Blakfacts

KNOW YOUR TROPES

2011-08-06T06:03:00.003-04:00

First of all, what is a trope? A trope is a figure of speech which can boil a complex idea down to a few words. All cultures have tropes. The beauty of all cultures is in discovering the tropes unique to each culture.

In the case of President Obama and the recent comments comparing him to a Tar Baby. Let's examine the evidence carefully before we "jump off the deep end" into instant pundit land. In the story, all Americans know and love, Br'er Rabbit is tricked by Fox into having a fight with a "straw man," or in this case, a "Tar Baby." Fox planned for Br'er Rabbit to get stuck to "Tar Baby" allowing him and Bear to make a meal of him. Instead Br'er Rabbit tricks both of them into tossing him into the briar patch, where he makes good his escape. Watch the video excerpted from Walt Disney's "Song of the South" to refresh your memory on exactly how the story goes.

The point here is that if we follow the story to its logical conclusion, the Democrats/liberals who get stuck to "Tar Baby" Obama come out the winners in this story, only because the Republicans/far right are so stupid Br'er Rabbit/liberals trick them into giving them exactly what they want.

So, what's the downside here? Oh yeah, Obama appears to be foolish for the moment. But, if the story ends anything like it does in "Song of the South" the good guys win. "He who laughs last, laughs best."

Before we "jump off the deep end" we need to know our tropes and how to use them. It certainly wouldn't do for Fox to use our tropes against us. Next time, maybe we oughta beg Fox not to throw us into "the briar patch," instead of "jumping off the deep end" before we look at a situation thoughtfully carefully weighing all of our options and the resulting consequences.

WAR FOR YOUR SOUL

2010-07-14T22:11:00.002-04:00

A War For Your Soul-regular version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.

A filmmaker and public speaker, Reggie Bullock is a vibrant voice and accomplished role model for the youth of today. On March 15, 2009, Reggie’s short film "A War For Your Soul" was independently released on the internet, and has catapulted as a “stirring, epic and inspirational” video for today’s generation”. Over 6 million internet viewers have watched “A War For Your Soul” in 1 year. The video has garnered praise from mayors, city leaders, youth and civic organizations and almost every major country around the world, sparking dialogue in encouraging adults to play a more active role in educating children.

On Oct. 14th, Popular radio host Michael Baisden said "This is a must see film".

On Jan. 20th Reggie received the key to the city award from the city council members from the city of Macon GA.

Reggie is currently active as a noted speaker, conducting speaking engagements throughout the country. For speaking engagements contact warforyoursoul.com or reggie.bullock@comcast.net

This video was created to inspire young at-risk African-Americans not to fall prey to some of the problems they face in society. The "Master of Darkness" represents that abstract concept of evil that has the potential to reside in the consciousness of mankind.

The use of the images of Richard Pryor and NAS, were used to show how we have publicly displayed the "N" word over the course of time. Richard Pryor, before his death, had gone on record to publicly denounce his use of the word, and the Rapper NAS ( one of the few socially conscious rappers ) intentions of wearing the jacket had nothing to do with the glorification of the word. I have enjoyed some of Pryor's masterful story telling and I have also enjoyed some of the thought provoking music from NAS.

This video should not to be used to divide people (Black & White).
This video should not be used to criticize all aspects of hip-hop culture.
This video should not be used to allow the rest of society to escape from their responsibility, to help with financial & academic support.

If used properly, this video will allow our youth to see some of the horrific conditions that their ancestors fought through and some of the horrific conditions they face today.

An extensive commentary about the film can be seen at warforyoursoul.com

**THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR SALE & I AM NOT ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR THE FILM, I ONLY WANT THE MESSAGE TO REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANY HIDDEN POLITICAL OR FINANCIAL AGENDA.

Contacts:
Origins of the Word Nigger
warforyoursoul.com
reggie.bullock@comcast.net
facebook.com/reggie.bullock
twitter.com/ReggieBullock

THIRTIETH ANNUAL AKRON AFRICAN FESTIVAL: FEATURING LEGENDARY BAND CON FUNK SHUN

2010-07-01T21:44:00.001-04:00

The THIRTIETH ANNUAL AKRON AFRICAN FESTIVAL returns to Akron at a new location, after an absence of one year. This year's
event will take place at Lock 3, in cooperation with the City of Akron and a number of other local sponsors.

This year's festival features a special event, "It's An African Affair" on the evening of July 24th and the music of the legendary band CON FUNK SHUN and numerous other class acts. Starting at 11am on Sunday, July 25th the day's activities will begin with a drum call and recognition of our ancestors, before offering up speakers on a variety of topics and performers from a variety of groups, locally and internationally.

CON FUNK SHUN will take to the stage as the featured artists for the evening's activities. You can find more information about them and all the other groups that will perform that evening at the following link for the 30th Annual Akron African Festival: Part II.

Over the past 40 years, the Akron African Festival has attracted thousands to the Akron area. It is the second oldest cultural festival in Ohio, surpassed only by Youngstown, OH. Individuals have planned family reunions and homecomings around the dates of the festival. This year will be no different, with the exception that for the first time you will be able to solidify your plans using the Facebook group for the festival to connect you to all of your friends and family members, before, during and after the festival. We'll be steadily posting pictures and videos of friends, performers and family members over the next month and beyond. Use it or lose it.

There will also be a special tent for youth activities of all kinds. Vending opportunities are still available, as well.

So, bring on da noise, bring on the Funk! Bring all your family and stay the whole day. Bring your lawn chairs, picnic baskets and blankets. Reserve a prime spot near the stage for the whole family. Before 5pm it's all FREE. After 5pm it's $5 with no jive! Either way, you'll have a good day and a great night.

HOW DID CALIFORNIA GET NAMED AFTER A BLACK WOMAN

2009-04-20T03:08:00.002-04:00

The history of the state of California is intricately connected to the history of the Mali empire? Say what, how can that be?

At first glance they appear to be totally unrelated. However, on the examination of the history it has been revealed that they have a lot more in common than one would expect. We were taught in school that the year 1492 was the year that Columbus sailed the ocean blue. What we were not told is that it was also the year the king of Aragon was able to complete the expulsion of the Muslim caliphs from Al Andalusia (Spain), as well.

Mind you these Muslims were primarily from the African nations along the Northern Mediterranean, as well as West Africa proper. They came from the countries now known as Morocco, Mali, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Egypt and even Ethiopia. Therefore, from all historical evidence we know for sure that a large majority of them were of the African racial type.

The occupation of Spain lasted for 700 years. During that time Spainish culture was alive and vibrant, while the cultures of Europe, as a whole were stagnant and dead, hence the name we've that era, the Dark Ages, meaning there was no significant learning or serious thought going on during that time.

Spain or as the Muslims called it Al Andalusia was just the opposite, with lit streets, indoor plumbing, aquaducts, courtyard fountains and magnificient architectural structures that remain among the most popular tourist attractions in the world. The University of Salamanca was the most prestigious institution of learning in the known world. Under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate science and learning flourished, while the Dark Ages formed a cloud over Europe, where only the priestly class was even allowed, or enouraged to read. In fact, the same kinds of restrictions that were placed on African slaves in the U.S., following the rebellion of Nat Turner, were placed on the entire population of Europe, with punishments which were just as severe.

I'd like to note here that there was some evidence of the mechanical genius of the inhabitants of Europe that came out at that time, unfortunately, it seemed to be mostly in the area of torture. The implements of torture that were devised during this time for the use of the clergy in carrying out the Inquisition were truly ingenious. We've all heard of The Rack, thumbscrews, The Pear, The Iron Maiden, The Gibbet (gallows), The Whipping Post, Stocks, etc. Of course, we wouldn't want to forget the most humane instrument of death every devised, The Guillotine. These are inventions, which are wholly European and I believe unique in the annals of history.

The stated purpose of these Inquisitions as detailed in a 1578 handbook for inquisitors was: ... quoniam punitio non refertur primo & per se in correctionem & bonum eius qui punitur, sed in bonum publicum ut alij terreantur, & a malis committendis avocentur. [Translation from the Latin: "... for punishment does not take place primarily and per se for the correction and good of the person punished, but for the public good in order that others may become terrified and weaned away from the evils they would commit."] Note the use of the word terrified in describing the purpose of this practice.

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TO BE CONTINUED

RITA DOVE'S LATEST WORK: "SONATA MULATTICA"

2009-04-20T02:39:00.003-04:00

Her latest book is called "Sonata Mulattica" and it's a tour-de-force. Written, as only Rita Dove could write it, we learn about the life of George P. Bridgetower, a virtuoso musician who grows up in Poland and becomes the toast of European royalty. His exquisite performances on the violin inspire Beethoven to write a piece dedicated to him, which they perform before a concert audience, only hours after Beethoven completes it.

That she would pick someone to write about who is a virtual unknown to Americans is not as odd as it may appear, for her subject and her have a lot in common. Rita played the cello when she was going to school right here in Akron, Ohio; she's known for being fluent in German, which was a language Bridgetower undoubtedly spoke and they're both descendants of African immigrants.

Much of the story is told in the title of the book. "Sonata Mulattica" is an abbreviation of the title Beethoven gave to what's been called his penultimate violin sonata (opus 47). The full title was "Sonata mulattica composta per il mulatto Brischdauer, gran pazzo e conpositore mulattico," meaning "Sonata composed for the mulatta mulatto Brischdauer, big wild composition and mulatto."

The idea of the "tragic mulatto" came into existence during Bridgetower's lifetime. However, his own story was not quite so ill fated. He actually had quite a bit of success as a musician. The patronage of the young English prince, who continued to support him as the King of England, certainly helped. His affiliation with Beethoven, Haydn and other musical geniuses of his time certainly helped.

But, there was still a cloud of racism hovering over his head, which became even more apparent upon his death, as this book is one of only three full length treatments of his life. Dove's presentation is totally unique, however in that it gives us an entirely new path to Bridgetower. This is the surprise in store for anyone who decides to go on this adventure to discover, just who was this African prince of Poland.

To be continued tomorrow, with a video of Rita reading a selection from her latest work.

KSU ALUMNI ORGANIZE REUNION IN CYBERSPACE

2009-04-20T02:29:00.004-04:00

The 4th Annual Black Alumni Reunion was held last weekend at Kent's Rathskeller. It was a very successful event with approximately 300 Black Alumni in attendance. Members came from all over the country. The member who came the furthest distance was Adisa Alkebulan from San Diego, CA.

Event organizers Andrea Wright and Kellea Tibbs brought the event into the 21st century by notifying attendees via a new network on Ning.com a relatively new networking website. Ning allows members who sign up to communicate with each other 24/7 using a variety of user created networks for free.

The Kent State Black Alumni Association now has a membership of almost 300 people. Their network on Ning was established in 2008 and is now in full force and effect.

Andrea Wright, one of the founders of the association, which just gained and official status at Kent, states on her personal page that,

"I count it a blessing to be able to greet all of the Black Alumni from Kent State University. Thank you for joining the social networking site designed to be a tool to bring us back together to remember our days on the campus in Kent, Ohio. Kent State University is one of Ohio's top public universities. The university played an important role in all of our lives. It's continuing to make a difference in young student's lives and as Black Alumni, we can play an important role.

The ultimate purpose is to reconnect and unify ourselves for one purpose. The purpose is to be officially recognized again as The Black Alumni Chapter. As an official chapter, we will be able to access budgeted funds to do programming designed with not only bringing us together but assisting those students still matriculating at the university.

Our goal is not just to socialize. However, through socializing and networking, we can broaden our goals and maximize our possibilities."

One of the ways that the organization plans to meet this goal is by creating a scholarship fund, financed initially by the admission fees collected by the association at the reunion. Now that the association has been recognized by the KSU Alumni Association they can apply make funding requests from the university and take the organization to the next level.

The party's over, but the beat goes on. We look forward to covering future events sponsored by the Kent State Black Alumni Association.

SAINT MAURICE & THE THEBAN LEGION

2009-04-07T06:46:00.003-04:00

Check out the coat of arms of Pope Benedict the XVI. For those non-Catholics amongst you, he's the current Pope, who hails from Germany.

When I saw the close up of Saint Maurice's statue I did not have to think twice about what happened to his nose. It was all too apparent, that someone had deliberately broken it off. There are many statues all over Europe, especially in cultural havens like Rome. Many of them have missing appendages, typically the arms or even the legs, but most prevalent are the missing arms.

In Egypt, however we see something that doesn't jibe with that whole vibe, missing noses. The question begs to be asked how has it happened that so many of the pharaohs statues have endured earth quakes, inundations, etc. and the only significant damage is to their noses, while other civilizations all over the globe have antiquities which are younger, but with intact noses.

I have to conclude that some body or bodies have gone through the country and systematically removed the noses from the statues in a vain attempt to erase the Black man from the historical timeline of the ancient Egyptians. Why would someone do this? It's really quite simple. The Egyptian civilization is the forefather of Western civilization. In order to maintain the unnatural premise of white supremacy history had to be rewritten.

This is what we see with Saint Maurice, the rewriting of history, where whites have always ruled and Blacks have been their subservient slaves. The problem is that historians like J.A. Rogers and Runoko Rashidi keep pulling off the bedsheets, uncovering a "master race" that worships Black people as gods or at least in a godlike manner.

There's much more evidence of this "hero worship" than there is of our supposed inferiority. We have good examples of this in the numerous European coats of arms with depictions of a coal black St. Maurice or one of the 20 other Black saints, who stood firm with him on the battlefield of Aganaum and refused to slaughter their Christian brothers and sisters, that fateful day in 287 CE (common era).

SAINT MAURICE AND THE THEBAN LEGION

2009-04-07T06:30:00.007-04:00

I first heard of Saint Maurice from J.A. Rogers. The stunning picture you see here accompanied the story of St. Maurice of Auganaum. The idea of a Black patron saint of Germany was intriguing, indeed. J.A. Rogers also spoke of the numerous Black Madonnas of Europe. Again, this was a revelation, as who would have thought that white people could worship Black saints and even a Black Madonna and child.

Well, Runoko Rashidi has just returned from visiting some of the sacred sites of Europe dedicated to the Black saints and Martyrs of Christianity and he's brought a picture with him that has stirred a renewed interest in St. Maurice, in particular. This picture shows St. Maurice without a nose. Now, clearly he's Black in skin color and features. The antiquity of the statue is without doubt, but like the statues of the pharoahs of Egypt, the nose is missing.

As is the case with the many shrines and depictions of Africans in Europe today, there's typically been a series of convoluted explanations to explain away such anomalies. It's been said of many of the Black Madonnas that smoke produced by thousands of candles burnt over the years has blackened specific parts of the statues without blackening other parts. For instance, the face, and hands will be black, while Mary's headdress and clothing is pure white and sparkling. I'd be interested in hearing someone actually try to explain how that happens, just for kicks.

I haven't heard Runoko's story of the missing nose of St. Maurice, but I'm sure it's a doozy. The only story I've heard so far that sounds true to form, when it comes to the missing nose of a statue, is the one about Napoleon and the missing nose of the Great Sphinx. It's been said that he blew it off with a cannon, because he went all the way to the home of the ancients, the founders of the philosophical base which is Western civilization and found someone immortalized their that looked like one of his chief rivals and that of a rebel chief in the French colonies. I'm speaking of Thomas Alexander Dumas, the French General and Toussaint L'Overture, the Haitian Revolutionary. It was too much for him.

Look for Part II tomorrow

WHY POT COULD BE CALIFORNIA'S NEW CASH CROP

2009-03-16T00:01:00.004-04:00

Former SF supervisor wants public to cash in on $13.8 billion pot crop

By JACKSON WEST

Updated 12:18 PM PDT, Mon, Mar 2, 2009

Besides raising revenue, marijuana decriminalization would save the state in enforcement and incarceration costs.

Tom Ammiano wants to effectively legalize-- and tax -- California's trade in cannabis.

AB 390 "would remove all penalties in California law on cultivation, transportation, sale, purchase, possession, or use of marijuana, natural THC, or paraphernalia for persons over the age of 21," Ammiano's press secretary Quintin Mecke told the San Francisco Weekly.

Ammiano, a rookie state legislator and former San Francisco supervisor, may have a unique opportunity to win support for the bill in the wake of the state's budget debacle.

"California has the opportunity to be the first state in the nation to enact a smart, responsible public policy for the control and regulation of marijuana," he said.

Mecke suggested taxes on the trade could amount to $1 billion according to advocates.

And I'd bet that's a conservative estimate.

"With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said at a morning news conference at the state building on Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco.

Estimates value the state's crop of marijuana at $13.8 billion, double that of the vegetable and grape markets combined. Nationwide, it may be the fourth largest cash crop, behind corn, soy and hay but ahead of wheat.

The proposed bill would allow Californians over the age of 21 to grow, transport, sell, possess and consume the plant, with state and local law enforcement professionals barred from enforcing the federal ban.

The tax would amount to $50 per ounce of marijuana, which retails on the black market for anywhere from $250 to $500 depending on the source and quality.

While it may sound like a pipe dream, with communities from the emerald triangle of Humboldt, Mendecino and Trinity Counties to liberal districts all along California's cost all strapped for cash, other lawmakers and voters might just tune in and turn on.

Frankly, I think they should sign an endorsement deal with Olympic gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps.

Jackson West figures libertarian stoners will inevitably complain about the tax.

OBAMA COMPARED TO HITLER AGAIN

2009-03-12T07:07:00.001-04:00

In my last blogpost I warned readers to be on the lookout for more insults, barbs and racist attacks to be leveled against President Obama. This past Monday an African American reporter, by the name of Harris Faulkner, read two comments from their website. One of them compared Obama to Hitler while the other called him a monkey. These types of comparisons are expected from the general public, but it is totally out of order for a major news organization like Fox to read it over the air. Theses kinds of comments should not reach the light of day and should certainly not be given credence by responsible purveyors of the daily news.

Well, that explains it! Obviously, Fox News network is not a responsible news agency, as evidenced by the fact that this is not the first time Fox News has read these kinds of incendiary comments on the evening news. On February 14th, 2008 Tom Sullivan a Fox News radio personality took a call from a listener that compared Obama to Hitler. The funny thing is that he already had a tape of Hitler and a tape of Obama cued up ready to play if a listener called in making this comparison and wasted no time in playing them back to back.

"When a later caller complained that Sullivan was "denigrating" Obama with the comparison, Sullivan said he wouldn't play it again, then begged: 'Can I, please, one more time? Just one more time? Then I won't do it again. ... Until the next time.'"

There's an old saying that when you point one finger at someone else there are three fingers pointing back at you. Seeing as how the Fox broadcasters have Hitler recordings so handy, it appears as though they may be some of his biggest fans. How else do you explain their ability to pull up a Hitler recording at a moments notice.

I understand the NAACP has started a campaign to bring these racist assaults to a halt. As Dick Gregory used to say to us in the 70's "you young people have a big job to do." Certainly, it is a big job. Racism is woven into the fabric of this country, which makes it particularly difficult to eradicate without destroying the fabric itself.

"Fox News' Faulkner highlights viewer blog comments on stem cell policy invoking Hitler, comparing Obama to a monkey." Media Matters staff, 3/9/2009

BILL & MELINDA GATES SUPPORT MODEL EDUCATION PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED BY APS

2009-03-10T05:21:00.006-04:00

"KnowledgeWorks in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Education is transforming Ohio’s public schools, where only 7 in 10 students graduate every year, from a one-size-fits-all education system into schools where respect for the individual is paramount, and every child is considered 'college material.'"

The village of Stewart Africentric met last week with Superintendent James where he answered questions and spoke of the vision that APS has for Stewart Africentric as they prepare to move into their new home within the Crouse Community Learning Center.

He brought with him a new board member by the name of Amy Grom who is in support of applying the "school-within-a-school" model, which is looked upon very favorably by KnowledgeWorks, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that are both working with the Ohio Department of Education to improve the success rate of students in Ohio public schools.

Stewart Africentric was created as a small school that could give more focused attention to each and every student to increase the likelihood that they would not only successfully graduate from high school, but also successfully matriculate from the college of their choice. The recently retired superintendent was very supportive of the Stewart model. The village of Stewart Africentric expects that they will receive even more support in the future.

According to an ERIC report on the "school-within-a-school" model there are a number of factors that will lead to

success with this model. Two of the most important factors are:

Making sure the "guest" program is autonomous by having the "guest" program administered by an APS administrator.

Fully funding and staffing the "guest" program with all the staff necessary to ensure the success of the program.

One of the encumbrances that teaching staffs have had to contend with under the Bush administration is embodied in the NCLB, an unfunded government mandate. In this case government was not the solution but has caused more harm than good. By requiring the students of all public schools to meet the standards of the NCLB without giving them the financial support to meet these criteria they've created a "Catch 22" like situation within the elementary education system.

" . . . smaller schools help struggling students by raising graduation and achievement rates, according to more than 30 years of research. Small schools in other states have successfully improved student performance, reduced violence, and increased student graduation rates."

Crouse Community Learning Center (CLC) is in a new state of the art building with all of the modern accouterments necessary to run a top notch school, there's no question about that. The question is how committed is the district to the ideals of Stewart Africentric? Superintendent James has made it perfectly clear in his last two meetings with the Stewart community that over the past 10 years there have been several occasions where Stewart has been on the chopping block. He also stated that the school's overall academic performance needed to be improved in order for the program to continue, but without the proper support, particularly financially, it's a plan that's destined to fail.

The Akron Public School system has a chance to be on the cutting edge, in terms of elementary education. Smaller schools are the wave of the future and the "school-within-a-school" model is one of the ways this small school model can be implemented. The benefits are worth the effort and the expense it will take to make this model successful. The KnowledgeWorks Foundation is prepared to make an investment in our childrens' future. What is APS doing to take advantage of this opportunity? What is APS doing to prepare our elementary students to begin doing college level work from the 10th grade through 12th grade.

George Crouse Elementary School was built in 1919. It was named after one of the major benefactors and original trustees of Buchtel College, the precursor of Akron University. Buchtel College was instrumental in making Akron the "Rubber Capitol" of the world. Akron is no longer the "Rubber Capitol." In fact, Akron is a city in search of a new identity. The choices we make now, regarding the education of our children, will determine what the future will hold for Akron and the role our children and grandchildren will play in that future.

We can all agree, "it takes a village to raise a child." The question now is, what role will Stewart Africentric play in the development of that village. Moving into a modern facility is obviously a good thing for the students of Stewart Africentric. But, it could be just as beneficial for the Crouse students, by giving them an example of how to function using a different paradigm. Success at Crouse CLC can also serve as a model for other schools within APS that are going to have to operate under one roof.

At the high school level this school-within-a-school model has led to higher test scores, improved morale and decreased incidents of violence, all of which lead to improved overall academics.

The Stewart Africentric village still needs more details in regards to the implementation of this school-within-a-school model. Hopefully, some of these details will be forthcoming at the meeting with Superintendent James, at Stewart Africentric, this Friday at 11:30 AM.

Unanswered questions that remain include how will the students be prepared before they move? How will the two schools maintain their separate identities while living under the same roof, if the Crouse school colors dominate the building, as they do now? The Crouse colors dominate the majority of the walls, furniture and floors tiles throughout the building. There are also questions about students transferring from one program to the other within the building.

If this move is done right it could create a atmosphere of camaraderie and unity within the two programs, and between their respective staff members and students, making Crouse CLC a shining example for the entire district.

DR. LEARY SPEAKS ON: POST TRAUMATIC SLAVE SYNDROME

2009-03-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

I pulled this down from Youtube and was not only impressed, but enlightened by her analysis. What she talks about here is directly related to what I've experienced myself in my relationships. Check out the segment I've included. Double click the picture to go to Youtube and put all 11 segments together in one playlist so they can be played as one video.

She also has a book out that can be purchased at Amazon or Half.com, under the same title. Read the book or view the video and realize just how significant the impact of slavery is in our present situation.

Every year Congressman John Conyers reintroduces H.R. 40 in Congress. This bill calls for the establishment of a committee to study the need for reparations and a method of delivering them to the sons and daughter of Africa in America. Dr. Leary's thesis that we continue to suffer from Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is powerful. She's been able to explain, in short order, why we react to certain situations and cues the way we do.

I lived in Los Angeles, CA for 10 years. I still refer to L.A. as "Hell A." I loved living in a place with a moderate temperature and a star studded background, but it took its toll on my psyche. The first five years I had very few valuables, other than my life. But, during those five years that primary valuable was always in jeopardy. When I first moved to the city I didn't know who to be more afraid of the police or the gangs. I figured the police could shoot you on purpose and call it justifiable homicide (legal lynching). The gangs might shoot you and they'd call it collateral damage. I didn't know anyone who got shot by the police in all my years in L.A., but I did see a drive by go down, when I lived in Compton and I did know of someone who got shot outside a party in a driveby. So, the possibility was there of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But, for me and many others, as well, the everyday threat was that my vehicles would be burglarized, vandalized or just broken into. That happened on a regular basis. It got to the point that I knew who was doing it, but was powerless to do anything about it, for fear of retribution.

I moved from Hollywood to Costa Mesa, in Orange County, CA. Life was sublime there, but the mother of my children would get pulled over by the police all the time. So, everything was not right. Finally, we moved out of state to Seattle, WA in the early 90's. We bought a brand new vehicle after selling our late model VW's and things began to feel "normal." It still took one year for me to realize that I was, in fact, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. It dawned on me one day that the fear I had in L.A. of my vehicle being towed, or ticketed by the police, because we had to park on the street; the fear of the Cholos using my car as a drug drop; the fear of parts of my car, that would incapacitate it coming up missing, for no reason; the fear of my battery, headlights, car seat, etc. coming up missing, for no reason was unreasonable, because we had moved into a totally different environment.

That whole process took one year. Imagine if my wife had been raped! Imagine if I had been physically assaulted! Imagine if I had been torn away from my children as they were sold down the river. Imagine if many of the things that we came to experience during slavery had happened to us, not in secret, but right out in the open. I just read a tale description of one of the most barbaric punishments imaginable, where women would be stuffed with gunpowder and blown up in front of the slave community. This was domestic terrorism at its worst. Imagine the impact that would have on the children, born and unborn, the men and the women.

I've got a relative who lives in the north and refuses to return to Georgia, the land of her birth, because her mother was shot to death by a White man while she was in her arms. Now, this relative is more than grown, she's in her 70's or 80's, but the pain of that occurrence is ever present. How could slavery have been any milder. Certainly, the after effects continue to ripple like the waves, not on a pond, but on the ocean, because these incidents didn't end with the demise of plantation slavery. Following slavery we lived through reconstruction and the subsequent development of the Klan, The Knights of the White Camellia, The John Birch Society and numerous other groups of White Nationalists, so called patriots, who are still with us today.

We continue to read stories in the daily news of brutal acts committed by Whites on Black people from all across this nation. We continually see reports of white mobs, individuals and organizations perpetuating violent acts on members of our community for no other reason than they can do it and get away with it. So, the trauma of slavery, the stain of slavery still covers this nation like a pall.

Dr. Carol Swain claims that asking for reparations would be upsetting to whites and that really all we need is an apology. An apology would be a start, but it cannot be the end result, for an apology negates the fact that not only was harm caused in the past, but that we continue to be harmed in the present, because there were no long lasting consequences for the heinous crimes committed by the slave owners and their affiliates under color of law.

It wasn't just the acts that were grievous, it was the laws themselves, which is why we should, in all honesty charge the U.S. government with crimes against humanity and seek remuneration. They would have us believe that to pay such a price would be foolish, because we wouldn't know how to spend it. Bogus, that's never brought up when someone sues for real, psychological and emotional damages in court. They would have us believe that we're just a bunch of lazy nerdowells, negating the fact that we built this "great country" that everyone wants to immigrate to. They'd have us believe that our plight is due to our own lack of vision and planning, when they know darn well that they continue to place stumbling blocks in our path, at every turn.

At this point we'd love if the playing field could be leveled. But at the same time part of leveling that playing field should include reparations for damages that have been and continue to be done to the members of our community separately and collectively.

Stewart Africentric Elementary Relocates to Crouse Community Learning Center

2009-03-04T21:16:00.001-05:00

Contrary to misleading reports, in the Akron Beacon Journal, Stewart Africentric Elementary is not closing. The building will not be used after this year, but the Stewart community will be relocating to Crouse Community Learning Center at 1000 Diagonal Road in Akron. The current building for Crouse Elementary has been in continuous use since 1919.

At the end of this school year Crouse Elementary will be razed and out of its ashes will be born a new community learning center (CLC). As of the Fall 2009 Crouse CLC will be the home of the current student body already in attendance at Crouse and the student body of Stewart Africentric Elementary school.

Teachers, parents and interested community members took a look at their soon to be new home in the Crouse Community Learning Center. A parent meeting will be held at Stewart Africentric Elementary School on March 5th, 2009 at 6 PM to answer any questions community members may have. You can also reach school officials for more information at 330/873-3396.

The newly constructed building stands on the same plot of land as the old Crouse we all remember. But, instead of 3 - 4 floors, depending on how you count, the new building has a low profile with only 2 stories and lots of windows. As we toured the building the afternoon sun lit up every room. The inclusion of a number of large windows in strategic locations was a brilliant design stroke. From the rear of the building it looks somewhat foreboding. But, from the front it has a much more open and inviting feeling.

This feeling only lasts for a moment though, because all visitors will have to enter through the main office which is secured and will require visitors to be buzzed in by the receptionist who will have a birdseye view of anyone coming in the front door, while also being able to view all other entrances on a monitor from their office.

The building will house the 200 Crouse students currently enrolled and 120 additional students from Stewart Africentric Elementary. For the moment plans have not been announced for the current building housing Stewart's students. However, from all indications their will only be one principal with the possibility of an assistant principal. Whether or not there will be an assistant principal is unsure. All of the students from Stewart will be housed on the second floor. Crouse students will be on the first floor and will also occupy one additional area on the second floor in a separate wing of the building.

There will be some areas that the students from both schools will share, primarily the gym, cafeteria/auditorium, clinic, art room and the music room, not to mention the outside playground area.

The playground and a second parking lot that will allow people to enter the gymnasium at ground level are still in the works.

Overall the building itself gets a 4 out of 4 stars rating. It seems that they've thought of everything and have a realistic plan. The school will house 500 students at capacity, but will start with around 350 students. There will be a number of openings so parents whose children are not already enrolled at Crouse or Stewart should contact APS as soon as possible. These openings will not last long. When Helen Arnold CLC opened the demand exceeded their capacity to meet it, so some students were turned away in that instance.

It will be a real challenge for the Stewart parents and staff to maintain the Africentric program in their new environment. Hopefully, they won't be swallowed up in the new building or lose their unique identity. I'm hopeful, this merger with Crouse will work out better than expected and both programs will flourish in the bright light of day which will bathe the school on every sunny day.

Kofi's Inauguration Journal: Part I

2009-02-05T11:47:00.001-05:00

Last week Barack H. Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. His part was well orchestrated and quite dramatically portrayed on an international stage. With the exception of John Roberts misstep during the swearing in ceremony it appeared to go off without a hitch.

When Obama's in town it's as if a hurricane just landed. Thousands of people rallied to his cause during his presidential campaign. Millions attended his inauguration and now the hopes of the nation rest at his doorstep. Will he be up to the challenge? Will the Congress back him to the hilt or will his flower wilt and die along with the hopes of the nation.

I was in D.C. for the inauguration with my oldest daughter, Miri Muhammad and Rita Rogers, a teacher from Stewart Africentric Elementary School in Akron, OH. Our first night in town we attended the African Inaugural Ball at the Hilton hotel in Silver Springs, MD.; a well attended international affair. The program and the participants were from numerous countries on the three most populous continents in the world. Africa was well represented, of course, but there were also guests from the U.S. and the U.K. as well.

The entertainment on Sunday evening derived from Africa, and the Americas. Countries represented included Canada, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Nigeria, USA and Kenya. The organizers of the event are US residents from Nigeria. Featured performers of the evening included a Nova Scotian African dance troupe and Emma I.K. Agu, a Nigerian singer who regaled us with his rendition of "Obama: the Wind of Change." Marcia Griffiths, one of Bob Marley's back-up singers, ended the evening with her hit song "Electric Slide." Everyone had a good time dancing the night away.

Following the Ball we went around the corner to Langon Ethiopian restaurant, where we enjoyed a well deserved meal of beans and vegetables. This was to be the first of a number of Ethiopian establishments we visited that evening. At each location we visited the excitement level was high and everyone was planning on attending the ceremonies the next day. It appears that Obama has broken down many of the barriers and eliminated many of the stereotypes of Black American men.

We spent the day before the inauguration and inauguration day in and around the National Mall. The day before the inauguration we visited the Pavilion below the Old Federal Post Office and traced part of the parade route down Pennsylvania Avenue, all the way to the North side of the White house to the see the presidential reviewing stand. Spirits were high and the atmosphere was congenial. People were in town from all over the world, not just the U.S. We got to meet many of these people and recorded their stories. It seemed like everyone was a vendor or a news reporter. There were armies of both in town for the swearing in ceremony.

Traveling to and from the mall was a breeze on the Metro. I was glad that we planned to stay with friends who had the foresight to plan ahead and purchase our commemorative passes in advance. The lines to get any kind of pass at the station were extremely long. But, with our prepaid passes we breezed right on through to the lower level where we got on board a train to the Federal Triangle station.

The next day we arrived at the Metro station at about 4am. The rush to get to the National Mall had already begun. Cars were lined up to get into the Park & Ride lot at the Old Branch Metro station. We managed to skirt some of it, by coming in another entrance. But, long lines would be the rule from then on out.

We had been told not to bring folding chairs, ice chests, back packs or even a thermos because of security concerns. So, upon exiting the Metro station the first thing we did was go to Star Bucks, where we encountered 2 uniformed Secret Service agents in line to get their morning cup of Joe. However, when we actually got to the National Mall very little of the security we had been expecting was in place. We arrived at the ninth street entrance at about 6:30am and waited patiently for the gate to open at 7:00am.

The crowd continued to grow larger by the minute. Everyone was in high spirits and on several occasions started up an Obama campaign chant, "Fired Up, Ready to Go!" As the crowd continued to grow several people passed out. In order to get to them the authorities sent a truck directly into the crowd. This caused a lot of confusion. A few cool heads prevailed and disaster was averted not once, but twice as the first vehicle was followed by a Humvee going the opposite direction. Soon after these incidents concluded we expected the gate would open, however we were informed that we needed to go to another gate on 14th Street.

We headed down the street to the appointed gate, but before we arrived someone in the crowd saw a gate that was open near the Smithsonian Castle. It was an unmanned gate hanging wide open. No metal detectors, no TSA officers, nothing but an open gate to the inauguration. People streamed through that gate with metal folding chairs and anything else they cared to bring with them. We had diligently come with only what was officially allowed according to information on the Secret Service website. Among the items we did bring with us were included three blankets. Each of us carried one of these blankets to the Mall.

Once we reached the Mall things went pretty smoothly. We found ourselves a spot with a good view on the hill around the Washington Monument and laid out some of our blankets. Rita and I headed across the street to the National Museum of American History (NMAH) to get warm. We were met there by throngs of people with the same idea. Here we did have to go through the pretense of security. But, by the time we arrived there at 9am the museum was packed to overflowing, seriously beyond capacity.

We stayed in the museum until 11:30am, before we finally ventured back out onto the Mall. By this time it was impossible to cross 15th street to return to the base of the Washington Monument and there was a huge crowd in front of the Capitol. so, we reconciled ourselves to a clearing near a jumbotron on the Mall just outside of the NMAH. This turned out to be a good spot, as we had plenty of room around us and an unobstructed view.

No sooner had we stepped on the Mall many of the noted dignitaries made their grand entrance, including Malia and Sasha. Cheers rose up from the crowd at the mention of their names. Then Joe Biden took his oath and the crowd roared with delight. Last, but not least it was Obama's turn to take the stage. Right before he took the oath of office Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Izhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill performed a special piece composed especially for the inauguration of Barack Obama entitled "Air and Simple Gifts." We are not told that what we heard was actually a recorded rendition of the piece, as it was too cold to keep their instruments in tune. Obama took the oath and gave his inaugural address and the crowd dispersed.

Many of them did as we did and reentered the NMAH. The cold was bone-chilling, penetrating our outer garments in short order. All of the Smithsonian buildings were open that day. It purportedly cost the Inaugural Committee approximately $700,000 for these accommodations and was well worth it. Many of us would not have made it through the day without the respite offered us by the Museum complex.

Our plan was to give people a chance to exit the Mall before heading to the nearest Metro station, which on that day was at Le Enfant Plaza. We had found a cafe in the NMAH and decided 12:30pm was a good time to get something to eat. There are 2 cafes in the NMAH. We decided to go to the largest one on the Lower Level. There was a long line there, but it moved quickly. We went through the line and got our food.

The place was packed with people like ourselves from various places. Some of the most interesting people we met during our stay were seated at our table. One woman we met had been to the March On Washington, The Poor People's Campaign of 1968, three inaugurations and numerous other major events on the Mall. Everyone agreed the camaraderie was the main attraction for the day, not the swearing in ceremony, not the celebrities or the media, but the everyday people who willing and patiently shared their stories, they were the main attraction.

FOUR REASONS FOR NOT EATING ANIMALS

2009-02-05T11:44:00.001-05:00

What follows are four basic reasons that people do not eat animals. From my experience everyone falls into one or more of these categories.

Weight Loss - Over weight or obese individuals, models, actresses, military personnel, athletes.

A. This is the most common reason for changing ones diet in the modern world. Doctors who have accepted the hypothesis that cholesterol and calories are the bane of existence typically direct their patients to cut down on foods high in cholesterol and calories, which amounts to less animals and animal byproducts, such as eggs, milk and cheese.

B. These changes work for some people, however many people end up going from feast to famine. Oprah Winfrey is a good example of this.

Health Concerns - Sufferers of Chronic Bronchitis, Asthma, Allergies, Constipation, Hemorrhoids (bleeding piles), heart disease, ulcers, etc.

A. Anthropologists have hypothesized what foods various extinct animals ate based on their physiognomy, particularly their jaw and dental structure. In other words, animals with dental structures similar to dogs and, or sharks; as well as short intestinal tracts are classified as “meat” eaters, while those with teeth structures similar to the elephant, cow, gorilla, etc. are identified as plant eaters.

B. The human dental structure is along the lines of these plant eaters, as is our long intestinal tract.

Humane Concerns - Animal Rights Activists, Brahmins, Krishna Devotees and Buddhists.

A. The killing of animals is cruel and inhumane therefore, we should not kill them for any reason.

B. It takes more energy to make 1lb. of beef than it does to make 1lb. of vegetables because almost all the animals we eat are plant eaters. We could save a lot of energy by eating the plants ourselves, let the animals live and be healthier all at the same time.

Religious Convictions - 7th Day Adventists, Rastas, Brahmins, Krishna Devotees and Buddhists. In the religious texts of the religions I just mentioned the eating of plants over animals is advocated.

A. Genesis 1:29 “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” King James Version

B. The vow of the Nazarites/Rastas: Numbers 6

1 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the LORD, 3 he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes. 4 ‘All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin. 5 ‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long. 6 ‘All the days of his separation to the LORD he shall not go near to a dead person. 7 ‘He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 ‘All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.

King James Version

C. According to the Hindu Holy Book Manusmriti, “Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to (the attainment of) heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun (the use of) meat. (5:48)”

Are We Living In A Post-Racial Society?

2008-12-05T01:10:00.010-05:00

With the election of Barack Obama to the presidency the question has come up, are we living in a post-racial society? In other words has the concept of race lost its cache, or meaning? Let's examine this and see what we come up with, it may be that we've reached that land that Dr. King saw from the mountain top. Of course, it may be as illusory as a mirage in the Sahara on a hot day.

What lies at the heart of this question is the notion that something fundamental has changed within society, either as a result of Obama's campaign or independent of that campaign. As we consider this question it would be good to lay out some facts that we can take into account. First of all 53% of Americans voted for Obama, or against McCain, as the case may be. While an almost equal number voted for McCain/Palin or against Obama. This being said we're talking about millions of people on each side of the line in almost equal numbers. You'll recall it was the independent/undecided voters that tipped the scales in Obama's favor.

Fact number two: throughout the campaign Obama was dogged by questions of lack of experience, etc. This was not the first time a candidate was labeled with that tag, but it was particularly galling in Obama's case, because it was very reminiscent of the infamous "grandfather clause." Witness the contrast here between McCain, who like Bush had generations of "leadership" experience behind him, while Obama had only his own experience in college and community organizing. How was he to overcome this gap without going back in time and rewriting history. It appeared to be an insurmountable gap.

Fact number three: everything was thrown at him, including the kitchen sink, by Hillary, McCain and Palin. No stone was left unhurled, including the use of his middle name as a label of unfitness for the job.

Fact number four: everything was thrown at him short of playing the obvious race card. Obama was cool enough to never even bring up race, but he did respond forcefully when his opponents tried to broach it in a circuitous manner.

Fact number five: race was an issue, albeit an unspoken issue. It was the 800 lb. gorilla in the room, but Obama deftly avoided it to the consternation of some of his Black supporters, who in the end were understanding enough to know why he was leaving that issue alone.

What his opponents did say about race came through when they spoke of his numbers. They always tried to make him "the Black candidate." In the past other candidates, like Carl Stokes, were dogged with accusations like this and came up with creative ways of addressing it, without alienating his supporters of either race. Obama was just as deft in dealing with the Reverend Wright issue, which was a race issue; his middle name issue "Hussein," which was a race/religious issue and the terrorist association issue, which was not so much a race issue; but spoke to how "different" he was compared to the other candidates.

All of the above issues were couched in a blanket of "difference." All the diversity training in the world was not enough to keep the other candidates from pointing out, "he's not like us." The logical conclusion here is that race is still very much an issue that cannot be overlooked, just like that 800 lb. gorilla in the room.

In the end it appears that Obama won not because of some drastic shift in the status quo, or the racial proclivities of whites, but rather by the use of superior strategy, gamesmanship and good timing.

The fact is America is as backwards when it comes to attitudes about race today as it ever has been. In a presentation I'm readying for publication entitled, "Black Men On The Money," I'll deal with the some of these attitudes and perceptions. Here's a little exercise you can do right now to see where you're really at on the issue of race. Take a look at the picture at the beginning of this article and make a note of what race you think each of these people represent. Some of them you may know by name and/or face and others may be unfamiliar to you. Regardless, without using a reference work, or the internet to try and identify them first, just look at them as people and see if you can correctly identify their "race."

When you're done go to www.quadratix.org for information on each person seen in the picture. This is something that we all need to look at very carefully and consider what our own attitudes are toward the persistent question of racial identity in America.

I Never Thought I'd Live To See The Day!!

2008-11-20T20:22:00.004-05:00

As we bring 2008 to a close I'd like to reflect on some of the commentary regarding President elect Obama. The media pundits seem to have achieved a state of nirvana regarding the election of Obama to the presidency of the United States. They act as if a Black man had never run a country before. For their information I'd like to speak on this matter.

Clearly, the election of Obama to the presidency is something that many of us thought we would not see in our lifetime. However, it's not all that the media would like to make out of it.

Number One: Africa's descendants have led many great nations, down through the ages.

Number Two: Some of these great leaders have led the United States of America.

Number Three: Great nations continue to be led by Black men today.

Let's look at these three points. The word president is a title to describe the leader of a country. Many countries around the globe now use this title in emulation of the government of the United States of America. Many countries also use the title prime minister, some continue to use the word king and, or queen. However, you want to look at it, it's just a title. It conveys no more status than any other title. In fact, it conveys less status than the title emperor or king.

The descendants of Africa have ruled as many, if not more, nations as any other group of people on the globe. So, why should it be so amazing that Obama could be elected president of this nation? Well, as a matter of fact the descendants of Africa have occupied this office before. Admittedly, we were not taught this in school, but I think the facts will bear me out.

The economy of the U.S. was based on the chattel slavery of Africans for over a hundred years. During the course of this enslavement a doctrine of "white supremacy" developed. This doctrine had as one of its basic tenets the idea of the purity and sanctity of the white race. Therefore, even one drop of "Black blood" would cause one's lineage to be tainted, and would also cause all of one's progeny to no longer be of the white race, but rather of the "Black" race.

Oftentimes this led to the labeling of people that appeared to be white as Black. This was a handy device, especially in the later years of slavery, when the importation of new slaves had been outlawed. Many a "white person" was enslaved after having been accused of being Black. If they could not produce paperwork proving their "whiteness" slave-catchers could snatch them up and spirit them away to a slave state where they would be bought and sold. There are a number of well documented cases where this happened and the family eventually "proved" the person was not Black and should therefore be released.

It's also been documented and attested to by eyewitnesses that a number of presidents of the United States of America were known to have been from Black families. These presidents include Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Dwight Eisenhower. There are other prominent Americans still "passing" for white, as did Alexander Hamilton.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term "passing" as it is used in the Black community. Passing is when you cross over the color line by denying any and all association with your blood relations and create a new life out of sheer fiction. This is something that is quite common in the Black community. Examples of this phenomenon abound. Some prominent people who could and did pass, on occasion, include Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Walter White, John G. Jackson, T. John McKee, Mariah Carey, Queen Charlotte Sophia, Alexander Dumas, Alexander Leidesdorff, Alexander Pushkin and President Warren G. Harding. Many of these individuals accepted their "Blackness" and even reveled in it. But, this was not true across the board.

Alexander Leidesdorff's story was particularly tragic. He lost his first love when he informed her of his "tainted" background. Following that incident he moved to the other side of the country and kept his background in the closet. Alexander Dumas the French author of "The Three Musketeers," "The Man In the Iron Mask" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" was told, in no uncertain terms by his agent, that he should not even consider vacationing in America, for fear of losing a major market due to the endemic racism of the times.

On the other hand there were individuals like Adam Clayton Powell, Alexander Pushkin, Walter White and James G. Jackson who not only reveled in their "Blackness," but at times used their white appearance to infiltrate "white supremacist" organizations as spies.

So, when we hear of someone passing it's not far-fetched at all, because oftentimes we have people in our families who have been passing for years.

Last, but not least there should be no doubt that the descendants of Africa have been leaders in every field including cotton, since we arrived on these shores. So, why in heaven's name should it be amazing that a Black man could be elected to the presidency. There's a poem by "Straight Out Scribes," entitled "I Never Thought I'd Live To See The Day," that talks about the election of Nelson Mandela to the presidency of the unabashedly racist country of South Africa. If Mandela could be released from a life sentence for treason, after 30 years smashing rocks and then become President of South Africa, surely this could happen in the U.S.

The thing that's most "amazing" is that in spite of the racist policies still in force in this country, a Black man has risen to the top without having to deny his racial heritage. Yes, he's Black! They'll never let him forget. He's Black all right, he'll never let them forget.

Black United Students Celebrate 40 Years at KSU

2008-11-20T20:11:00.006-05:00

Black United Students (BUS) was founded 40 years ago this year, on the campus of Kent State University. The organization has gone through many changes over time. But, much remains the same.

Dr. Larry Simpson, the first president of BUS, returned to the campus November 8, 2008 for a celebration of the past 40 years. He's now the Senior Vice President of Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, in charge of academic affairs. Over the years his experience with BUS has served him well. As he stated in his keynote address the other night. Being involved in BUS gave him a window into the adult world that he may not have experienced had it not been for BUS. Mostly, it was about learning how to work with other people and function as a member of society.

In his work at Berklee, the world's largest music school, he is still an advocate for students and their success within an institutional environment, as is another former BUS president Dean Tim Moore. Dean Moore is an Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at Kent State University. He's also a professor in Pan-African Studies where he's taught for over 30 years.

A number of other past presidents of BUS and BUS members were present for the celebration and awarding of Dr. Edward W. Crosby with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He also spoke about the significance of BUS in the formation of 3 academic departments at Kent State University. The Pan-African Studies Department is one of those departments. In 1968 there was no Pan-African Studies Department. Dr. Crosby was brought to Kent to form just such a department. In the beginning it was known as the Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA).

IAAA was crucial to the lives of many of the Black students on campus. Many of them would not have graduated had it not been for the support of IAAA. Many of these students experienced culture shock upon entering the university environment and needed somewhere to go that felt familiar. They also needed help in a number of other ways, including academics, finances, etc. As Dr. Crosby stated so eloquently that night he "clothed himself with students," which served him well in negotiating with the powers that be, while it served the students too.

Affirmative Action laws were in place, but in some ways it seemed as if IAAA was doing all the heavy lifting in that regard. No department on campus had as many Black faculty. To this day many of those Black faculty are still teaching at Kent, although few of them were seen that night. This was a night for the students.

Following the parade of presidents the current members of the BUS executive board outlined their goals for this year. Some of the highlights included working on the Obama campaign and going into neighboring communities to work with the youth. The Progressive Education Community School which was initiated in the late 60's as the African Liberation Tutoring program has had new life breathed into it by the current BUS board. Kaisha Sherills has been instrumental in bringing this program back to life. She is the Community Affairs Officer of BUS and is a real spark plug.

Ashley Tolliver current BUS president and her board did a fine job of putting together a program in less than 2 months. They are to be commended for their efforts. Hopefully, their experience with BUS will be as noteworthy and invigorating as that of past BUS members.

Announcing publication of, "Blakfacts Volume 1"

2008-11-10T00:30:00.006-05:00

Featuring updated facts about President-elect Barack Obama!!!

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally ready for prime time. "Blakfacts Volume 1" is a compendium of notable facts in the history of the African diaspora. You'll encounter heroes and sheroes; warriors and peacemakers; presidents and popes. In fact there's no telling what kind of folks you'll encounter.

This book is for young and old! You'll learn about things your teacher never told you in school. They say,

"those who do not know their history are destined to repeat it!"

This fully illustrated volume is the first in a series of books which will broaden the horizons of its readers. If you thought you knew something about African American history, think again.

As the editor of this series, based on the research of J.A. Rogers and the illustrations of A.S. Milai, I am particularly proud to present this unique offering to the children of today following the most auspicious occasion of the election of the first Black President of the United States, in the 21st century.

Buy it now by selecting this live link to PayPal's secure server. PayPal can accept Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express and other forms of payment. Take advantage of our low introductory price.

Shipping is free and tax is included!

For those of you unfamiliar with eBooks, you will be sent a link to your eMail address within 24 hours of your payment, which will allow you to download this digital book and print it out in its entirety or one page at a time.

This book is recommended for children and adults alike. The short bios are no more than 1-2 paragraphs and there are numerous illustrations on each page to engage your readers. They're perfect for ages 8 and up. Download your copy now and give them away as Kwanzaa gifts! Use the colorful depictions on the cover to inspire further research by your students.

Please feel free to suggest new subjects for upcoming volumes.

Yours Truly,

Kofi Khemet, M.Ed.
Editor and Researcher

All Hail Commander-in-Chief Obama!!

2008-11-06T12:32:00.023-05:00

President Obama

Another long campaign comes to an end. We now know what we may have been unsure of yesterday. The most powerful man in the world is a Black man! The Obamas will soon be occupying the White House, not as a butler and maid, but as the residents of the house.

This is a significant occurrence in American history, but not like some of us may think. "Race" has been a significant issue during this run for the White House. However, this is not the first time an African American has occupied the White House!! According to J.A. Rogers, their have been 4-5 African American presidents already! Now, just in case you missed this lesson during American history class I'll give you a quick recap.

In 1963 Attorney-General Robert Kennedy and Senator Jacob Javits stated:

"there might be a Negro President in the next thirty or forty years, FACT, most outspoken of the big magazines, replied there was already one and in its January-February, 1964 issue had an article 'America's First Negro President.' It named Warren G. Harding as the one and had affidavits from elderly whites who knew the Harding family.
But before Harding three other Presidents had been loudly proclaimed by white people as being of Negro ancestry . . . . Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln."

J. A. Rogers published a small booklet entitled "The Five Negro Presidents: according to what white people said they were" in 1965, offers up more evidence to back up these claims. Oftentimes, these claims of the first Black this and the first Black that is not only overblown, but is actually incorrect.

Ask anyone who the first African American in professional baseball was and they'll readily cite Jackie Robinson. When were the first "Freedom Rides?" Of course, everyone knows they occurred in the 1960's. Who was the first Black Astronaut? That's an easy one, Guion Bluford. However, when we go back and check the records we find that Moses "Fleetwood" Walker preceded Jackie Robinson by about 50 years. The first "Freedom Rides?" Well, as a matter of fact my cousin's husband went on the "Journey of Reconciliation," with Bayard Rutsin and other members of CORE in 1948. This was a test of an interstate transportation law enacted by President Truman outlawing segregation in interstate transportation. Last, but not least, Guion Bluford, one of our best and our brightest was preceded by Capt. Edward J. Dwight, Jr. who entered an astronaut training program in the early 60's.

As you can see from this short list, it can be a lot more difficult to nail down some of these so-called firsts than is apparent at first glance. I have purposely left a lot unsaid. My feeling is that in order to really know something it's best if you find it out for yourself. I will be returning to this topic as we continue to cover the story of Barack Obama, which has become decidedly presidential at this point.

Obama & "The Boss" Come to Cleveland After 20K Rally @ The Q

2008-11-01T05:28:00.012-04:00

Young people turned out in force for a political rally at the Quicken Loans Arena on October 29th, 2008. LeBron James, Jay-Z, the Obama Campaign and the Democratic Party held a large rally in downtown Cleveland that was well staged and attended.

News media from around the world were represented, including a Kenyan paper called "The Nation," "Al-Jazeera English," and all the major U.S. news outlets.

The event was significant in that it drew a large crowd of young people during the middle of the week. The program opened up with prayer by a local preacher and continued with appeals to the youth to vote early and in massive numbers. Chris Redfern the head of the Ohio Democratic Party and field organizers within the Obama organization urged the youth to go to the polls enmasse and cast their ballot no matter what the difficulties involved.

They were warned about long lines, lack of food and water. Event host LeBron James and recording artist/entrepreneur Jay-Z implored them to go to the polls and stay there until they had cast their ballot. These were not exactly prophetic words, since long lines have already been noted in Atlanta, GA and other swing states, as well. Some of these lines have people waiting in line for up to 8 hours or more. It's been noted that the majority of these voters are new, young voters supporting Obama. It's a testament to their tenacity and the seriousness of the times that they continue to spend this much time waiting in line to cast their ballots. The much maligned youth have been cast as apathetic and unreliable, however it's this reporters' opinion that they are about to destroy this particular myth.

Senator and Mrs. Obama will be in Cleveland this Sunday at the "Change We Need Rally," Lakeside Malls A, B and C on Lakeside Avenue. The doors open at 2pm and the program begins at 3:45pm on November 2nd. Now we all love Barack, Michelle and the children, but this rally will feature the "real" BOSS! That's right Bruce Springsteen himself will be on the stage with the man we want to be the "BOSS" of the U.S. government. Wow!!! Does it get any better than this?

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you can't make it to the rally remember this, "power concedes nothing without a fight." We've all got to do our part. Don't wait for the last minute to go to the polls. The earlier you go the more likely you are to successfully cast your ballot and be one in 100 million to begin to turn this country around. Your children's posterity and your posterior hang in the balance. Do your duty.

Obama Delivers Closing Argument: Assassination Plot Foiled!

2008-10-28T02:03:00.003-04:00

Today Senator Barack Obama wrapped up the presidential campaign that began "on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, "with his "closing argument," delivered to a full house at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. His closing argument summed up the current state of the campaign and, I'm sure, inspired many residents of Northeast Ohio to continue to work even harder to put him in the White House, on November 4th, 2008.

Even as the diverse crowd basked in the words of the presidential candidate, plans to implement the "final solution" for African Americans, Barack Obama in particular, were being foiled by federal agents in Jackson, Tennessee. This makes the 4th assassination attempt on Baracks life, that's been publicized, since he began his campaign on the steps of the Old State Capitol.

The first incident was the sabotage of his plane by deploying one of the emergency ramps while the plane was in flight, creating a situation where the plane was very difficult to control. Luckily, the pilots were seasoned enough to land the plane without further incident. Aviation authorities said they'd never had an incident like this occur.

The second incident occurred just before the Democratic Convention in Denver, when a conspiracy was uncovered amongst a well armed group of young, White, methamphetamine users in Denver, CO. For those of you unfamiliar with methamphetamines, people who use them become extremely violent and prone to uncontrollable fits of violence.
The third incident was particularly perplexing because it had nothing to do with a White supremacy philosophy or organization. In fact, it involved the grandson of the publisher of one of the oldest African American newspapers in the country, who already had a felony rap sheet. Therefore, he should be doing some hard time.
But, this latest incident, which happened today, involved some White supremacists. In all of these cases, with the exception of the very first incident, heavy firearms and protective gear was involved. However, from the commentary that aired on MSNBC on the "Countdown with Keith Olberman" it appears that this too will be swept under the rug.

Each of these incidents, with the exception of the first one, was serious enough to illicit conspiracy charges and lengthy jail time for the perpetrators. However, we've yet to hear of even one of these cases resulting in a trial, and or jail time. In fact, what we have heard is that the conspirators have been sent home as if to say "boys will be boys." This is not gonna fly, not today, not tomorrow, not ever!

As if all that wasn't enough we also had another incident occur earlier this week involving a young woman who claimed that a "big Black man robbed, assaulted and disfigured her" in part, because she was a supporter of John McCain. This was a ridiculous claim, which was not investigated by the McCain staff, but was instead taken at face value, as evidenced by the calls of support from McCain and his running mate. Even after the young lady confessed to having made a fraudulent claim, which could have led to violent attacks being perpetrated on innocent people McCain has yet to address the issue.

This is a pattern that we've taken note of over the course of the campaign. In fact, the whole tenor of the McCain campaign is having the effect of enabling or endorsing this type of activity. The calls for "Obama's head," the crys of "kill him" when his name is mentioned at McCain rallies have not been addressed by the McCain campaign.

Black folks take these threats seriously. The response of White people is not that these are serious incidents but, rather just some "young knuckleheads." For Black folks these threats are much more serious than White people can even imagine because, many of us have had members of our families discriminated against, threatened with physical violence, murdered and lynched. In many instances we've experienced these things ourselves.

Our wealth, celebrity, educational background, etc. do not usually come into play when these incidents occur. It's the rare exception when our social status comes to our aid. In the case of O.J. Simpson we saw a good example of social status and wealth coming to his aid. Everything about the way he was dealt with was atypical, from the "slow speed" chase to his arrest following the chase. The whole thing was tightly choreographed, all according to the book. It was nothing like the Rodney King incident where he was in a high speed chase and was mercilessly beaten by some of L.A.'s finest.

If his beating hadn't been caught on tape by an amateur videographer he would have just been another number in the system. So, when these kinds of threats are issued, no matter how amateurish they may seem Black people take them very seriously. The federal authorities need to take these incidents just as seriously, because there have been too many nameless African Americans that have been murdered by "amateur" White supremacists. These, so-called amateurs, oftentimes are trying to make a name for themselves and, in fact, could care less whether or not they are killed in the process. Either way, they figure they're going into the history books as die-hard patriots who went down for the count.

Everyone who's interested in seeing Obama actually occupy the White House needs to write a letter to their state representatives and the local newspapers effectively putting them on notice. We should not delay, not even one day in carrying out this task, Obama's life could hang in the balance.

This is an issue that has not and will not be dealt with in any significant way by the media, unless we call them on the carpet. They've shown us this repeatedly, by how they've dealt with all of the incidents mentioned above (I'm getting reports of more incidents as we speak). They'd like to just sweep it under the rug and continue to talk about the issue of "race," without dealing with the reality of race that we're dealing with down here on the ground every day and that Barack and his family is dealing with every day.

All of us have been praying for them since this campaign started. So far, our prayers have been answered. But, prayer without works are futile and works without prayers are empty. We've got to combine positive action with affirmative prayers.

How To Early Vote Successfully In Ohio!

2008-10-26T23:30:00.004-04:00

The end of this election season is coming to an abrupt close. There are 12 days left to cast your vote. Will you wait until the last moment and then rush to cast your vote in a furious flurry, or will you cast a vote early and free up a space in line for someone who cannot get enough time off from work to go to the polls? Now’s the time to make your decision and take action. It’s such a simple thing that has been complicated by the need to automate every aspect of society.

Voting machine technology, which was supposed to simplify the whole process has come up short of the hype. What was supposed to streamline the process, improve accuracy and reliability is now causing interminably long lines at the polls and in the end is not necessarily accurate. We now know that our “state of the art” electronic voting equipment is unreliable at best (see EVEREST report), prone to tampering at worst. So, here are a few tips to help you successfully cast your ballot in a timely manner.

Request a paper ballot instead of using a machine, at least that way you’ve begun to leave a paper trail that you can see has the correct boxes checked. The paper ballots are also easier to correct if you make an error.

By voting early you can avoid having to show I.D. and meet the exact match requirements you would be required to meet when voting on election day. Since you’re using an absentee ballot all you’ll need is the last 4 digits on your Social Security card. So, if you’re able to get to your Board of Elections office and cast a ballot before 11/4/08 please do so, it may help you avoid a lot of frustration on voting day, as well as long lines.

Make sure to pick up a voting recommendation card for guidance on who to vote for and how to vote on the issues and judges, from your local party branch. You’re allowed to have one of these cards in the voting booth with you as you make your choices. This is especially helpful in selecting judges, since their party affiliations are not listed like the other candidates.

If you anticipate you will be unable to make it to the polls for any reason, or you just want to avoid the hassle, you can request an absentee ballot through the mail. Your ballot will be sent to you, so you can fill it out at your leisure and even ask questions or use the internet to research an issue or judge, etc. before casting the ballot. When you’ve completed it you can send it in the mail or deliver it to the polls on or before election day.

Another thing to consider is that each county produces the ballots for their county. Therefore, the ballots in each county may have a different appearance. In fact, some voters have been having problems already with their ballots, because of the format used to lay out the ballot. So, having the time to go over it carefully, where you’re not in a hurry to finish it and turn it in is advantageous for this reason also. Here’s an example of a sample ballot used in one of Ohio’s 88 counties that has caused some confusion because of the 2 columns with presidential nominees.

This link will give you all the information you need on Early Voting Locations in Ohio, while also acting as a gateway into the Secretary of State’s website, which has all the current information on successfully casting your ballot in Ohio, as well as information on ballot issues, judges, etc.

Ohio has one of the most informative and interactive websites for voters, instituted by the Secretary of State’s office, so make sure to put it to good use. After you have cast your ballot you can go to the site and tell your voting day story, be it good or bad. I’m sure they won’t mind hearing some of the good, as well as the bad and the ugly. You can use the link to The Voting Rights Institute

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has been working diligently to correct the transgressions of her predecessor, the infamous former Secretary of State Blackwell. I have to give her an “A” grade. So far, so good. The system seems to be working. She’s had to fight off a number of lawsuits initiated by the Republicans that were initiated even before this years’ primaries. Some of them, like the latest attempt to disenfranchise approximately 200,000 new registrants have gone all the way to the US Supreme Court, who decided in favor of the Secretary of State.

Ohio has had more than its share of problems with the voting process. But, this year that big yellow sun on the Seal of the Great State of Ohio is shining brightly over a new day in politics for the citizens of Ohio.

Chuck Norris Speaks to Crowd at "We The People Fest"

2008-09-28T18:08:00.025-04:00

The Center of Pan-African Culture (CPAC), at Kent State University's campus, hosted the "We The People Fest," from Sept. 26th - 28th. This was the inaugural edition of a political film festival at Kent State University. Kent State has been known as a political hotbed due to the anti-war protests that led to a day of infamy, when the National Guard killed 4 unarmed student protesters on May 4th, 1970. Since that time a lot has changed on Kent's campus. The ROTC presence is stronger than ever, as evidenced by the prominence of their headquarters in the former graduate dormitory known as Terrace Hall on Kent's main campus.

"And The Winner Is . . . "
The "We The People Fest" was organized and produced by Christina Grozik & Paul Shaia, who also produced the film "And The Winner Is . . ," which was screened on the first day of the festival. The inauguration of the festival has been successful on a number of levels, although attendance has not been nearly as high as the organizers would have liked. Over 1,000 people attended over three days.

The non-partisan festival, featured a number of films focused on Ohio and the elections of 2000, 2004 and 2006. The films ran the gamut from family oriented productions like "Swing Vote" to the ominous "Hacking Democracy." For the most part the films focused on the theft of the last 2 presidential elections from Al Gore and John Kerry, respectively.

Films such as, "American Blackout," "Swing State," "And the Winner Is . . . ," "No Umbrella - Election Day in the City," "SPLIT: A Divided America," "How Ohio Pulled It Off," "So Goes The Nation" and "Hacking Democracy", all speak of the importance of Ohio in the election of any presidential candidate. With the general election just around the corner and the possibility of Barack Obama winning the election growing by the minute, these films really came into focus.

"Blackbelt Patriotism"
The biggest draw of the weekend attracted about 500 people for a presentation and book signing by Chuck Norris on the last day of the festival. Mr. Norris, an 8th degree Black Belt Grand Master in the Tae Kwon Do system, star of 23 action films and 203 episodes of "Walker, Texas Ranger," was seen in an unusual light, as a political animal.

Before his endorsement of Mike Huckabee, last year, Chuck Norris was not known for his politics. The publication of his latest book, "'Blackbelt Patriotism," may help to bring his political views into better focus for the public at large. A lot of what he says in the book focuses on his life experiences and concern for the future of America. At 68 years old his hope is that the youth of America will come together and fight for reform of the government.

In light of his concern for the youth of America his book is dedicated to "the millenials," a term he uses for people born during the dawning of this new millenium. He also works directly with the youth in public schools and has developed a martial arts program especially for "at-risk" youth. Currently, his "Kick Start" martial arts program is operating in 43 schools with 7,000 children.

Since his first choice for president Mike Huckabee dropped out of the race Chuck has thrown the full weight of his support behind John McCain. In fact, Chuck was the only representative of the Republican Party brave enough to show up for the festival, although invitations were sent out to Republican and Democratic organizations alike.

Maybe the Republicans dared not show their faces, because of the nature of the films being screened this weekend! It seems that the Republicans, like their leader John McCain, prefer to do their dirty work under cover of darkness. We saw a good example of this in the 2nd presidential debate where John McCain refrained from assailing Barack Obama to his face, while his surrogates continue to do so from the stump. Maybe it takes a former Air Force policeman "with 5 more testicles than Lance Armstrong" to stand up and be counted as a member of the Republican Party; following the exposure of the scandalous tactics employed by Republican operatives to deliver Ohio and the White House to Bush in 2000 and 2004.

But, not even a 7 testicled Chuck Norris had the cajones to engage in a full on tirade like the one that appeared in his weekly commentary posted on "World Net Daily," a right wing conservative eZine, during his appearance at Kent State. The following statement appeared in an article he wrote entitled "Puff, the Mighty Obama."

"America, we are being duped again by fluff and folly, glitz and glamour, and hype and Hollywood. It's time for us to wake up before it's too late! Now, more than ever, is the time to join the NObama-nation revolution. No way. No how NObama."

Now mind you this is the pot calling the kettle black, since the Chuck Norris ad for Mike Huckabee is the second most popular candidate endorsement on YouTube with 2.3 million views. Mr. Norris is the epitomy of Hollywood and hype, so I don't see how he has room to talk in that department. The furthest he was willing to go was to say that Obama and Biden wanted to give 50 billion dollars to the UN in order to achieve the Millenium Development Goals of the UN, which President Clinton signed on to back in 2000. His argument was that much of the money would be wasted on bureaucrats and never reach its intended target. What he overlooked was the fact that his candidate of choice was busy lobbying for a corporate bailout of Wall Street, to the tune of 700 billion dollars as he spoke; then his candidate went a step further in the "socialization" of America by promising to order the Secretary of the Treasury to buy up the mortgages of homeowners on the verge of default, to the tune of 300 billion dollars at face value, if he is elected president.

By the way the Millenium Development Goals which include:

Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger	Malaria and other diseases
Developing a global partnership for development	Reducing child mortality, improving maternal health
Achieving universal primary education	Ensuring environmental sustainability
Promoting gender equality and empowering women	Combatting HIV/AIDS

were touted by President Clinton as essential to fighting the war on terror, because when you add up the cumulative effect of these issues on the body politic of 3rd World countries, they definitely act as contributing factors in military conflict areas around the world. One of the mistakes of the Bush administration over the last 8 years has been their inability to maintainold alliances and formulate new ones. Consequently, American troops are now stretched across the globe with razor thin margins of error. The Iraq war has cost 100 billion dollars/month with no end in sight. Fifty billion dollars/year to be used to meet the above goals on a world-wide basis is a mere pittance, and in fact is just a matter of the US paying its fair share.

While we're already getting reports that a bailout of AIG, the nation's largest insurer, to the tune of 85 billion dollars, has resulted in the continuation of perks being given to their employees, in the form of lavish trip packages that included massages, pedicures and manicures to the tune of $450K which are now being subsidized by our tax dollars. Is there any shame in their game? Here they come again, just 2 weeks later asking for another 30 billion dollars. Where's the justice? Where's the logic in this?

Apparently, it's okay if Americans waste our tax dollars on bureaucratic perks, but it's not okay if similar practices occur in the distribution of aid to foreign countries. I found the same kind of logic behind much of what Norris had to say about Obama. Chuck may be a star of the T.V. and silver screens, however, this guy is no oracle and his mouth certainly ain't no prayerbook.

Like Senator McCain, he too is in his second marriage and the father of an illegitimate child born of an adulterous relationship. Maybe this is a big factor in his support of Senator McCain. Certainly, they have a lot in common. They are both veterans. They both married women young enough to be their daughters. In fact, in Chuck's case 3 of his 5 children are older than his present wife. And, McCain's only 4 years older than Norris. However, the main common denominator seems to be that they're a couple of old white guys, because his first choice was not McCain; but Huckabee who has little in common with Norris, other than his religious beliefs.

His presentation began with a video short about his life, which he elaborated on following the video. He spoke about his life from childhood through the present, conveniently leaving out his adulterous affair that resulted in the birth of his 3rd child, then segued into his view of politics, religion and life in general.

Following his presentation he answered questions from the audience and gave autographs for fans who purchased his new book after the presentation. There was very little opportunity to ask him questions, since most of the time was used in showing the video presentation and relating his biography.

In January of 2007 Norris appeared on "Hannity & Colmes" and got into a spirited debate with Hannity. It would have been a lot more interesting to have had him on a panel discussion where participants could have engaged him one on one. I'm sure we would have had a lively discussion and learned a lot about his worldview and who knows maybe we would have learned something about our own view of the world, as well.

We The People Fest Starts Off With A Real Humdinger!

2008-09-27T09:49:00.005-04:00

"We The People Fest," got off to a good start with last night's film, "And the Winner Is . . ." It was a real sleeper and will be playing again this evening at 5:30pm. This film clearly set the stage for all the other films to follow and did it with a lot of style and grace. The film was produced by Christina Grozik and Paul Shaia, who are also organizers of the film festival and fellow Ohioans, as well.

As with any film this one took about 2 years to come to fruition. What was surprising was how accurate the film was in mirroring the current presidential campaign. The premise of the film is that modern electoral politics have become more concerned with posturing and profiling than with real substantive issues.

As an example we can look at last night's debate which was styled after an episode on the hit TV show "The West Wing." Jim Lehrer the host for the debate was offered the chance to host that fictional debate, as well, but was precluded by PBS restrictions on the portrayal of their commentators in fictional settings. Apparently, they wanted to make a "clear distinction between fact and fiction." However, when it came to the real debate between Obama and McCain they used the debate on "The West Wing" as their guide.

In the film, which reminded me of the board game "Clue," you see 7 candidates representing various archetypes, such as John Noble the reluctant, true-blue, all-American, John Kennedy-like, heroic champion of truth, justice and the American way. Other types represented include two apolitical women; an Italian politician; a member of the town's old boy network; a corrupt career politician; a smooth-talking African American politician and a political wannabe type.

Each character is a caricature of a politician we know and surprisingly similar to a number of the candidates in the current election cycle. The whole process of creating a beauty pageant-like contest is caught on film by a novice filmmaker who has an uncanny resemblance to the producer of the actual film. www.winneris.net

The film got high marks from the 100 plus members of the audience present last night, which was a good turnout, considering the screening occurred during the same time slot as the 1st presidential debate of 2008, between Obama and McCain.

Today's featured films will include "American Blackout," "Swing Vote" and "Hacking Democracy." For those of you unable to attend last night's screening "And The Winner Is . . ." will be shown again at 5:30pm this afternoon.

I've attached some background information on Cynthia McKinney the star of "American Blackout" FYI. This film chronicles, "the recurring patterns of voter disenfranchisement from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 while following the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. McKinney not only took an active role investigating these election debacles, but has found herself in the middle of her own after publicly questioning the bush Administration about the 9/11 terrorist attacks." www.americanblackout.org

"Swing Vote," starring Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper will air this evening using a 35mm format, which has necessitated the use of The University Theater on the south side of Kent, since the university no longer has the equipment to show movies using this format anymore.

With a premise similar to "And The Winner Is . . .," this movie turns the idea of voting on its head, by making the outcome of the race dependent on one man's vote. Thereby forcing both candidates to jockey for position, offering up favors and changes in their platform to suit said voter, played by Kevin Costner.

As if that wasn't enough, "Hacking Democracy" gives us some insight into the possibility of voting fraud via the use of computers, hence the title. This is a serious documentary about a Seattle grandmother and her band of extraordinary citizen-activists as they go on a quest to see how votes are tallied in a number of states across the country. They set out to show just how easily your vote can be nullified, changed and or otherwise manipulated on election and actually made to look so official as to be undetectable.

The whole premise is ominously frightening as we move closer to this year's election. This film sounds a wake up call to all those who treasure the American way of electing its leaders. This film is a must see on the list of films being shown this weekend.

If you can't make it to Kent this weekend, many of this films are or will be offered on the net. Check "We The People Fest" for the full listing of films. The films can be ordered from the websites of production company.

Look for further updates over the course of the weekend, as well as behind the scenes interviews and a virtual tour of the newly renovated Center of Pan-African Culture at Kent State.

WE THE PEOPLE FEST 2008, KICKS OFF TONIGHT

2008-09-26T16:50:00.004-04:00

And the winner is . . . kicks off the "We The People Fest," this evening at Kent State's Center of Pan-African Culture. The movie is a satirical look at electoral politics, where the election boils down to a real bonafide beauty pageant. Check out this trailer for a preview of tonight's movie:

The film features Jerry Springer as the master of ceremonies and will be screening in the newly renovated Oscar Ritchie Hall on the campus of Kent State University at 8pm.

A total of approximately 30 films, including some by local directors will be screened beginning this evening and running all the way through Sunday night. Highlights will include a presentation and book signing by Chuck Norris on Sunday afternoon and the screening of "Swing Vote," starring Kevin Costner and Kelsey Grammar, directed by Joshua Stern, who will be speaking prior to the screening at 7:30pm Saturday night. This screening will be held at the University Theater on the South side of Kent. Tickets for all screenings are $5 for students, $7 for general admission, or you can purchase a weekend pass for $50. Christina Groznik and Paul Shaia will speak prior to the film at 8pm.

For those of you who are closely following the presidential election and may be concerned about missing tonight's debate, it will be shown in its entirety on Sunday at 3pm Eastern Standard time. So, have no fear you can come to the show and still see the debate.

I look forward to seeing you there this weekend.

Ain't Ya Mama On the Pancake Box?

2008-09-08T12:41:00.005-04:00

Last night I was channel surfing and came across the 1959 version of "Imitation of Life," a classic depiction of the "tragic mulatto." I hadn't seen it before and was drawn in out of curiosity. This version stars Lana Turner and Mahalia Jackson. The other actors, including the African American actress who should have been a central character never became a star in her own right.

Not knowing the name of the movie, nor having read the book I had no preconceived notions about the movie. Certainly, it was an emotional tear jerker. But, I had unanswered questions at the end of the movie.

Lana Turner played the role of a struggling actress who would do anything to succeed in the business. She's portrayed as a widow with a young daughter, as is Louise Beavers. The two of them are drawn together when Turner's daughter is found and cared for by Beavers. They hit it off and Beavers agrees to temporarily take care of Turner's daughter, while her and her daughter are living with them.

Beavers' daughter is a light-skinned girl who could pass for white in the book and both movies, hence the title "Imitation of Life." Throughout the story she attempts to pass for white. She's thwarted at every turn, however when her mother appears at school, on her job, etc. and eventually moves across country to Los Angeles to reinvent herself as a white person and seek her fortune.

The story is based on the book of the same name, written by a white author of the 1930's, which bears little if any resemblance to the movie I just described. The 1959 version with Lana Turner, which was written for her, excluded a lot of very objectionable shuffling and "nigger speak." In fact, the book and the 1934 version of the movie portrayed the beneficent white woman as a shrewd entrepreneur who took "Aunt Delilah's" pancake recipe, packaged and sold it, becoming the "pancake queen."

As the story goes Aunt Delilah wants nothing for this "secret recipe." She even goes so far as to beg the woman not to pay her anything for the recipe and to just let her keep on taking care of her and her daughter. Neither movie can stand up to modern standards, but the original version of the movie portrays the Black woman in a role that goes beyond subservient to downright ludicrous. The thought that she would not want a car, house and life of her own, but instead opts to let the white woman keep all of her money, while she continues living with her and playing nurse maid to her daughter goes beyond reason. Her fondest wish it turns out is to have a big funeral with 4 white horses to take her to the "pearly gates" of heaven.

The daughter plays a key role in the story, as she tries time and time again to pass for white always thwarted by her mother's dark complexion. In the end she not only rejects her race, but her mother too. She even goes so far as to tell her to walk on by without speaking if she sees her on the street, which in fact some Black people have done and continue to do.

Most recently, I've been conducting research on 5 Black presidents of the USA and it turns out some of them were passing. This knowledge has been passed down for generations by their relatives who made an agreement not to expose them. Warren G. Harding is a good example of this type of occurrence. One of his Black relatives has just published a book about him with photos of his Black relatives.

Ms. Hurst, was a noted Harlem Renaissance writer, although she was not an African American. Her work received some harsh criticism by Sterling Brown and other members of the community which she felt was undeserved. Her felling was that we should be grateful that she gave our story some attention.

We can forgive Ms. Hurst, for she was a product of her era. But, can we forgive the purveyors of this garbage for continuing to broadcast these stereotyped images of Black people on into the 21st century and beyond. I think not!

The whole notion of the "tragic mulatto" is a racist concept and speaks to the psychopathic racial personality of white Americans, which has in turn led to the exhibition of some psychopathic behavior on our part. Dr. Bobby Wright speaks of this in his book "The Psychopathic Racial Personality."

The "one-drop" rule, which states it only takes "one-drop" of Black blood to make you Black, while "one-drop" of white blood makes you conflicted is alive and well in modern-day America; because you'll never be accepted as being equal to white folks, despite the fact that you can pass for white.

In the final analysis the theme of passing, in the Black community is not unique. What was objectionable was the unrealistic portrayal of this unique phenomenon in the Black community.

Will The Real Aunt Jemima Please Stand Up?

2008-09-08T12:09:00.002-04:00

Aunt Jemima, as she was in the early days (as depicted by A.B. Frost).

She was not only one of the greatest advertising icons of all time, but Aunt Jemima was also the advertising world's first living trademark. And, as with any such icon, she's had her fair share of controversy. But did you know who the real Aunt Jemima was?

Born into slavery in 1834, the woman who would become known to millions as Aunt Jemima was really named Nancy Green. She was a warm, friendly woman who also happened to be an excellent cook (though, interestingly enough, the famous Aunt Jemima pancake recipe wasn't hers. It belonged to a company called the Pearl Milling Company). And it was in 1893 that she was discovered in Chicago, at the age of 59, by one R.T. Davis.

Head of the R.T. Davis Milling Company, Davis bought the pancake formula from Chris Rutt and Charles Underwood when the Pearl Milling Company went bankrupt. And though it was Rutt and Underwood who came up with the name "Aunt Jemima," it was Davis who decided to use a living person to endorse it.

History was made that year at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the very first time Nancy Green went public. It was there that she, with her charming and animated personality, engaged the crowds and supplied them with thousands of pancakes. In fact, she was such a sensation that police had to be assigned to keep the crowds moving!

The rest of the story made marketing history. Soon, Nancy Green signed a lifetime contract with Davis, and her image was on billboards and advertisements all over the world. Davis was up to his eyeballs in pancake orders, and flour sales skyrocketed. Even after the Davis Company had to sell years later, Nancy Green remained the "pancake queen." It wasn't until 1923 when her legacy as a living trademark ended - when she was tragically struck and killed by a car in downtown Chicago. Two years later, the Aunt Jemima Mills were purchased by the Quaker Oats Company.

The famous image of Aunt Jemima was based on the real image of Nancy Green, an original painting of which recently sold for $9,030 at MastroNet. This painting was rendered by A.B. Frost, now regarded as one of the great illustrators of the Golden Age of American Illustration.

Aunt Jemima's image, however, has been modified since the days of Nancy Green and A.B. Frost. As social climates started to change and the 20th century wore on, many became offended by Aunt Jemima's image and felt that it was an outdated and negative portrayal of an African-American woman. If you take a look at today's Aunt Jemima, you'll notice that her kerchief is gone and her hair is styled. She wears earrings, and appears slimmer and younger. She does, however, have the same warm and inviting smile that she's always had.

Who is Sarah Palin?

2008-09-03T01:13:00.003-04:00

Apparently, word is leaking out that the vetting process of the Republican Party Vice Presidential candidate was not as thorough as it should have been. Documentation giving rise to this opinion have been made available on Youtube.(See the embedded clips)

"This next clip is the 1st of 2 parts from the convention itself. About half way through the speech(at 6:00), the Vice Chairman of the AIP, Dexter Clark, says this of Palin: 'Our current governor who I mentioned at the last conference, the one we were hoping would get elected, Sarah Palin, did get elected . . . .and there was a lot of talk about her moving up. She was an AIP member before she got the job as mayor . . . '"

Sarah Palin was a card carrying member of the Alaskan Independence Party who went so far as to welcome their organization to the capital city via videotape from the governor's office. This leaves no doubt that they were far from outcasts, or radicals in her mind.

As you'll note in "Part 1 of Sarah Palin Secessionist," the organization is a self-described secessionists movement. Admittedly, they have some valid arguments, in my estimation. But, I wonder if Americans in general are ready to loose Alaska, a strategically significant state; and its oil revenue due to an oversight on the part of John McCain and his party hacks.

As you listen to the video pay close attention to the fate of former leaders of this party. It appears that the Arkansas Sudden Death Syndrome may have come into play again, because the wife died suddenly and the husband was assassinated soon after a government official had promised to look into some their allegations as to the illegal nature of Alaska's statehood vote.

This alone should make voters think long and hard about voting for a ticket with her on it, because the possibility of a retaliatory strike would be imminent leaving us with her in charge. America in the hands of the "anti-Lincoln," can you believe it?

The Republicans have really screwed up this time and placed the entire country in jeopardy, in order to win an election.

I can't believe this one myself. I heard it from Chris Matthews on MSNBC and had to go and check it out for myself, only to find that he was right on target.

She is not "Sarah Plain and Tall," but rather Sarah Palin "the anti-Lincoln." Next time McCain says something about Obama's judgment, or "lack of it" someone needs to bring up Sarah Palin and her questionable background. It didn't take more than 5 minutes on Youtube to come up with these two clips, which speak to her friendly relationship with the secessionists.

Can McCain get it right? Apparently, not!

African American Elementary Curriculum for the Future

2008-08-21T17:06:00.004-04:00

In the course of putting together an African American Elementary Curriculum for the Future I encountered some disturbing reviews of a book by noted historian J.A. Rogers. The book is entitled Your History and is made up of articles akin to Ripley's Believe It Or Not."

Each and every page is chock full of information that runs the gamut from disturbing to informative. The pictures are revealing studies in the various personalities and events, which have occurred involving the lives of Africans from the beginning of time to the present, which in this case would have been the original publication date of 1940.

In cases where pictures were available they were used by the artist to develop his sketches. But, in many cases there were no pictures and at that point George Lee, the artist, took the liberty to create what he thought were realistic depictions. This was meant to be a popular work that was accessible to the public via a network of Black newspapers and was put into national syndication. It was not meant to stand up to scholarly debate or scrutiny.

However, because of the sensitive nature of the topic the reviewers took offense to much of what was contained within these pages and skewered the author, when it was they, themselves that needed to be skewered for not placing the document into its proper framework. They in fact, commit some of the same types of error of fact in the process, delivering false charges that the author was also the illustrator, and noting the lack of references, without noting the source of the document, which I believe to be the Pittsburgh Courier.

I really appreciate the fact that the reviewers took some time to give a critical analysis of this important book. However, I would hope that in the future they would check their own facts before making brash statements, which themselves were off base.

Admittedly, as Black Classic Press clearly states, J.A. Rogers was a "race" man and was attempting to prove a point, so at times some of his facts may come into question.

J.A. Rogers is "the historian" that was most vociferous in bringing to light many of the stories we now accept as being the bedrock of Pan-African Studies, or Black Studies. He was also known for using photography in conjunction with his historiography. This is a real sore point when acquiring his works now being published by large companies like Macmillian & Co., where the literally hundreds of photos of people or statues of persons have been excised from his major work "The World's Great Men of Color." This really diminished the impact of his work, because, as we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words.

In conclusion, I'll be the first one to admit that I just recently noted a discrepancy in a depiction of the 11 churches of Lalibela Ethiopia, which are monolithic structures carved out of the bedrock of the Ethiopian highlands. Mr. Lee made them look like large mudhuts, as opposed to the architectural masterpieces that they are in actuality.

Overall, I've noted the book is fairly accurate in it's portrayal of the personalities and events it depicts, but I wouldn't give it any more, or less credibility than "Ripley's Believe It Or Not," whose museum in Hollywood is a real eye-opener. So, while you're fact checking, why don't you check into the validity of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not."

Meanwhile, I think I'll keep supporting African American Museums and historical sites, who undoubtedly owe a great deal to J.A. Rogers, as one of the pioneers in the study of Pan-African history. By the way the newest museum of African American history will be opening soon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as a part of the Smithsonian, I wonder who they'll feature in their exhibits?

Zimfest 2008

2008-08-09T20:07:00.004-04:00

I just returned from a tour of the USA, part of which I accomplished on a Greyhound bus, not the most comfortable way to travel, but I made it where I was going. My goal was to see my daughter Nefertiti graduate from high school and at the same time empty my storage unit in California. I relocated 2 years ago and had left most of my belongings in storage.

This seemed like a simple task. I had no really urgent commitments back here in Ohio and I gave myself about 3 weeks to accomplish my tasks and return to Ohio. But, somehow fate was not with me and it ended up taking six weeks to return to Ohio. All in all it wasn't a bad trip, but my money was stretched tighter than a drumhead. That coupled with the fact that the Mississippi river flooded from Wisconsin to Missouri not only delayed my trip it also forced me to take some unforeseen detours, which ended up working out in the end.

My first detour was to Tacoma, WA. The idea was to go to the Zimbabwean Music Festival 2008 (Zimfest) and at the same avoid all the flooding in the midwest. I figured that the flooding would be in the lower Mississippi by the time I left Tacoma and I'd have no problem making it back to Ohio. As it turned out that was correct and I got to go to Zimfest for the second time.

It was a great weekend. As a matter of fact it happened on July 4th weekend. This is kind of unusual, I'm used to Zimfest happening later in the summer, but apparently it can happen at different times of the year. There was a full schedule everyday, I sold Dezes (gourd resonators for Mbiras), hosho (gourd rattles) and my No-burn Incense during the day and enjoyed the music at night.

Zimfest is a round the clock festival, with musicians performing on and off stage day and night and teaching workshops during the day. It's got to be one of the most unusual festivals in the country. For music lovers its absolutely fabulous.

The musicians ran the gamut from novices to seasoned professionals. Many of the most knowledgeable musicians were from Zimbabwe and not only taught workshops, but performed, as well. The thing I like about Zimfest is that you see someone on the stage and then you're sitting down eating lunch with them chitchatting. The whole line that's drawn in the sand between the musicians and the audience is non-existent. You can converse and share knowledge in a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere.

Highlights of the show were the 3 groups led by Sheree Seretse, which included a children's group known as Shumba; a new group of semi-professional musicians Zambuko and her main band of professional musicians Anzanga.

There were so many other groups there that I could not even begin to mention them all, but some that you may recognize are Chinyakare, Boka Marimba, Gwarira Enharira and Kutsinhira. I really liked Boka's singer. She sounded something like Miriam Makeba, which is something of a feat, since she's from the U.S. Chinyakare featured Russ Landers and Ronnie Daliyo on Mbira and was in the groove, as usual, although they were missing their former featured dancers. Russ started off the first night with some lovely Chipendani (mouthbow) playing and simultaneous singing.

In the end many of the featured performers came together on stage for a grande finale that was awesome. I've placed a sampling of the performances on Youtube, just enough to give you a taste of Zimfest 2008. Check it out for yourself and give me some feedback.

Changui & the Origins of Afro-Cuban Music

2008-08-09T18:47:00.005-04:00

Youtube is the wave of the future. It's like we're coming out of the dark ages, when people from different parts of the world were living in isolation. Well no more.

I get on Youtube pretty much everyday to see what's new. One of the jewels I discovered there recently was Cuban Changui music. I've been playing Mbira (Kalimba) for a number of years and decided to look it up on Youtube the other day. When I did I was overwhelmed at the number of videos that were up there. But the one from Guantanamo Bay by the Changuieros was outstanding. This video shows some Cubanos on the docks playing the traditional instruments for this genre. These instruments include the tres (a three stringed instrument similar to a guitar), a hand-made pair of tack-head bongos, a marimbula (the large bass mbira originating from Cuba), a pair of maracas and of course the guiro (metal scraper).

The music is designed to accompany the vocals, which are the focal point of the music, as is so often the case. They were smoking! The vocals were hot, hot, hot! Done in a rap style, they covered a familiar Cuban tune called El Chan, Chan. Take a look at the video to see what you think.

They say this music is the ancestor of the Son, which is still the most popular type of music in Cuba today and has been for almost 100 years. What's so special about this music, both the Son and Changui, is that they represent the earliest attempts to mix the Spanish heritage with the African heritage. The result has been with us for a long time in the Cha, Cha, Cha; the Mambo; Guanguanco; Salsa, etc. The mixture of Spanish vocals with stringed instruments, drums and other percussions instruments lends itself to some hot rhythmic combinations that somehow always seem to talk about "mi corazon," or my heart. Yes, it's all about those pesky male-female relationships. They're going to break your heart, one way or another.

Sit back relax and check out the video. Let me know if you like it as much as I do.

The Day of Jerusalem's Fall

2008-03-28T16:10:00.005-04:00

September 16th, 2001
Reverend Jeremiah Wright

Transcription by Kofi Khemet from an audio recording posted by Roland Martin

All rights reserved 3/28/2008

Would you repeat these words after me. Remember O'Lord [Echo from audience] against the Edomites [Echo] the day of Jerusalem's fall. [Echo] Most of us are only familiar with what we read earlier in the service today, the first 6 verses of Psalm 137. They contain the powerful and immortal words of a people who are in exile. Words that have been made into anthems and sacred songs both in North America and in Jamiaca. Forty years ago when I was in college our college choir sang Psalm 137, "by the waters of Babylon, we sat down and wept when we remembered thee O'Zion." Twenty years ago almost everybody in the Caribbean was singing the Jamaican version, "by the waters of Babylon, dere we sat down and wept."

The captives in Babylon asked the question, "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" The captives in America answered that question by creating an entirely new genre of music, the Spirituals. They sang sorrowfully, "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child a long way from home". They sang thoughtfully, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows, but Jesus." They sang defiantly, "O'freedom, O'freedom, O'freedom over me, before I'd be a slave, I'd be buried in my grave and go home to my god and be free."

To quote Dr. Martin Luther King, they took Jeremiah's question mark and straightened it out into an exclamation point. Jeremiah, who saw his people in exile asks the question "Is there no balm in Gilead?" The Africans who were in exile, in a strange land, said yes there is "O'yes there is a balm in Gilead."

The exiles in Psalm 137 ask the question, "How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" The Africans in exile in America answer their question and said, "I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free." "His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me." Psalm 137 is a psalm that has inspired anthems and spirituals, poems and sermons.

Psalm 137 is a song that has inspired the hearts of millions, as they have reflected on the beauty and splendor of the city of god, Jerusalem. If I forget you O'Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunnning. Let my right hand, the Hebrew says, become useless. Let my right hand, my strength, just wither away. Let my tongue designed to sing praises cling to the roof of my mouth; if I do not remember you O'Jerusalem; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

Most of us are familiar with just that part of Psalm 137. Most of us are only familar with the first 6 verses of Psalm 137. Most of us have not read or heard the last 3 verses of this song, and most of us, I can guarantee you, have never heard a sermon that touched any of the thoughts or feelings expressed in these last 3 verses.

I told Freddie Haines this week that in all of my years of preaching. I was licensed to preach in May of 1959, I was ordained in January of 1967, and I became a pastor in March of 1972. But, in all my years of preaching I have never preached a sermon which dealt with these difficult verses, these last 3 verses in Psalm 137, these brutally honest verses. And, these verses which express what the people of faith really feel after a day of devestation and senseless death. And, that is exactly what these three verses express.

Now, in our class sessions, on our church study trips, I have lifted up these verses to help our church members understand much of what it is they feel as they have stood in the slave castles in West Africa; as they have stood among the poverty in Ethiopia; stood in the townships of South Africa; and stared at the favelas in Salvador do Bahia and Rio De Janeiro, in Brazil. African Americans have a surge of emotions as they see the color of poverty in a world of wealth and begin to understand that it is no accident that the world's poorest are one color and the world's richest are another color. And, and when they, when they tie together the pieces of 500 years of colonialism, racism and slavery with what it is they see in in 2001, a surge of emotions hits them. And, the last 3 verses of Psalm 137 help them to understand what it is they are feeling. I have treated these verses in a classroom setting and on the study tours that our congregation has taken, but I have never touched them in a sermon.

Today I was telling Freddie Haines the spirit of god has nudged me to touch them and to treat them prayerfully; as many of us try to sort out what it is we are feeling and why it is we are feeling what we feel after the trauma and the tragedy of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, symbols of who America is, the money and the military.

Some of the feelings we have, as people of faith in the 21st century are similar to the feelings of the people of faith had in the 6th century, B.C. And, when you read and, and study this Psalm, in its entirety. The parallel between those feelings becomes almost eerily crystal clear. That's why I didn't want you to stop at the famous and familiar verse six. I wanted you to read, to hear and to experience all nine verses of Psalm 137 to get the full scope of what it is this song is saying. Pray with me for just a few moments on this subject.

The day of Jerusalem's fall. The day of Jerusalem's fall. The day . . . of Jerusalem's fall. If you got your Bibles with you turn back to Second Kings the 25th chapter, Second Kings 25th chapter. In that chapter, there is a graphic description of the carnage and the killings that took place, on the day of Jerusalem's fall. The King of Judah, with all of his army, fled. Verse 4, they tried to run, but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, captured the king and literally committed murder.

Verse 7, of Second Kings 25, says they slaughtered, senseless killings, they slaughtered the sons of Zebekiah and made him watch it. Then they put out his eyes, so that would be the last thing he had any visual image of, like a commercial airliner, or passenger plane slamming into an office building, two office buildings, killing thousands for no reason other than hatred. Remember, O'Lord the Edomites. The day of Jerusalem's fall.

Verse eight of Second Kings 25 says,

Nebuzaradan a soldier in the service of the King of Babylon came to Jerusalem and burned. Now get this image clear. Burned! Get it in your mind. He burned the house of the Lord. He burned the King's house. He burned all the houses of Jerusalem. And, every great house he burned down. Remember, O'Lord, against the Edomites. The day of Jerusalem's fall. All the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

Now, you got to remember the real and the symbolic significance of the walls of Jerusalem. Our choir sings about it. You can read about it when you get home. Most of you just enjoyed the sound of the music, and miss the meaning of the words to the music. Read Psalm one, Psalm 48 when you get home.

Great is the Lord and greatly
to be praised in the city of our god. Jerusalem! Let Mt. Zion rejoice.
Jerusalem! Let the daughters of Judah be glad. Walk around Zion. That's
Jerusalem! Go 'round about. Account it's towers, it's towers. Tell the towers
don't miss this, don't miss this. Tell the towers thereof. The towers of
Jerusalem were the visible symbols of her greatness, her power and her
invincibility! Mark ye well her bulwarks and consider her palaces. This is
Jerusalem! Invulnerable, Jerusalem! Invincible, Jerusalem! The city where God
dwell, Jerusalem. The Chaldeans smashed and shattered that sense of security and
invincibility. When first and Second Kings 25:4, look a breach was made in the
invincible walls.

One side of the Pentagon was wiped out and the people who were in there, like the people of Jerusalem who defended Jerusalem, on that wall wiped out. First there was a breach in the wall in verse four, and then verse 2, 10. Verse 10 says they broke down all the walls of Jerusalem. Then they burned everything they could burn and took most of the people into exile.

Remember, O'Lord against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem's fall. The symbol of power was gone! The substance of their military and their monetary system was gone! The Towers of Jerusalem were gone. It took 8 months to, pardon me eight years, to build the World Trade Center. It took Solomon 7 years to build the temple in Jerusalem, with its towers and within 8 hours it was gone. It took Solomon 14 years to build his palace, the symbol of wealth, the symbol of magnificence, the symbol of might and majesty and within 8 hours it also was gone.

The writer of Psalm 37 says look, look, look what they said in Psalm 137, tear it down, tear it down, down to its foundations O'daughter Babylon you devestator. The day of Jerusalem's fall was a day that changed these peoples lives forever. The day of Jerusalem's fall was a day of pain, a day of anger, a day of rage, a day of terror, a day of outrage, a day of death, a day of destruction. And, verse 8 of Psalm 137 says a day of devestation.

The people who sang this song saw their loved ones die. The people who sang this song saw senseless carnage. The people who sang this song saw their landmarks burned. They saw their church burned. They saw their town burned. They saw their places of employment burned. They saw their places of enjoyment burned. Some of the people they worked beside, they would never see again. Some of the people they walked beside, they would never see again. Some of the people they lived beside, they would never see again.

And, the day of Jerusalem's fall was a day that would live forever in their memories. The day of Jerusalem's fall was a day that changed their lives forever. The day of Jerusalem's fall was a day for the people of faith, remember these are people of faith. It was a day of pain. It was a day of anger. It was a day of rage. It was a day of outrage. It was a day of terror. It was a day of fear. It was a day of death. It was a day of destruction. It was a day of devestation.

And, when you read this song of remembrance, "By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and we wept, when we remembered." When you read this song of remembrance, look what you see, look what you see. Look! Look! You see the people of God. The people of faith, move 3 distinct moves. They move, first of all from reverence, reverence, reverence. The thought of Jerusalem. Those thoughts are thoughts of reverence. The memories of Jerusalem are memories of reverence.

Jerusalem is where the house of God was, reverence. Jerusalem is where the temple of Solomon was, reverence. March about Zion and go 'round about her. Tell the towers thereof, for this God is our God, forever, reverence. The Lord is in his holy temple, reverence. Isaiah said in the year that King Azaiah died I saw also the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up. And, the train of his garment, the hem of his robe filled the temple, reverence. The Seraphim were in attendance above the Lord. Each had six wings. I said now Isaiah six wings? Two, they covered their face with 2. They covered their feet and with the other 2 they flew and crawled out, one into the other. Holy! Holy! Holy is the Lord of hosts. The earth is full, the whole earth is full of his glories, reverence. Jerusalem means reverence.

When Solomon prayed and asked Gods blessing on that temple in Jerusalem. You know the story, fire came down from heaven, in second Chronicles 7. And, the Glory of the Lord filled the temple, the priests could not go in and the people fell down and worshipped. The thoughts of Jerusalem in Psalm 137 are thoughts of reverence. If I forget you O'Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning, reverence. Let the tongue, my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you Jerusalem, reverence. If I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy, reverence.

But, keep on reading. The people of faith move from reverence in verses 4 to 6, to revenge in verses 8 and 9. They want revenge! They want somebody to destroy those who devestated them. In fact, in fact they want God to get even with those who did evil. Remember O'Lord against the Edomites. Remember O'Lord the day of Jerusalem's fall. The first move is where the people of faith move from reverence to revenge. The second move in this text is a move from worship to war. Jerusalem is where they worship. Now, they have declared war!

Let me put it another way. Let me put it another way. The second move is a move from the thoughts of paying tithes. Jerusalem is where the people of faith paid tithes. Solomon led the people of God in paying tithes at the temple, in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the temple of God, the House of God, is where the people made sacrificial offerings to God. Way after the temple was restored and rebuilt, way down 600 years later, when Jesus was born the temple in Jerusalem, the House of God, is where the people of God brought their tithes and their offerings. Jesus' mother and father brought him to the temple to present him to the Lord. When the time came for their purification then they brought a sacrificial offering. Jerusalem, the temple, the House of God is where the people or God pay tithes and sacrificial offerings to God.

What, what does God, God's self say in Malachi 3:10. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, the temple. And, prove me now, here with the second move in Psalm 137, is a move from paying tithes to the thoughts of paying back. O'daughter of Babylon you devestator. Happy, blessed shall they be, who pay you back for what you did to us. That's payback. The "Big Payback."

Every public service of worship I have heard about so far in the wake of the American tragedy has had in its prayers and in its preachments sympathy and compassion for those who were killed and for their families, and God’s guidance upon the selected presidents and our war-machine as they do what they got to do - pay backs. There’s a move in Psalm 137 from thoughts of paying tithes to thoughts of paying back. Move if you will from worship to war. A move, in other words from the worship of the God of creation to a war against whom God has created. And I want you to notice, very carefully, the next move. One of the reasons this psalm is rarely read in its entirety. Because it is a move that spotlights the insanity of the cycle of violence and the cycle of hatred.

Look at verse 9, look at verse 9, look at verse 9, “Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rocks. The people of faith are the rivers of Babylon. How shall we sing the Lord’s song if I forget the (unintelligible). . . The people of faith have moved from the hatred of armed enemies, these soldiers who captured the king, who slaughtered his son, they put his eyes out, the soldiers who sacked the city, burned the towns, burned the temples, burned the towers, and moved from the hatred of armed enemies to the hatred of unarmed innocents, the babies, the babies .“Blessed are they who dash your baby’s brains against a rock.” And that my beloveds is a dangerous place to be. Yet, that is where the people of faith are in 551 BC and that is where the people of faith are, far too many people of faith are in 2001 AD.

We have moved from the hatred of armed enemies to the hatred of unarmed innocence. We want revenge. We want paybacks and we don’t care who gets hurt in the process.Now I-I-I asked the Lord, “What should our response be in light of such an unthinkable act?”

But before I share with you what the Lord showed me, I want to give you one of my little faith footnotes. Visitors often get faith footnotes, so that our members don’t lose sight of the big picture. Let me give you a little faith footnote. Turn to your neighbors and say “faith footnote.”I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday. Did anybody else see him or hear him? He was on Fox news. This is a White man and he was upsetting the Fox news commentators to no end. He pointed out. You see him John? A White man he pointed out – an Ambassador! He pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he got silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true. America’s chickens are coming home to roost!

We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, the Aroawak, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism! We took Africans from their country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism! We bombed Grenada and killed innocent babies, non military personnel. We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed unarmed teenagers and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard-working fathers. We bombed Gadhaffi’s home and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your children’s head against a rock! We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to payback for the attack on our embassy. Killed hundreds of hard-working people; mothers and fathers who left home to go that day, not knowing that they would never get back home. We bombed Hiroshima! We bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye! Kids playing in the playground , mothers picking up children after school, civilians – not soldiers – people just trying to make it day by day.

We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and Black South Africans, and now we are indignant? Because the stuff we have done overseas has now been brought back into our own front yard! America’s chickens are coming home to roost! Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred and terrorism begets terrorism. A White ambassador said that y’all not a Black Militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An Ambassador whose eyes are wide open, and who’s trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said that the people we wounded don’t have the military capability we have but they do have individuals who are willing to die and to take thousands with them and we need to come to grips with that. Let me stop my faith footnote right there and ask you to think about that over the next few weeks if God grants us that many days. Turn back to your neighbor and say, “footnote is over.”

Now, now come on back to my question to the Lord. "What should our response be right now in light of such an unthinkable act?” I asked the Lord that question Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I was stuck in Newark New Jersey. No flights were leaving LaGuardia, JFK, or Newark airport. On the day the FAA opened up the airports to bring into the cities of destination because those flights that had been diverted, because of the hijacking; a scare in New York closed all three airports and I couldn’t even get here for Mr. Bradford’s funeral. And I asked God, “What should our response be?” I saw pictures of the incredible. People jumping from the 110th floor. People jumping from the roof cause the stairwells above the 9th floor were gone. No more. Black people jumping to a certain death. People holding hands jumping. People on fire jumping. And I asked the Lord, “What should our response be?” I read what the people of faith felt in 551 BC. But this is a different time. This is a different enemy. This is a different world. This is a different terror. This is a different reality. “What should our response be?”

And the Lord showed me three things. Let me share them with you quickly and I’m going to leave you alone to think about the faith footnote, number one. The Lord showed me that this is a time for self-examination. As I sat 900 miles away from my family and my community of faith, two months after my own father’s death, God showed me that this is a time for me to examine my relationship with God; my own relationship with God, my personal relationship with God. I submit to you that it is the same for you.

Folks flocked to the church in New Jersey last week. You know that fox hole religion syndrome kicked in, that emergency cord religion; you know that old red box cord to pull in case of emergency, it showed up full force. Folk who ain’t thought about coming to church for years were in church last week. I heard that mid week prayer services all over this country, which are poorly attended 51 weeks of the year, were jammed packed all over the nation the week of the hijacking the 52nd week filled full. But the Lord said, “This ain’t the time for you to be examining other folks’ relationship, this is a time of self-examination”

The Lord said to me, “How is our relationship doing Jeremiah? How often do you talk to me personally? How often do you let Me talk to you privately? How much time do you spend trying to get right with Me, or do you spend all your time trying to get other folk right?” This is a time for me to examine my own relationship with God. Is it real or is it fake? Is it forever or is it for show? Is it something that you do for the sake of the public or is it something that you do for the sake of eternity? This is a time to examine my own and a time for you to examine your own relationship with God, self-examination! Then this is the time, in light of the unbelievable tragedy, this is a time to examine the relationship with my family, self examination.

As soon as the first plane hit the World Trade Center I was on the phone talking to Marcus Cosby about him flying up there to preach for me, while I could fly home to do Mr. Bradford's service. He said, "you got the T.V. on?" I said no, what channel? He said, "it don't matter what channel." And, as I turned it on and watched the first tower burn, I saw the second one fly into it. As soon as the first plane hit The World Trade Center I called home and I called my mother.

Raima was taking Jamila to the school bus. My mother's phone was busy. And, the thought hit me! Suppose you can never talk to her again? Suppose you never see Jamila, Janet, Jerry, Stevie, Jazzy, Jay or Raima ever again? What is the quality of the relationship between you and your family? The soul station in New York kept playing Stevie Wonder songs with these three words; when is the last time you took the time to say to your family, honey I love you?

And, and then that family thought led me to my extended family, and my church family. We, we fight. We disagree. We, we fall out. We have diametrically opposed views on some critical issues. But, I, I still love you. When is the last time you said that to your church family? When your daddy died? Well, that was two months ago reverend. You need to say that every chance you get. So, let me just say it to you now. I love y'all! I love you! [applause] I love you! Listen, listen! Don't, don't clap, don't clap! Turn to the person sitting next to you, worshipping next to you and say it while you have a chance. Say I love you! [Echo] Listen, listen, listen! This, this past week was a grim reminder of the fact that you might not have the chance to say that next week. So, say it now. I love you! [Echo]

I had two deacons, two deacons. When they realized I could not fly home, Dedrick wanted to be anonymous, but Dedrick Roberts and Deacon Reggie Crenshaw; they got in a car and drove 12 straight hours, put my bags in the trunk, put me in the back seat, turned right around and drove back 12 hours, because they love me. And, I want them to know I love you man. I love you! I love you! [applause] I thank God for you. Turn back and tell your neighbor one more time, I love you! [Echo] This is what a church family is, the beloved community, a community of love. Fights, yes! Disagreements, yes! Falling out, yes! Different viewpoints, yes! Doctrinal disputes, yes! But, love that is of God and given by God, who loved us so much that while were yet sinners God gave God's son, rather than give up on us.

This is a time of self-examination. A time to examine our personal relationships with God. A time to examine our personal relationships with our families. And, a time to examine our personal relationships with our extended family, the family of God. Then the Lord showed me that this not only a time for self-examination. This! This is also a time for social transformation. Now, they ain't gone put me on PBS for the nation to see this. This will be around the Chicagoland area. This ain't gon' be in no national cable. But, this is the time for social transformation. And, this is going to be the hardest step we have to take.

But, now is the time for social transformation. We have got to change the way we have been doing things. We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a society, social transformation. We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a country, social transformation. We have got to change the way we have been doing things as an arrogant, racist, military superpower, social transformation. We just can't keep messing over people and thinking that can't nobody do nothing about it. They have shown us that they can and that they will. And, let me suggest to you that rather than figure who we gon' go to declare war on, maybe we need to declare war on racism! Maybe we need to declare war on injustice! Maybe we need to declare war on greed!

Those same lawmakers you saw gathered at the capitol praying, are the same lawmakers who just passed a 1.3 trillion dollar gift for the rich. Maybe we need to rethink the way we do politics and declare war on greed! Maybe we need to declare war on AIDS! In 5 minutes the Congress found 40 billion dollars to rebuild New York and the families of those who died in sudden death. Do you think we could find the money to make medicine available for people who are dying a slow death. Maybe! Maybe! Maybe! We need to declare war on the healthcare system, that leaves a nations poor with no health coverage! Maybe we need to declare war on the mishandled educational system and provide quality education for everybody, every citizen, based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay!

This is a time for social transformation. We, we, we can't go back to doing business as usual and treating the rest of the world like we've been treating them. This is a time for self-examination. This is a time for social transformation. But, then ultimately, as I looked around and saw that God had given me a another chance to try to be the man that God wants me to be. Another chance to try to be the person that God meant for me to be. Another chance to try to be the parent that God knows I should be. Another chance to try to make a positive difference in a world full of hate. Another chance to teach somebody the difference between our God's awesomeness and our nation's arrogance. When I, when I looked around and saw that, for whatever the reason, God had let me see another day, I realized that the Lord was showing me that this is not only a time for self-examination, this is not only a time for social transformation, but this is also a time for spiritual adoration.

In otherwards, this a time to say thank you, Lord! This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. I may not have tomorrow, so I'm going to take this time, on this day, to say thank you Lord! Thank you for my life. You didn't have to let me live. Thank you for my blessings. I could have been on one of those airplanes. I could have been in downtown New York, or a few blocks from the Pentagon. But, for whatever the reason you let me be here.

So, while I am here, I'm going to take this opportunity to adore you and to say, thank you Lord! Thank you for the lives of those who were lost! Thank you for the way in which they touched our lives and the way in which they blessed other lives! Thank you Lord! Thank you for the love we have experienced, for love itself is an inexpressible gift. And, then thank you Lord for the gift of our lives, because when I look around, I realize that my life itself is a gift that God has given me. And, so I say thank you. Thank you Lord, while I have another chance. Thank you to say it! Thank you Lord, for my friends and my family. Thank you Lord, for this opportunity! Thank you for another chance to say thank you! If you mean that from your heart throw your head back and adore Him this morning! Say thank you Lord [Echo]! Thank you Lord, for another chance, another chance to say thank you!

It's time for spiritual adoration.

Psalm 137 (NIV)

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

2 There on the poplars we hung our harps,

3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill .

6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

7 Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. "Tear it down," they cried, "tear it down to its foundations!"

8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us-

9 he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

New Governor of New York Hails from Harlem

2008-03-12T12:38:00.004-04:00

Eliot Spitzer, Governor of New York State just resigned as the governor and David Paterson will now take his place. Will there be collateral damage from this move? Undoubtedly!

Lieutenant Governor Paterson will now become, not only the first African American governor of New York, but will also become the first legally blind governor in the country.This was stunning news, which broke on the eve of Barack Obama's landslide victory in Mississippi.

As this story devolps it changes the political landscape depriving Hillary Clinton of one more Superdelegate.What is she to do, with backers like Governor Spitzer, who former Mayor Kotch described as "having a screw loose" on CNN last night? And of course, Geraldine Ferraro who refuses to apologize for her racially charged remarks regarding Senator Obama.

It has been a contention of many of Hillary's detractors that she would have a polarizing effect on the government and the country, as a whole. Well, I dare say this may be the tip of the iceberg. As the old saying goes, "birds of a feather, flock together."

In order to belie this thought Senator Clinton needs to not only distance herself from Governor Spitzer, while rejecting and denouncing his actions, but also do the same with Ms. Ferraro.

At this point she has refused to "denounce and reject" the actions of Governor Spitzer. She also has refused to "denounce and reject" former Congresswoman Ferraro, one of her major fund raisers. This puts her in the awkward position of now having to defend the racist statements of Ms. Ferraro. At the same time comparisons have already been made, which will dog her on the campaign trail for some time to come, in regards to the Lewinsky scandal of former President Bill Clinton and the Spitzer affair.

This is bound to bring into question her ability to make good judgments in the course of governing the country and making cabinet appointments. It's also not going to do anything to help her recover her African American base, nor will it endear her to the women's rights activists.

As we saw in the Mississippi primary last night her base has been seriously eroded, as Barack Obama took the lion's portion of the youth vote, middle aged adults, African Americans and white women. This leaves Hillary and John McCain with older white men as their base.The closer we get to the convention the more polarized the electorate is becoming.

Senator Obama is the only candidate showing signs of being able to bring together any kind of coalition. Even if he is not able to bring together this same coalition in the south, like he did in the north and the west, he's a good antidote to the polarizing effect of Senator Clinton.

Governor David Paterson will be installed this upcoming Monday. He currently resides in Harlem and was Lieutenant Governor of New York prior to today's announcement.

"David A. Paterson was born May 20th 1954 in Brooklyn, NY to Portia and Basil Paterson, the first non-white Secretary of State in New York and the first African-American Vice-Chair of the National Democratic Party. The Lt. Governor earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Columbia University in 1977, and completed his J.D. at Hofstra Law School in 1982. He continues to give back to his alma mater by serving as an adjunct professor at Columbia’s School for International and Public Affairs. David Paterson lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson, and their two children, Ashley and Alex. Ashley entered Ithaca College in Fall 2006, and Alex attends public school in New York City."

He'll be taking over the governors office only 14 months after being sworn in as lieutenant governor following a landslide victory. We wish him well and pray that he does a good job in his new position.

Are The Voters of Florida And Michigan About To Be "Hoodwinked"?

2008-03-12T10:39:00.005-04:00

On Tuesday February 19th Fidel Castro, arguably one of the world's oldest leaders, officially announced his retirement as the leader and commander in chief of Cuba. His retirement was no surprise. The daily operations of the country have been under the direction of younger brother Raúl since Castro's hospitalization in July of 2006. His retirement took place on the eve of the selection of new leaders of the Cuban Parliament and the next leader of their government.
The Cuban system of government is setup much like that of Great Britain. Its one party government allows for the representatives of the Communist Party to select the next head of state.

"President Bush said Tuesday that the resignation of Fidel Castro 'ought to be a period of democratic transition' for Cuba, and that the country must hold free and fair elections to pick a successor after half a century of Communist rule.

'And I mean free and I mean fair,” Mr. Bush added, “not these kind of staged elections that the Castro brothers try to foist off as true democracy.'" New York Times 2008

This was a bold statement coming from a president who “won” a disputed election in the year 2000, which was hotly contested in the courts. Al Gore won the popular vote by half a million votes, but lost the election after the U.S. Supreme Court decided in favor of Bush.

This was the third time this has happened in American history. The other two times included the election of Rutherford B. Hayes in 1877 and the election of Benjamin Harrison in 1888. John Quincy Adams was installed as president over his opponent, in spite of the fact that he did not have a majority of the electoral vote or the popular vote, he was voted in by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Long after the election of Bush was completed charges of tampering with the counts in a number of counties heavily populated with African Americans, continues to reverberate into the present. So, for President Bush to accuse the Cuban government of staged, or rigged elections seems to be out of order. This is especially true considering the involvement of his brother Republican Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris who certified the election results, while simultaneously serving as the Florida co-chair of the Bush presidential campaign. With these two in charge the presidency was handed over to Bush on a silver platter. In the end Bush won with a margin of only 5 electoral votes.

Jimmy Carter made the following statement regarding the 2000 election.

"The disturbing fact is that a repetition of the problems of 2000 now seems likely, even as many other nations are conducting elections that are internationally certified to be transparent, honest and fair.

The Carter Center has monitored more than 50 elections, all of them held under contentious, troubled or dangerous conditions. When I describe these activities, either in the United States or in foreign forums, the almost inevitable questions are: 'Why don't you observe the election in Florida?' and 'How do you explain the serious problems with elections there?'" Washington Post 2004

Florida has played a pivotal role in presidential elections for over 100 years. Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina played a pivotal role in the election of Rutherford B. Hayes. His presidency ended Reconstruction and returned control of the south to the Democrats.

The end of Reconstruction ushered in the era, of segregation known as Jim Crow, the advent of the Ku Klux Klan, and the disenfranchisement of Black voters and elected officials for the next 100 years.

As we look at the circumstances of the 2008 election it's hard to overlook what appears to be an effort to steal this election, as well. We're coming into the downhill stretch of this election season. The race for pledged delegates has become extremely tight. As it comes down to the wire, Florida and Michigan voters may hold the keys to the kingdom. Both of these states and their 322 delegates have been barred from the nominating convention in June. The Democrats are facing a contested convention, which may lead to a splintered party in the fall. This would be a real boon for the Republicans as it could lead to their holding onto the white house for, at least, another four years.

Florida and its Democratic delegates are important now. Florida and its electors will also be of great importance during the general election.

For as, former President Jimmy Carter stated, in the same article cited above, "some basic international requirements for a fair election are missing in Florida." This was true in 2000 and remains true today, in spite of the work former Presidents Carter and Ford have done over the last 8 years to remedy the situation. We now see the specter of the "Hayes-Tilden Compromise of 1877," rising from the ashes like a phoenix.

The only difference is that heavily populated African American communities in northern states are being disenfranchised, as well. How can free and fair elections exist if we are returned to the days of voter disenfranchisement. Well over a million voters have been disenfranchised in the states of Michigan and Florida. The beneficiaries of these actions will be the Republican Party, as they continue to hold onto the white house.

Former President Carter also states,

"It is unconscionable to perpetuate fraudulent or biased electoral practices in any nation. It is especially objectionable among us Americans, who have prided ourselves on setting a global example for pure democracy. With reforms unlikely at this late stage of the election, perhaps the only recourse will be to focus maximum public scrutiny on the suspicious process in Florida." Washington Post 2004

The words of Jimmy Carter seem as appropriate a description of the current electoral process, as they were of the electoral process in the year 2000. Electoral fraud has been alleged in large states such as Florida, New York, California and Texas. Reform of the electoral process, including the selection of electors, is way overdue on a national scale. Independent oversight must be put in place by necessity, in order to guarantee certifiably “free and fair” elections.

What President Bush should have done upon hearing of Castro's retirement is to ask permission to send some people down there for training on how to run a “free and fair” election. However, he did just the opposite and decided to take the high road. The problem is that he had no ground to stand on, in light of the poor track record of the U.S. and electoral politics.

The Cuban revolution began in 1953 with the attack on the Moncada barracks. At the trial of the leaders of that attack Fidel Castro made a 4 hour statement where he was quoted as saying “history will absolve me,” in the end it has. Cuba's government has been able to retain power for over 50 years, in spite of embargoes, blockades, overt and covert attacks on the government and it's leaders. These attacks continue under the present administration with continued calls to kill Castro.

Does Obama Have the Experience To Run the White House?

2008-03-04T17:43:00.004-05:00

This is an argument that Senator Clinton has been hammering away at for some time without providing any real evidence of her contention. Over the past few weeks Senator Obama has begun to respond by questioning her claim to 35 years of public service. I'd like to take a closer look at both of their records.

First of all Senator Clinton is a Junior Senator, just as Senator Obama is a Junior Senator. She's completed one term of office and then took a sabbatical to run for president, while Senator Obama has been in the U.S. Senate for a total of 2 years before taking his sabbatical.
Senator Clinton likes to include her 8 years as the first lady as part of her experience. However, officially this does not pan out, because there are no official duties or responsibilities of the first lady. What she's doing here is using the uniqueness of her position, being the only first lady to ever run for public office and win, as a means of confusing the issue.

Prior to being the first lady on a national level she was first lady of the state of Arkansas. Again, she had no official capacity or responsibilities, except those given to her by her husband, as first lady.

Before becoming the first lady of Arkansas she was employed by the Rose law firm and continued to be employed there after her husband won the Governorship of Arkansas. Of course, we've all heard of the scandal involving Bill, Hillary and the Rose law firm regarding some shady land deals involving various members of the state legislature. But, we'll put that to the side for now.

Last, but not least let's look at the types of legislation proposed and made into law by Senator Clinton. During her 6 years of service in public office Senator Clinton has authored 20 pieces of “kitchen table legislation”, which have become the law of the land. Of these 20 pieces of legislation the majority of them have to do with giving someone a plaque or a medal, designation of historic sites, congratulating Lacrosse teams on their winning seasons, etc. Only 5 bills have any real meat to them where they would have required the cooperation of other members of the Senate. These included the following bills:

Extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11.
Pay for city projects in response to 9/11
Assist landmine victims in other countries
Assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care
Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the wilderness preservation system.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, during 8 years of public service has sponsored over 820 bills. Here's a breakdown of the types of bills he introduced during his tenure in the Illinois State Senate:

233 bills on healthcare reform
125 on poverty and public assistance
112 crime fighting bills
97 economic bills
60 human rights and anti-discrimination bills
21 ethics reform bills
15 bills on gun control
6 bills on veterans affairs, etc.

His first year in the U.S. Senate, he authored over 100 bills and cosponsored 427, including the following bills:

For more details on their other legislation you can reference the Library of Congress at this link www.loc.gov.

The following bills are just a few examples of the types of legislation introduced and or co-sponsored by Senator Obama over the last 2 years he's been in the senate.

The Congressional Ethics Enforcement Commission Act, S.2259

The Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act, S.2261

The Curtailing Lobbyist Effectiveness through Advance Notification, Updates, and Posting Act (The CLEAN UP Act), S.2179

This comparison of the records of the current presidential candidates is something that should have come out much earlier in the campaign. We need to look at the substance of the candidates, not just how long they've been in office, but what have they accomplished while in office.

In comparing the records of Clinton and Obama it becomes apparent that Obama's experience as a community organizer in the rock hard streets of Chicago, the crucible of the nation, has placed him in the unique position of being the first president elected by the average American in the 21^st century, as opposed to the modern-day king makers. His experience speaks for itself. This is not a man that's been sitting on his laurels. He is a well organized, well educated, yet caring individual who will take the time to actually listen to the people he represents and be willing to work with individuals with widely differing viewpoints and political persuasions. Again, a cursory examination of his record will indicate his willingness and successful track record in proposing and passing bills that required the cooperation of a number of his fellow senators. These kinds of relationships will be immensely helpful in getting bills passed as the chief executive of the government.

Senator Clinton, on the other hand has been very consistent in her willingness to fight, not only Al-Qaeda and the Republicans, but her Democratic colleagues, as well. She's also been consistent in going along with the status quo in terms of important legislation, such as the authorization to go into Iraq; while her own pet projects have consisted of proposing little more than “kitchen table legislation”. As Dick Morris, a former Clinton strategist, stated in a recent article “Hillary Clinton Goofs Again! ”, she needed to pick an area that she was strong in herself, as opposed to an area where she has shown little to no ability, whatsoever.

In fact, according to Dick Morris, her one claim to fame, an “ill-conceived health care reform” bill not only failed miserably, it also “cost her party control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years.” It thus seems inconceivable that she should now be elected to the “bully pulpit”. For even a cursory examination of her history shows a lack of clear direction, other than “a get along go along DC insider” stance, according to beachmom. This was clearly evidenced in her voting record, particularly with respect to the war in Iraq.

Clearly, if it's a choice between Obama and Hillary there can be no doubt as to who has the credentials, the experience, and the will, to not only occupy the Oval Office, but to use the power and influence of that office for the good of all Americans. The question then becomes, not does Obama have the experience, but rather does Hillary have the experience or the disposition to sit next to the “red phone”?

Will The Real Hillary Please Stand Up?

2008-02-28T09:10:00.005-05:00

During the debate on Tuesday 2/26/2008 we saw "the real" Hillary Clinton, feisty, scrappy, itching for a fight. Over the last few weeks Hillary Clinton has exhibited signs of extreme aggravation with the fact that she's been losing ground in the polls and apparently has lost credibility as a viable nominee of the Democratic Party.

In the most recent debate she really showed out by lambasting, not only, Barack Obama, but also deriding the moderator and representatives of the major media. Over the last few weeks it's dawned on me that Hillary has an anger management problem, which has not been fully exposed by the media. However, I've recently come across some citations from a variety of sources close to Hillary and the Clinton camp indicating just that. Aside from everything else that's been said about her health care program vs. Obama's healthcare program this anger management issue, I believe, is the primary thing that disqualifies her for the job of commander in chief of all the armed forces.

One thing that Hillary has made real clear is that she's a fighter and that she'll "fight for us". The question is who's she going to fight. Assumedly, she's talking about fighting the Republicans and Al-Qaida. However, this is not clear. Based on her public record Hillary is not averse to fighting Republicans, terrorists, members of her own party or even White House staff members.

One thing is obvious, she has not been known for building coalitions and bringing people together. She has been known for talking negatively about her own White House staff members behind their backs and deriding them in public, however. Gail Sheehy states Bradford DeLong, a veteran of the Clinton administration who worked with Hillary Clinton on healthcare, had it exactly right when he warned, "We must keep Hillary Rodham Clinton very far from the White House for the rest of her life.", Hillary's Choice (New York: Random House, 1999) p. 11.

Even more telling was the statement by former Clinton Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers indicating her overall temperament,

"Anyone that stood up... was smashed down and belittled,very personally. [N]ot only would she sort of humiliate you in front of your colleagues or whoever happened to be around, Hillary tended to kind of campaign against people behind their back, and that was certainly my experience."

PBS Frontline, 16 Jan 2001
The Clinton Years

There's also a matter of integrity. The Clintons have been known for, shall we say, stretching the truth, as in the case of Gennifer Flowers, where Mrs. Clinton denied knowledge of the affair before it became public. Of course everyone remembers the Monica Lewinsky case and Bill Clinton's denial of any wrongdoing, "depending on how you define sex". Hillary and Bill have both shown us that they can stretch the truth.

In their recent debate in Cleveland Obama was called on to "denounce" or "reject" Louis Farrakhan, because of alleged anti-semitic remarks that have been attributed to him. Senator Obama did this unequivocally. However, nothing has been said, nor has she publicly acknowledged or apologized for her own, “anti-semitic” remarks, which are quite well documented and attested to by reliable sources. For instance, Jerry Oppenheimer states,

"Hillary hit him between the eyes. She was angrier than Paul had ever seen her. 'You f**king Jew bastard!' she screamed."

author Jerry Oppenheimer
quoting campaign aide Paul Fray
State of a Union
(New York: Harper-Collins, 2000) p. 153

These are words out of Senator Clinton's own mouth. Thus far she has not had to account for them. Is this the kind of person that we feel can finally bring closure to the ongoing war between the Palestinians and the State of Israel? After making similar snide remarks about Mahatma Ghandi (Youtube) from the floor of the U.S. Senate, do we really think that she can now go to India and successfully negotiate with the Indian government concerning nuclear proliferation? Will she be able to direct negotiations with the various Muslim factions in Iraq, so that our troops can begin coming home 6 months after she takes the oath of office, after chiding Senator Obama for putting on the national dress of the Kenyan people, while on a diplomatic mission. Keep in mind, we've seen President Clinton wearing the national dress of Muslim Nigerians. Does this mean her husband is secretly working for Al-Qaida? Is this why she doesn't want to release her tax returns until she's been christened as the nominee of the Democratic Party? In the Bible it states:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: . . .
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

This passage needs to be plastered on the wall of the White House to help it's new resident keep their eye on the sparrow, especially that last passage about war and peace. The war in Iraq has been a major campaign issue and a real rallying point for voters. The people are demanding an end to the war, however both candidates have stated they will not pull the troops out, while leaving the area as a haven for Al-Qaida. That will require a lot of negotiating between forces that have been adversarial for 100's, if not 1000's of years. I personally don't see that Senator Clinton has the credentials to credibly carry out that mission.

The facts are in! Hillary Clinton is not fit to sit in the seat of power, guiding and directing the most powerful nation in the world. I've only listed a few of the more serious charges that can be corroborated here. It's what's not listed here that should concern every qualified voter in America. Because, whomever the next resident of the White House is, it's an absolute certainty that they will have to negotiate a number of situations with the leaders of many nations, and they'll have to do it in a calm and reasonable manner, with an understanding of their perspective and the perspective of their constituents. This is the advantage Senator Obama has over Senator Clinton. As we've seen him on the campaign trail over the last year, and under serious attack during a good portion of that time, by Senator Clinton, he's been able to maintain his cool at all times. This is the mark of a good leader. He's also shown grace and poise after coming from behind as an underdog to a leader in the polls, he's always maintained a decorum that was professional and respectful of the other candidates and their positions.

When Hillary Clinton says she's going to fight for us, I think she really means it! However, after 8 years in the White House with no threat of being ousted by the electorate; and 8 more years as a senator, she's no closer to passing her health care bill through congress, than she was when she started this fight. As the President of the most powerful nation in the world, the question is not will she fight, it's obvious that she will do that. The question is, can she build bipartisan coalitions that will in fact be strong enough to get legislation passed that will benefit all U.S. citizens. Will she be able to negotiate with these leaders, or will she try to bully them? Will she treat foreign dignitaries with respect, or will she belittle them, as we saw her belittle Mahatma Ghandi from the floor of the U.S. Senate (Fox news report on Youtube)? Will she be able to bring together a cabinet of chosen advisers and work with them, or will we see extreme instability in the White House, as cabinet members turn over faster than hamburgers on an open grill? These are important questions that remain unanswered and until now unasked.

Whoever wins this election and eventually occupies the White House needs to put all of their cards on the table. We're still waiting on Senator Clinton to produce her tax records indicating where her money comes from and therefore who she's beholding to. Senator Obama, on the other hand has made full disclosure and has refused to except any monies from lobbyists and PACs. When are we going to get a full accounting of Senator Clinton's actions and finances? I don't feel that anyone can vote for her and, in good conscience and say they feel that she's the best candidate for the job without this crucial information. At best they can say they like her more than the other candidates.

Barack Obama "The Best Man"

2008-02-20T11:38:00.009-05:00

This reporter has been watching the race for the Democratic nomination with great interest, and apparently so has America and the world. From the outset it appeared that Hillary Clinton was the presumptive nominee. With four other people in the race Barack Obama stood out only because of his race.

Fast forward ahead to the present, eight months later and we have Barack Obama appearing to be the presumptive nominee and Clinton trying to catch up. What happened in the interim? Obama has caught on like wildfire, running through ten states without a credible challenge from his opponent. On T.V. Obama is looking very presidential, much more presidential than Ronald Reagan when he lost the part for the president in the 1964 film "The Best Man". In person he fills the halls he appears in with what could easily be described as devotees. In a recent visit to Youngstown, Ohio Obama not only had the whole crowd rocking, they were in the palm of his hand. They hung on his every word. They all came there knowing what he was going to say, and like one does at a concert with your favorite musician, they waited to hear the part of his speech that resonated with their own feelings. He has found his voice and the people are listening! Not just some of the people, some of the time, but all of the people, all of the time.

Meanwhile, Hillary has been relegated to the sidelines where she lobs potshots at him every now and then. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't have the strength of purpose, or the clarity of mind to be able to focus her aim and score a direct hit. Obama has deftly deflected each and every one of them, including the ridiculous charges of plagarism, lack of substance and "hopemongering". Yes, Obama is a hope monger, and proud of it. He's taken everything that's been tossed at him and like a good martial artist turned the energy behind those blows back on the one who threw them.

Whether he wins or loses this race is not the question. He will come up a winner any way it goes, because he is changing the nature of politics as we know it, right now, not in some distant future. Evidence of this is clear in the primary elections that he's winning, by double digit margins. He is bringing people together from all walks of life right now and giving the American people something to hope for.

In the beginning they tried to label him "The Black Candidate", that only a Black person would vote for. When too many white people voted for him they called him an empty wagon, very noisy, but no substance. A quick look at Obama's record would tend to belie that statement, when you Google him and find out that the issues he most recently brought into his stump speeches are issues that he's been addressing the entire time he's been in Congress, such as the homeless vets, education reform, the economy, the war in Iraq, Darfur and global warming. Obama is not just paying lip service to these issues he's writing bills and getting the votes to have them passed.

The question now is, if Hillary Clinton or John McCain are elected to the highest office in the land can they get the votes they need in Congress? I don't believe they can, not without the popular support of the people. In Obama's stump speech he states unequivocally that the change we seek cannot be made without the support of the people themselves, and he's right. No congressman or woman will want to stir up the ire of their constituents and have them outside their door protesting. This is a real and yet unspoken fear. Obama talks about putting the lobbyists out of business, shutting down their operations. There's no way to do that without the popular support of the people. So, all the talk of empty wagons rolling down the street making a lot of noise, but carrying little goods, is just that, talk.

They say Obama needs a reality check. Well I beg to differ. The reality is Obama is not only the best man, he's the best candidate for the job.

Pan-African Film Festival 2008

2008-02-08T17:51:00.000-05:00

The Pan-African Film Festival 2008

February 7th - 28th
(Thursday evenings)
4:00pm - 7:00pm

Stewart Africentric Elementary School
1199 Vernon Odom Blvd.
Akron, Ohio 44307

All presentations will begin promptly at 15 min. after the hour. A question and answer period will follow the 2nd film. Light refreshments will be included free of charge. Children are welcome but they must be supervised by their parents at all times.

February 7
Sworn to the Drum: A Tribute to Francisco Aguabella (35 min.) - A film portrait by noted director Les Blank on the life and passion of one of the most outstanding Cuban drummers of our time. Featuring interviews with Dizzy Gillespie, Carlos Santana and Katherine Dunham.

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1.5 hours) - The story of Miss Jane Pittman's 110 year life from slavery to the civil rights struggle of the sixties.

February 14
Black Indians: An American Story (1 hour) - (as seen on ABC) brings to light a forgotten part of Americans past - the cultural and racial fusion of Native and African Americans. Narrated by James Earl Jones, "Black Indian" An American Story" explores what brought the two groups together, what drove them apart and the challenges they face today.

Different But Equal (1 hour) - Different but Equal, examines the cultures of early Africa. Much of this information is based on art and artifacts from pyramids, caves, and tombs from Egypt and Meroe in ancient Sudan, with an emphasis on Meroe. Davidson brings up the importance of interactions between Africa and Europe, noting that differences in race were not sources of hostility and distrust during either the classic or medieval eras.

February 21
Flyers In Search of A Dream (1 hour) - A documentary on the history of African American aviation which includes segments on:
Bessie Coleman, the first African American to be licensed as a pilot.
William J. Powell, Sr., an early promoter of airmindedness in the black community.
Herbert Julian (The Black Eagle), who was, by and large, the most internationally renowned African American flyer of his time, having had a large part to play in the formation of the first African Airforce, during the reign of Emporer Haile Selassie.

Ida B. Wells A Passion for Justice (1 hour) - documents the dramatic life and turbulent times of the pioneering African American journalist, activist, suffragist and anti-lynching crusader of the post-Reconstruction period. Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison reads selections from Wells' memoirs and other writings in this winner of more than 20 film festival awards.

February 28
Roots Daughters (1.5 hours) - Sixteen Rastawomen on 3 continents share the experiences and inspiration that led to the development of a world wide spiritual and political movement known as Rastafari and their role in that movement.

For the latest updates on the state of the Black go to blakfacts.blogspot.com!

The Five Black Presidents of The United States of America

2008-01-27T02:05:00.000-05:00

Joel A. Rogers and Dr. Auset Bakhufu have both written books documenting that at least five former presidents of the United States had Black people among their ancestors। If one considers the fact that European men far outnumbered European women during the founding of this country, and that the rape and impregnation of an African female slave was not considered a crime, it is even more surprising that these two authors could not document Black ancestors among an ever larger number of former presidents. The president’s names include Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge.The best case for Black ancestry is against Warren G. Harding, our 29th president from 1921 until 1923. Harding himself never denied his ancestry. When Republican leaders called on Harding to deny the "Negro" history, he said, "How should I know whether or not one of my ancestors might have jumped the fence." William Chancellor, a White professor of economics and politics at Wooster College in Ohio, wrote a book on the Harding family genealogy and identified Black ancestors among both parents of President Harding. Justice Department agents allegedly bought and destroyed all copies of this book. Chancellor also said that Harding's only academic credentials included education at Iberia College, which was founded in order to educate fugitive slaves.Andrew Jackson was our 7th president from 1829 to 1837. The Virginia Magazine of History Volume 29 says that Jackson was the son of a White woman from Ireland who had intermarried with a Negro. The magazine also said that his eldest brother had been sold as a slave in Carolina. Joel Rogers says that Andrew Jackson Sr. died long before President Andrew Jackson Jr. was born. He says the president's mother then went to live on the Crawford farm where there were Negro slaves and that one of these men was Andrew Jr's father. Another account of the "brother sold into slavery” story can be found in David Coyle's book entitled "Ordeal of the Presidency" (1960).Thomas Jefferson was our 3rd president from 1801 to 1809. The chief attack on Jefferson was in a book written by Thomas Hazard in 1867 called "The Johnny Cake Papers." Hazard interviewed Paris Gardiner, who said he was present during the 1796 presidential campaign, when one speaker states that Thomas Jefferson was “a mean-spirited son of a half-breed Indian squaw and a Virginia mulatto father.” In his book entitled "The Slave Children of Thomas Jefferson," Samuel Sloan wrote that Jefferson destroyed all of the papers, portraits, and personal effects of his mother, Jane Randolph Jefferson, when she died on March 31, 1776. He even wrote letters to every person who had ever received a letter from his mother, asking them to return that letter. Sloan says, "There is something strange and even psychopathic about the lengths to which Thomas Jefferson went to destroy all remembrances of his mother, while saving over 18,000 copies of his own letters and other documents for posterity." One must ask, "What is it he was trying to hide?"Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president from 1861 to 1865. J. A. Rogers quotes Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, as saying that Abraham Lincoln was the illegitimate son of an African man. William Herndon, Lincoln's law partner, said that Lincoln had very dark skin and coarse hair and that his mother was from an Ethiopian tribe. In Herndon's book entitled "The Hidden Lincoln" he says that Thomas Lincoln could not have been Abraham Lincoln's father because he was sterile from childhood mumps and was later castrated.Calvin Coolidge was our 30th president, and he succeeded Warren Harding. He proudly admitted that his mother was dark because of mixed Indian ancestry. However, Dr. Bakhufu says that by 1800 the New England Indian was hardly any longer pure Indian, because they had mixed so often with Blacks. Calvin Coolidge's mother's maiden name was "Moor." In Europe the name "Moor" was given to all Black people just as the name Negro was used in America.All of the presidents mentioned were able to pass for White and never acknowledged their Black ancestry. Millions of other children who were descendants of former slaves have also been able to pass for White. American society has had so much interracial mixing that books such as “The Bell Curve”, discussing IQ evaluations based solely on race, are totally unrealistic.1. Andrew Jackson was the first president to have an attempt on his life2. Thomas Jefferson's wealth died before he did. At his death he was living with a Black Woman, as the father of their Black Children. Wasn’t he the one who insisted on the phrase "All Men Are Created Equal"? What did those words betray? Why would a White slave owner push that theory at that time?3. Abraham Lincoln was killed in office. For almost a week while he was president, hundreds of Black people were targeted and killed on the streets of New York in response to his policy. The White rioters even killed a Black child when burning down the Colored Orphan Asylum. Dr. Vaughn writes "Lincoln's presidential opponents made cartoon drawings depicting him as a Negro and nicknamed him "Abraham Africanus the First." The picture book has the cartoon.4. Warren Harding died under unclear circumstances that could have included murder The year he was elected, the Negro Wall Street riots happened where hundreds of Black folks were brutally killed in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rosewood, Florida’s Black community was also the target of rage killings.5. Calvin Coolidge - though he was president during the prosperous roaring 20's, never received much credit for his work and within a year after he left office the country fell apart with the stock market crash. According to Groiler "The number and variety of Coolidge's accomplishments as president were substantial. Unhappily, wiser ones were needed to meet the growing problems of the time. His major achievements--tax and debt reduction and the Kellogg-Briand Pact renouncing war--were soon made mockeries by the events of the 1930's, and his lesser accomplishments were largely forgotten with time's passage." Reads like PhD level historians have decided to kill his reputation. He was good while he was there but nine months after he left things fell apart so he wasn't that good. Nine months can unravel a lot of things. The Roaring 20's were among the best times this country ever experienced.

The Black Madonna

2007-12-18T17:38:00.000-05:00

At this time of year we are inundated with images of the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Everywhere we look whether in print media and I dare say, even the Internet, one cannot avoid the imagery. What we don't hear much about is the most sacred icon of the Christian church, the Black Madonna. All over Europe, South and Central America the Black Madonna is not only prevalent, but revered. How did this come to be? How is it that the holiest icon of the Christians appears to be Black and comely?

This story begins in ancient Egypt with the advent of Isis and Osiris, who have now been relegated to the status of gods. We don't here much about them today, but we do hear about their descendants, the Black Madonna and child. One of the interesting, but undeniable developments in the history of the Christian church is that it has been syncretized with the religious practices of its predecessors. We see this clearly as we examine the practices of the ancient Egyptians and their mythology and see that the idea of one god, monotheism; the immaculate conception; and the resurrection, which are all basic tenants of the Christian church were believed in long before the historical Jesus walked on the face of the earth.

As we look for proof positive that many "pagan" practices, particularly from Egypt have been incorporated into the Christian religion we can see indications of this in the artwork and iconography of the Christian church. As we compare statues of Isis suckling Horus from her breast we find a distinct similarity to pictures of the Mother Mary holding Jesus on her lap. We find mention of it in the Bible in the Book of Revelations with the description of Jesus as one who has skin the color of burnished bronze and wooly hair.

As we examine this artwork in many of the holiest shrines of Europe we find that there were possibly thousands of sites dedicated to the Black Madonna in every country in Europe. We also find this to be true in many countries outside of Europe, particularly in South and Central America. But, for the purposes of this article we'll focus on Europe, as it is the place that we'd least expect to find these icons.

Many of the Black Madonnas were destroyed during the French Revolution and other conflicts over the ages. But, right now today documentation exists on the history of at least 450 sites dedicated to the Black Madonna all across Western and Eastern Europe. The most heavily saturated area is France. But, every country worth its salt has at least one site, including Rome and the Vatican.

The odd thing about the Black Madonnas is how they've been explained away. Due to the advent of white supremacy and its attendant practices we now find that the holiest icons of the Christian church are being explained with bizarre stories regarding "candle soot or age", in spite of the fact that they've often been inscribed with references to the Song of Songs from the Old Testament:

"Verse 5. I am black, but comely (O ye daughters of Jerusalem) as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. 6. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me, they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept."

This belies the whole accidental blackness theory, and in this case it may not be written in stone, but it's certainly carved into the woodwork. In fact, it's much more likely that their blackness is kissed off of their hands and feet, than the other way round.

Because of the negative attitude towards anything black, and especially black people, many of these statues have either been destroyed, whitewashed or replaced with lily white statues in accordance with the tenants of white supremacy, which dictates that the Mother of God and hence her son must by definition be white. Any other statement to the contrary would have to be considered heresy.

One of my teachers, Chief Fela Sowande, admonished all of his students to always "read little and think deeply and much". If we just apply logic to the situation it will become clear that Jesus, hence his mother, could not have been lily white as we see them popularly portrayed in most every church in America. The peoples of the land they were birthed in have never been blonde haired, blue-eyed, with lily-white skin from that day to the present. Skin bleaching creams and hair rinses were not commonly in use at that time, because the negatives associated with being black had not come into style, yet. So, who was it that came up with this idea that Jesus was other than a swarthy son of Ham? I dare say it was the artists of an era far removed from that of the historical Jesus. All of these artists have been heavily influenced by a belief in white supremacy, either consciously or unconsciously.

Meanwhile, the icons themselves continue to be venerated in a odd twist of fate. The tricky part is how to worship the African woman and maintain your belief system, based on the doctrine of white supremacy. This is especially difficult due to the degradation of the African woman by everyone, including her man. As we see more and more images of the African woman glorifying her as a sex object rather than as the mother of nations.

These images abound, not just at Christmas time, but all-year round. This degradation has been occurring over a long period of time, but funnily, even with our modern, liberal outlook on life we have yet to be able to put these images of the Black woman, as a sex object to rest. Examples of this fascination with Black women and their sexual parts are easy to find. Witness the conversion of Sarah Baartman into some kind of sideshow freak.

Sarah Baartman was born in southern Africa as a member of the Hottentot tribe. White men were so fascinated with her and other women of her tribe that they took her to Europe and put her on exhibition in her birthday suit. This went on for a number of years and she finally succumbed at the tender age of 25. Her death did not release her from her tortured life, however, The scientists of the day cut out her vagina, her brain and bleached her bones, for display in the Museum de la Homme in Paris, France. Her body parts remained on display for 150 years, until the museum finally was shamed into locking them up in their vault. She finally was buried in 2002, in South Africa.

I consider her one of the lucky ones, because she doesn't have to be subjected to viewing our daughters on parade as modern day versions of Sarah Baartman. I consider her to be one of the lucky ones, because she's no longer on display as a modern day "Video Vixen", shaking her booty for money, sliding a credit card between her cheeks, to let us all know exactly where her money maker's at. She doesn't have to look at the new dances where the woman bends over and grabs her ankles as the man stands behind her grinding.

Sarah Baartman is dead and her bones are in the ground. The rest of us need to really think about what we're going to do with the remainder of our time on this earth. Will our women continue to devolve into "Superheads" or will they finally stand up and be counted as the mothers of nations.

For those of you interested in more details about the Black Madonnas of the ages, please see my related Blog The History of Black Virgin Marys, by J.A. Rogers. For more information on Sarah Baartman and the "Video Vixens" check my Video Blog on Sarah Baartman.

The History of Black Virgin Marys

2007-12-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

The History of Black Virgin Marys

J.A. Rogers

Quotations from various sources throwing a light on the history of several Black Madonnas follow:

“Why are the majority of the virgins that are revered in the celebrated pilgrimages, black? At Boulogne-sur-mer the sailors carry a Black Virgin in the procession. At Clermont in Auvergne, the Black Virgin is revered as also at Einsiendeln, Switzerland, near Zurich, to which thousands of pilgrims – Swiss, Bavarians, Alsatians – go to pay her homage. The famous Virgin of Oropa in the Piedmont is still a Negress, as well as the not less legendary on of Montserrat in Catalonia, which receives 60,000 visitors a year. I have been able to trace the history of this one to the year 718 A.D. And it was always black. Tradition says that St. Luke who personally knew the mother of Christ, carved with his own hand the majority of these Black Virgins. It is highly interesting to know, therefore, if the mother of Christ was not a Negro woman, how it happens that she is black in France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain?” (“Romain Rolland, Intermediare des chercheurs et des curieux,” Vol. 34, p. 193, Paris.)

The Black Virgin of the Hospice of Espalion is called “La Negrette.” Another writer adds that the Black Virgin of Notre Dame of Hal, near Brussels, Belgium is a shrine for a large number of pilgrims. She is credited with having performed many miracles, one of which was saving the cathedral by catching 33 cannon-balls in the folds of her robe. The cannon-balls are on display. This same writer also names the Black Virgin of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Grund, Luxemburg. (Ibid., Vol. 33, p. 633.)

“In Russia, the image of Notre Dame of Kazan is a Black Virgin. The Miraculous Virgin of Czenstochowa, Poland, is of the same color. I believe that is due to its very ancient Byzantine origin.” (Ibid., Vol. 34, p. 640)

“The Black Virgin of Chatillon-sur-seine was thrown into the fire by the revolutionists in Oct. 1793. Grenoble also has its black Virgins. In Perigord there is a Notre Dame the Black:” (Ibid., Vol. 35, p. 65, 66, 67.)

“In Normandy two Black Virgins have been the object of a veneration that goes back to the earliest times of our national history and attracts each year at Notre Dame de Deliverance, near Lion-sur-mer and at Notre Dame de Graces, near Honfleur, innumerable pilgrims, especially sailors.” (Ibid., Vol. 34, p. 169.)

“The Virgin of Notre Dame de Liesse (Aisne) is one of the oldest of France, and the pilgrimage to her dates back to the 13^th century with its legend of Ismery, the girl of the Egyptian Sudan which was transported by the Virgin with three cavaliers of Effies, Marchaux de Coney from the borders of the Nile to the little village of Ile-de-France where was actually built the sanctuary of the Black Virgin, another Mary of the Egyptians.” (Ibid., Vol. 35, p. 300.)

Anatole France says, “In the little church of Mende (Loziere) above a fountain in a little chapel, or rather, a little altar, closed by a window, is a Black Virgin, which appears to be of the Middle Ages. The statue of Puy de Dome which was broken during the Revolution was no other than an Isis of basalt holding her son Horus, on her knees.

“I have always had a very great liking for and curiosity towards the Black Virgins, which are very ancient. They wear mantles that resemble window-shades, and are open and short. The reason they are sitting is that they dress as if though they were standing, the effect being a touching contempt for the human form. The Greeks also had their black idols.” (Intermediare des Chercheurs, etc., Vol. 40, p. 293.) See also “Pierre Noziere,” by Anatole France.

“There are numerous Black Virgins: they are really black: some of them are even Negresses and not merely painted wood.” (Ibid., Vol. 60, p. 653, 1909.)

Huysmans in “La Catherdrale,” describes the Virgin as a Negress,” and Christ as a little Negro. (p. 31.)

Georges Sand says, “A divinity of ancient Egypt, brought, it was said, from Palestine by St. Louis, is the idol that the Revolution has broken after centuries of veneration. A new Black Virgin has been inaugurated but it is said she performs less miracles than the old. Happily there has been preserved in the treasure of the Cathedral the waxes which the angels bore when they descended from heaven to place them with their own hands on the altar the figure of Isis.” (“Le Marquis de Villemar.”)

With regard to Notre Dame de Liesse of Soissons, a Negro Virgin, she was a native African, who was brought to France, and whose exemplary life caused her later to be identified with the Madonna. The story is that she was Ismeria of Ismery, that she came from the Sudan, married Robert D'Eppes, son of William II of France, and bore him a son named Jean, who was the companion of St. Louis, king of France, during the Crusades. In a chart of 1236, he is designated under the name “Son of the Negress.” So great was her fame that a town sprang up near the place of her burial, and pilgrims from all parts of France came to pay their homage. Among them were Joan of Arc; Louis XI, and Francis I. Very rich gifts were brought to her shrine, and it appears that she received much more homage than the Madonna herself. (Drochon, J.E.B., “Pelèrinages Français,” Paris, 1890.)

Black Virgins abound, or abounded in Russia. The Eastern Church has two types of Virgins; one frankly African with Ethiopian or Galla features; the other Byzantine with a copper complexion and classic Greek features. The preferential worship of this Black Diety by the Slavs goes back to the dimmest antiquity. (Fraser, “The Golden Bough.” (Vol. 9, p. 92, London, 19145.) Additional references to the Black Madonnas of Russia, as well as those of the British Isles, and elsewhere, are contained in “Notes and Queries,” (9, Ser. II, 367, 397, 449, 475, 537. IV, 77, 135, 177, 315.)

Naturally these are objections to this theory. The Rev. Canon Brugiere puts forth the opinion that the Black Virgins are the result of a too literal interpretation of the passage “I am black but beautiful.”

He says: “We believe that the desire of the artist was to recall the passage, “I am black but beautiful, Oh daughters of Jerusalem; it is especially in a spiritual and a mystic sense that one attributes this black color to the Holy Virgin.

“Here are the principal reasons given by the commentaries cited: Although beautiful by the plenitude of grace, the Virgin Mary is black being a daughter of Adam, who had sinned and by his sin soiled all his posterity. But Mary is exempt from the common law and only has the appearance of being soiled.

“The Virgin Mary, said Rupert the Benedictine (1125 A.D.) appeared black when Joseph wished to send her away in secret, believing that she had become a mother after the common law but in reality she was beautiful because she had conceived by the operation of the Holy Spirit.

“The Holy Virgin appeared black when witnessing the crucifixion of her Son. She was at the foot of the cross, disfigured and as blackened by the excess of sorrow.

“It is, therefore, quite natural that these Biblical souvenirs suggested the idea to the artist to paint the Virgin brown and even black.” (Bull. Soc. Hist. Et Arch. De Perigord, Vol. 24, p. 80, 1897.)

This is highly fantastic. It is an attempt to explain away fact by allegory and theological hocus-pocus. Moreover, Isis and her son, Horus, with Osiris, her husband, (which constitutes the Holy Trinity), were worshipped in Europe centuries before the Christian era. The first historical contact of Italy with Egypt was about 1400 B.C. Later came the Phoenicians who were also worshippers of the Black Goddess and who traded as far to the northwest as Britain.

In 58 B.C., the Roman Senate ordered the statues of Isis in the Capitol to be destroyed. But in 48 B.C. her worship returned with accelerated vigor when Cleopatra came to Rome as the wife of Julius Caesar. After the battle of Actium in which Cleopatra and Antony were defeated Isis was again ordered banished. Agrippa's efforts to enforce this order caused riots at Rome, and served but to increase the zeal of the Egyptian missionaries. The persecution continued until the time of Tiberius; but the Black Virgin came back into power under Caligula. Suetonius tells of Egyptians and Ethiopians at Rome playing a scene in which Isis is represented. Under Nero the power of the Black Virgin and her son increased, and the Emperor Domitian in escaping from the Capitol wore the robe of a priest of Isis. Isis was especially adored by the women, and it was the custom of her devotees to break the ice of the Tiber and go into bathe for which they were mocked by Juvenal in his Sixth Satire.

The mystical religion of Isis with its beautiful liturgies and ceremonies; its rich ornaments; its sacred emblems; its initiations, together with the sorrows of Isis for her tunes, says Plutarch. At the same time her holy life offered a lesson of piety and encouragement for all, especially women.

The worship of Isis, as the Black Virgin, lasted centuries after the introduction of Christianity. As late as 394 A.D. Her processions still marched through the streets of Rome. Isis is made to say by Apuleius, African philosopher and romancer (125 A.D.):

“The Phrygians call me Pessinus, the Mother of the Gods; the Athenians call me Cecropian Minerva; in Cyprus, I am Paphian Venus: I am Diana Dictynna to the archers of Crete; Stygian Prosperina to the Sicilians at Eleusis, I am the ancient Ceres; to some I am Juno, to others, Hecate. It is only the Ethiopians and Arians, illumined by the dawning light of the sun, and Egypt powerful in her ancient lore, who honor me with the rites that are really mine, and call me by my true name, the Queen, Isis.” The Arians were a religious sect of Africa.

The worship of Isis spread through the remainder of Europe and into Asiatic Russia. Ancient statuettes of her have been found in Northern France, in the Rhineland, and on the Moselle. Her temples were in all that region, as well as in Britain. She is believed to have had a temple in Paris, and another nearby, at Melun. By certain archaeologists the word “Paris,” is supposed to be a corruption of “Bari-Isis,” becoming through Roman pronunciation “Parisii,” the name of the tribe that inhabited the site on which Paris now stands. The boat in the coat-of-arms of the city of Paris is supposed to be the bark of the Negro goddess. Isis was the goddess of navigation, as will be seen later on. According to De Breuil, a statue of Isis existed in the Abbey of St. Germain-des-Pres, Paris, as late as 1514, when it was ordered broken by Cardinal Briconnet.

Isis, says Encyclopedia Britannica, was worshipped in Egypt, Greece, Rome, Gaul, almost all the remainder of Europe, and England. (See Isis.)

Larousse Universal Dictionary says; “One of the most ancient of the divinities of Egypt, she formed with Osiris, at the same time her son and husband, a mythical trinity i which is to be found the Holy Trinity of the Christian religion. Isis was the force of life itself which gathered all the scattered forces of life from death and decay, warmed them in her bosom, and perpetually gave them new life.”

When the Christians came into power after the edict of Constantine they were powerless against the great hold of the Black Madonna on the people so they ended by compounding her religion with theirs, changing her name to Mary. It is significant, too, that the mother of Buddha, was Maryamma, indicating another source of Christianity as well.

According to Madame Blavatsky: “It was none other than Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, who openly embraced the cause of Isis and Anthropomorphized her into Mary, Mother of God. (“Isis Unveiled,” vol. II, p. 41.)

Grant Showerman says of the transformation of the Pagan religions of Rome into the Christian one:

“What was true of pagan literature was true of other arts. It was especially true of painting. So far were the Roman Christians from resisting the seductions of pagan form that their painting not only shows the same characteristics and the same changes period by period; but it borrows pagan motives and pagan fixtures. The Good Shepherd in the Catacombs is not the bearded Christ of later time but a smooth-shaven and shapely figure of pagan art.

“Christian civilization was indebted to paganism not only for arts but culture in general. The new religion itself, was not unmixed with the old. In both doctrines and ceremonial, it came to have much in common with the pagan religion. The resemblance between the doctrines of Christianity and those of the oriental religions especially was striking.” (Eternal Rome, pp. 321-26. New Haven, 1924.)

St. Augustine himself says:

“What is now called the Christian religion has existed among the ancients and was not absent from the beginning of the human race until Christ came in the flesh from which time the true religion which existed already began to be called Christian.” (Retract. I, 13.)

Conclusive proof that the Black Madonna is Isis is contained in the fact that Isis was the goddess of navigation. The greatest feast of the cult of Isis was that of the Ship. On a great number of the coins of Asia, Isis is represented standing on a galley, holding a veil inflated by the wind. In the romance of Apuleius there is a long description of the ceremonies held at Kenchrees, the port of Corinth. This feast marked the end of the bad season wad was the signal for navigation to begin again. To this day in several sea-ports of Europe, sailors hold these ceremonies, and as their patron saint they carry a Black Virgin called Mary exactly as their fellows of two thousand years ago carried a Black Virgin called Isis in their processions.

Today, the majority of the Black Madonnas have Caucasian features. The reason is that nearly all the original ones were destroyed by fire or by mobs during revolts of the predominant population. During the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars there was a general destruction of Black Madonnas in Europe, two notable instances occurring at Montserrat, Spain, and at LePuy, France. The former is the patron saint of Catalonia: the latter, the principal Madonna of France.

Two of the oldest black Madonnas of Europe are those of Loretto, Italy, and of Nuria, Spain. The first is said to be the original of all the Black Virgins. It was destroyed by fire about 1930 and was restored by Pope Pius XI who, according to Father Ledit, ordered “the color preserved.” The Black Virgin of Nuria, which is called “The Queen of the Pyrenees” is distinctly Negro.

Thus, from this mass of evidence, we have undoubted proof that it was the Negro, who originated not only religion, but Christianity as well. The fact is significant, because no matter what some may think about religion, it was the source from which came ll our learning, art, science, and culture in general.

Note: Once when I said that the original Christ was black, a Jewish girl said I was taking away even Christ from the Jews. Most German, English, American, and Latin American Jews do not like mention of a Negro strain in their people. Anti-Semitic writers constantly refer to the Negro Semitic writers frequently use this to belittle them.

For instance, Louis F. Céline, in his violently anti-Semitic novel, “Bagatelles Pour Un Massacre,” harps on the Negroid characteristic of the Jew. He says, “The single defense, the sole recourse of the white man against robotism, and certainly against war, and a return to the days of the cave-man, is to return to his own emotional rhythm. The circumcised Jew is on the way to castrate the Aryan of his natural emotional rhythm. The Negro Jew is about to tumble the Aryans into Communism and robot art, to give them an objectivist mentality that will make them perfect slaves for Jews. The Jew is only a Negro, after all. There is no such thing as a Semitic race. It is an invention of the freemasons. The Jew is a cross between the Negro and the barbarous Asiatic.” (pp. 191-2, Paris, 1927.)

On the other hand, several American whites have declared that one is no friend of the Negro to class him with the Jew.

The Christ idea has evolved racially just like the human race itself. Once, it was black, now it is white. So far as we know, it was originally East Indian. In a world without its Goebbels, Mosleys, and Lindbergs the question of what race was Christ would be a matter of purely ethnological curiosity.

Bibliography

The material on the worship of Isis in Europe is vast. Some of the principal works in addition to those given are:

Lafaye, C., “Divinitiés d'Alexandrie hors D'Egpyt,” Paris, 1884.

Lievre, A.P., “Isis et la Magie, etc.,” Poiters, 1898.

Ruby, J., “Christus,” Paris, 1912.

Schaafhausen, “Ueber den Roemischen Isis Dienst am Rhein,” in Jahrb. d. ver. v., Alterthsfr. Im Rheinl. No. 25.

Arnoldi, Richard, “Roemischer Isis-cult an der Mosel,” Ibid., p. 87.

Burel, J.k “Isis et Isiaques sous l'Empire Romain,” Paris, 1911.

Guimet, E., “Les Isiaques de la Gaule,” Paris, 1916. - This work contains illustrations of statues of a Negro Isis found in France and other Egyptian relics.

Rusch, A., “De Serapide et Iside in Graecia,” Berlin, 1906.

Weigall, A., “Paganism in our Christianity,” London, 1928. (List of Virgin Births, pp. 42-46. Isis into Virgin Mary, p. 208.)

For hundreds of additional references: See Isis in Dict. Des Antiqu. Grecques et Romaines, Vol. 3, pt. 1, Paris, 1900.

Misc.” For the cross as an ancient symbol of worship in the Old and New World see:

“The Cross” - Chap. I. The Cross before the Christian Era and in Prehistoric Times,” by Seymour, W.W., New York, 1898.

Higgins, G., “The Celtic Druids,” pp. 126-131.

Massey, G., “Man in Search of His Soul,” London, 1897.

“The Historical and Mythical Christ,” London, 1921.

On prehistoric mother-goddesses, se Childe, V.G., “Dawn of Civilization” (consult index of same), New York, 1925.

Rogers, J.A. Nature Knows No Color-Line, pp. 29, 30, 40, 41. 1952.

Santa Claus Is A Pimp: And I Can Prove It!!

2007-11-22T15:33:00.000-05:00

Santa Claus is a pimp and I can prove it. The Christmas season is upon us once again. Tomorrow is "Black Friday". We're once again being inundated by the Christmas songs, ads and "spirit" on this first day of the Christmas season.

However, I find it hard to believe that Black children can realistically expect an elderly, overweight white man to come down the proverbial chimney bearing gifts hollering out ho, ho, ho. If he was a radio announcer he'd be more likely to get his head split open in my neighborhood, as opposed to some cookies and milk. Santa Claus is a pimp, he pimps us for as much money as he can get during the Christmas season and beyond, as many of us have to buy our presents on credit. He comes into our homes talking about ho, ho, ho and nobody objects. What kind of image does that leave in our children's heads. He comes and he goes like a thief in the night, leaving presents while stealing our pride in being able to provide the things our children desire through our own efforts. Santa Claus is a pimp. He takes our hard earned money faster than we can make it, and leaves us with some cheaply made toys and trinkets that may not last longer than Christmas day.

There's a large contradiction between the reality of our situation here in America and the unrealistic expectations of Black children, at this time of year, that a white man will give them presents for free merely for being good. There's an unspoken expectation that if you're bad you won't get any presents. It's unspoken, but it's in the atmosphere, in the songs that play over the loudspeakers in every store, on every radio and every T.V. station.

With this expectation in mind what parent can deny their child the pleasure of receiving these gifts that seemingly affirm the self-worth of their children. Only a parent that has properly prepared their children for the lack of Christmas gifts can withstand the Christmas onslaught. Every other red blooded parent will naturally succumb to the party line.

What I'd like to say to those parents who continue to engage in this practice is that the cheap presents we give our children are not nearly as valuable as what we lose by continuing this practice. We talk about Black pride, we talk about low self esteem, what role does Santa Claus play in the process of creating this feeling of low self-esteem and lack of pride? This is a question every Black parent should ask, if they have any concern about the welfare of their children. Why should parents provide their children with all that they need for their survival and then give the credit, not to God but, to a roly poly white man who only comes around once a year.

Food for thought! I dare say.

Next blog: The Black Madonnas, fact or fiction!

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