Rise Up Hip Hop Nation

Question - Is Red Tails worth supporting....REALLY?

2012-01-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

SO all over my FB wall are posts about the movie RED TAILS. I am a strong advocate of supporting films with black actors in general, and i don't even hate on George Lucas cuz I like the original Star Wars trilogy :) Yoda is a life philoshoper...lol..

but I have serious reservations as I've been on a hollywood ban of any story about black people or people of color that insists on promoting either black subordination or white hero syndromes (Avatar, Blind Side,The Help, Precious, etc).

But the different opinions on this i've seen have been pretty interesting...As a student and teacher of AFAM history, I am particularly interested in our racialized understanding of not only that time in history but hollywood today...

This note is a reply to one FB post about Red Tails.

He posted:

"EXTRACT RACIAL PRIDE FROM THE DISCUSSION AND "RED TAILS" IS JUST A MOVIE ABOUT MEN KILLING PEOPLE."

part of my reply =

Context is EVERYTHING, and there is NO extracting from it. while i honestly do appreciate your humanist bend, ignoring "race" (which is a social construction) in a totally racialized world and history is not the answer. one of the reasons there was racial pride in the Tuskegee airmen = Jim Crow ruled at home and lynchings were commonplace....remember those? and trust me RACE MATTERED in lynchings. So black folks of that era lived in a context where their skin could truly be their sin still. so for you in one flip remark to say that folks should not feel pride in the history they have endured and still [I] rise above it all (literally for red tails )speaks more to your issues than theirs. The only reason you can now talk all the shit you talk so freely is because of SACRIFICES of PROUD BLACK PEOPLE that came before you that endured pain you'll never understand because of an "unreal" thing such as race that had very real consequences for their lives.

personally, i wasn't planning to see Red Tails because i don't need to see any more hollywood movies that insist telling stories of our history by throwing in white main benevolent characters to make it "marketable" and palatable to "mainstream" audiences...read white.

There is a movie i just watched (again) that is of the same era and gives you a great sense of why race matters...The Great Debaters.Whites played the roles they should have played in that story...as subjects in black life: as oppressors, as authorities (sheriffs), as fellow community members that they lived amongst in the South (sharecroppers) but there was NO white hero...no significant white character. And unlike Red Tails, Black women were represented.

But even more importantly, a serious message was conveyed...and lynchings, organizing, and civil disobedience were the juxtaposition of that message. On the one hand, it showed the efforts to organize sharecroppers (white and black together) into unions in the 30s...class consciousness. It also showed the reality of college students in the south, well accomplished and affluent but still powerless when it came to Jim Crow. Coming upon a lynch mob with a black man's burning body hanging from a tree...all they could do was hide in their black professor's middle class car and hit reverse before they suffered the same fate.

And upon reflection of that lynching event at the final debate in the movie, the youngest debater in defense of civil disobedience explained that there is no justice to depend on for a black person in the Jim Crow south. As black people we have chosen to try to excel in the system (like these debaters and the tuskegee airmen) or fight it through words and civil disobedience (like Frederick, Martin, Malcolm, SNCC etc)...The young man recalled the lynch mob they came up on, seeing the black body (strange fruit) hanging and having to run away before they were next, powerless to help that brother came to the conclusion that...AMERICA SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT WE CHOOSE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AS OUR MEANS OF PROTEST...that's the truth no one is ready for...but the reality of our humanity shines. you should show due respect for that humanity.

From the Great Debaters

James Farmer Jr.: In Texas they lynch Negroes. My teammates and I saw a man strung up by his neck and set on fire. We drove through a lynch mob, pressed our faces against the floorboard. I looked at my teammates. I saw the fear in their eyes and, worse, the shame. What was this Negro's crime that he should be hung without trial in a dark forest filled with fog. Was he a thief? Was he a killer? Or just a Negro? Was he a sharecropper? A preacher? Were his children waiting up for him? And who are we to just lie there and do nothing. No matter what he did, the mob was the criminal. But the law did nothing. Just left us wondering, "Why?" My opponent says nothing that erodes the rule of law can be moral. But there is no rule of law in the Jim Crow south. Not when Negroes are denied housing. Turned away from schools, hospitals. And not when we are lynched. St Augustine said, "An unjust law is no law at all.' Which means I have a right, even a duty to resist. With violence or civil disobedience. You should pray I choose the latter.

Recommendation for the week: (Re)watch The Great Debaters.

2012...

2012-01-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

...it's all about self determination, not self interests....and understanding the very REAL difference.

easily distracted = easily manipulated = easily controlled. Seize power, don't cede power....i.e "self determination"...how?

“Take no one’s word for anything, including mine – but trust your experience.” – James Baldwin

Must read for the week:

Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]
www.africa.upenn.edu

‎"To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law."

An End of an Empire ...or an Opportunity for a New UNITED States of America? Time Will Tell.

2011-09-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

In 2008, I wrote a blog titled:

WARGAMES - The Fall of Empire

Basically, the status the U.S. has held as world superpower is eroding and eroding quickly. I would argue that this has been a self-inflicted fall, and a long time coming. While it will be painful, and most painful for the most vulnerable, I also believe it to be an opportunity for us to build a more perfect union....time will tell.

But times are a changing.

In 2007, I wrote an essay I titled The Fire This Time

It was an analysis of post-Katrina community organizing, specifically around the Jena case of racial injustice. By using Spike Lee films as metaphors, I argued that this generation (hip hop) had matured and was ready to take the front line in the struggle. I argued that while power dynamics had not changed, and our history had always been one of resistence to repressive dynamics (particularly re: white supremacy), times have changed and now we are able to sustain a people based movement. My reasoning was based on the following:

1. Change would be cultural based.... A cultural generational shift would be part of the catalyst. Jeff Chang wrote an important essay about this cultural and generational shift: http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/11/jeff_chang_interview.html

2. The critical realization that "they don't care about us" so we must take care of ourselves (so poignantly expressed on live TV by Kanye West when he stated that Bush doesn't like Black people). While many may have given lip service to the notion before, the images from TV showed the reality of it...and there was no choice but to fully embrace self determination as the only path to survival...and freedom. Depending on the government or other people's "better nature" gets you "status quo".

I tell my classes that the main lesson I want them to learn is that "they don't care about you"... "they" can be substituted by "power" or "the status quo social structure". So we must ACT to secure what is in our best interest and the interest of our families and community.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions... and the road to freedom and salvation is paved with ACTION (good deeds, acts, and service). And those that think they can get to the "promise land" through the actions of others, be it a leader or their "Savior"... will find that promise land forever elusive....

3. The changing world order has undermined the U.S empire's power..and Bush's overreaching policies (wars and more privitazation) actually helped accelerate the downfall. Multinational corporations now trump the power of nation-states ...market supremacy has replaced white supremacy as the #1 global organizing principle. Everyone is in a race to the bottom which is now within reach with the highest concentration of wealth among only a small percentage.

4. The other side of the same coin is changing world dynamics, specifically re: technology. Globalization has opened up the world...and made it much smaller at the same time. Disney was right: It’s a small world after all. :) Technology has forever changed the power to control information. Propaganda is still a viable tool via media framing, but with technology, information comes quickly and much more freely via a number of sources. The status quo power structure will have to take more drastic means to maintain its control; hence more infractions on civil liberties, police state, corrupt politics, etc.

5. But Bob Marley explains the root of all change: A hungry mob is an angry mob. The concentration of wealth is unsustainable and when people get desperate enough, they will fight back. and, you get....Revolution. And today that is in the Middle East. Tomorrow? It could be anywhere. It could be here.

for more on people powered change: Powerful People v. People Power: The 21st Century Edition

This past week was all about JOBS. On September 8, 2011, President Obama delivered his much anticipated jobs speech to Congress.

A friend also sent me an article that was buzzing around the internet titled: Are Jobs Obsolete? This article is an important read for anyone who is interested in a more just world. Its premise is provocative, but Rushkoff (author) provides an interesting vision for the future. It is worthy of a serious dialogue. After reading it, I thought of all the reasons it makes good sense for this country given the crossroads we are at. In many ways, I see the roots of his premise already at play in countries like Jamaica and in cultures like Hip Hop, where traditional opportunities have always been scarce (read jobs) but survival depended on human ingenuity and self productivity.

I also thought of the objective reality we face that will make this vision difficult to realize in the near future. The fact that on a finite planet, resources are finite and in a social structure where resources are unevenly distributed, material sustenance is not treated as a basic right, but is instead, used as a hegemonic tool to promote fear over freedom. As long as material sustenance is always at risk, people can be manipulated via hegemony to the benefit of those controlling the resources. And until the masses control the resources, this manipulation is certain to remain. The present reality in the U.S. is also not the global reality. While the U.S. standard of living is in decline, "emerging markets" around the world are now experiencing a new standard of living and are now only gaining the [false] benefit of being an emerging power in the race to the bottom.

So while Rushkoff's vision for the future is actually a reality for many already on a micro-level, to achieve macro implementation will mean that not only have we secured a world where all have basic human rights of food and shelter with no fear that they will lose them, but we have also secured a world where all will want no more than those basic human rights. Cooperative systems will get us the former... they may not be able to guarantee the latter. I'm not sure what will... for that reason, the struggle continues...continuously.

Who is Our REAL Enemy?

2011-08-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

I am starting to use my TWITTER acct more often....please follow me! http://twitter.com/#!/gtwrights1

Here is a collection of article links, retweets and posts you'll find!

@gtwrights1: It is time to read or re-read James Baldwin's classic, The Fire Next Time...written almost 50 years ago, the FIRE NEXT TIME is upon us NOW..

RT @MMFlint: Chase Bank foreclosed on Oregon soldier yesterday-the day he returns from Iraq! So I ask: Who is our real enemy?http://www.michaelmoore.com

RT @CommonCause; Stop Coddling Me and My Super-Rich Pals, by Warren Buffett:http://t.co/1tJzXw0

RT @tavissmiley: The new poor is the former middle class. #poverytourhttp://t.co/FIduL9S

RT @CatalystHouse: Meet the Global Financial Elites Controlling $46 Trillion In Wealth -http://t.co/zOn99Ku

RT @Debra129: Large Corporations Are Getting Tax Cuts to Send Jobs Overseas and Pocket Bigger Profits: It's That Simple http://t.co/Bz1LfQD

RT @RBReich: Richest 1% have largest share of nat'l income and wealth in 80 yrs.

RT@mrdaveyd: "extraction. what corporate entities are doing w/ economy. End result = wage slaves in US..booming middle-class elsewhere" - exactly!

RT: @InjusticeFacts: In 2009 the average CEO pay with stock options was $11 MILLION, the average worker pay was $31,000.

The record is clear. Corporate fascists are the real enemy. This is powerful people v. people power, the 21st century edition...Rise UP!

Powerful People v. People Power: The 21st Century Edition by @gtwrights1 link = http://t.co/6zoNvlX please RT

What Can Work….And What Never Will

2011-08-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Over a century ago, a struggle for the souls of black folk raged between different leaders with different approaches to black liberation. While all shared similar goals (of black freedom and self determination), these leaders embraced different and often deemed opposing ideological bends on how to achieve those goals. Should we work within a social structure and meet people where they are and build from there? Should we demand full human rights for all - always, regardless of the entrenched power interests whose very existence depends on denying us that humanity? Or would our efforts be best spent uniting as a people to build a nation to rival any that might try to oppress us?

With each leadership approach, victories were achieved, and defeats were inevitable. Washington, DuBois, and Garvey may not have had all the answers, and could not have individually achieved black liberation, but unlike many, they dedicated their lives to this necessary cause - our freedom. No more could have been asked of them. To the all important question, “what did you do to bring about change?” these men had answers. But the question never is: “what is s/he (leader) doing to bring about change?” The only relevant question is: “what is each and every one of us doing to bring about change?” The reason black liberation eluded them is because so many individuals then could not answer that question. Many still can’t.

This recurring ideological debate regarding the path to liberation has plagued us since day one. It flared up again during the triumphs and tribulations of the Civil Rights Era, and its most recent reincarnation can be seen in the debate between Dr. Cornel West and Reverend Al Sharpton over President Obama and his leadership (or lack thereof).

Dr. West has expressed great disappointment in President Obama, seeing much of Obama’s policies as an embrace of elite moneyed interests and American imperialism over the welfare of the mass majority of Americans, particularly African Americans who suffer disproportionately from all the plagues of poverty. Many progressives and left leaning academics agree with Dr. West’s portrayal of President Obama, voicing their frustrations daily on blogs and via social media sites.

On the other side of the debate, Reverend Sharpton avoids placing blame at Obama’s feet. While he agrees that the interests of the mass majority are not represented in the current power dynamics, unlike West, Sharpton does not see Obama as a “puppet of Wall Street oligarchs”. He believes Obama is working within a hostile political environment but will act on behalf of the majority when the majority actively engages him. Instead of seeing him as “the” problem, Sharpton chooses to work with Obama to try to build solutions.

Neither approach (West’s criticism of Obama or Sharpton’s support of Obama) seems to be getting us closer to the goal of progressive change. Again, nothing about this debate is new. The struggle for the souls of black folk rages on, with divisions forming and positions staked in concrete. While the debate has been respectful, it has monopolized a good amount of time and energy that one can only believe would be better spent in action, instead of debate.

What Can Work: Action

In his leadership and his humanity, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. provided a model of what can work. While the struggle for the souls of black folk raged during his era as well, Dr. King rarely criticized those that opposed him and his approach. For example, Dr. King refused to publicly debate Malcolm X when challenged. King would not debate, his secretary told Malcolm, because "he has always considered his work in a positive action framework rather than engaging in consistent negative debate." (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/malcolmx/peopleevents/e_civilrights.html).

Dr. King was a true visionary because this "consistent negative debate" still takes up critical time today that could be spent serving and organizing our communities. While history teaches us what leaders have achieved on their individual paths, we will never know what could have been achieved had “rival” leaders (Washington/DuBois/Garvey; Dr. King/Malcolm X) joined forces with a continuously engaged citizenry to collectively pursue a progressive path to freedom.

Dr. King understood that the biggest threat to the civil rights movement did not come from those burning crosses (adversaries) or those with different approaches to the same goal (ideological rivals). The biggest threat to progress came from the MANY that stayed safely away engulfed in their own lives, complacent, and often distracted (inactive). These are the ones that cry how horrible oppression and inequality are but do nothing to change it. It comes down to choosing to remain comfortable or to sacrifice, and unfortunately many stay comfortable. Progress takes sacrifice...progress takes ACTION.

What Never Will Work: Insanity

Some define insanity as doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. While positive actions can work to achieve progress, some things never will work and it is time we come to that realization.

What won’t work?

· Scapegoating – Whether it be Muslims, “illegal immigrants” (read Mexicans), gays, “big government”, or Obama (from the right of the political spectrum), or Republicans, Wall Street, American imperialism, racists, or Obama again (from the left of the political spectrum), blaming others for our woes is standard practice. Instead of working actively towards progress, scapegoating allows us a convenient fall guy to point to when no real progress is achieved. The problem with scapegoating is that it provides excuses, but no solutions. So while Dr. West may be correct in his analysis of President Obama’s policies, once Obama is no longer president, his critique will just shift to the next “leader” who maintains the same policies and status quo power structure. An understanding of the problem may be achieved, but a solution to it never will.

What won’t work?

· Idealism - Depending on people's "better nature" gets you "status quo". There is no doubt that corporate fascists and their paid cronies in government will do what they must do to maintain power... that is a known entity that is solved and needs not revisiting. Being surprised at corporatists and politicians for being corporatists and politicians is as effective as being mad at a dog for being a dog and barking. The time we spend criticizing, disillusioned and disgusted from unrealistic expectations is baffling and can only be understood as gripping on to idealistic tendencies that counter progress. While it reveals our basic humanity to want to believe in our fellow mankind, that humanity could be better revealed through service and action. Instead of wishing for better from others (Obama, elected politicians, corporations etc.), we must demand better from ourselves! We must use our energy to seize our power and ACT! It's one or the other - they either control us, or we control them, and while critiques will not change power dynamics, actions will.

What won’t work?

· Negative Framing – In framing progress, we should be against nothing...just be clear what we are for (Iyanla Vanzant). When we concentrate on what we are against (racism, sexism, white supremacy, capitalism, fascism, homophobia, etc.), we frame the struggle in terms of negatives and sooner or later can lose the true purpose of the struggle...LIFE. If we frame the struggle in terms of life affirming principles - peace, justice, love, and sustenance, our eyes remain on the prize.

What won’t work?

· Ceding our power to “saviors”. Whether we are taught powerlessness (see Carter G. Woodson’s Miseducation) or whether it is an inherent quality of human nature, most choose not to become personally invested (engage in action) until they feel in some way personally affected (self interest). Many might see the five alarm fire next door but few act unless they are immediately in danger from the fire – but by then, it is possibly too late. If not immediately in danger, we tend to cede our power to so-called “authorities”…leaders, experts, and other “saviors”, instead of acting on our own behalf. We need to realize that functioning out of self interest just gets us status quo (survival)....functioning from self determination (seizing our power) can lead to progressive change.

It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. While the hell of slavery has ended for our people, the heaven of freedom still eludes us today. If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, the road to heaven (the “promise land”) should be paved with POSITIVE ACTION (good deeds, acts, and service). Those that believe they can get to the “promise land" through the actions of others, be it a leader (Obama) or a Savior will find that promise land forever elusive. If we truly want to realize black liberation and end the struggle for the souls of black folk, the only relevant question we must ALL ask and answer = “What are YOU doing to effect change?” When we ALL have an answer to this question, progress will be realized. Yes WE can…but the struggle continues….continuously.

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” - Frederick Douglass

"The time has come. This is it. People are always saying.. 'Oh they, they'll take care of it.' 'The government will do it. They'll' ...They who? It starts with us. ..it's US. Or else it'll never be done." – Michael Jackson

Two Words: On Wisconsin!

2011-02-20T16:48:00.001-08:00

Two Words.

Self Determination.

Corporate Fascism.

Your Choice.

TWO WORDS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkFOBx6j0l8

From the debate raging online and via twitter, I see miseducation is alive and well. Workers from teachers to firefighters once called public servants are now being called freeloaders. It reminds me of something RZA said in the documentary, Rhyme and Reason [paraphrasing]: why am I beefing with this brother and he has nothing and I have nothing while these other folks over there have everything and nobody is beefing with them. That doesn't add up..I deal with mathematics.

Well, here are some numbers to consider:

1. The Walmart Corporation is richer than over 150 countries.

sources: http://www.globaltrends.com/features/shapers-and-influencers/66-corporate-clout-the-influence-of-the-worlds-largest-100-economic-entities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/full_list/

2. And a good amount of that wealth goes to 4 people: The Walton family members who take 4 of the top 10 spots on the Richest Americans list, with net worth totaling 80+ billion dollars.

http://www.forbes.com/wealth/forbes-400

3. While the pay gap between a company's CEO and its employees has a ratio of 11 to 1 in Japan and 12 to 1 in Germany, the United States ratio is an exorbitant 319 to 1.

source: http://csis.org/blog/us-tolerance-income-inequality

4. And for the most staggering numbers: the 500 richest individuals in the world have the same income as 416 million people on the poor end of the pay scale....416 million.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/13/opinion/13kristof.html

TWO WORDS: CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS

Probably the two most dreaded words in American politics = class warfare. But they are still embraced quicker than these two hated four letter words: Karl Marx.

The reason Karl Marx is so feared is because he rightfully exposed the fallacy of wage labor.

Capitalism is a way to make money off of other people's labor. But Walmart could not make any money without the cheap labor it gets from the workers that make the manufactured goods it sells [usually Chinese workers making slave wages], or the employees that provide the labor and customer service at its stores [making near slave wages with few benefits], or the customers who buy the goods its WORKERS produce [and those customers are spending money that they earn working for (sometimes near slave) wages ].

Marx predicted that this alienation (outlined above) would eventually lead to class consciousness...and the truth is, we may finally be seeing forms of class consciousness playing out all across the globe as we speak..from Egypt to Wisconsin...Bahrain to Iran. And the bigger truth is, we have corporate fascists and overreaching leaders to thank. As I've said many times, power will take as much as it can get away with and no less...people must fight for what we rightfully deserve. No one will give it to you.

The choices in this country could not be clearer. On one side is the language of "cuts" and "deficits" and "sacrifices", but in this language only one side of the coin is being shown. As I tell my classes all the time, one's advantage is directly linked to another one's disadvantage. They are inevitably linked. The big lie that hegemony in society perpetuates is that folks gain at no one's expense. But on a finite planet, the pie of resources is limited. And how it is dished out at the dinner table matters. If one person takes 99 slices, that leaves 1 slice for 99 people to fight over. The other option is a more equitable distribution of resources. Only people that get more and are okay with others having less prefer the former.

What free trade did to the private sector, political corporatists are now trying to do to the public sector...weaken collective bargaining and workers' rights. Instead of all seeing the reality of a new gilded age where the rich are getting richer, the middle class is being asked to accept the new "reality" and join the ranks of the working poor while big banks get bailed out with our tax dollars so they can horde that cash or use it to open markets overseas.

The truth the U.S. middle class has not been told is that it is expected to join the global race to the bottom, where we will be expected to compete in a global market where workers make less than a dollar a day. They are setting up Americans to "sacrifice" ...to get used to a lower standard of living and accept this new world order where a small elite of corporate fascists get 95% of the pie while 95% of the world must fight for the 5% crumbs...including you now America.

Unfortunately it never is the 1% that does its own bidding...it always is the manipulated who have bought in to the narrative that the elite has sold them. People that believe that giving tax breaks to corporations and busting unions will bring jobs to America have no geopolitical sense of reality.

example = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/video/video_4000.html?1298147211

Instead of bashing me and my fellow union members for collective bargaining and securing better wages and benefits, why not demand the same for yourself?! Stop doing the bidding for corporate fascists and start putting your interest first!

TWO WORDS: STAND FIRM!

Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill Protest from Matt Wisniewski on Vimeo.

link = http://vimeo.com/20089255

Despite the resistance to change by some, resolve and growing class consciousness may be too strong to stop this time. But know this, even where peaceful protest can not overcome police state barbarity, universal law will. The house of cards will fall...it always does.

Two Words:

Stay Strong

Keep Pushing

People Power

In Unity

....On Wisconsin!

For more on this topic. please see my previous note: The Fire this Time: A Few Thoughts on Egypt

Link: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150134175456131

In Honor of A King: Keep on Keeping On

2011-01-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

I wrote this last year, but Dr. King's message is timeless...

I must warn this is long; it is more of a lecture than a note, but I hope when you have a moment, you will read, comment, and share if inclined.
*********************************
Today we remember Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and his service to humanity.

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. you only need a heart full of grace. a soul generated by love. - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." - Martin Luther King Jr.

In his own words:
MLK Jr. = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwKIUMbi9Jk

From Miseducation to Re-Education

last night I wrote a note titled: Wake Up Everybody! Seize, don't cede OUR Power...
link = http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=289869571130&id=671666456&ref=mf

In it I expressed some concern with our lack of focus...how we take our eyes off the prize and are easily manipulated by political rancor.
This is no different than the tactics used to cause friction between Washington & DuBois and DuBois and Garvey...
It is ironic that most who followed Garvey's philosophy believed BTW to be a sell out, when it was Washington's strategy that most influenced Garvey.

Malcolm X and Dr. King Jr. were also often (purposely) pitted against each other, forcing community members to pick a "leader" and "strategy". But the masses of our people loved both men because they recognized that both men loved them and wanted the same thing...our freedom.

Some may not have realized how similar MLK Jr. and Malcolm X were in their visions for our people.

I found this series and hope all will take a look:

1. Martin Luther King & Malcolm X: Striking Similarities Part 1 of 3
link = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr4JD0QUonc

2. Martin Luther King & Malcolm X: Striking Similarities Part 2 of 3
link = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUI_VvrKhSE

3. Martin Luther King & Malcolm X: Striking Similarities Part 3 of 3
link = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDxNEcBZJYE

It is very significant that Malcolm X reached out to MLK Jr. in his later years, going from calling MLK Jr. a pawn of white power structure to publicly recognizing that "Dr. King wants the same thing I want -- freedom!"

It is important to understand this because it is extremely relevant to today's ongoing debates between more progressive community members and the masses of African Americans that support President Obama.

The Transformation:
Early Malcolm X = The "white man pays Reverend Martin Luther King, subsidizes Reverend Martin Luther King, so that Reverend Martin Luther King can continue to teach the Negroes to be defenseless."

but in one of his last speeches Malcolm X goes to Selma to speak in front of SNCC and says this:

MALCOLM X: And I think that the people in this part of the world would do well to listen to Dr. Martin Luther King and give him what he's asking for and give to him fast before some other factions come along and try to do it another way. (February 4, 1965)

Context:
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/malcolmx/filmmore/pt.html)
In his effort to support a black united front, Malcolm accepted an invitation from SNCC, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, to speak in Selma, Alabama. It was the first time he had traveled south to work with the civil rights movement.

OSSIE DAVIS: Malcolm was always involved somewhere in the struggle, and I remember, in January of 1965, Juanita Poitier set up a meeting at her house for the regular civil rights leaders to meet with Malcolm X to work out the differences between us so we could come from that meeting with a common platform. Once again, A. Phillip Randolph were there, Whitney Young was there, Dorothy Hieght was there. Malcolm X was there. Several others were there. Martin Luther King couldn't make it, but he sent a representative. And we spent that day discussing Malcolm's philosophy, the mistakes he made, what he wanted to do now and how he could get on board the people's struggle that was taking place.

I remember during the height of black nationalism in hip hop most were students of Malcolm X and many believed the caricature of Dr. King the media fed us..."the one dimensional i have a dream" figure...it was not until we got older and wiser that we embraced Dr. King more fully and understood he was no passive integrationist he had been made into (purposely), but a committed servant of all oppressed people with true vision and integrity.

Given the context of their shared vision, I am reminded of Malcolm X's description of liberals, and their need to control black leaders in order to control the black community. From a 1963 speech Malcolm said:

"The white liberal differs from the white conservative only in one way: the liberal is more deceitful than the conservative. The liberal is more hypocritical than the conservative. Both want power, but the white liberal is the one who has perfected the art of posing as the Negro’s friend and benefactor; and by winning the friendship, allegiance, and support of the Negro, the white liberal is able to use the Negro as a pawn or tool in this political “football game” that is constantly raging between the white liberals and white conservatives.

The white conservatives aren’t friends of the Negro either, but they at least don’t try to hide it. They are like wolves; they show their teeth in a snarl that keeps the Negro always aware of where he stands with them. But the white liberals are foxes, who also show their teeth to the Negro but pretend that they are smiling. The white liberals are more dangerous than the conservatives; they lure the Negro, and as the Negro runs from the growling wolf, he flees into the open jaws of the “smiling” fox.

The job of the Negro civil rights leader is to make the Negro forget that the wolf and the fox both belong to the (same) family. Both are canines; and no matter which one of them the Negro places his trust in, he never ends up in the White House, but always in the dog house. (peep that carefully...lol)

The white liberals control the Negro and the Negro vote by controlling the Negro civil rights leaders. As long as they control the Negro civil rights leaders, they can also control and contain the Negro’s struggle, and they can control the Negro’s so-called revolt."

Are white liberals controlling Obama? If so, why are they turning on him? Or are they controlling US and OUR revolt to serve OUR communities and unite with OUR people?

Who best fits the description when Malcolm X describes "civil rights leaders"? Is he speaking of MLK Jr.? Leaders like Obama? or "Black progressives" who find themselves more aligned with white "liberals" (and conservatives for that matter) than the oppressed communities they supposedly are fighting for?

Every day, posts about Obama highlight the honeymoon between Obama and progressives is over. I understand people's frustration, but by making Obama the issue, we have been bamboozled by the media....and conservatives and liberals alike. It is always important to watch the company one keeps. If 90+% of Black people are with Obama but white progressives (or liberals) are against him, the progressive hip hop community needs to consider its alliances VERY carefully.

And while the reasons the masses of our community are supporting Obama may not be the most principled or conscious, they still are united. That is a starting point we must build on, not work against. Consciousness is a luxury few can afford in these serious times....survival is key... A friend of mine teaches in LA and most of her black students know only the caricature of MLK Jr. the mainstream has created...and many don’t even know who Malcolm X is! One asked if he was an extreme sports star! And we think our problem is that Obama is not addressing political issues like we want in this country where millions still deny our humanity? I’m sorry….it doesn’t even make the top 10. ...and systemic racism and poverty which are at the top of the list won't be fixed by Obama, period. It can only be fixed by US when we seize and stop ceding our power.

It is interesting how we criticize Black politicians and leaders who disappoint but never do the same with white politicians and leaders with the same level of passion, as if we take it more personally with the black leader...In Obama's case, that is a stretch given his biracial lineage and upbringing in Hawaii...lol...but I'm as guilty of this higher standard for black leaders as the next person. A favorite line I use in class when teaching about Thurgood Marshall is to call him the "first and only Black Supreme Court justice". lol...Clarence Thomas is no worse than Scalia..but our hatred is saved for Thomas. Why is that? Miseducation and mental slavery. Emancipate ourselves from mental slavery..none but ourselves can free our minds (Marley).

A King's Example

King himself took the higher road, rarely criticizing Malcolm but also refusing to publicly debate him. King would not debate, his secretary told Malcolm, because "he has always considered his work in a positive action framework rather than engaging in consistent negative debate." (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/malcolmx/peopleevents/e_civilrights.html)

On this note, Dr. King was a true visionary because this "consistent negative debate" is still a problem today and takes up critical time that could be spent serving our communities.

Keep On Keeping On

To honor Dr. King, let us understand his philosophy completely, honor his sacrifice, and live his example, not just on this day of national service, but everyday. But more than anything, we must keep on keeping on, understanding that the promise land (progress) is not a destination...it is a journey.

Thank you Dr. King for giving us your love, your vision, your service...your life.

Song Title
Keep on Keeping On
link = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-l91O9VxN0

Artist(band)
Curtis Mayfield

Album
Gospel Greats

Everybody gather round and listen to my song
I've only got one

We who are young, should now take a stand
Don't run from the burdens of women and men
Continue to give, continue to live
For what you know is right

Most of your life can be out of sight
Withdraw from the darkness and look to the light
Where everyone's free
At least that's the way it's supposed to be

We just keep on keeping on
We just keep on keeping on

Many think that we have blown it
But they too will soon admit
That there's still a lot of love among us

And there's still a lot of faith and warmth and trust
When we keep on keeping on

Before we dismiss, one thing I insist
When you have your young, remember this song
And our world surroundings, its leaps and bounds
Ups and downs, is reality

Teach them to be strong, and when they are grown
They can proudly imply that we were an alright guy
For all the wrong now is right
This nation's people are now united as one

And we just keep on keeping on
We just keep on keeping on

Many think that we have blown it
But they too will soon admit
That there's still a lot of love among us

And there's still a lot of faith, warmth, and trust
When we keep on keeping on

Keep on keeping on, ya'll
Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on
Keep on, keeping on
(Keep on, keeping on)

We got to move on up, ya'll
(We got to move on up)
Keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on, keep on

Some years back I remember
Still in my mind so well
My mama made this [Incomprehensible]
And I found it never fails

Never worry too long
(Worry too long)
About what goes on
(About what goes on)
Today it's sorrow
(Today it's sorrow)
Look like joy tomorrow
(Look like joy tomorrow)

Keep on keeping on
(Keep on keeping on)
Keep on, keep on
(Keep on, keep on)

We just keep on keeping on
We just keep on keeping on

Many think that we have blown it
But they too will soon admit
That there's still a lot of love among us

And there's still a lot of faith, warmth, and trust
When we keep on keeping on

Ooh ooh ooh ooh
(Ooh ooh ooh ooh)

We're gonna move on up
(We’re gonna move on up)

Keep on keeping on
(Keep on keeping on)
Move on, move now
(Move on, move now)
Keep on keeping on
(Keep on keeping on)

©WARNER-TAMERLANE PUBLISHING CORP

2011: A New Year...Time to Try Anew

2011-01-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

May 2011 be a reflection of our collective actions for peace and sustenance for all.

As the ball dropped on 2010, millions listened and sang along to this song...it has become the "THEME" of renewed hope in humanity to start each year anew...so for today and everyday, let's celebrate the infinite possibilities humanity brings...year in and year out...

Happy New Year Fam.

We hope all had a safe and love-filled holiday season. While I know it has been a very trying year for many, tough times will come and go, but bonds of love and fond memories created with family and friends really are everlasting. Please keep working for peace, sustenance, and justice for all, doing what you can to make the world a better place. Bless up!

Rise up Hip Hop Nation: Creating Sustainable Change

2011-01-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

Original link = https://eee.uci.edu/06f/20000/Rise_up_dec2006.htm

At the end of 2006, I wrote this original essay (link above) and offered specific actions for individuals to consider for sustainable progressive change. I share it each semester with my students because while there are many things they want to see change (in their lives in particular, and the world more broadly), many do not know how individual actions they take can lead to major societal change. And I know many don't even know where to start in a world where social problems often seem larger than life. But Margeret Mead said it best:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

So in that spirit, I am reposting an edited version of the original essay, and will continue mentoring students on how to be the change they want to see.

I'd like to begin by offering peace and respect to everyone everywhere. While many are celebrating the holiday season, many more are suffering. Some are reflecting on the year gone by, while others are just praying the New Year will bring new possibilities for joy, peace, sustenance and justice. This is the time of year for reflection on the past and resolutions for the future. For me, this annual process led me to important questions. How can we make this a year of sustainable change? What concrete steps can we take to address what ails our communities and our global village more broadly? Wherever we are in life, whether blessed or oppressed, affluent or struggling, the condition of the global village will directly affect us all sooner or later, and it is in our best interest to work towards sustainable change.

The first thing we must do is realize that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We can no longer wish for better and act the same, maintaining status quo by default. To get out of the hell that corporate greed, concentrated power, western imperialism, religious fanaticism, and “ideology over reality” have created, we must get specific about what it will take to realize people power. It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act (14th Dalai Lama, 1992). And here are a few specific things you can do:

1. Pick one local issue and one global issue that you will educate your self about and stay informed!

2. Join two organizations that deal with your issues of choice (feel free to email me if you need some suggestions).

3. Mentor one child (For parents, mentor your children fully and completely). For childless adults (21+), mentor a child at your local school, Boys/Girls Club, or Big Brother/Big Sister organizations. Each One Teach One; Each One Reach One.

4. Sign at least one petition a month. Activism in the digital age is much easier than in previous ages, and it is easier to stay informed via the internet and email. For those that do not have internet access at home, utilize your city’s public library.

5. Recognizing that all media is framed (left/right, conservative/liberal), get your news from multiple media sources. By doing this, you will learn to separate facts from ideology.

6. Attend three community meetings or rallies a year or volunteer at community service centers at least three times a year. Getting involved in your community will lead to changes on the community level which will manifest on the global level eventually.

7. Be a conscious consumer. It’s a simple as this: support what you believe helps your community, reject what does not.

8. Vote. Whether the system works or doesn’t; whether elections are stolen or not. Too many of our forefather and foremothers died to give us the right to vote, and for no other reason than that, we need to honor that right. I strongly recommend all, particularly full time workers, consider absentee voting (this way you don’t have to worry about making it to the polls on the day of the election). Visit your state’s Secretary of the State page to register to vote and/or sign up as an absentee voter. Voting is easy and doesn’t cost to do, but it might cost greatly when we do not. Do not buy into the idea that two evils are the same. Voting may not directly affect your community but not voting could. To directly affect your community, it takes activism by community members and this list hopefully provides some guidance.

9. Make a sincere effort to communicate across class, color and generational lines. Most of what ails our community can be fixed with honest, open dialogue. With this we can overcome the internal divisions that separate us, and unity (which is necessary for self determination) can be realized.

10. FORGIVE. No sustainable change will be possible until we develop the ability to be critical but forgiving, unyielding on principle but yielding on people and humanity. Mistakes have been made but if we let our mistakes keep us divided, it will impede our progress. We have to embrace our mutual interests and avoid getting clogged down in our differences. A community divided is a community conquered indeed. I challenge those in conflict to take time to dialogue on what divides us (hip hop v. civil rights generation, mainstream v. underground, rapper v. rapper, bourgeois v. proletariat) and find common ground to work together on. Sustainable change will require that brothers and sisters reconcile with our humanity, and forgive past (as well as future) shortfalls and indiscretions. It is in human nature to be self-preserving, even at the expense of our progress at times. Informants have sold out movements for personal reward – and will again; some leaders have played politics at the community’s expense for power – and continue to; brothers and sisters have disrespected themselves and their ancestors through some thoughtless actions (and even profit from some of this in hip hop). Our inability to forgive one another’s trespasses will be our biggest impediment toward self determination. While I believe critical analysis of people that hurt our cause is essential, making criticism of others our primary focus makes it that more difficult to find common ground and unify around common interests. In the words of Iyanla Vanzant, Be against nothing…just be clear what you are for.

This list is a start. It is in no way definitive, but it will bring sustainable community change if each and every one of us acts on some of the suggestions listed (and others). The reason I focus on sustainable change is because our history shows us that we are very capable of big movements (Abolition, U.N.I.A., Civil Rights, Black Power), but what we have not been able to do as yet is sustain these progressive movements. To sustain them, we need continual people power and community involvement. Micro level activism can off set macro level power imbalances.

Sustainable change will take more than just vision for a better tomorrow; it will take reconciliation with the past and acceptance of the present reality. The reality is that social structure rules our lives. And like the entire natural world, humans must adapt to survive whatever structural conditions they must bear, and today that entails an uneven distribution of resources where 6% control most and 94% have little. When we reconcile with this reality, we can move to build solutions, based on “what is” instead of “what ifs”. So while the Panthers tried to build consciousness they also served the community with hot meals and health care. Bob Marley inspired souljahs across the globe, but those in most need in his native country, he gave food and shelter to daily. It is the only way to liberation: people must live before they can grow in consciousness and self determination, and each of us can take these specific actions to help our fellow beings live, learn and grow, both physically and consciously. Through self determination, we can free ourselves from dependency on a system that has never, and will never, serve us well. So for the New Year, I offer this list of specific actions individuals and communities can adopt, and if we follow it and work together to build on it, we can finally move the crowd…to freedom. One love.

* One God! One Aim! One Destiny! – Marcus Garvey and the UNIA

* Someday at Christmas, there’ll be no wars....When we have learned what Christmas is for...When we have found what life’s really worth, there’ll be peace on Earth – Stevie Wonder

The Great Debate: Objective v. Subjective Reality

2010-12-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

REALITY CHECK from the film Great Debaters: "AMERICA SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT WE CHOOSE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AS OUR MEANS OF PROTEST"....

In sociology we discuss objective reality v. subjective reality. In simple terms, objective reality is the fact; subjective reality is our understanding of it.

objective reality is the "what".. subjective reality is the "why"... when everyone and anyone can give a "why" answer ... we'll never understand what "what" really is... and this, I believe, hinders progress.

folks need to figure out which matters more...what is (the truth, facts) ...or our perception of it..

So we know poverty exists (objective reality) but folks have different explanations for why (subjective reality) and because of that, we never come to an agreement that leads to eradicating the "what"...poverty.

In my mind, staying focused on the WHAT we are doing is critical..and "sustainable progress" is what we need to be doing...yes, it matters why things are the way they are, but focusing on why will never lead to progressive change.

The problem is lived experiences are too different to effectively address social problems intellectually or ideologically. People must understand on a personal level. It must be made personal. When people speak of black anger with dismay or disgust, we can tell a history that has never actually been told outside of ethnic studies classes…a story of double consciousness…of being sons/daughters of a country that never loved us but is what it is from our labor…and our morality… of soldiers fighting for freedom abroad to come home to lynchings...or Japanese Americans interned while their sons fought for this country in segregated ranks…or 98% of FHA loans to whites after WWII to suburbanize America and the cumulative advantage in wealth that created for generations...that equality of opportunity means NOTHING without equality of condition...and all our sociological data…

we can tell contemporary stories of the brother just released from jail after doing 20+ years for a crime he was railroaded on…of unequal schools, and prisons for profit, etc… we can say what was so poignantly said at the end of the "Great Debaters" film when debating civil disobedience. The young man recalled the lynch mob they came up on, seeing the black body (strange fruit) hanging and having to run away before they were next, powerless to help that brother..."AMERICA SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT WE CHOOSE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AS OUR MEANS OF PROTEST"...that's the truth no one is ready for...but the reality of our humanity shines.

As a social activist and analyst, I focus on what we all have in common: reality and humanity. Too often we let ideology inform our understanding of the world instead of looking beyond ideology to see the reality that affects us all and the humanity that defines us all.

I have a number of people that I do not agree with at all ideologically or politically, but I know they are good people that had a different upbringing, socialization, media training than I did. And I can like them….and do. Their humanity is what I see and what I trust. People are more alike and all want the same…to live, love, and be happy.

what they (elites) know you can learn, what you know (working class), they’ll never learn.

Real people living real lives are the answer. When we can be honest about the ideologies that inform us, we can tell the truth more clearly, in all its complexities. In truth, I know I can trust my conservative white neighbor to be there to help us if we need something more than I can trust some of my liberal white and black academic colleagues. I think for ideologues on the left and the right, it is hard to tell these truths although I know all live them.

An example that is relevant to my life is Catholicism. I can be honest that my family faith in Catholicism comes from colonization. The Catholic Church’s empire of history was at times evil and sanctioned slavery and should be condemned for all it has done wrong. I can disagree with its anti-contraception stance and I am personally pro-choice, but I can still applaud it for being one of the only large faith institutions that is more consistent in its pro-life position, not only being against abortion but also war and the death penalty. While an oppressive empire most of its history, it also became the foundation of liberation theology that links the faith to social justice. Priests and nuns have often been on the front lines of many social justice battles...

On the micro-level, Catholicism also nurtured my grandmother, the most peaceful spirit I’ve known on earth. She would walk to church daily and sing or hum all day after. She was not an activist in the way many define it, but she lived her humanity and our family and the world was better for having her bless it. So we miss her but we feel blessed that we loved her and were loved by her. Catholic school taught me respect for others and life, discipline and sacrifice. But it also had textbooks in schools and statues in churches that falsely depicted Jesus with European features.

This is being able to tell the truth about your reality and seeing it as not all good or all bad but all real. Reality would do us all justice. Reality would bring us all justice.

Solutions in a "non-sterile" environment like the world will take first understanding that actions not intentions are what matter.. the road to hell is paved with good intentions... and the road to freedom and salvation is paved with good deeds, acts, and service (action). And those that think they can get to the "promise land" through the actions of others, be it a Leader or their "Savior" ......will find that promise land forever elusive....We can no longer wish for better and act the same, maintaining status quo by default. To get out of the hell that corporate greed, concentrated power, western imperialism, religious fanaticism, and “ideology over reality” have created, we must get specific about what it will take to realize people power. It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act (14th Dalai Lama, 1992). Micro level activism can off set macro level power imbalances.

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." - Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK Jr. understood that the biggest threat to the civil rights movement did not come from those burning crosses, but came from the MANY that stayed safely away engulfed in their own lives, complacent. These are the ones that cry how horrible oppression and inequality are but do nothing to change it. It comes down to choosing to remain comfortable or to agitate..Progress takes sacrifice..and ACTION.

Sustainable change will take more than just vision for a better tomorrow; it will take reconciliation with the past and acceptance of the present reality. The reality is that social structure rules our lives. And like the entire natural world, humans must adapt to survive whatever structural conditions they must bear, and today that entails an uneven distribution of resources where 2% control most and 98% have very little. When we reconcile with this reality, we can move to build solutions, based on “what is” instead of “what ifs”. So while the Panthers tried to build consciousness they also served the community with hot meals and health care. Bob Marley inspired souljahs across the globe, but those in most need in his native country, he gave food and shelter to daily. It is the only way to liberation: people must live before they can grow in consciousness and self determination, and each of us can take these specific actions to help our fellow beings live, learn and grow, both physically and consciously. Through self determination, we can free ourselves from dependency on a system that has never, and will never, serve us well.

Once I show students a history they never learned and they hear horror stories like that of a 9 month pregnant woman being lynched and her full term baby being stomped they no longer can say what are black people complaining about…now they know…and knowing really is half the battle…our problem like James Baldwin says is that the innocence constitutes the crime. When we embrace reality, but do so from our humanity and not ideology, we will achieve what we so desperately want and need: PEACE.

We are capable of bearing a great burden, once we discover that the burden is reality and arrive where reality is. – James Baldwin

Important links to view:

The Miniature Earth:

http://www.miniature-earth.com/

War against Working Americans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcLWDGb0RqA

What Would You Do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAr84D5UI7g

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Note: Parts of an earlier essay I wrote in 2008 called Part Two: Death and Life are included in this post.

The Tipping Point

2010-11-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Midterm madness ends today (in theory). The 112th Congress will take office in 2011 and the next national election is in 2012 - the year of transformation according to legend. Will it be? It just may. No matter what the results of this election, the U.S. must accept some serious realities...and despite the rhetoric of an intensely negative political battle...change has come.

It was inevitable. Demographically...globally...realistically.

With each generation, ideals shift. The manifestation of generations of multicultural history has now come to fruition, despite a dominant narrative that tried to deny that reality (read Takaki). A global village is now the moving object that proves laws of physics correct once again, and can not be stopped now even by the greatest levels of fear and anxiety.

Times are a changin'...they always do.

But this change will be transformative...and like seismic transformative change that has come before, it will come with great strife and growing pains. Many resist change. Many fear change. Many will fight it to the death. I hope folks are ready. This is why I have focused most of my writings over the past 2 years on mass organizing and warning against petty political distractions instigated from the left and right.

So, I don't know for sure what will happen today, but I have revisited some past essays and recent videos to create a narrative that highlights the stakes.

1. If the backlash to 2008 "change" occurs, this will be a pull back to more entrenched status quo interests and even more regressive politics as Olbermann highlights here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39875964/ns/msnbc_tv-countdown_with_keith_olbermann/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/39959257#39959257

This will also not change the economic reality of this country.

2. If the Democrats fair better than the media has framed this story, it may be a testament to the following:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/39959392#39959392

and this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgSNXf4p-tI

it may be that everyday folks are starting to see the bigger picture - while politicians are often bought and sold by monied interest in politics, the true threat to our democracy is not "big" government but corporate fascism.

On the flip side, it will actually incite fear in the right even more and possibly bring the time of reckoning closer (The Fire Next Time).

So while I can't predict the results of this election, I can say this country is transforming ...and while it may not feel like it now, it will be for the better.

I honestly believe that if we all focused more on action over debate, and service over leadership and politics, we would not only see the changes we want to see in our world, we would be it.

From 2007 to 2012....The Narrative:

The Fire This Time

WARGAMES - The Fall of Empire

“Where the Ball is, the Game is”

The Miseducation of a Nation: Unveiling the Illusion of History

Dis'United States of America: The Red, White, Blue...and above all Green

The Burden...and Freedom...of Reality

2010: A New Year, A New Decade...Time to Try Anew

White Supremacy from Bacon to Obama: Are We Finally at the Moment of Reckoning?

Powerful People v. People Power: The 21st Century Edition

Help Hip Hop Congress Go Platinum!

2010-10-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.hiphopcongress.com/2010/10/support-hip-hop-congress-going-platinum-campaign/

To all the Hip Hop Heads, Organizers, Activists, Artists, Fans and Supporters of Hip Hop Congress

For years, members of Hip Hop Congress have discussed the strategic viability of making ourselves ‘go platinum.’ Now we are taking the initiative to do it, and we need your help. Our concept is simple: invest a portion of the resources we have committed to the hip hop economy (via music and show ticket sales) to community empowerment!

Please Donate $5 to $40 to Hip Hop Congress and help us ‘go platinum.’ This money will go go DIRECTLY back into your communities. Hip-Hop Congress will use your money to fulfill our mission of providing the Hip Hop and Post Hip Hop Generation with the tools, resources, and network to create political, social, and economic change.

What does your donation pay for?

* Funding of arts education outreach programs that will connect Hip Hop Congress members and chapters to local and regional schools, programs and youth centers

* Funding new operations and offices for Hip-Hop Congress and our cultural partners around the globe.

* Supporting our youth, high school and college chapters in their programming and event goals by funding entrepreneurial endeavors that will ensure a sustained independent Hip-Hop economy.

* Community organizing and education campaign efforts on issues that affect all of our communities like youth violence, police accountability, poverty, institutional racism, and diversity.

With just a small donation you can help fund a revolutionary economic act. We’ve all purchased an album that has gone platinum, but where does that money REALLY go? With your small donation, this year alone, we can fund a national movement of hundreds of artists and activists working on projects that will directly effect thousands on a grassroots level. Hip-Hop Congress does NOT care about being rich. But it does care about adequately investing in the future of culture, creativity, and independent economy. Donate today and see for yourself the power of YOUR people in full effect as we report all of our successful ventures and endeavors on www.HipHopCongress.com.

Hip Hop Congress - October Update!

2010-10-06T22:52:00.000-07:00

Hip Hop Congress Monthly Update

October 2010

It’s been a long time, we shouldn’t have left you, without an update to step to!

Well, we are back in full effect with our Monthly Update...and it is a big one. Check it out and pass it along. To all those who contributed, thank you! To all those who would like to contribute you are more than welcome!

View newsletter in its entirety at this link: http://bit.ly/dnzmZG

...and please report if you have any problems with the link, thanks.

Remembering 2Pac

2010-09-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to hip hop journalist Davey D for sharing these important thoughts and insightful interview as we commemorate the anniversary of 2Pac's death.

As we Commemorate the Anniversary of 2Pac’s Death-Who Speaks for the ‘Have Nots’ in 2010? « Davey D’

by Davey D

Every year around this time many of us within Hip Hop take some time out and reflect on the life and times of Tupac Amaru Shakur as commemorate the anniversary of his tragic death Sept 13 1996. With each passing year its interesting to note that as a younger generation grows older, icons like 2Pac don’t seem to mean as much. For example, I’m not sure I heard anyone shout him out during the MTV VMAs.. Not sure if people took time to acknowledge him during the red carpet interviews or if anyone bothered to ask their thoughts. Did anyone ask ‘What do you think 2Pac would be doing if he was here?’ ’What do you think 2Pac would say about our current economic situation?’ ”What would Pac have said about that preacher wanting to burn Qu’rans or all the hoopla made at Ground Zero about that Mosque/ Community center? What would he have said about the looming sentencing trial for the cop who killed Oscar Grant or the riots that have taken place in LA after cops shot an immigrant? What would Pac have said about all those homes being destroyed and people killed during the tragic fire in San Bruno which we are now finding was because of negligence by PG&E? Considering that’s an area where a lot of people of color live, do you think Pac would’ve been screaming on that? Such speculative question gets asked because it’s all but absent from those who are privileged to have access to a mic.

Continue reading full article here:
http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/as-we-commemorate-the-anniversary-of-2pacs-death-who-speaks-for-the-have-nots-in-2010/

Also, peep these interviews:

Remembering 2Pac pt1 Intv w/ Shock G of Digital Undergrnd-He speaks about who deserves credit for putting Pac on @swiftfm http://bit.ly/aiXgE3

Remembering 2Pac pt2-Shock G talks about who and what was influencing Pac when he first got down w/ DU.. #2Pac @swiftfm http://bit.ly/9IXtHY

Remembering 2Pac pt3: Shock G talks about the influence of the Black Panthers on DU & 2Pac.. very insightful.. @swiftfm http://bit.ly/aCwtu7

Hip-Hop Politics and Capitalism: The Story of Thugnificent

2010-09-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger, Dr. Gosa, provides more food for thought in his latest essay. Thank you for sharing.

Hip-Hop Politics and Capitalism: The Story of Thugnificent

Written by Dr. Travis Gosa

I spent the Labor Day weekend watching reruns of Aaron McGruder’s animated television series “The Boondocks.” The story-arc of Otis Jenkins, aka, “Thugnificent,” got me thinking about the contradictions of hip-hop, capitalism, and politics. Money and politics, it would seem, have been at the heart of every debate about “the state of hip-hop” in the last two decades. The fictional Thugnificent offers a satirical review of commercial rap and hip-hop politics since the mid-1990s.

On “The Boondocks,” Thugnificent embodies the prefabricated, corporate rap image. (Physically, he resembled real life rapper-actor Ludacris, interesting.) His album entitled “From Rags to B*tches” includes the southern club-bangers “Booty Butt Cheeks” and “Stomp ‘Em in the Nuts.” He’s an iced-out, ghetto representative rollin’ with the “Lethal Interjection Crew,” though ‘Nificent is neither the thug nor outlaw imagined in his music.

In season 2 (episode 5) Thugnificent builds a platinum- and gold-plated mansion next door to the Freeman family in the white suburb of Woodcrest. Instead of shooting at crooked cops or kickin’ reality about street-corner survival, Thugnificent spends his time starting a rap-feud with Granddad. According to the melodic chorus featuring Nate Dogg, old people are old, and senior citizens need to stop snitchin’ to the police. Despite the vapid content of his music, the rapper claims to represent the next stage of black liberation struggle. His mansion features a huge painting of a god-like Thugnificent towering above the images of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

In season 3 (episode 1), Thugnificent attempts to cash-in on Obama-mania sweeping the country: He becomes a political activist. ‘Nificent now appears auto-tuned, smiling, and dancing with White Hollywood liberals (such as George Clooney) on the Will.I.Am Obama-tribute video “D*ck riding Obama.” He trades his ice and XXXL white tee for tight hipster clothes and a bow-tie. Appearing on Bill Maher’s Real Time, however, it is shown that Thugnificent knows nothing about politics—not even the three branches of government (yes, this is a spoof of J-Hova on Bill Maher).

After the election (season 3, episode 2), Thugnificent believes he is bigger than rap music, and releases an all-autotuned, R&B concept album (sound like Kanye or P. Diddy?). The album fails, and Thugnificent attempts to reclaim his fame by starting rap-beefs with teen-rappers (an allusion to the Ice-T/Souljaboy beef). In the same episode, we also learn that the real Otis Jenkins (1) is a middle-class college graduate (he has a bachelor’s degree in Communications), and that (2) his ex-drug dealer persona was just clever marketing.

The story of Thugnificent is the story of mainstream hip-hop since the mid-1990s. As ?uestlove explained in Rolling Stone magazine a few years back, “minstrelsy” in the form of “one-dimensional” hustlers-turned-rappers-turned-businessmen has come to define popular hip-hop. “Hip-hop [was],” according to the afro-adorned drummer, “’Black America’s CNN’—but now it’s turned into black America’s UPN.”

Busy negotiating million-dollar merchandizing deals and mingling with the status elite, the hip-hop-capitalist has little time for making good music, or relating the struggles of everyday people. The result is not empowerment, but the transformation of a people’s music into another spectacle of black folk “acting a fool” as global entertainment. The newest attraction seems to be playing the hip-hop ambassador, and politicking with the white left and DC insiders. Aren’t thugs supposed to throw a middle-finger to the government, the same government that threw 2 Live Crew in jail in 1990, and put hip-hop on trial on Capitol Hill in both 1994 and 2007?

The confusion surrounding money and politics represents the biggest challenge facing hip-hop culture, and perhaps black politics writ-large. The story of Thugnificent/hip-hop is a misunderstanding of *individual* upward mobility as black liberation ideology. Going from “Rags to B*tches” (or ashy-to-classy) is NOT the message of black empowerment through economic production voiced by Booker T. Washington, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, or the Nation of Islam. Those cats were talking co-operative economics and institution building, not M.O.B. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of America writing bad checks to black folk (“the declaration of independence = a check marked “insufficient funds””), but “the struggle” has never been all about the benjis.

Reverberating in hip-hop is an ethos of staunch individualism that remixes Horatio Alger’s rags-to-riches American Dream mythology with Al Pacino’s/Tony Montana’s political philosophy of Scarface (1983): “In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.” The Hip-Hop Generation’s love affair with that Oliver Stone flick is seen in extensive use of quotes, samples, and modeling of the Tony Montana narrative. (When the MTV show “Cribs,” a hip hop inspired version of “The Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous,” was still being aired, it was cliché to show off one’s Scarface movie poster, refrigerator filled with Cristal champagne, and well-positioned stripper pole.)

A few rap icons got the money and the women (at least in the music videos), but where is the real power of the hip-hop community? Politicians (The Democrats) might enlist rappers every four years to get the youths to “rap da vote,” but is that really power? As the Thugnificent story reveals, music and money does not automatically translate into political capital.

Reflecting on Jay-Z’s emergence as representative of the “hip-hop voting bloc” in the 2008 election, underground rapper Reks spit it this way,

“Bill O'Reilly don't respect Jay-Z in no suit, you still a coon in they eyes, hope you soon realize”

Now, I would never spit anything reckless about Jay-Z (I don’t mess with Illuminati operatives), but Reks raises an important question: how exactly has cash and celebrity translated into political respect? P. Diddy/Puff/Mr. Combs has been parlaying the hip-hop vote since his 2004 “Vote or Die” campaign. Along with Jigga, Diddy reigns supreme in both business and popular culture. Rubbing elbows with the status elite in the Hamptons, DC, and NYC is what he’s about. But what has coalesced from all his efforts?

In terms of political activism, mobilization, and organization—well, not much apparently. (Hip-hop philanthropy is another story). However, I don’t think that’s not what the Thugnificent model of politics is about. Actual political activism and mobilization is old school, like mid 20^th century. Rather, Puff summarizes the empowerment strategy that is actually embraced by the rap-capitalists. On the Wacka Flocka Flame Video, “O Let’s Do It Remix,” he explains

“I got my billions up, f*ckin’ wit these white folks/Now I don’t give a f*ck ‘cause I’m richer than these white folks…All I drink is my sh*t, Ciroc by the caseload…”

These rhymes represent what has become the “new” black power ideology touted by hip-hop. Interestingly, Puff delivers these lines while posturing with (rapper) Rick Ross, the ex-police officer wrapped in the chinchilla and fox-head fur. After 37 years of hip-hop, Diddy summarizes what too often passes for hip-hop politics: gettin’ money (and drinking French vodka made from grapes, yum-o). We are Thugnificent, indeed.

Travis Gosa (travisgosa@gmail.com)

Is Hip-Hop Education A Hustle? Getting Serious About Rap Pedagogy

2010-09-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Written by Dr. Travis Gosa

Sorry for the hate, but I feel obligated to ether Mr. Duey, the rapping math teacher who’s been “putting some flow to STEM subjects.” At the end of August, the white middle-school-teacher-slash-rapper-slash-party-entertainer (I can’t knock the hustle) dropped his second educational rap CD entitled “Class Dis-Missed 2.”The tracklist features 18 educational rap songs including “Big Ballin’ Planets” (an astronomy tune) and “Dewey Decimal System” (reppin’ library science ya’ll).

My beef is not with Mr. Duey’s flow on “Plate Tectonics” or “Long Division.” In fact, I would compare Mr. Duey’s lyrical ability to be similar to that of Mase, Silk da Shocker, or Sudanese-Australian rapper Bangs (“Take U To Da Movies”). Mr. Duey is no Rakim, and I’ve heard worse.

No, I’m ridin’ on Mr. Duey for doing what has become popular of late: the complete bastardization and misappropriation of hip-hop education for profit. Too often, what is packaged as “hip-hop education” and “rap pedagogy” is nothing more than what Greg Tate calls “the marriage of heaven and hell, of New World African ingenuity and that trick of the devil known as global hyper-capitalism.”

As K-12 and higher education continue to undergo privatization and massive corporatization, so-called “hip-hop education” has become the newest way to increase profits. The commodification of education has arrived in many forms, including predatory student loan debt; $10,000 pre-school tuition, Baby Einstein videos, $1000 SAT training sessions, and professional college essay editing. The education industry exploits the fear of middle-class parents, those now struggling to live pay check to pay check in these harsh economic times of housing foreclosures and massive downsizing. Parents will do almost anything to give their children a competitive edge in school, so I suspect that a few mommies will spend their last $12.95 on the “Class Dis-Missed 2 LP.”

Improving the academic achievement of poor, black/Latina/indigenous children has also become part of the educational marketplace. Ed policy has devolved mostly into economic analyses of teacher productivity (read test score production), accountability, paid incentives, and standardization. Under “No Child Left Behind” or “Race to the Top,” states and localities are raking in big bucks for promising to increase the output of darker skinned student-laborers. Even the most celebrated education reform programs, like CEO Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), operate as education corporations.

An education researcher by day, I am familiar with the test score outputs of HCZ, and I am a huge supporter of the health work done on CEO Canada’s watch—childhood obesity and early on-set diabetes are no joke in black communities. I take issue with handing over the education of children and communities to businesses. HCZ is a $75 million dollar education business. Don’t believe me, read the “business plan” of HCZ. About 30% of the money comes from the government (your money), but the controlling share (60%) appears to come from private interests. What does it mean to have companies like Microsoft, BP, AT&T, or Wal-Mart in control of the purse-strings of programs set to uplift the country’s most vulnerable children? Whose interests are really being served?

This is my main problem with most “hip-hop education” programs, not just Mr. Duey’s “Learning Through Rap” CDs. These programs do little to shift the scales of inequality, or to problematize American education or society. I see a clever rebranding of Eurocentric education with the “yo-yo, bling, bling” aesthetics of corporate rap media. Like Nelly’s Pimp Juice (the carbonated energy drink) or those Sean Ditty Combs 1000 Thread count sateen bed linens, rap education products tend to transfer wealth from the masses to a few individuals. Flocabulary education guides and hip-hop S.A.T flash cards may help students pass tests (I’ve read zero scientific or peer-reviewed studies that these products actually work). But these materials might also serve to further indoctrinate students into the wider hip-hop consumer culture. Seen in this light, the marriage of hyper-capital hip-hop and corporate education is a perfect match.

Most hip-hop heads already know that rap music underwent extreme corporatization in the early 1990s. Media consolidation and take-over by multi-national corporations help explain why we went from “Fight the Power” in 1989 to “Gin N’ Juice” in 1994. However, rap scholars rarely note that educational institutions and educators also became a neo-imperialist force during this time. Consider the university movement towards “hip-hop studies” as an example. In 1991, the first academic conference on hip-hop was held at Howard University. In 2009, there were over 300 hip-hop courses being taught at the college level, with Harvard, Stanford, and Cornell maintaining library archives on hip-hop culture.

This has amounted to an intellectual land-grab, one that has been mostly exploiting hip-hop. In a brave essay on hip-hop pedagogy, Ayanna F. Brown describes this as nothing less than the raping of hip-hop culture. She poses an interesting question, does rap in the classroom further dilute social consciousness?

Rap has become a commodity used for material gain—not just within the hip-hop community, but also among large corporations who have invested large amounts of money into marketing mainstream products. One of the consequences of the mass marketing of rap has been its dilution to fit the social consciousness of mainstream society. Subsequently, the commodification of rap and its acceptance in dominant society has been partially based on diluted forms of rap. Do classroom activities contribute to this type of commodification in the selection of what type of rap to use, and which artists are appropriate for classroom-based activities?

Read her essay while listening to Mos Def’s The Rape Over. I’m thinking about remixing the track, and adding, “Harvard University is running this rap sh*t…”, “I let you sip up some tenure, get a Mercedes/My mack is crazy…” [I could have said Cornell, but a brotha gotta eat too. Can I live?] If we aren’t careful, hip-hop museums, universities, rapping teachers, and hedge-fund managers are going to be running hip-hop, forget about A&R and record execs—that was the 20^th century jack-move.

The Mr. Huey version of hip-hop education, which his website describes as “fun for teachers and parents,” is neither hip-hop nor education. These products, I fear, are another way to ensure that children are not exposed to an educational experience that is disruptive, empowering, and emancipatory. As Houston Baker put it years ago in the book Black Studies, Rap and the Academy (1993), the goal of hip-hop in schools should be to “disrupt the fundamental whiteness [of schools] and harmonious Western education.” True hip-hop education should not be used to trick children into memorizing white history to the rhythm of a boogety-beat. For white hipster teachers and privileged youth, rap in the classroom should not resemble a cultural safari of dangerous, exotic, yet pre-manufactured black urban coolness. The definition of white privilege is the ability to appropriate the “fun” and “useful” aspects of black aesthetics, while ignoring or forwarding the suffering of actual black people.

If hip-hop education isn’t going to become the latest hustle, it’s time to start getting serious about it. I don’t claim to know what that will entail, but I know it isn’t Mr. Huey. Perhaps a better starting point for true rap pedagogy will sound like BDP’s You Must Learn! And that was way, way back in 1989. For those interested in a critical, hip-hop pedagogy texts, I’d recommend checking out Marcella Runell’s and Martha Diaz’s The Hip-Hop Education Guidebook Volume 1 or Priya Parmar’s Knowledge Reigns Supreme.

Travis Gosa (travisgosa@gmail.com)

The Twilight Zone

2010-09-03T10:46:00.001-07:00

School started this week so I have been busy getting ready for another hectic fall semester. I have not had a chance to comment too much on the Glenn Beck "March on Washington" rally last weekend, but i did want to at least add a couple thoughts.

Watching the rally last week reminded me of late nights when i was younger...up late watching tv...and when up late enough, I would catch episodes of The Twilight Zone. Nothing as it appeared...always some type of twist.

So far the discussion has focused on the obvious:
1. yes he is crazy
2. and dangerous
3. and cynical
4. and manipulative
5. and most likely in it for profit and fame.

But his pivot from political pundit trying to ratchet up white fear to "messiah" leading his flock "back to better days" to "restore America" is definitely taking the battle to another level and is a critical lesson in framing. After watching his performance last Saturday, I knew that if he did not suffer a backlash from his own "followers" (for avoiding overt political discourse and for employing minority symbols for faith, hope and charity), he would have secured his power to manipulate a decent segment of the population to accept whatever he said....and follow suit. He would have secured his cult status.

While some in the crowd seemed perplexed by minority after minority being the center of attention for honors...the vast majority stayed with him. When the black preacher talked about going to the "original March on Washington" and being threatened by bus bombs through the south, the crowd had to separate their support for Beck and his "mission" with the reality that many of them or their parents were the ones on the other side of that civil rights battle in the 60s...blocking desegregation of schools and buses...and NOT supporting the original March on Washington.

For Beck it was a test of his "followers" to send the same messages through minority faces...would they be able to "overcome" the label of racism through token representation. In willing participants like Dr. King's niece he was able to test his theory...They welcomed her, not only because she was the niece of Dr. King, but because her message was one they embraced: conservatism. She talked about prayers in schools, a pro-life agenda and utilized anti-government rhetoric.

If she sounded more like her uncle, I'm sure she would not have been so welcomed. ..or would she have? because they TRUST Beck so much now, he can even blatantly spit on them and they would stand by him...hmm. time will tell which is true.

The moment that has not been discussed that spoke volumes to me came at the end of her speech. This was definitely the church revival test...and a way to make this not about race but religion. You are either with God...or against Him. Gospel singers praised...many in the crowd had arms raised...others, still perplexed...but still waited....for Beck. Did they feel bamboozled? maybe...but not enough to abandon their messiah (The God they were praising was just a symbol for the God they had been waiting for).

...and then it happened...the twist...i was officially in the twilight zone...Ms. King told the singers to take them home (wrap) and they sang a brief but recognizable refrain (instantly recognizable to me but probably few in that crowd of mostly white conservative Beck followers recognized it)...they started:

"Lift every voice and sing..." ...the black national anthem.

and i saw a man who looked like he had on some southern symbol (read: confederate) with his hand raised in the air...

...Beck has them yall. Get ready.

Framing matters.

here is an old essay to revisit:

The Miseducation of a Nation: Unveiling the Illusion of History

Review - "Journey to Pro-Sperity" by Pro-Dash

2010-08-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Review- "Journey to Pro-Sperity" by Pro-Dash

http://prodash.bandcamp.com/album/journey-to-prosperity-2

written by Shamako Noble

Out of the lights,glitter and glam that are the slick veneer of America's premier public playground, Las Vegas, comes the one-man media conglomerate, Pro-Dash aka Brandon Greene. With his second release "Journey to Pro-Sperity," Pro-Dash takes on uson a journey; he takes us on a journey through his life, psyche, career,struggles and through the streets and politics of Las Vegas. Crafted and produced by Pro-Dash, "Journey to Pro-Sperity" is a landmark moment for independent Las Vegas Hip Hop, and one can onlyhope that the world take notice.

Boldly, Pro-Dash's"The Pro-Clamation" lays out his perspective on his origins quite clearly: "I'm from the 702 where they being trying to juice/The Mississippi of the West/where they be flying the noose." Pro-Dash addresses the forgotten nature of Las Vegas as a city, and Nevada as a state in the West Coast Hip Hop equation, and honors the Black migration from Mississippi to Nevada where blacks found the very thing they'd left.

The banger "Fresh Up out the West" featuring James Flye and C-Lown the King of Spades drives home deeply the first p oint. The tracks deep-voiced chorus, catchy West Coast anthem approach, and funky head nod beat leave no questions that Pro Dash is from the West, "Like he never took a step." Pursuing the second point in the cut, "Rock On," Pro-Dash sneaks into his true depth,reflecting on his desire to rock on as a reflection of a people who came to the West to escape the racist oppression of the South, "Just to find the west is still racist."

Of course, Pro-Dash stays diverse with tracks like "Ms. Senorita" and "Get ThatCash." His insight into the nature of a duality that pervades Sin City shines bright in the track "Night and Day. He big ups the world of emcee's and makes clear his place in it in the clever track "MC Squared."

He does a great job of keeping his eyes on the prize in tracks like "Poe Manz Ambition" and "Dreams"featuring the soul voice of Temphest Blue. All in all, this is a very well-thought-out, consistent, lyrically-strong, and catchy album. Pro-Dash keeps his level through and through, and that is –perhaps-- the album's greatest strength; that level could also be the album's biggest weakness. Again, Pro-Dash is responsible for 100% of the production on this album. I'll give him credit. At least he makes sure thatit's done. But the thing is, a versatility of thought and approach is clearly displayed on this album. In the future, I would love to see what Pro-Dash could do with a Traximillion or Rob Flow track. I would be interested to see how Pro-Dash could get down with a sound directly from Mississippi, or on some tracks with a Chicago or Detroit flavor.

The great thing is though, that this is his sophomore effort. I am eager to what his continued development and expansion in music will bring. I recommend checking out the album. You're guaranteed to diga few if not most. Pro-Dash has taken a great step for himself on the "Journey to Pro-Sperity," and might be taking Vegas with him.

Shamako Noble aka The Sword of the West

National Field Director: Hip Hop Congress

shamako@hiphopcongress.com

The Epitome of Public Enemy

2010-08-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

If hip hop wants to be a part of the solution to what ails our communities, hip hop must once again become Public Enemy #1. Chuck D understood this well, and we must learn from the model he gives us in his music and in the way he lives his life.

In my hip hop class, I show Spike Lee's film Bamboozled and tell the story of what i believe to be the biggest bamboozle in hip hop history. In the late 80s and early 90s, Chuck D was the voice of resistance in hip hop. Gaining mainstream popularity, Public Enemy enjoyed play on rock stations and sold out arenas with majority white youth in attendance. Hip Hop had crossovered and Chuck D was able to do what Malcolm X never could: tell an uncensored racial truth in a way a segment of white America (youth) could hear and accept it. If middle class youth have any understanding of the class and racial warfare in this country Malcolm X exposed a generation earlier, hip hop finally gave it to them. In order to make this racial connection, Chuck D had what Malcolm X lacked: a beat. Once again, music proved to be a universal language that could transcend all boundaries.

Public Enemy's message was uncompromising and honest; direct and explicit. It was a message that needed to be heard by the mainstream masses, but prior to Public Enemy, it was a message that had been hidden in the softer rhetoric and tunes of Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Curtis Mayfield, and Marvin Gaye (to name a few artists with social commentary songs). Public Enemy's rhetoric and music were much more fierce than what preceded...edgier, louder, and revolutionary.

Around the same time another truth teller hit the rap scene: the "gangsta". Also uncensored and unapologetic, the gangsta embraced the dictates of street life, and in some instances, glorified them. Politicians and the mainstream media declared war on "gangsta rap". Claiming it lead to delinquency in our youth, calls for censorship erupted. Ice T became one of the early "poster boys" targeted for his cop killer track. Dr. Dre, Snoop Doog, and Tupac would all be labeled gangsta rappers and targeted later. From this campaign against gangsta rap, the explicit lyric sticker was born, along with unprecedented rap sales, success, and constant radio play. Rap would take the music throne for years.

While gangsta rappers became mainstream, Chuck D and Public Enemy all but disappeared from the forefront. His prototypes (KRS-one, Arrested Develpment, X-Clan, Brand Nubian, etc.) disappeared with him. If the campaign was against "gangsta rappers" why did strong black militants disappear? Well the bamboozle was complete. The war was never against what they knew and were comfortable with...only what they feared. They had no fear of the gangsta because the gangsta could be coopted and controlled. A true Public Enemy could not.

Observing the full spectrum of the bamboozle I see we never completely embraced its scope. Ice T, the OG, became a cop on one of the most popular tv series, Law and Order. Dr. Dre is still one of the most sought after producers in the music industry. Snoop was even given a reality show about parenthood. And Tupac, the thug the media loved to hate, has been lifted to prophet status in his afterlife.

Hope for Hip Hop

While the visibility of Public Enemy vanished, the spirit never did. My hope in hip hop comes from the same source that might be its fault: its irreverence. Hip Hop is never scared. It has no qualms about challenging authority. That is a good thing. It will take organized efforts to move from being a public nuisance that just makes noise and can be controlled and imprisoned (gangstas) to becoming Public Enemy #1 (militant, strong, influential and revolutionary). It is not enough to reject authority if you are not ready to become it.

Chuck D gave us the model:

Big UP to this collaboration taking the baton...doing what they can do be Arizona's 21st century Public Enemy #1.

You got the mic hip hop...it's time to put up or shut up!

White Supremacy from Bacon to Obama: Are We Finally at the Moment of Reckoning?

2010-08-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I got into a debate online with a white woman I did not know. She was "scared to death" about the direction of this country and felt Obama and his policies were going to ruin the United States. She was worried about the "new world order" and saw Obama as the face of it. While acknowledging "problems" starting under Bush, she believed things were much worse now under Obama.

Her reasoning epitomized white privilege so I asked her one last question which i had a feeling she would not, or could not answer: When were things "better" in this country? Name one time.

as i suspected, I never heard from her again...

maybe she thought she was being set up for a history lesson...and she was. I wanted to ask her if things were better when the indigenous' lost their land and lives? or Africans and African Americans were enslaved for hundreds of years? Or maybe during the rule of jim crow domestic terrorism? lynching? the great depression? segregation? crack? 50% youth unemployment in cities in the 80s? For her, today's "sky is falling doomsday" is for many "just another day in the U.S.A.".
I'm not sure she learned anything that day....but i know i did. James Baldwin's Fire Next Time may be upon us.

“But it is not permissible that the authors of devastation should also be innocent.
It is the innocence which constitutes the crime.” – James Baldwin

Before Obama won the election, I knew his presidency would be the opportunity for reckoning. I wrote and said many times that this country was not ready for even the symbolism of a black man as head of state. White supremacists would revolt..and in many ways have (politically, rhetorically, and even in some cases, violently).

While Obama has no real power (or desire) to threaten white supremacy, the symbolism of him being the president is more than many in this country can bare. Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have decided to employ the same strategy that has been utilized throughout this country's existence to protect white supremacy and the status quo power structure: stroke white fears.

Bacon's Rebellion: The Writing on the Wall

Early slavery was "indentured servitude" for many Africans and Europeans that were brought in bondage (some kidnapped). Many worked for years and then earned freedom. That is why there were free Africans in VA and other areas from early on (some of which even went on to own slaves themselves (but that's another story). Chattel slavery "for life" as it came to be was a result of this fear of the poorer masses (white and black) coming together and threatening the planter class (elite). Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 was a symbol of their greatest fear and THAT led to "African" based "slave for life" system, and white supremacy as an ideology to keep poor whites supporting a system that never benefited them...they were taught one thing: "at least you are not black".

And the pattern has been used ever since...Birth of a Nation was the visualization of white fear post Civil-War. Reconstruction time was a very progressive time for the African American community, including land ownership (some of which was seized from confederate former slave owners) education, & political representation (to the point we have not seen since - why you often here preface "first Black _____ since Reconstruction...etc.). Black progress was real and Black wallstreet (Tulsa OK) and Mound Bayou (Mississippi) were models of it ... but white America was NOT ready and domestic terrorism as a strategy was implemented (KKK, lynching, white mobs and finally Jim Crow by law for a century). Trust me, history does repeat itself when we do not learn the REAL lesson... these days, I hear talk of repealing the 14th amendment?! exactly...

Obama's presidency has been about nothing BUT the ongoing racial struggle in this country...it is the latest chapter if you will. I want to take a minute to give the historical context...i will use black history but this can also be done with Native Ameican History, Chicano history, and so on...

With progress made, there is always backlash...

TO secure our freedom:
1. David Walker's Appeal (calling for enslaved Africans to secure freedom by any means)
2. Bacon's Rebellion (class based revolt)

BACKLASH:
1. racialization of slavery (from indentured servitude to slave for life)
2. black codes for non-enslaved African Americans

THEN WE:
1. Abolition movement to end slavery (from reform tactics like pressure though press and courts to radical revolts to moral religious tactics)..led to whole free state/slave state - congressional politics of representation 3/5 clause etc.

BACKLASH:
SECESSION

THEN to secure freedom we:
POST Civil War - RECONSTRUCTION ERA
1. Federal FREEDMAN'S Bureau
2. gains in education, land, and political representation

BACKLASH:
1. Domestic Terrorism, birth of KKK
2. Legalization of Jim Crow

THEN WE TRIED:
1. Booker T. - building institutions but not fighting racism,
2. DuBois - NAACP, tried reforming system, holding to its ideals,
3. Garvey - actually inspired by Booker T., self determination, building black institutions and economic empowerment with black money not white donors like Booker T. had

BACKLASH:
1. J Edgar Hoover hired first black agent to infiltrate UNIA.
2. Black leaders pitted against each other as tactic (Washington v. DuBOis, Garvey v. DuBois)
3. Internal strife (movements brought down from within/tactic used in revolts earlier too)

THEN we HAD:
1. CRM - Emmitt Till, montgomery bus boycott - masses organizing, SNCC, BPP, etc

BACKLASH:
1. COINTELPRO
2. MLK v. MALCOLM,take sides (tactic divide and conquer which Malcolm X later rejected)

THEN:
hip hop - voice for youth coming of post-CR era

BACKLASH:
commodfied - frame one dimensional and sell for profit while reinforcing stereotypes..see BAMBOOZLED

THEN:
OBAMA

BACKLASH:
1. tea party
2. "liberal" squabbling on politics instead of organizing actions (which i argue is very purposeful and again refer to Malcolm X speech on foxes and wolves..liberals and conservatives)
3. the fear of a brown planet (immigration debate, 14th amendment, etc.)

I write all this to basically point out that we have to make sure we know not only what we are fighting for (freedom, justice, sustenance)...but WHO we are fighting for (people's class), and who we are fighting against (elite)...because there have been many times in history we have been pitted against each other as a tactic when we could have united and been a powerful force for our own freedom...we can either learn lessons of history, or continue to repeat them...

Ms. Sherrod breaks it down plainly on why understanding and dealing with white supremacy is critical to building class consciousness...it has not only been A strategy but it has been THE strategy of the owning class since before this country formed...back to colonial days...

We cannot be free until they are free - James Baldwin

For working people to come together (again - see Bacon) they must first recognize the humanity they share...and white supremacy is the roadblock denying that truth. That is what the white middle class has done for this system...people will continue to support a system that only benefits 1% until they recognize that they are not a part of that 1%...they are a part of the 99% masses across the globe of all hues...

so i say all that to say this:

If you really study the struggle of black history and the use of white supremacy to keep iniquity alive, as i have said many times before...even the symbolic aspect of a "black" man being the president of this racist empire and how it is driving white supremacists crazy was change enough for me to believe in...lol.

Obama's presidency is an opportunity for this country if we seize it..Before Obama rattled white supremacists awake, they were able to hide behind institutional racism and now they have to come from behind the Bushes (pun intended), show their true color (pun intended) and let the fall out begin (AZ, tea party, 14th amendment now etc)...which will FORCE US to do what we have to do to ...FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM...and THAT is what i've been waiting for...The Fire Next Time... it's time and i've been ready..

as my son would say...LET'S GO!!

Powerful People v. People Power: The 21st Century Edition

2010-08-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

It feels like we are at a crossroads in history...but for those that study history, it also feels like we have been here many times before...and will be here indefinitely if we do not truly learn those lessons of history once and for all.

Frederick Douglass said it BEST:

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.

THE THREAT

The TRUE power and threat that affects us all today = CORPORATE FASCISM!! I look at this latest "economic crisis" (crisis for the masses, payoff for the corporate fascists) and while disgusted, am hardly surprised. The corporate takeover of our politics (lobbyists), health care, SEC, media, prisons, & war (blackwater) where only private enterprise and profit matter will take us all down if we do not RISE UP against a system where 6% own most of the world assets while 94% barely survive. People Power must be sustained!

THE 21st Century SCENARIO

We are all in a race to the bottom. These reader comments in cyberspace summarize the 21st century struggle:

comment from one reader:
China has "communist controlled capitalism". This is where the masses work very hard to eke out a living and survive while all the profit and wealth is funneled to a small group of individuals comprising less than 1% of the population.

America has "corporately controlled capitalism." This is where the masses work very hard to eke out a living and survive while all the profit and wealth is funneled to a small group of individuals comprising less than 1% of the population.

Explain it to me like I was a six-year-old, what's the difference exactly.

I think I now understand why our corporations get along with China so well.....

A tweet from @vtocce:
Everything shifted to Asia. In 10 years China & India's consumer class will dwarf the United States. USA will be a show room.

Not only do we live in a world of imports/exports, we live in a world of outsourcing and insourcing (where people = commodities). Nothing is safe in this race to the bottom. While the U.S. has completely lost the manufacturing market to outsourcing, insourcing (ex. teachers and techs from India) is also changing future possibilities for work and existence in the U.S. and all over the world. The American empire of the last century is never to return.

What globalization did was create a world where the American worker and consumer became expendable...When Americans can let go of their "exceptionalism" and FINALLY understand this, then they will realize that all they are arguing over is pointless....and hopefully they will RISE UP against the true threat: multinational rule.

But we must also understand this in historical context. Today's corporate fascism was yesterday's imperialism, yesteryear's colonialism, and yester-century's feudalism (monarchies)...the faces may change, but the dynamics (1% rule/ all else struggle) stay the same. And if we know and study history...we know how this script goes and actually how it always ends...people power overthrows one system of iniquity and then lets the next system of iniquity take hold. Sustaining people power is where we have failed. We either we learn the lessons history teaches..or we repeat them.

THE ENEMY'S STRATEGY: Alienation, Framing and Miseducation

Marx, Gramsci and Woodson got it right a century plus ago. They must be studied in order to develop OUR strategy.

The elite keep their position not by force but by manipulation. The system survives because the masses support it...as laborers...and consumers...and mostly...as survivors of it.

This IS the system: get people to look to leaders (the very people oppressing) instead of within (ourselves, our communities, our power) for change.

We have been taught powerlessness: to buy into a system that was never set up to work for us..but we buy into it, get hope, believe, then get despondent, then cynical which leads to inaction because "nothing changes"..that is how the system teaches us to buy into our own powerlessness and how it keeps status quo power dynamics in order. If we understand that, no one would have ever looked to Obama or any "one" leader for change.

We live now in a corporate fascist state where our "democratic elected representatives" are bought and sold; and without an active citizenry, this will remain the case. Right now, most citizens are too busy surviving (also part of the system) so it becomes true that consciousness is indeed a luxury few can afford. Focusing on leaders instead of those citizens that need support becomes a part of the trap. Leaders can't bring change...never could...only WE THE PEOPLE can.

We have to move pass our alienation and taught powerlessness via miseducation and get us ALL to be about OUR freedom.

1% controlling resources at the expense of the masses is as old as civilizations. The Roman Empire was not less corrupt than the US empire...The Colonizing Empires that enslaved generations were not any less powerful in their time or any less corrupt than the corporate fascists of today...NOW, once we admit that we scapegoat ("the other") to shirk our responsibility to ACT then we can actually progress.

Those that don't concentrate on organizing the masses but instead focus on the easy (blaming powerful people) believe in the lie that the elite have sold us via hegemony for centuries...big bad boogeyman run the world and we're all just pawns. well, if we internalize that, the power elite wins again; they don't even have to do anything because we do it for them...convince others of their own powerlessness. and we become pawns of the system.

Example: Walmart now claims 4 of the 10 ten spots for richest in America, but without the workers who work there, and the consumers who shop there, there is no Walmart. There is no them...there is JustUS...once we understand that, we will achieve JUSTICE.

The only way power dynamics will ever change is when the PEOPLE stop stating the obvious (power doesn't care about us) and start ACTING to TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES.

OUR FOCUS: Marx was Right

For working people to come together, we must first recognize the humanity we share (see essay From Bacon to Obama). In this world order, white supremacy is the roadblock denying that truth. People will continue to support a system that only benefits 1% until they recognize that they are not a part of that 1%; they are a part of the 99% masses across the globe of all hues...the People's class.

Not only must we fight alienation and learned powerlessness, we must fight fragmentation. It will take class consciousness to sustain People Power! It is difficult to unite when we are so fragmented ideologically, regionally, politically, and religiously...but again, Marx was right. The masses of the world are united in their material needs and that is where our focus should remain....MATERIAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR ALL.

This should be our starting and ending point in all battles...and maybe this time, we can finally win the war and avoid the 22nd century edition.

Bless Up, You Mighty Man - Remembering Marcus Garvey

2010-08-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Up, you mighty race, accomplish what you will. - Marcus Garvey

Look for me in the whirlwind or the storm, look for me all around you, for, with God's grace, I shall come and bring with me countless millions of black slaves who have died in America and the West Indies and the millions in Africa to aid you in the fight for Liberty, Freedom and Life. - Marcus Garvey

We MUST remember. His birthday was yesterday, August 17th.

The Amen Corner: Remembering James Baldwin ...in his own words

2010-08-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Remembering James Baldwin

His birthday was August 2nd. He was one of the greatest writers and thinkers of the 20th century. In his honor..and for our benefit....we should hear him ...in his own words.

If you have a free hour (lol), this is MUST watch video. James Baldwin's message in this and The Fire Next Time becomes even more powerful given today's political climate...and eerie in its accuracy (foreshadowing). All should really peep this...

http://mediacatalogue.blogspot.com/2008/08/debate-james-baldwin-vs-william-f.html

Get to know James Baldwin...and the understanding he communicate in the last few minutes is why he is so important to know...

“Take no one’s word for anything, including
mine – but trust your experience.” – James Baldwin

James Baldwin on What's Important

“Color is not a human or personal reality; it
is a political reality.” – James Baldwin

“This is why the most dangerous creation of
any society is that man who has nothing to lose.” – James Baldwin

“If we do not dare everything, the
fulfillment of that prophecy, re-created from the Bible in song by a slave, is
upon us: God gave Noah the rainbow sign,
No More water, the fire next time!” – James Baldwin

Excerpt of speech from my film James Baldwin Anthology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7Of0Abi10A

in his own words...and for our benefit...if we listen.

“But it is not permissible that the authors
of devastation should also be innocent.
It is the innocence which constitutes the crime.” – James Baldwin

Who is the Nigger? -James Baldwin (clip)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0L5fciA6AU

We are capable of bearing a great burden, once we discover that the burden is reality and arrive where reality is. – James Baldwin

History Matters

2010-08-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

History Matters...and in the last year we have lost three important truth tellers of the U.S. experience marking an end of an era: John Hope Franklin (March 2009), Ronald Takaki (May 2009), and Howard Zinn (January 2010). if you have not read their work, I recommend you do...and start today.

Read them in the order listed...those that know me will know why :-)

To evolve, we must take the baton from them...and run.

The Relaunch...You Got It!

2010-08-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

I Know You Got Soul - Eric B. & Rakim

Apologies for the long hiatus. I hope to keep this blog active again, if not with essays like i did in the past, with at least short posts for contemplation that will hopefully generate ongoing dialogue. My FT jobs as mother and teacher keep me very busy, but i will try not to abandon this blog for such a long period of time again. I appreciate all the support and love :-)

Back Again....

2010-08-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Dilated Peoples- Back Again

it's the people....the people....the people...the people.

Citizen vs. Citizenship by Brandon Greene

2010-05-03T21:07:00.001-07:00

Sharing a blog by Brandon Greene, Hip Hop Congress leadership council member.

The recent passage of the controversial legislation in Arizona along with the premiere of the History Channel series, America the Story of Us has gotten me to thinking about what exactly it means today to be a citizen in the United States.

From the beginning of our country we have depended on the talents of "outsiders" to make our country great. Long before there was an United States we were a community of immigrants. The gateway to citizenship in the context of the first years of our republic was simply hard work as expressed by a willingness to show a bravery and tenacity in seeking the very best life for one's family.

For full text:
http://changeworthbloggingfor.blogspot.com/2010/05/citizen-vs-citizenship.html

SUPPORT THE URBAN TEACHERS' NETWORK (UTN)!

2010-03-06T18:02:00.001-08:00

Please share with teachers, youth mentors , and arts education advocates!

We want all teachers, youth mentors, and arts education advocates to support the Urban Teachers Network!

LINK = http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Teachers-Network/10150095772260206?ref=ts

Supporters:
1. Become a Fan of Urban Teachers Network FB page!
2. Spread the word!

UTN active participants:
1. Become a Fan of Urban Teachers Network FB page!
2. Spread the word!
3. Start or join a regional UTN network.

We will also need regional facilitators to organize UTN support groups in their communities.

Regional Organizers:
Contact us at UTN@hiphopcongress.com to express your interest in organizing a UTN support group in your community.

INFO:
Hip Hop Congress (HHC) is a 501 (c) 3 Non Profit Corporation representing the merger of artists and students, music and community. The Hip Hop Congress mission is to use Hip Hop culture to inspire young people to get involved in social action, civic service, and cultural creativity.

As a national and international organization dedicated to its mission, Hip Hop Congress has chosen Education as a central initiative promoted by its artists, chapters, partners, and donors. As the educational system continues to fail American students (particularly low-income and students of color), alternative curriculum and solutions are needed.

From this emphasis, HHC is working to organize and support an Urban Teacher Network (UTN) where educators and youth mentors can form networks to share ideas, curriculum, and build after-school extracurricular and mentor programs for the youth they teach and reach. The UTN is also designed to be a space where teachers facing the daily challenges of their field can find comfort in the company and support of colleagues with similar experiences. UTN members will create regional support groups and meet regularly in order to build alliances and power in like-minded educators wanting to connect and build a movement to enrich the lives of urban youth inside and outside of the classroom.

Objectives include:
1. Creating an ongoing database of educators and mentors working directly with the youth in our communities.
2. Promoting urban arts education and hip hop pedagogy.
3. Sharing effective ideas: curriculum, extracurricular activities etc.
4. Creating digital classroom resources online where ideas can be shared with UTN members across the country.
5. Creating regional support groups where UTN members can meet on a regular basis.
6. Organizing UTN events outside of the classroom for
students’ enrichment and ongoing mentoring.

Our urban arts education and outreach program offers the following components:

1. Hip Hop History. Classes and workshops on Hip Hop history as well as the social and political importance of hip hop to youth of color and urban communities.

2. Media Studies. Classes and workshops on critical media analyses, examining the images of people of color and women in media, specifically the hip hop industry. In analyzing media carefully, educators teach youth to be more critical consumers of media.

3. Performances and Interactive Workshops - Hip Hop Elements. HHC artists perform shows for youth as well as offer instructive workshops in various hip hop elements (emceeing/rapping, poetry, deejaying, graffiti art, and break-dancing). Through artistic expressions, youth will learn to express themselves creatively and constructively through positive outlets.

4. Community Activism. HHC members serve as mentors to youth promoting community activism and involvement in social and political issues affecting their lives. As well, existing HHC chapters will serve as advisors to youth wanting to start HHC community chapters.

5. Urban Teacher Network. Educators and mentors of youth in urban communities can form networks to share ideas, curriculum, build after-school extracurricular and mentor programs for the youth they reach.

We look forward to working with all dedicated to youth in need of mentoring and an education relevant to their lives. We are sure the youth will not only be enriched by these programs, but will be inspired by the teachers and mentors organizing on their behalves.

Stay Black and Die - Listen to the Single!

2010-03-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

NEW DLabrie single from upcoming MR NETW3RK- Stay Black & Die ft M1 of deadprez,The Jacka, Adisa Banjoko , Shamako Noble, SaikoDelic RADIO EDIT http://tinyurl.com/yhu6smt ALBUM http://tinyurl.com/yko64gu

Tour & Video Coming Soon

Divide and Conquer Politrix: Malcolm X explains Liberals v. Conservatives

2010-02-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

Last month I wrote two notes that are good reads for Black History Month.

Title #1: Wake Up Everybody! Seize, don't cede OUR Power...
link = http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=289869571130&id=671666456&ref=mf

Title #2: In Honor of A King: Keep on Keeping On
link = http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=278067051130

The second note was posted in honor of Dr. King on his holiday last month. In it I wrote about the efforts to pit Dr. King and Malcolm X against each other.

As we remember the assassination of Malcolm X 45 years ago today, i wanted to re-share a part of one note that highlighted the speech Malcolm X gave on liberals v. conservatives. While it is not one of his most popular speeches, I think it is one of the most relevant given today's political climate where the media continues to suck most into the traps of politrix.

Miseducation and the Divide and Conquer Strategy

Malcolm X and Dr. King Jr. were often (purposely) pitted against each other, forcing community members to pick a "leader" and "strategy". But the masses of our people loved both men because they recognized that both men loved them and wanted the same thing...our freedom.

When successful, this strategy of divide and conquer leads to a lack of focus where it becomes easy to be manipulated by political rancor.

This is no different than the tactics used to cause friction between Washington & DuBois and DuBois and Garvey...It is ironic that most who followed Garvey's philosophy believed BTW to be a sell out, when it was Washington's strategy that most influenced Garvey.

A friend of mine teaches in Black LA and most of her students know only the caricature of MLK Jr. the mainstream has created...They know "I have a Dream" MLK, but not "Stop the Vietnam War" MLK. And as incredible as it may seem, many don’t even know who Malcolm X is! One asked if he was an extreme sports star! We still do not know who our enemy really is...It reminds me of a quotation attributed to Black Panther Bunchy Carter where he explains that there should never be any hostilities between Black organizations because they are not our (BPP) enemy.

From Miseducation to Re-Education

Some may not have realized how similar MLK Jr. and Malcolm X were in their visions for our people.

I found this series and hope all will take a look:

1. Martin Luther King & Malcolm X: Striking Similarities Part 1 of 3
link = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr4JD0QUonc

2. Martin Luther King & Malcolm X: Striking Similarities Part 2 of 3
link = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUI_VvrKhSE

3. Martin Luther King & Malcolm X: Striking Similarities Part 3 of 3
link = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDxNEcBZJYE

It is very significant that Malcolm X reached out to MLK Jr. in his later years, going from calling MLK Jr. a pawn of white power structure to publicly recognizing that "Dr. King wants the same thing I want -- freedom!"

The Transformation:
Early Malcolm X = The "white man pays Reverend Martin Luther King, subsidizes Reverend Martin Luther King, so that Reverend Martin Luther King can continue to teach the Negroes to be defenseless."

but in one of his last speeches Malcolm X goes to Selma to speak in front of SNCC and says this:

MALCOLM X: And I think that the people in this part of the world would do well to listen to Dr. Martin Luther King and give him what he's asking for and give to him fast before some other factions come along and try to do it another way. (February 4, 1965)

Given the context of their shared vision, I am reminded of Malcolm X's description of liberals, and their need to control black leaders in order to control the black community. From a 1963 speech Malcolm said:

"The white liberal differs from the white conservative only in one way: the liberal is more deceitful than the conservative. The liberal is more hypocritical than the conservative. Both want power, but the white liberal is the one who has perfected the art of posing as the Negro’s friend and benefactor; and by winning the friendship, allegiance, and support of the Negro, the white liberal is able to use the Negro as a pawn or tool in this political “football game” that is constantly raging between the white liberals and white conservatives.

The white conservatives aren’t friends of the Negro either, but they at least don’t try to hide it. They are like wolves; they show their teeth in a snarl that keeps the Negro always aware of where he stands with them. But the white liberals are foxes, who also show their teeth to the Negro but pretend that they are smiling. The white liberals are more dangerous than the conservatives; they lure the Negro, and as the Negro runs from the growling wolf, he flees into the open jaws of the “smiling” fox.

The job of the Negro civil rights leader is to make the Negro forget that the wolf and the fox both belong to the (same) family. Both are canines; and no matter which one of them the Negro places his trust in, he never ends up in the White House, but always in the dog house. (peep that carefully...lol)

The white liberals control the Negro and the Negro vote by controlling the Negro civil rights leaders. As long as they control the Negro civil rights leaders, they can also control and contain the Negro’s struggle, and they can control the Negro’s so-called revolt."

Are white liberals controlling US and undermining OUR revolt? Are we serving OUR communities and uniting OUR people or are we falling into the same old traps?
By the look of things...i would say Politrix is alive and well.

Malcolm X Fought the Real War

The truth is we live now in a corporatist/fascist state where our "democratic elected representatives" are bought and sold, and without an active citizenry, this will remain the case. We also have to deal with the reality that even if we lived in a TRUE democracy where our representatives actually represented us and our interests, we live among a nation of millions that want to hold us back (PE).

Malcolm X's speech highlights the ongoing racial struggle in this country...the RACE WAR that has been at the center of this country from its founding to today.

With progress made, there is always backlash...

TO secure our freedom:
1. David Walker's Appeal (calling for enslaved Africans to secure freedom by any means)
2. Bacon's Rebellion (class based revolt)

BACKLASH:
1. racialization of slavery (from indentured servitude to slave for life)
2. black codes for non-enlaved AA

THEN WE:
1. Abolition movement to end slavery (from reform tactics like pressure though press and courts to radical revolts to moral religious tactics)..led to whole free state/slave state - congressional politics of representation 3/5 clause etc.

BACKLASH:
SECESSION

THEN to secure freedom we:
POST Civil War - RECONSTRUCTION ERA
1. Federal FREEDMAN'S Bureau
2. gains in education, land, and political representation

BACKLASH:
1. Domestic Terrorism, birth of KKK
2. Legalization of Jim Crow

THEN WE TRIED:
1. Booker T. - building institutions but not fighting racism,
2. DuBois - NAACP, tried reforming system, holding to its ideals,
3. Garvey - actually inspired by Booker T., self determination, building black institutions and economic empowerment with black money not white donors like Booker T. had

BACKLASH:
1. J Edgar Hoover hired first black agent to infiltrate UNIA.
2. Black leaders pitted against each other as tactic (Washington v. DuBOis, Garvey v. DuBois)
3. Internal strife (movements brought down from within/tactic used in revolts earlier too)

THEN we HAD:
1. CRM - Emmitt Till, montgomery bus boycott - masses organizing, SNCC, BPP, etc

BACKLASH:
1. COINTELPRO
2. MLK v. MALCOLM,take sides (tactic divide and conquer which Malcolm X later rejected)

THEN:
hip hop - voice for youth coming of post-CR era

BACKLASH:
commodified - frame one dimensional and sell for profit while reinforcing stereotypes..see BAMBOOZLED

THEN:
OBAMA is elected in this country...lol

BACKLASH:
1. tea party
2. "liberal" squabbling on politics instead of organizing actions (which i argue is very purposeful and again refer to Malcolm X speech on foxes and wolves..liberals and conservatives)

I write all this to basically point out...we have to make sure we know not only WHAT we are fighting for...but WHO we are fighting FOR, and who we are fighting AGAINST...because there have been many times in history we have been pitted against each other as a tactic when we could have united and been a powerful force for our own freedom...we can either learn lessons of history, or continue to repeat them...Malcolm X understood this and it is why Black Nationalism remained his strategy to achieve human rights for all. He understood self determination was not just a strategy...it was the ONLY path to freedom.

Hip Hop Stand Up...

2010-01-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

...and take up the torch for Haiti in its hour of emergency need.

go to: http://www.yele.org/

"This is the time for the diaspora to step up...my urgency right now is a cry for freedom saying we really need a sate of emergency right now...i can't ask yall to help me if i don't help myself"- Wyclef Jean

"Unite; for combination is stronger than witchcraft." - Toussaint L'Ouverture

“I was born a slave, but nature gave me a soul of a free man….” - Toussaint L'Ouverture

“In overthrowing me, you have done no more than cut down the trunk of the tree of the black liberty in St-Domingue-it will spring back form the roots, for they are numerous and deep.” - Toussaint L'Ouverture

"Reality Matters" Hip Hop Talk Show Debut - Listen to Podcast!

2010-01-06T09:41:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all that tuned in last night to listen to the broadcast debut of Reality Matters. I appreciate all the love and positive feedback!

Please express your support for Reality Matters to become part of KPFK's regular weekly programming schedule by sending emails to KPFK's programming department at comments@kpfk.org.

If you missed the show last night, or want to hear it again, the podcast will be available for the next few weeks at the following link:

Pilot Programming, Tue, January 05, 2010
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 11:00 PM

Pilot Programming - KPFK 90.7 FM

I will be hosting another episode soon, and will post information when time/date are determined.

Thanks again to all guests and artists featured on last night's show!

New Hip Hop Talk Show "Reality Matters" debuts tomorrow on KPFK 90.7fm - Tune in and Support!

2010-01-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

Tune in to the 1-hour pilot of my new hip hop talk show "Reality Matters" on KPFK, Pacifica Radio! KPFK serves the greater Los Angeles area and streams 24 hours a day via the internet, providing listeners with progressive and independent news, talk & music.

The pilot show features interviews from community artists and educators promoting activism through hip hop, progressive agendas, and hip hop pedagogy in communities and campuses across the country!

As the on-air host for "Reality Matters", my vision is to bring my Sociology and Hip Hop classes to the radio airwaves, providing critical analysis of current social issues through a hip hop lens. The goal is also to make stronger connections to the hip hop community, with the show as a platform to highlight and promote the work of local community activists and artists.

So tune in and support the show and I will continue to provide updates on upcoming broadcasts!

To comment or express your support for the show? Please send emails to: comments@kpfk.org

PILOT SHOW INFO:

Day: Tuesday 1/5/2010
Time: 11pm PST (1 hour)
To Listen in Los Angeles: 90.7fm KPFK
To Listen Live on the Web or access show archive: http://www.kpfk.org/

Re-Air Date: TBD but pilot will re-air in the next few days during an afternoon slot for daytime audience. When date is determined, I will post update.

Guests:
Dr. Ayo Alabi, Professor of Sociology at Orange Coast College
Dr. Ebony Utley, Professor of Communication Studies at California State University, Long Beach
DLabrie, artist, president of RonDavoux Records, and national outreach coordinator, Hip Hop Congress
Maurice "Soulfighter" Taylor, artist, Poetic Network, Community Against Hate, and east coast regional director, Hip Hop Congress
Rahman Jamal, artist, educator and west coast regional director of Hip Hop Congress
Sarah Harris, educator and board member, Hip Hop Congress

Hip Hop Congress
Website: http://www.hiphopcongress.com/
Join their Facebook Group!
Follow on Twitter!

Featured Artists/Songs:
Mic Holden - "It's On!'
http://www.myspace.com/micholden4president

Shamako Noble - "Deeper"
http://shamakonoble.com/

DLabrie feat. Adisa Banjoko - "Life Strategies"
http://www.myspace.com/dlabriemusic

We are capable of bearing a great burden, once we discover that the burden is reality and arrive where reality is. – James Baldwin

Boogie down productions is made up of teachers
The lecture is conducted from the mic into the speaker
Who gets weaker? the king or the teacher
Its not about a salary its all about reality
Teachers teach and do the world good
Kings just rule and most are never understood - KRS One

2010: A New Year, A New Decade...Time to Try Anew

2010-01-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

May 2010 be a reflection of our collective actions for peace and sustenance for all.

I honestly believe that if we all focused more on

action over debate,

and service over leadership and politics,

we would not only see the changes we want to see in our world,

we would be it.

Because it is as relevant today as it was when I wrote it this time of year three years ago, I would like all to revisit this essay:

Rise up Hip Hop Nation: Making 2007 the Year of Sustainable Change

EXCERPT:

In it I state:

On the eve of a new year, I'd like to begin by offering peace and respect to everyone everywhere. While many are celebrating the holiday season, many more are suffering. Some are reflecting on the year gone by, while others are just praying the New Year will bring new possibilities for joy, peace, sustenance and justice. This is the time of year for reflection on the past and resolutions for the future. For me, this annual process led me to important questions. How can we make 2007 the year of sustainable change? What concrete steps can we take to address what ails our communities and our global village more broadly? Wherever we are in life, whether blessed or oppressed, affluent or struggling, the condition of the global village will directly affect us all sooner or later, and it is in our best interest to work towards sustainable change.

The first thing we must do is realize that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We can no longer wish for better and act the same, maintaining status quo by default. To get out of the hell that corporate greed, concentrated power, western imperialism, religious fanaticism, and “ideology over reality” have created, we must get specific about what it will take to realize people power. "It is not enough to be compassionate, you must act" (14^th Dalai Lama, 1992). And here are a few specific things you can do:

1. Pick one local issue and one global issue that you will educate your self about and stay informed!

2. Join two organizations

3. Mentor one child (For parents, mentor your children fully and completely).

4. Sign at least one petition a month.

5. Recognizing that all media is framed (left/right, conservative/liberal), get your news from multiple media sources. By doing this, you will learn to separate facts from ideology.

6. Attend three community meetings or rallies a year or volunteer at community service centers at least three times a year.

7. Be a conscious consumer.

8. Vote.

9. Make a sincere effort to communicate across class, color and generational lines.

10. FORGIVE.

The essay goes into more detail for each point, so please go to the title link above to read it in its entirety.

As the ball dropped on 2009, millions listened and sang along to this song...it has become the "THEME" of renewed hope in humanity to start each new year...so for today and everyday, let's celebrate the infinite possibilities humanity brings...year in and year out...

Happy New Year Fam.

Dis'United States of America: The Red, White, Blue...and above all Green

2009-12-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

This essay has been a concept for months, but the recent political rancor has forced me to finally sit down and write. I needed to find a way to cut through the rhetoric and get to the reality.

Those that have tried to debate religion know it is an exercise in futility. Talking politics has become as meaningless. People are so fixated on position, principle, or ideology, they forget reality.

As a social scientist, I believe in social facts. Everything is not debatable. For example, poverty exists. People try to debate why it exists...but there is an answer to that too that has to do with finite resources unevenly distributed through historical oppression where the wealth gained by a few came from the exploitation & poverty of the many - a two-sided coin (short answer).

Unfortunately, we have allowed everything to be about perception...but...reality matters...and it always will.

This essay is a lesson in the reality of politics in this country, and I think it is important to lay out the facts clearly. There is no point on debating questions that have answers and continue to focus on "what ifs" when our time would be better spent developing strategies to deal with "what is".
Most energy on the blogosphere and in political debate right now centers on the deception of Obama. Instead of being the "change" many believed they were voting for, Obama is now widely criticized for being anything from "status quo" to the "ultimate deception". The criticism leveled on him is intellectually dishonest because Obama is following the same script he has since the first speech that put him on the national stage in 2004.

The theme of that speech was "Out of Many, One".

Here are some revealing excerpts:

OBAMA:

It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family: "E pluribus unum," out of many, one.

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes.

Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America.

There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue States: red states for Republicans, blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states.

We coach little league in the blue states and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states.

There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or do we participate in a politics of hope?

Like most Obama speeches, it reveals exactly who Obama is and how he leads...i think this is what has been so ironic about the Obama debate...he is definitely a politician but a pretty transparent one that has been clear in terms of his philosophical bend but pragmatic approach to leadership and politics. The America he describes does not exist, but politically it is the only America any leader can address...the center. He has always tried to play down differences and speak to commonalities because that is the only winning position politically and electorally.

The reality is America could not be more disunited, with segments of the population having polar interests and objectives. And it is this reality all need to accept if we ever want to progress.

The Green: Fascism in the 21st Century

In reality, monied interests have controlled governments throughout history (even so-called "democracies" like the United States) , but the latest health care reform debate has been a glaring example of how little respect is given to the "will of the people". Despite a majority favoring a public option, the bill as it stands will not only not include a public option, but will be most favorable to insurance companies that have lobbied Congress and the President.

The Bailout of Wall Street is the most glaring example. The economy now constantly threatened by the collapse of banks "too big to fail"...so today we have socialism for corporate capitalists (public funds used to save private entities - a big no no in capitalism) only for these same private entities to turn around and lobby our elected "representatives" to make sure we don't get to use our money on ourselves for things like education, universal health care, etc...bail out for them...great...services for us...bad.

The GREEN is the smallest minority by number but most powerful by resources.

REALITY #1 = This is a fascist state w/ monied interest controlling governments...6% controlling 60% of resources 94% having everything to fight for but very little to fight with...

REALITY #2 = In electoral politics, politicians speak to the masses (red, white and blue) about common dreams to get their votes, but the green control the purse strings so NO THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE HAS A CHANCE (unbought candidate) unless monied interest are removed from the process.

The Red: Guardians of White Supremacy, Pseudo-Morality, & Free Markets

There is a strong minority here that have bought into this system completely. They do not have the power, but they have gained something from it....privilege...and they do not want to give that up. In order to protect that privilege, they fight change and protect the status quo. They espouse "tradition" over progress and "values" over change. Would they benefit from progressive change? Absolutely...but this is the man who votes against his interest and supports corporate interest in order to maintain white privilege... Universal Health Care and distribution of wealth would be better for he and his family, but instead he chooses to support a system that gives him nothing but has taught him that his skin color alone makes him something.

REALITY #3 = Changing a system many will lie and die to preserve is a continuous struggle. It will not be solved by a revolution, or a radical leader, or progressive policies...until the hearts and minds of this group change, progress on a macro scale will take the form of a constant battlefield (See Fire Next Time). There will be no forfeit. Know the game, and play to win...or suffer defeat. Right now the red is playing the game better than the blue...They know the season does not end with one game...and when this season does ends, there will be another one to get ready for next year.

The White: The Neutral and/or Neutralized Masses

The vast majority of people need better but are invested on some level in status quo. They have been neutralized through survival, media manipulations, and some level of comfort that comes from the known, no matter how difficult the known may be.

Consciousness and activism are luxuries all can hardly afford. When survival is your game, there is no time, energy, or possibility to fight the power! And of course, the system knows that and uses that to keep the masses in check. It is the ultimate paradox...To truly live, we must fight, but to truly fight we must be able to live...and right now, most are not living...most are existing...surviving...neutralized.

Those that may be able to live, learn and grow must survive the constant assault on reality by media. For the masses, media does not reflect reality, it defines it. Corporate interests and status quo power structure use media to manipulate thought processes. Hegemonic ideas are sold...what we should do, like, eat, support, not support, etc. The media controls information so the "white" masses will never be able to learn things they never get exposed to, or support what they never get to see.

Then there is the fact that the majority of those in THIS country are actually OK with status quo...because when we see social inequality as a two sided coin, one's advantages as reaped by other's disadvantages, the U.S. population is on the advantaged side of the equation and are not ready or willing to give up the status that they have become accustomed to....Most in this country don't SEE the world the way progressives see it...Malcolm X said it best at the end of this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzuOOshpddM

"they won't even admit the knife is there"...THIS IS MASS AMERICA...

Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the same REALITY when he spoke to the greatest threat to civil rights for African Americans not being the KKK but the majority that sit comfortably and silently at home doing nothing...non-action. Ignorance is truly bliss for many. But as James Baldwin so eloquently reminds us, it is "the innocence that constitutes the crime".

REALITY #4 = In this case, white does not represent a race...it's a position...neutral; and the majority of people who have some ability to make change just don't. Inaction on the part of the masses for a multitude of reasons (some outlined above) is the REAL reason things stay the same.

The election of Obama (a black man in this racist country) is a symbol of the possibilities of what can happen when masses unite (whether he himself = change or not). ...so masses vote and believe their part is done and now it is up to the elected leaders to "bring change". But Carter G. Woodson details how this western thinking was part of our miseducation in his classic text, The Miseducation of the Negro. Masses have been taught to accept their powerlessness; that they have no power to change things and must depend on leaders (white supremacists). It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because when leaders do not bring change, masses become more cynical and disengaged believing they tried to elect change but got more of the same...but the problem is change does not come from an act like "voting"(noun)...it comes from acting (verb). It is a state of being, not a finite action.
It is understanding that change comes from us...and we are all we need if we seize that power...be the change.

The Blue: The Fragmented Left of Principled Idealists, Self -Righteous Elitists and Radical Revolutionaries (with no armies)

As someone who philosophically agrees with the progressive agenda, it pains me to disagree with their strategies. What i am trying to get folks to do is stop asking questions that are answered and doing the same thing expecting different results, and this is what progressives continue to do.

Staying ideologically pure with principles without strategy is what i would call "theory"...theory can provide answers to questions (like why is there poverty) but it never gets someone out of poverty until it is put into "praxis"..and praxis is a very different mechanism...not so clean because the real world is not a controlled laboratory and dealing with the realities as they are becomes a part of the solution...there is no way around that truth...

So for example, in this health care debate, the principled idealist will accept nothing other than a public option or single payer...and blame "leadership" (Obama specifically, Congress more generally) for not getting it done. They ignore the green, red, and most importantly "white" constituents of America...They expect politicians to act on principle and not reality of how they get and hold power, green lobbyists pulling their purse strings and white and red America not wanting any radical change in reality.

So for politicians, they alienate a fringe movement from the process, who they want to alienate anyway (sidenote: I started this essay before Rahm Emmanuel's remarks about the left but it just reinforces my point here)...they do not want the fringe minority to organize the masses.

So little gets done in Washington which successfully keeps masses disengaged (proving time and time again that Washington is broken so the majority don't bother to pay attention). Only a minority bother to vote anyway (what is it 30-40%?) and in between voting every four years disengage from the process altogether...And this is sold to us as democracy? Again, reality matters.

As I said in a previous essay, blaming a politician for being a politician is as effective to me as blaming a dog for barking...it is what they do...who they are.

Progressives on blogs and FB mad or disappointed in Obama for not being a principled strong leader are being disingenuous. The reality is Obama is doing exactly what Obama said he would do..be a pragmatic leader of all Americans. Change was never going to come from him, and to his credit, he has said that on many occasions as well. Maybe his pragmatism will actually anger people into action...and we will finally see real change...time will tell. REALITY #5 = If Obama ran on a progressive platform he would not have won because active progressives in this country are a minority. When will this reality ever be addressed??

Most in this country support the status quo actively or by default (via inaction). That is why a truly progressive leader (like a Cynthia McKinney for example) has no chance of winning in THIS country. If we are intellectually honest AND really want to find a way to foster a progressive movement, this reality can no longer be ignored.

Then there is the radical wing of the blue who understand the system was never for us and know change can't come from it. I completely agree with this analysis, but again disagree with the strategy. The revolutionaries or rebels without an army of masses behind them will not see change either...that is the state of the radical movement right now...they are fringe..and instead of trying to reach the community where they are, like the Black Panther Party did, progressives today choose to dismiss the masses for "buying into the hope Obama sold them" and would rather just bemoan the imperial system ...foster their own intellectual elitism by espousing critical analysis of the system but in that... CHANGE NOTHING...they have no foot soldiers. I know this to be true because I am around both the "activists" and "regular community folks". Black/Brown working folks for the most part are not actively supporting or rejecting Obama. They are doing what they usually do: surviving. But interestingly enough, they have harsher words for Obama haters than they do Obama. To their credit, they know one man is not their problem. They know the system is, and they want and need community support.

REALITY #6 = Knowing the problem is one thing. Solving the problem will take more than a pointed finger. Your energy is better spent organizing and serving our communities in need than bemoaning the system and leaders you supposedly don't believe in anyway.

I wonder if the energy we spend debating would not be better spent acting...serving our communities...looking in the mirror.

MJ...you had that right. RIP.

REALITY # 1-INFINITY =

"The time has come. This is It. People are always saying.. 'Oh they, they'll take care of it.' 'The government will do it. They'll' ...They who? It starts with us. ..it's US. Or else it'll never be done." - Michael Jackson

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people." - Cornel West

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” - Frederick Douglass

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.” - Frederick Douglass

"Who gets weaker? the king or the teacher
Its not about a salary its all about reality
Teachers teach and do the world good
Kings just rule and most are never understood" - KRS One

"We are capable of bearing a great burden, once we discover that the burden is reality and arrive where reality is." – James Baldwin

It's time to arrive where reality is...one of these days we will have no choice.

The Burden...and Freedom...of Reality

2009-12-18T13:16:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite quotations to cite in class, post on here, and spam elsewhere whenever i get a chance is by James Baldwin:

We are capable of bearing a great burden, once we discover that the burden is reality and arrive where reality is. – James Baldwin

I post it often but have realized that very few people engage in dialogue about the heart of the matter...what this quotation really speaks to...and why it matters.

There is no shortage of people and energy that want change...but why does it seem so fleeting? Why do imperial forces seem to always "win" and progressive efforts for a more equitable existence for all humankind seem like such a pipe dream? again, the answer lies in the quotation.

The political circus that has become health care reform is yet another lesson in why this quotation's insight is so critical if we ever want to see real change.

For me, the debates raging on blogs and FB act as a constant reminder of how far we are from this reality. For many, it is easier to debate principles, ideology and philosophy...but reality is rarely engaged. I wonder....where will this lead us?? and the answer is the same answer it has been for all times....nowhere.

And then we wonder why nothing changes? Really? How can things change in a society where we have made even reality debatable? And as long as that is the case, we will not be able to agree on the path forward.
There ain't no substitute for the truth....either it is or isn't - India Arie

Keeping the quotation above as my guiding principle, and trying to arrive where reality truly is, I am going to try to answer these questions:

So what is our REALITY?
What is the truth?

1. Change is possible...but

2. it is NOT through leadership or policy unless....

3. There is an active electorate (the engine of a true democracy = people power) ....but

4. There is no active electorate... why?

5. Fascists and Hegemonic power control not only masses but progressive movements...how?

6. Fragmented/Polar interests (no unity) and Miseducation. ...so what can we realistically do?

7. KNOW all are not fighting for the same PROGRESS so it will be a continuous struggle, ACCEPT the power within to BE the change we need by SERVING our communities and working to ORGANIZE the masses.

OKAY now this is the REALITY we must really deal with...People I have the utmost respect for are not intellectually honest with themselves or others when they do not speak to these realities. The progressive movement in this country will never succeed as long as progressives continue to follow the same script:

1. blame leadership
2. blame the "ignorant" and "disengaged" masses
3. believe progress is possible without the masses; that they can make change alone, not realizing that even if this was a true democracy and worked as such, they would still lose by the numbers and resources.

I address most of these issues in the previous post (Dis'United States of America) particularly the issue of fragmented and polar interests, so in this essay, I want to speak more specifically about the reality of miseducation in our lack of progress for a more equitable society.

The Roots of Miseducation: How the Masses were taught Powerlessness

Carter G. Woodson details how we were taught to be powerless in his classic text, The Miseducation of the Negro. Masses have been taught to accept their powerlessness; that they have no power to change things and must depend on leaders (white supremacists).

If this miseducation is not combated, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because when leaders do not bring change, masses become more cynical and disengaged believing they tried to elect change but got more of the same. They learn the "power" they thought they had (in a democracy) is of no significance so they must accept their lots in life.

Leadership, at best, brings only temporary and incremental progress (and usually with backlash), because once leaders are neutralized, so is the progress. History has taught us this lesson over and over again: well known leaders like Toussaint L'Ouverture, Nat Turner, John Brown, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the BPP all gave their life works for black liberation, but black liberation is still a dream deferred. And while no one can deny the significant progress all their efforts made to advance black liberation, their most significant achievements were organizing the mass "followers" they emboldened to action. Alone, they could accomplish little, but leading the people, they helped us on our path from slavery to freedom...a path we still are on today.

Woodson's solution to this miseducation of looking to leadership to save our communities, comes in the chapter titled "Service over Leadership". He says we need to start serving our communities, investing and trusting in our own people to realize self determination.

Interestingly enough, this powerlessness is mirrored in much of western philosophy and traditions, and religion is probably the main way it is taught.

Manifest Destiny

Although I did not realize it at the time, the combination of growing up going to a Catholic school, and having a father who was an avid reader and student of not only the Bible, but eastern philosophy (ex. Book of Tao), and new age spirituality (exs. Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra) impacted my worldview tremendously.

In eastern philosophy, much focus is placed on inner power.

Catholic training actually emphasized service and sacrifice. While evangelicals seemed to focus on Jesus as the way to salvation, I learned more of his acts of mercy and treatment of the poor.

In Mass, this is the scripture I remember getting most attention:

Matthew 25: 34-40
³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me,I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' ⁴⁰And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

When I listen to most evangelicals discuss the Bible, they focus extensively on this passage:

John 6: 40-46
⁴⁰And this is the will of Him that sent Me: that every one who seeth the Son and believeth in Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the Last Day." ⁴¹The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, "I am the Bread which came down from Heaven."⁴²And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, `I came down from Heaven'?" ⁴³Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, "Murmur not among yourselves.^{" 44}No man can come to Me unless the Father who hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at the Last Day.⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets: `And they shall all be taught by God.' Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned from the Father cometh unto Me. ⁴⁶Not that any man hath seen the Father, save He that is of God; He hath seen the Father.

Comparing these two passages provides one powerful lesson. The first focuses on service. The latter teaches that no one is saved unless they come through Jesus; it is the script that many "Christians" use to damn all non-Christians to hell. It also basically teaches that the power comes from accepting, not doing. Salvation comes from accepting Christ as Savior, not being Christ-like. This is a very powerful lesson in teaching powerlessness.

Interestingly enough, later in the book of John, Jesus says:

John 14: 12

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father."

This passage is hotly debated as to whether Jesus meant we could "really" do all he did now on Earth...

but in Luke 17: 5-8 Jesus also says:

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” ⁶ The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!

These last two passages speak to the same inner power eastern philosophy often speaks to, but these passages are treated as more figurative while the John 6:44 is treated more literally; again, playing down "namaste" to reinforce that power comes from an outside force.

This western way of thinking has implications in all we do...and don't do; what we believe we are capable of...and not capable of...what is possible, and impossible. The reality is this miseducation heeds progress, and this is the burden we continue to bear to this day. But this is one burden we can cast off once we accept the power within us to be the change we want and need. So in reality, the obstacles are great, but despite the interests that work against progress, our power is greater if we embrace it fully...and the truth is...the REALITY is...we REALLY can change the world...so, let's get free. Namaste.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

----from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.

LA Southwest College celebrates Poetry and Hip Hop History Month this week!

2009-11-15T17:25:00.001-08:00

Spread the word! LA Southwest College celebrates Poetry and Hip Hop History Month this week! event Info at: http://bit.ly/1STPzC

The TRUE Cost of War...TRUE LIVES for TRUE LIES

2009-11-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

In April 2007 I was asked to write a commentary for PLAYAHATA.COM..I had to choose a modern day villian or playahater...I chose the corporate interest fueling the Iraq war. Many understood this war was unnecessary, but few were paying the physical, emotional, and mental price...only the Iraqis and our youngest men and women that join the military to serve this country or access better opportunities really understood the cost. This week, Texas and anyone by their TV got a little glimpse.

It is ironic that veteran's day is around the corner. The irony has never been lost on me that we say we honor and respect our troops but we allow them to make unlivable wages (where some families must depend on AFDC). They fight on battlefields beside private entities that are often compensated 5 times what our soldiers make (Blackwater). Corporations and capitalists defend a system where banks that rip off consumers can then rob the treasury for bailouts in order to keep their 600 to 1 percent salary rate when compared to an enlisted Marine who puts his/her life and mental health on the line daily. Our GIs can't get decent health care (Walter Reed) but the Walton family (Walmart) can go anywhere in the world for the best health care their money can buy (Walmart being richer than 160+ countries) with the money they make from outsourcing American jobs to China and paying Chinese workers a couple dollars a day. The irony of it all...we accept this as inevitable. We believe what we are told to be true...we buy the true lies...

But the only inevitable thing is this system is unsustainable...and cracks in the dam (the numerous anecdotal stories that do not get reported of soldiers suffering from PTSD and crimes they commit) will give way to the dam breaking soon enough (this week's massacre).

I went back to the commentary I wrote over two years ago...that day I had a first hand encounter with one of the many anecdotal situations that play out everyday in the lives of our returning soldiers...The writing has been on the wall...and here it is:

my playahater choice is a little more personal because of one person that crossed my path two weeks ago. I was on a Southwest flight to Sacramento.Sitting beside me was a young brotha (24). He was a Marine and had already done 3 tours of duty in Iraq. He was supposed to finishing his time in June and was getting out, but he was not feeling too secure in that since the military can now call back discharged soldiers to tour, despite the fact that they have completed their contracts and done their time. Slavery is alive and well in 2007.

Back to the plane and the young brotha. He was from a military family; His father had served as well as his aunt and uncle. He had always wanted to be a marine. He has two young children. His hope now is that the military service legacy that defined his family will end with him. He does not want his children to follow in his footsteps. Why? War is hell and he has lived it. This brother was real jittery and obviously had seen more than any human being should. When asked what his job was in the marines, he answered: "you don't wanna know what I do" (saying this repeatedly). Then coming with:"I'm a killer." He then wanted to share with me the 4000 pictures and 100s of videos he had taken in Iraq. He watched the slideshow of bodies mangled, children decapitated and blood and guts lining the streets without any reaction. He wanted to talk about it and said it helped, so I just listened, trying not to get nauseous from the gore.

And for all that they must bear: being away from their families, killing men, women and children, living with that nightmare and coming home to subpar medical facilities and families that can't afford to live without food stamps, they get abandoned and random strangers sitting beside them on a plane must serve as psychiatrist. This war is my Playahater, and the ITT Corporation embodies what's wrong with the poor fighting the war for the rich's interests. We all deserve better than this, but especially brothers like this, and the Iraqis with which they now share the dance of death.

Original Link: http://www.playahata.com/?p=2352

Many believe the TRUE LIES that corporate interests fuel through corporate media...even when our TRUE LIVES...reality...is all we need to know.

TRUE LIES by Taalam Acey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unntwxaF_LQ

"We are capable of bearing a great burden, once we discover the burden is reality and arrive where reality is."
"Take no one's word for anything, including mine - but trust your experience" - James Baldwin, The Fire next Time

one final note...

i went to see "This is it" again...and i think MJ really did say it best:

"The time has come. This is It. People are always saying.. 'Oh they, they'll take care of it.' 'The government will do it. They'll' ...They who? It starts with us. ..it's US. Or else it'll never be done." - Michael Jackson

Support Hip Hop Congress!

2009-10-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

Ron is running a marathon to raise money for HHC. Support him, support HHC...and help spread the word...thanks.

Donate here:
http://www.hiphopcongress.com/

Whether it is providing an annual forum for community awareness, collecting and distributing supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina or recent Southern California fires, educating children on the cultural and artistic elements in hip hop as an avenue for self-expression, creating a network of urban teachers interested in culturally relevant lessons and curricula, or throwing entertaining really good concerts, the Hip Hop Congress has given leaders the tools and support to make their vision a reality.
For anyone contributing at least $26.20, we’ll send a collector’s edition t-shirt from our 8th National Conference in Seattle.

Also, check the national Hip Hop Congress out on Facebook and Twitter:

http://www.hiphopcongress.com/contact-us/

"I Wish I Were Wrong"

2009-08-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Fidel Castro's latest column is an interesting read. Here is the synopsis by Reuters:

Fidel Castro says racist right-wingers fight Obama

Here is the entire column (English translation):

I Wish I Were Wrong!

I have had a number of conversations with friends about Castro and Cuba as a model for social justice. I always give credit to the regime for its health care and education systems, but am not as enthusiastic about Cuba as a model as other progressives, leftists, or revolutionaries seem to be.

- I argue that the people's power for self determination is undermined by a life long leader, but my sparring partners rationalize the need for a strong leader as the only way to fight US imperialism.

- I say that their isolation could have been used to demonstrate complete self sustainability (agriculture for example) and there would be no need to be a part of the "world market" but Cuba supporters think that is impossible for Cuba to be completely self sustaining...not sure why however...

- I argue that a true socialist country despite its history would not show the same racialized poverty (and racism in general) that permeates the rest of the world, but they say history takes time to correct.

I offer this to say, I am not a Castro supporter or hater. In theory, I believe his ideology is correct. In practice, it loses its credibility (as long as Cuba is a class and race based non-democratic society...which it is).

But I completely agree with Castro's latest analysis of Obama's challenges. With the racist white supremacist unable to accept Obama as president, he is being attacked fiercely. Instead of recognizing this and its repercussions on the future, many on the left are caught up in petty politics and also blaming Obama for not being all they want him to be. In getting caught in that trap, I see an opportunity for real democracy slipping quickly.

If action trumps criticism, progressives can have all they want with an Obama administration...but if we continue to let white nationalist fascists frame the mainstream dialogue, an opportunity is wasted for radical change. Read this analysis from Castro carefully...and if you want social justice for all people...take heed.

See Archives for Related Essays

Rahman Jamaal of Hip Hop Congress stars in "The Beat"

2009-08-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

Along with being the west coast regional director for Hip Hop Congress, Rahman Jamaal is a multi-talented artist. He is a highly respected emcee/lyricist, the lead vocalist for tribute band Blood Sugar Sex Machine, and added lead actor to his list of achievements when he made his film debut in the hip hop drama THE BEAT.

Synopsis: On the heels of his brother's murder, aspiring rap artist Philip "Flip" Bernard (Rahman Jamaal) gets an ultimatum from his father (Gregory Alan Williams): either get a "real" job as a cop or get out of the house. Using a split-narrative technique, this inventive drama with cameo appearances from comedian Michael Colyar, rap star Coolio and R&B singer Brian McKnight follows Flip through both scenarios.

The film was featured at the Sundance and Pan African Film Festivals and can be rented or purchased at Amazon.com, Netflix, Blockbuster, and Hollywood video.

THE BEAT - TRAILER

RAHMAN JAMAAL RHYME SCENE - THIS ISN'T ART

Also, visit his MySpace page to peep his music!

DLabrie Discusses Regionalism and Bias in Hip Hop

2009-08-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Dlabrie of Hip Hop Congress & RonDavoux Records discusses regionalism and bias in hip hop in this article posted on his MySpace page and the Hip Hop Congress website.

Labrie highlights the effects regionalism has had on hip hop while underscoring the need to
appreciate what all regions bring to the game. No need for beef or hate...just love and respect, as he summarizes at the end of his article: Much respect to ALL regions, WE ALL have something to offer. It’s hip hop better yet its music…………

View full article at this direct link:

How I feel bout Regionalism, East vs. West Coast & topic of East Coast Bias!!

Rise up Hip Hop Nation - Wise up: From Deconstructing Social Ills to Building Real Solutions…REDUX...It’s Time to Stand Up…or Shut Up!

2009-08-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Peace and blessings to humanity. Sometimes you have to look back to move forward.

This first essay I penned under Rise up Hip Hop Nation was published in 2002: Rise up Hip Hop Nation - Wise up: From Deconstructing Social Ills to Building Real Solutions http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=617. The basic premise of the essay was summed up in this quotation: “…it is now time to move beyond deconstructing and start building.” In that essay, I gave a list of specific actions different entities in hip hop could do to build solutions in our communities. In most subsequent essays, the goal was the same: build solutions. We already know the problems…and causes. We need plans of action.

One essay I gave a specific list that all individuals could utilize to make a difference (https://eee.uci.edu/06f/20000/Rise_up_dec2006.htm). I really believe if we all did just one or two of the things on the list, we would see much of the change we want to see in our communities despite entrenched institutional power structures.

The reason I went back to this initial essay about solution building is because the more I analyze social network sites like Facebook, read numerous internet sites and blogs, and watch the propaganda of cable news, the more concerned I get with what I have heard Cornel West call the paralysis of analysis. I see a serious time and opportunity to rise up and make change slipping away because we are being distracted by chatter. Chill Rob G was right: Everybody’s a critic:

"The Power" by Chill Rob G

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Nwy5Nmffc

“I’ve got the power”. No truer words have ever been spoken or been less believed.

As I have written about in numerous essays, we do have the power, but we have not seized it. Instead, I find myself and most drawn into debates that are very critical of everything and everybody instead of threads that are solution oriented and claim personal ownership for change. To illustrate here are a few examples:

1. Criticisms across the board of President Obama. Obama is a puppet (left lean) or Obama is a socialist (right lean).

2. Unfounded criticisms of a hip hop organization and its conference– accusing it of being all talk and no action when actual evidence shows it has been heavily involved in many community efforts (EX. The weekend of the conference, the organization: organized a media response and protest to a local police brutality incident, supported a hip hop affiliates run for mayor, supported local community centers and art venues, and took part in annual African American cultural festival.)

3. Substantiated criticisms of media’s defining of reality, not reflection of it, but few solutions offered on how to challenge this.

4. Criticisms of the status quo but no revelations on how they are personally challenging the status quo.

One specific debate on Facebook concerned Obama’s NAACP speech where many progressives felt he “called the black community out” too harshly without addressing the root cause of black problems, namely systemic racism and white supremacy. In this debate, criticisms became schizophrenic because many who “call out” BET, and choices mainstream artists make because of the real effects it has on community youth perceptions, were very critical of Obama for voicing the exact same concerns.

This dialogue affirmed how ideology shapes how we receive messages. Most cued into only the part of his speech where he challenged African Americans to a higher moral standard. But when a thorough analysis of his speech is done, Obama made a number of other points, including:

1. Obama started off by explaining the NAACP charter is to eliminate prejudice in all its forms...and gave a few examples...Muslim hate, gay/lesbian discrimination, black higher unemployment and less pay.

2. He affirmed people based movements citing DuBois and the Niagara movement, freedom riders, SNCC and their acts of civil disobedience, MIA organizers and community members that stayed off busses, and organizers in Mississippi Freedom Party. .As a African American studies professor, this showed me he has some understanding of AFAM history and what REALLY brings change.

3. Obama also used code language like Lowery did at inauguration by closing with parts of the Black National anthem, which was not missed by the crowd there who gave him an ovation...but missed by those that are caught up in their idea of what Obama should be.

4. The part about personal responsibility was nothing anyone would disagree with specifically...this is the same thing we have been dealing with in hip hop...blaming corporate america (BET/Viacom)...or hold Lil Wayne accountable for having little girls on stage at the BET awards while singing “F*ck girls all over the world”...um, the truth is it is corporate america's fault, but as long as there is a Lil Wayne that will play the role, corporate america will exploit because they do NOT CARE ABOUT US...we MUST care about ourselves...it is the ONLY we will progress...they will profit from our willingness to be in the new millennium minstrel show...watch BAMBOOZLED.

5. But most importantly, Obama said government can make policy but it is THE PEOPLE that must make DEMANDS and hold government accountable. In other words, Obama (and the system many believe he represents) is NOT our problem...our problem is we have not realized that...to his credit...he does....

We need to see pass the veil...no top down approach is in the best interest of the people...ever.
I teach about white supremacy, institutional racism, and structural oppression...but the message I give that I think is most important is this:

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US...WE NEED TO CARE ABOUT OURSELVES AND OUR COMMUNITIES...THERE IS NO OTHER SOLUTION.

Frederick Douglass said it BEST:

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.

So, I write this blog to challenge the critics. We know the problems, and we know the causes. But do you know what you will do to bring the change you want to see? If you can answer that, you are a part of the solution. If you can’t, you are part of the problem and it is time to own that. “Don’t talk about it, be about it.”

Previous Blogs/Related Topics:

Rise up Hip Hop Nation: What will be the Price for peace

Rise up Hip Hop Nation - Wise up, Part III: Realizing Our Righteous Power

“Where the Ball is, the Game is”

The Fire This Time

Talking Politics: Hip Hop, the Election, and Service

WARGAMES - The Fall of Empire

"Privatizing Profits, Socializing Losses"

The Fire this Time...or Risk Irrelevance

Rise up Hip Hop Nation, Wise Up: The Choice is Yours

The Miseducation of a Nation: Unveiling the Illusion of History

2009-08-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

As always, I'd like to begin by offering peace and respect to all that honor humanity in words and deeds. The struggles of daily life often create distractions, and I like most become a victim of life circumstances, but as long as we are living, we must keep striving for higher ground. To do that, we must first accept that history is a matter of perspective (place, space, and time), but truth is universal and transcending. Perception makes it difficult to recognize truth. One’s perspective is based on one’s experience. People cannot understand of what they have had no experience. This is understandable and in many ways hard to argue against. I can’t fault my students for not knowing material I have not taught them…but if I teach them a lesson, they are then expected to know it.

White Delusion, Black Disillusion

The history of the United States is one of multiple experiences depending on place, space and time. For white Americans, it has been a history of struggle but opportunity. They believe the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution even if their actions often contradicted the ideals. For African Americans, the same history has been a war between ideals and a very different and cruel reality. Frederick Douglass expressed this best in his speech about the different meaning of the Fourth of July celebration for whites and blacks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb_sqh577Zw

In reality, what the vast majority of Americans (and all people globally) have in common is a history of hard labor. The vast majority of people worldwide work hard and have very little to show for their efforts. Despite this truth, many have been taught to believe the lie that hard work pays off – meritocracy exists. While it is easy to accept how one’s experiences shape perception, how can we explain perspectives that run counter to our experiences? How does this happen?

Perception coupled with power creates frames that the masses will accept as the truth despite the evidence in their lives to the contrary. The result of this power has been white delusion, black disillusion, and a history of mass illusion. We need to lift the veil of history to reveal the face of reality. James Baldwin said it best: “We are capable of bearing a great burden, once we discover that the burden is reality and we arrive where reality is.”

To illustrate, here are two examples of how powerful and dangerous ideology can be:

1. Whites in this country have nothing in general...but white supremacy has veiled that reality...so they allow corporate capitalists to convince them that their interests are best protected in status quo...health care for profit for example..but as long as you can convince the people to NOT believe their reality you can continue to manipulate them.

2. On the left, many look at government programs as "help" ex...social welfare programs, etc. But the motivation for these programs is NOT to benefit communities in need; it is to keep them dependent and most importantly, complacent...bad off but surviving...in many ways, any “top down government assistance” is given to avoid the REVOLUTION that would come.... from a PEOPLE with nothing to lose.

The world for a sociologist is one big science experiment. Wasting away hours on Facebook, reading through the chatter of numerous internet sites and blogs, or watching the propaganda of cable news provides a plethora of data to analyze. The conclusion I reach time and time again is that most are living an illusion, busy with daily distractions, manipulated by powerful OR ideological interest groups on all sides of debate. Most approach the world experiment through a veil of perception instead of reality.

It explains why a Latina woman from the Bronx who graduated from elite universities and became a Supreme Court nominee can be called a racist, but a system that has had 108 white men Supreme Court justices is “color blind”.

It explains why health care for profit benefits someone who can’t afford to pay for it and not the entities that profit from it, but public health care for all hurts those that will be covered (many for the first time).

It explains how a white cop who arrests a black professor for talking shit is not expected to apologize but a black president has to (for calling said cop stupid). It makes it possible for white and blacks to see the same situation completely different. Most whites believe the cop was in the right; most blacks believe that if the professor had been white, he would not have been arrested in his own home…no matter how much shit he talked.

It explains why corporate interests can decry government regulation but accept government funds for bailouts.

It is explained by rising racial violence in a supposedly “post-racial” world.

It is explained by leftists who criticize Obama for compromising to get things done in Washington, but never question the compromises they make in their own lives (jobs, habits, actions or…more correctly inaction).

It explains how if you say 9/11 and Saddam Hussein in the same sentence enough times you can create the illusion of a connection that will lead to an endless war that kills, maims, and displaces hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and kills, maims, and mentally and emotionally scars, thousands of young GIs.

It is framing. And it is THE true threat to reality and humanity. Chuck D was right…Don’t believe the hype! Take off the veil…be it your ideology, perception, or miseducation. There is a truth out there…and it is universal. We reap what we sow. No need for intentions, explanations, rationalizations, or repudiations; just actions. First plan of action: Seek the truth.

Rise Up Hip Hop Nation

Question - Is Red Tails worth supporting....REALLY?

2012...

An End of an Empire ...or an Opportunity for a New UNITED States of America? Time Will Tell.

WARGAMES - The Fall of Empire

Who is Our REAL Enemy?

What Can Work….And What Never Will

What Can Work: Action

What Never Will Work: Insanity

Two Words: On Wisconsin!

In Honor of A King: Keep on Keeping On

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." - Martin Luther King Jr.

From Miseducation to Re-Education

A King's Example

Keep On Keeping On

2011: A New Year...Time to Try Anew

As the ball dropped on 2010, millions listened and sang along to this song...it has become the "THEME" of renewed hope in humanity to start each year anew...so for today and everyday, let's celebrate the infinite possibilities humanity brings...year in and year out...Happy New Year Fam.

Rise up Hip Hop Nation: Creating Sustainable Change

The Great Debate: Objective v. Subjective Reality

The Tipping Point

Help Hip Hop Congress Go Platinum!

Hip Hop Congress - October Update!

Remembering 2Pac

Remembering 2Pac pt1 Intv w/ Shock G of Digital Undergrnd-He speaks about who deserves credit for putting Pac on @swiftfm http://bit.ly/aiXgE3

Remembering 2Pac pt2-Shock G talks about who and what was influencing Pac when he first got down w/ DU.. #2Pac @swiftfm http://bit.ly/9IXtHY

Remembering 2Pac pt3: Shock G talks about the influence of the Black Panthers on DU & 2Pac.. very insightful.. @swiftfm http://bit.ly/aCwtu7

Hip-Hop Politics and Capitalism: The Story of Thugnificent

Is Hip-Hop Education A Hustle? Getting Serious About Rap Pedagogy

The Twilight Zone

School started this week so I have been busy getting ready for another hectic fall semester. I have not had a chance to comment too much on the Glenn Beck "March on Washington" rally last weekend, but i did want to at least add a couple thoughts.

The Miseducation of a Nation: Unveiling the Illusion of History

Review - "Journey to Pro-Sperity" by Pro-Dash

The Epitome of Public Enemy

White Supremacy from Bacon to Obama: Are We Finally at the Moment of Reckoning?

Powerful People v. People Power: The 21st Century Edition

Bless Up, You Mighty Man - Remembering Marcus Garvey

The Amen Corner: Remembering James Baldwin ...in his own words

History Matters

The Relaunch...You Got It!

I Know You Got Soul - Eric B. & Rakim

Back Again....

Dilated Peoples- Back Again

Citizen vs. Citizenship by Brandon Greene

SUPPORT THE URBAN TEACHERS' NETWORK (UTN)!

Stay Black and Die - Listen to the Single!

Divide and Conquer Politrix: Malcolm X explains Liberals v. Conservatives

Miseducation and the Divide and Conquer Strategy

From Miseducation to Re-Education

Malcolm X Fought the Real War

Hip Hop Stand Up...

"Reality Matters" Hip Hop Talk Show Debut - Listen to Podcast!

New Hip Hop Talk Show "Reality Matters" debuts tomorrow on KPFK 90.7fm - Tune in and Support!

2010: A New Year, A New Decade...Time to Try Anew

As the ball dropped on 2009, millions listened and sang along to this song...it has become the "THEME" of renewed hope in humanity to start each new year...so for today and everyday, let's celebrate the infinite possibilities humanity brings...year in and year out...Happy New Year Fam.

Dis'United States of America: The Red, White, Blue...and above all Green

The Burden...and Freedom...of Reality

LA Southwest College celebrates Poetry and Hip Hop History Month this week!

The TRUE Cost of War...TRUE LIVES for TRUE LIES

Support Hip Hop Congress!

Ron is running a marathon to raise money for HHC. Support him, support HHC...and help spread the word...thanks.

"I Wish I Were Wrong"

Fidel Castro says racist right-wingers fight Obama

I Wish I Were Wrong!

Rahman Jamaal of Hip Hop Congress stars in "The Beat"

DLabrie Discusses Regionalism and Bias in Hip Hop

Rise up Hip Hop Nation - Wise up: From Deconstructing Social Ills to Building Real Solutions…REDUX...It’s Time to Stand Up…or Shut Up!

The Miseducation of a Nation: Unveiling the Illusion of History

As the ball dropped on 2010, millions listened and sang along to this song...it has become the "THEME" of renewed hope in humanity to start each year anew...so for today and everyday, let's celebrate the infinite possibilities humanity brings...year in and year out...

Happy New Year Fam.

As the ball dropped on 2009, millions listened and sang along to this song...it has become the "THEME" of renewed hope in humanity to start each new year...so for today and everyday, let's celebrate the infinite possibilities humanity brings...year in and year out...

Happy New Year Fam.