black people have to debase ourselves so badly to even get a crack at a show on network TV.
What really burns me up though is that throughout most of these shows, the new ones coming and the old ones already airing, there was no thought to ever hiring a Black or brown person to be even a peripheral member of the show. They don't have to be the star but at least give a Black or brown actor or actress a paycheck. And I am not talking about the already established actors who don't need the money or the help, I'm talking about those out there struggling to make ends meet. Those who are waiting tables, bagging groceries, driving cabs, doing whatever they can to make rent. Every time I turn around there is some new white person getting a show, some actor or actress I have never seen or heard of before, and I've seen and heard of almost all of them, believe me. Yet Black and brown people get no love unless we make a charicature of ourselves.
The Wire was one of the greatest shows ever created because not only was it well written, but it was a show made up primarily of Black and brown people on both sides of the law. It was a show steeped in reality, something none of the networks shows have ever heard of and what no parts of. Happy Watching!
My mother made a funny the other day when I brought this up with her, and mind you my mother is really not all that funny, but she caught me completely off guard when she called CBS the Caucasian Broadcasting System. Now you may have heard that before but I hadn't, and for that split second not only was my mother the funniest woman on the planet, she was absolutely right. I guess those behind the programming at CBS don't believe Black or brown people exist outside of LL Cool J. Unless of course it's March Madness or some other sporting event. As for as scripted shows, no dice. I won't even bring up their train wreck of a show, Big Brother.
ABC has one of the most popular shows on TV in Scandal, a show about a Black woman, the lovely Kerry Washington who is a crisis manager in Washington DC. She is sleeping with the President of the United States. Yes, the Black woman is the OTHER woman, the home wrecker and if she were on Maury or one of those other shows, she'd be the whore. Cliche much ABC? I'm aware that there is a Black woman behind the show which makes it even harder to stomach. It seems Black people have to debase ourselves so badly to even get a crack at a show on network TV.
What really burns me up though is that throughout most of these shows, the new ones coming and the old ones already airing, there was no thought to ever hiring a Black or brown person to be even a peripheral member of the show. They don't have to be the star but at least give a Black or brown actor or actress a paycheck. And I am not talking about the already established actors who don't need the money or the help, I'm talking about those out there struggling to make ends meet. Those who are waiting tables, bagging groceries, driving cabs, doing whatever they can to make rent. Every time I turn around there is some new white person getting a show, some actor or actress I have never seen or heard of before, and I've seen and heard of almost all of them, believe me. Yet Black and brown people get no love unless we make a charicature of ourselves.
The Wire was one of the greatest shows ever created because not only was it well written, but it was a show made up primarily of Black and brown people on both sides of the law. It was a show steeped in reality, something none of the networks shows have ever heard of and what no parts of. Happy Watching!
Monday, September 9, 2013
And THIS Is Why I'm No Fan Of The South (or Red Lobster).
You have to love the south, you really do. My family is from the south so although I was born in New York, I have the south in my DNA. Well, not really, but I have the south in my past. My mother taught me what she could about the Civil War, going so far as to buy a set of those Time Life books on the war. You know the ones, with the leather hardcovers. Maybe you don't, but those books played a major part in my edification regarding that time period in my country.
Then I did further research on my own on the south and found out that good old Tennessee was the birthplace of that wonderful Christian organization known as the KKK. I mention that because just the other day, in the great state of Tennessee, a young Black waitress at Red Lobster received an amazingly gracious tip from some of her wonderful customers. Christina Jenkins, a 19 year old nursing student waited on some customers and when they demanded to-go boxes, packed up their food and left. The receipt they left behind on the table for Christina, in the tip area they wrote the words "None Ni***r".
Now outside of that vile and nasty shit, what I found equally as vile was that for posting this receipt on her facebook page, Christina was suspended with pay while the restaurant figures out what actions should be taken against her. Yes, you read that correctly, Christina was suspended. Maybe it was because she posted a picture of the receipt on a social network site, or maybe it was because she added these words as a caption...
This is what I got as a tip last night… so happy to live in the proud southern states…God Bless America, land of the free and home of the low class racists of Tennessee.
I think she had every right to post the pic and make the comment, had it been me they might have had to call the police honestly. I posted this for all the Black people that claim when they use the N word they are taking the sting and the hurt out of the word. NO, you are NOT. Maybe when YOU use the word you mean it with no ill will or malice, but when white people use it towards us, all the sting and hurt is there.
I want to commend this young lady, Christina Jenkins for handling this insult in such a mature way. If her company was smart, they would reward her and promote her because obviously she knows how to handle herself in tough situations far better than the company she works for does.
Then I did further research on my own on the south and found out that good old Tennessee was the birthplace of that wonderful Christian organization known as the KKK. I mention that because just the other day, in the great state of Tennessee, a young Black waitress at Red Lobster received an amazingly gracious tip from some of her wonderful customers. Christina Jenkins, a 19 year old nursing student waited on some customers and when they demanded to-go boxes, packed up their food and left. The receipt they left behind on the table for Christina, in the tip area they wrote the words "None Ni***r".
Now outside of that vile and nasty shit, what I found equally as vile was that for posting this receipt on her facebook page, Christina was suspended with pay while the restaurant figures out what actions should be taken against her. Yes, you read that correctly, Christina was suspended. Maybe it was because she posted a picture of the receipt on a social network site, or maybe it was because she added these words as a caption...
This is what I got as a tip last night… so happy to live in the proud southern states…God Bless America, land of the free and home of the low class racists of Tennessee.
I think she had every right to post the pic and make the comment, had it been me they might have had to call the police honestly. I posted this for all the Black people that claim when they use the N word they are taking the sting and the hurt out of the word. NO, you are NOT. Maybe when YOU use the word you mean it with no ill will or malice, but when white people use it towards us, all the sting and hurt is there.
I want to commend this young lady, Christina Jenkins for handling this insult in such a mature way. If her company was smart, they would reward her and promote her because obviously she knows how to handle herself in tough situations far better than the company she works for does.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
A Real WTF Moment!
Sometimes I come across things that make me scratch my head. They are things that would be so off the wall that usually they would be hard to believe. The NAACP meeting with the Klan was a shocker, but when I came across this story last night, it was hard to believe that it was almost laughable.
In North Carolina there stands a church, The Freedom House Church, and like most churches, Freedom house has greeters, something similar to Walmart. Those are the people welcoming you in at the front door, they usually tend to have you off to an usher who then shows you to your seat. It seems the lead pastor sent out an email to the congregation looking for more greeters and well, her words could have and should been chosen a little more wisely.
WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC
Now I thought a church was supposed to build a so called "color blind congregation", at least that's how I was raised and yet there is a Black woman of the cloth seeking "white only greeters". I have an amazingly vivid imagination, I really do and I couldn't have thought this story up no matter how hard I tried or what substance I was under the influence of. This is just too strange, too funny, and too sad to be real, and yet...
In North Carolina there stands a church, The Freedom House Church, and like most churches, Freedom house has greeters, something similar to Walmart. Those are the people welcoming you in at the front door, they usually tend to have you off to an usher who then shows you to your seat. It seems the lead pastor sent out an email to the congregation looking for more greeters and well, her words could have and should been chosen a little more wisely.
WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC
Now I thought a church was supposed to build a so called "color blind congregation", at least that's how I was raised and yet there is a Black woman of the cloth seeking "white only greeters". I have an amazingly vivid imagination, I really do and I couldn't have thought this story up no matter how hard I tried or what substance I was under the influence of. This is just too strange, too funny, and too sad to be real, and yet...
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
The impossible Happened!
Play lotto, powerball, scratch off some lottery tickets, and take your behind to Vegas and bet it all because there is a snowball in hell tonight. I will say it again, there is a snowball in hell tonight because Saturday, the impossible happened.
For the first time in the HISTORY of this country, leaders of the Wyoming branch of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the leader of the KKK met to discuss the spike in violence against Black Men and the proliferation of KKK pamphlets in the area.
Jimmy Simmons, head of the Casper branch of the NAACP was the one that reached out to John Abarr of the United Klans of America to see if they could meet in June. That meeting wasn't going to happen until some strict ground rules were established, including one where the two men would meet under heavy security. The two sides didn't agree on all the ground rules until recently which is why the meeting didn't take place until this past weekend.
The two men discussed the recent uptick in random acts of violence against Black men, the spike in membership in the Klan after President Obama was re-elected, and John Abarr even spelled out the reasons he liked being in the Klan.
"I like it because you wear robes, and get out and light crosses, and have secret handshakes,” Abarr said, according to the Star-Tribune. “I like being in the Klan -- I sort of like it that people think I’m some sort of outlaw."
Abarr stated that even though he believes the Klan is a non-violent, Christian organization, which I of course find curious. Who knows if any good will come of this historic meeting between these two organizations, whether or not the acts of violence against Black Men will slow down or cease, or if Jimmy and John will share milk and cookies and have a sleep over. All I know is that there is a snowball in the pit of hell tonight, and I am headed to Vegas.
For the first time in the HISTORY of this country, leaders of the Wyoming branch of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the leader of the KKK met to discuss the spike in violence against Black Men and the proliferation of KKK pamphlets in the area.
Jimmy Simmons, head of the Casper branch of the NAACP was the one that reached out to John Abarr of the United Klans of America to see if they could meet in June. That meeting wasn't going to happen until some strict ground rules were established, including one where the two men would meet under heavy security. The two sides didn't agree on all the ground rules until recently which is why the meeting didn't take place until this past weekend.
The two men discussed the recent uptick in random acts of violence against Black men, the spike in membership in the Klan after President Obama was re-elected, and John Abarr even spelled out the reasons he liked being in the Klan.
"I like it because you wear robes, and get out and light crosses, and have secret handshakes,” Abarr said, according to the Star-Tribune. “I like being in the Klan -- I sort of like it that people think I’m some sort of outlaw."
Abarr stated that even though he believes the Klan is a non-violent, Christian organization, which I of course find curious. Who knows if any good will come of this historic meeting between these two organizations, whether or not the acts of violence against Black Men will slow down or cease, or if Jimmy and John will share milk and cookies and have a sleep over. All I know is that there is a snowball in the pit of hell tonight, and I am headed to Vegas.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Black Conservatism is my porn!
Black conservatism is a real thing. It's not the figment of anyone's imagination, it is real. There are Black people out there that have adopted the attitudes and ideologies of the conservatives. Lower taxes for the rich (fiscal conservatives), every man for themselves (tea party movement), from Union busting to the desire to privatize Medicare. There are many more conservative principles but I won't get into that, but there are Black people that hold fast to these and all the other tenants of the conservatives.
I respect them, I do. I respect them for aligning themselves with a party that at one time was responsible for the freeing of the slave. I respect them for calling themselves conservatives and belonging to a party that now despises them and seeks to exploit them. If one chooses to boldly stands up and proclaims that they now stand with their enemy, while that may be looked upon with confusion and bewilderment, and while it may not be liked, it needs to be respected.
My problem with Black conservatives and the Black conservatism movement, other than the fact that I think they need to have their heads examined, are the people they put out to do the talking for them. It is hard, Hard, HARD to be taken seriously as a movement when you continue to put "crazy" front and center and have them try to plead your case. Yet that is exactly what conservatives do. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck are personalities on radio and TV. They make their cases against the President and his administration for a paycheck. Those men are hilarious to me but I respect their hustle. When you move over to the elected official side of that coin, well I don't think I really need to mention any of the crazies there by name, I'll just say that when it's a legitimate rape, a woman's body can shut that whole getting pregnant thing down, and I can see Russia from my house.
Now when it comes to Black conservatives it seems they've adopted the "put the crazies front and center" strategy. I have already blogged about James David Manning and his pure insanity. His hatred for the President and the First Lady knows no bounds, nor does his hatred for Black people in general. And while he may have a church in Harlem, I truly doubt he resides there. I was recently introduced to the writings (and I use that term loosely) and ideas of Mychal Massie, a supposed leader in the world of Black conservatism. Reading his writings, this is a man who clearly sees himself as one of "them" and not one of "us", as his words so clearly state. These two men are just the tip of the iceberg of my Black conservatism porn. I mentally masturbate to James Manning alone, because he is SO out there, but now I have two to mentally get off on.
The fact that these two men have decided to rub their conservative ideals and hatred for the First Family all over each other was almost too good to be true. I likened the two part interview Manning conducted with Massie as the perfect storm for someone like me. Mychal Massie is under the impression that President Obama and his wife are "elitist Leninists" and he condemns them for being "the worst kind of racialists". Mychal Massie has attempted to take down Michelle Obama repeatedly because in his words "Michelle Obama’s raw contempt for white America is transpicuous." When I found the interviews online it was like Christmas came early for me by four months, and I was so overjoyed at the amount of porn that was under my tree that I just had to share it. I hope you watch and mentally get off just like I've been doing. You might want to get a napkin or a towel, just saying.
I respect them, I do. I respect them for aligning themselves with a party that at one time was responsible for the freeing of the slave. I respect them for calling themselves conservatives and belonging to a party that now despises them and seeks to exploit them. If one chooses to boldly stands up and proclaims that they now stand with their enemy, while that may be looked upon with confusion and bewilderment, and while it may not be liked, it needs to be respected.
My problem with Black conservatives and the Black conservatism movement, other than the fact that I think they need to have their heads examined, are the people they put out to do the talking for them. It is hard, Hard, HARD to be taken seriously as a movement when you continue to put "crazy" front and center and have them try to plead your case. Yet that is exactly what conservatives do. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck are personalities on radio and TV. They make their cases against the President and his administration for a paycheck. Those men are hilarious to me but I respect their hustle. When you move over to the elected official side of that coin, well I don't think I really need to mention any of the crazies there by name, I'll just say that when it's a legitimate rape, a woman's body can shut that whole getting pregnant thing down, and I can see Russia from my house.
Now when it comes to Black conservatives it seems they've adopted the "put the crazies front and center" strategy. I have already blogged about James David Manning and his pure insanity. His hatred for the President and the First Lady knows no bounds, nor does his hatred for Black people in general. And while he may have a church in Harlem, I truly doubt he resides there. I was recently introduced to the writings (and I use that term loosely) and ideas of Mychal Massie, a supposed leader in the world of Black conservatism. Reading his writings, this is a man who clearly sees himself as one of "them" and not one of "us", as his words so clearly state. These two men are just the tip of the iceberg of my Black conservatism porn. I mentally masturbate to James Manning alone, because he is SO out there, but now I have two to mentally get off on.
The fact that these two men have decided to rub their conservative ideals and hatred for the First Family all over each other was almost too good to be true. I likened the two part interview Manning conducted with Massie as the perfect storm for someone like me. Mychal Massie is under the impression that President Obama and his wife are "elitist Leninists" and he condemns them for being "the worst kind of racialists". Mychal Massie has attempted to take down Michelle Obama repeatedly because in his words "Michelle Obama’s raw contempt for white America is transpicuous." When I found the interviews online it was like Christmas came early for me by four months, and I was so overjoyed at the amount of porn that was under my tree that I just had to share it. I hope you watch and mentally get off just like I've been doing. You might want to get a napkin or a towel, just saying.
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