Remember Your Other 5 (Black) Presidents

Compiled by the DiversityInc staff
http://www.diversityinc.com/public/3085.cfm

February 15, 2008
It has been said that this year was the first time a major political party in the United States nominated a woman or a Black person as its presidential candidate. For women, that is true, but some historians say Barack Obama will not be the nation's first Black president. They say he certainly won't be the first president with Black ancestors--just the first to acknowledge his "Blackness".

Which other presidents hid their African ancestry? Well, it's not Bill Clinton, even though the Congressional Black Caucus honored him as the nation's "first Black president" at its 2001 annual awards dinner. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge all had Black ancestors they kept in their genealogical closets, according to historians.

Harding did not deny his African ancestry when Republican leaders called on him to deny his "Negro" history. He said, "How should I know whether or not one of my ancestors might have jumped the fence?"

Does African ancestry make these men Black? If the bar is the one-drop rule, then yes. The one-drop rule is a historical term used during the Jim Crow era that defines a person with one drop of sub-Saharan-African ancestry as not white and therefore must be Black. If that's the bar, then there have already been other Black presidents, says historian Leroy Vaughn, author of Black People and Their Place in World History.

The first president with African ancestry was Jefferson, who served two terms between 1801 and 1809. Jefferson was described as the "son of a half-breed Indian squaw and a Virginia mulatto father," as stated in Vaughn's findings. Jefferson also was said to have destroyed all documentation attached to his mother, even going to extremes to seize letters written by his mother to other people.

President Andrew Jackson, the nation's seventh president, was in office between 1829 and 1837. Vaughn cites an article written in The Virginia Magazine of History that states Jackson was the son of an Irish woman who married a Black man. The magazine also stated that Jackson's oldest brother had been sold as a slave.

Lincoln, the nation's 16th president, served between 1861 and 1865. Lincoln was said to have been the illegitimate son of an African man, according to Vaughn's findings. Lincoln had very dark skin and coarse hair and his mother allegedly came from an Ethiopian tribe. His heritage fueled so much controversy that Lincoln was nicknamed "Abraham Africanus the First" by his opponents.

President Warren Harding, the 29th president, in office between 1921 and 1923, apparently never denied his ancestry. According to Vaughn, William Chancellor, a professor of economics and politics at Wooster College in Ohio, wrote a book on the Harding family genealogy. Evidently, Harding had Black ancestors between both sets of parents. Chancellor also said that Harding attended Iberia College, a school founded to educate fugitive slaves.

Coolidge, the nation's 30th president, served between 1923 and 1929 and supposedly was proud of his heritage. He claimed his mother was dark because of mixed Indian ancestry. Coolidge's mother's maiden name was "Moor," and in Europe, the name "Moor" was given to all Blacks, just as "Negro" was used in America. It later was concluded that Coolidge was part Black.

BLACK PEOPLE AND THEIR PLACE IN WORLD HISTORY by Dr. Leroy Vaughn, MD, MBA, is the most radically positive work done in the field of Black history, from ancient times to the late 20th Century. In this chapter, Five Black Presidents, Dr. Vaughn offers a compelling case concerning the heritage of Presidents Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, Harding and Coolidge. Dr. Vaughn's research reveals little known facts deleted from main stream history. The World Music sounds of Najite, Sherwood Akuna on bass, round out this entertaining and informative spoken word piece. Photographs are from the Library of Congress (www.loc.gov) and the White House gallery of president's pictures (www.whitehouse.gov). Narrated by J. Nayer Hardin of the Computer Underground Railroad.

First Lady Got Back - Erin Aubry Kaplan

View original article on Playahata.com

First lady got back.

I'm a black woman who never thought I'd see a powerful, beautiful female with a body like mine in the White House. Then I saw Michelle Obama -- and her booty! Free at last. I never thought that I -- a black girl who came of age in the utterly anticlimactic aftermath of the civil rights movement -- would say the phrase with any real sincerity in my lifetime. But ever since Nov. 4, I've been shouting it from every rooftop. I'm not excited for the most obvious reason. Yes, Obama's win was an extraordinary breakthrough and a huge relief, but I don't subscribe to the notion that his capturing the White House represents the end of American racial history. Far from it. There is a certain freedom in the moment -- as in, we are all now free from wondering when or if we'll ever get a black president. Congratulations to all of us for being around to settle the question.But what really thrills me, what really feels liberating in a very personal way, is the official new prominence of Michelle Obama. Barack's better half not only has stature but is statuesque. She has coruscating intelligence, beauty, style and -- drumroll, please -- a butt. (Yes, you read that right: I'm going to talk about the first lady's butt.)What a bonus!

From the ocean of nastiness and confusion that defined this campaign from the beginning, Michelle rose up like Venus on the waves, keeping her coif above water and cruising the coattails of history to present us with a brand-new beauty norm before we knew it was even happening.Actually, it took me and a lot of other similarly configured black women by surprise. So anxious and indignant were we about Michelle getting attacked for saying anything about America that conservatives could turn into mud, we hardly looked south of her neck. I noted her business suits and the fact she hardly ever wore pants (unlike Hillary). As I gradually relaxed, as Michelle strode onto more stages and people started focusing on her clothes and presence instead of her patriotism, it dawned on me -- good God, she has a butt! "Obama’s baby (mama) got back," wrote one feminist blogger. "OMG, her butt is humongous!" went a typical comment on one African-American online forum, and while it isn't humongous, per se, it is a solid, round, black, class-A boo-tay. Try as Michelle might to cover it with those Mamie Eisenhower skirts and sheath dresses meant to reassure mainstream voters, the butt would not be denied.As America fretted about Obama's exoticism and he sought to calm the waters with speeches about unity and common experience, Michelle's body was sending a different message: To hell with biracialism! Compromise, bipartisanship? Don't think so. Here was one clear signifier of blackness that couldn't be tamed, muted or otherwise made invisible. It emerged right before our eyes, in the midst of our growing uncertainty about everything, and we were too bogged down in the daily campaign madness to notice. The one clear predictor of success that the pundits, despite all their fancy maps, charts and holograms, missed completely? Michelle's butt.Lord knows, it's time the butt got some respect.

Ever since slavery, it's been both vilified and fetishized as the most singular of all black female features, more unsettling than dark skin and full lips, the thing that marked black women as uncouth and not quite ready for civilization (of course, it also made them mighty attractive to white men, which further stoked fears of miscegenation that lay at the heart of legal and social segregation). In modern times, the butt has demarcated class and stature among black society itself. Emphasizing it or not separates dignified black women from ho's, party girls from professionals, hip-hop from serious. (Black women are not the only ones with protruding behinds, by the way, but they're certainly considered its source. How many gluteally endowed nonblack women have been derided for having a black ass? Well, Hillary, for one.)But Michelle is bringing those two falsely divided minds together in a single presentation -- finally, unity for the real world! Talk about a power base.

Thanks to Michelle, looking professional and provocative in a distinctly black way will become not only acceptable but also part of a whole presidential look that's more, well, inclusive. Now we'll all be able to wear leggings to board meetings; we'll sport pencil skirts sans the long jackets meant to cover the offending rear at big conferences where we have to make a good impression. It turns out that Sir Mix-A-Lot, he of "Baby Got Back" fame, was not a novelty but a prophet. Who knew? Give that guy a Cabinet post.Many comparisons have already been made between Michelle and Jackie Kennedy. While I appreciate the spirit, I beg to differ. To put it bluntly, Jackie had no back. Same can be said for gaunt Cindy McCain and the short-lived Republican sexpot Sarah Palin. Jackie was trim and perfect, an inoffensive figure who bucked the curviness of the '50s and put American femininity on the treacherous path of smaller-is-better. Jackie was also a blue blood and a society woman -- an elite! -- so although she set new beauty and fashion paradigms, she also followed old ones.Michelle radiates something entirely different. She's black high society but by definition that's not silver-spoon; it's the result of navigating the rough shoals of racism that bet against your success every day. It's hard work. Michelle looks great but also physically strong -- she looks ready to leap into action if she's called to it. She looks like she could kick Barack's ass, if need be. She has a physicality that's unprecedented in a first lady. Eleanor Roosevelt wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, but she broke from family tradition; Michelle represents black striving that is the tradition. Her very presence, butt and all, is a rebuke to all those presidents who've dragged their feet on equality and justice even though they paid it lip service, from Woodrow Wilson to Bill Clinton. Even more clearly than her husband's, Michelle's prominence is saying to the old guard, step aside. Fist bump? Nah. Booty bump is more like it.

Ordinary black women have waited a long time for this. Oh, we've suffered. In a country simultaneously obsessed with consumer excess and weight control, we've been caught in the middle. Throw race into the mix, and we've been downright strangled. The expectations run something like this: It's OK for black women to be heavier than most, but we still have to conform to a universal (that is, white) standard of thinness and shape. This means that, even if you're 120 pounds, your butt better not account for more than 2 percent of that.Women's magazines talk endlessly about whittling down thighs and waistlines, even jawlines, but butts are still so racially loaded -- so to speak -- they're not even part of the conversation (the closest it gets is "hips," but even white women know that's not equivalent). In other words, butts have never been mainstreamed. And like so many other black characteristics, it endures a double standard. A white woman with an ass can claim to have an exotic appendage that boosts her stock; a black woman with a booty is merely ordinary -- worse than that, she's potentially uncultured, unqualified, ghetto in the most unfabulous sense of the word.I winced when I heard about "The Daily Show" spot in which two people in Florida disapprovingly described Michelle as a "horse" with a big "tuchis" -- I give them the tuchis, but the animal reference was jarring. Of course, Michelle's been described very unkindly all year; one blogger called her King Kong's sister. The primal antipathy to all things black has stood right alongside the euphoria of the Obamas' rise, and it's unnerving, to say the least. Michelle, for her part, gritted her teeth -- she actually does that -- and continued smiling and waving. That's politics, but it's also what aspiring blacks have always done in the face of insult and resistance: Bear it. Walk through it.I can't talk about Michelle's butt without acknowledging her hair, another physical feature that stirs anxiety about black female difference. Let me just say that I hope that gets unleashed, too. How sad that, in order for a black family to prevail -- because Michelle and the girls were all running for office, not just Barack -- they had to sublimate their blackness like crazy, starting with the visuals. Michelle's ethnic butt might have snuck under the radar, but an ethnic do wouldn't have stood a chance. But now the game is over. The jig is up. Time for us all to let the hair down and let the booty hang out, to put our hands in the air like we just don't care.

Will the black aesthetic take over the White House, as many whites openly fear? As that Republican sexpot might say, you betcha. Of course the reality is that black aesthetic is a huge part of American aesthetic and American culture, from fashion to music, language to a physical sensibility that can only be described as bodacious. It's time that we admit all this and give it its place. Michelle started the official coming out with that blazing black-and-red Narciso Rodriguez dress she wore on Election Night, complete with dangly silver hoops that gladdened the hearts of sisters everywhere. She was hiding nothing, and this time she wasn't gritting her teeth about it. She was smiling.........And it was bootiful.

- Erin Aubry Kaplan

http://www.erinaubrykaplan.net/

Erin Aubry Kaplan is a Los Angeles journalist and columnist who has written about African-American political, economic and cultural issues since 1992. She is currently a contributing editor to the op-ed section of the Los Angeles Times, and from 2005 to 2007 was a weekly op-ed columnist – the first black weekly op-ed columnist in the paper’s history. She has been a staff writer and columnist for the LA Weekly and New Times Los Angeles. She is a regular contributor for many publications, including Salon.com, Essence, Black Enterprise, BlackAmericaWeb, Ms. and the Independent. She is also a regular columnist for make/shift, a quarterly, cutting-edge feminist magazine that launched in 2007.

http://erinaubrykaplan.net/thebutt.htm

Stories by Erin Aubry Kaplan :
Rice and the New Black ParadigmWhen it comes to black history, Condi makes cynics of us all.Posted on Feb 3, 2005
Bringin' Da Funk"In yet another American political performance, black people yet again dutifully did their part."Posted on Aug 9, 2004
Cosby's DemonsWhen Bill Cosby chastised blacks for racism, he revealed his own demons, and ours.Posted on Jun 2, 2004
Duped by Wal-MartEmploying devious tactics, Wal-Mart managed to fool an 82-year-old woman into becoming a poster girl for Wal-Mart. That's one customer lost.Posted on Apr 2, 2004
Aristide DevelopmentA black population with a slave past is done in by killing indifference. Sound familiar? In the end, in the eyes of the most powerful country on Earth, black folks just don't matter, and poor black folks matter least.Posted on Mar 8, 2004
Black Like I Thought I WasThe surprising outcome of a DNA test proves a man's race while throwing his blackness into question.Posted on Oct 7, 2003
Department of Homegirl SecurityThe war forced me into an absolutism I never had and don't quite like. In this newly divided world, you're either with me or against me.Posted on Apr 28, 2003
Thoroughly Modern MammyOf coons, pickaninnies and the gold dust twins: Why do black curios stay chic?Posted on Dec 23, 2002
HAL on EarthEvolution Robotics' ER1 will open the pod bay door -- and pour you a beer.Posted on Sep 27, 2002
The Empress's New ClothesSerena Williams, the world's top tennis player, is known for a mean backhand, a killer serve and the sexiest outfits ever to be worn on a tennis court.Posted on Sep 23, 2002
Into the GrooveWithout Janet and Madonna, there'd be no Britney, or Christina Aguilera, or any number of aspirants to the dance throne who, interestingly enough, are not black anymore, but black-inflected.Posted on Aug 16, 2002
Breakfast of ChampionCongresswoman Barbara Lee, who cast the lone dissenting vote in the House's measure to authorize military force in Afghanistan, tears up the roots of despair.Posted on May 10, 2002
The Wonderful World of LifetimeEven as Lifetime's series "Any Day Now" fades into reruns, the show wins raves from loyal followers and new ones alike.Posted on Apr 26, 2002
The Feminine MistakeAre whites making more progress in the gender wars than blacks? Is dressing skimpily in public an admirable goal? The hard questions of post-post-feminism catch up with one young writer.Posted on Dec 12, 2001
White Man With AttitudeHow Randy Newman went from pop music's reigning schlub to movie-music royalty.Posted on Dec 4, 2001
Waiving the FlagI understand America's need to fly flags, our need for symbols bigger than the biggest words. Then why was I shocked when my husband brought one home?Posted on Oct 4, 2001
Float On: Talking with Forest WhitakerWhat do hip-hop, black history and Japanese samurai culture have in common? Forest Whitaker explains in an interview devoted to his new movie, "Ghost Dog."Posted on Apr 1, 2000

I stand corrected about Obama

I Stand Corrected by eyecalone

On November 4th, 2008 something happened, that from this day forward will probably be described using a long list of clichés, so I will describe it using the most appropriate one – historic. Perhaps attempting to in some way exorcise more than 3 centuries of the demons of racial injustice and exclusion the people of the United States elected their first African-American president. This President Elect was not just any African-American either. The President elect was an African-American first generation immigrant in a sense, with a East African name and an Islamic middle name. Sure one of his parents is White, and he was essentially raised by Caucasians, but in the social order of American race relations, Barack Hussein Obama is undoubtedly a Black man.

Honestly if anyone had asked me about such a possibility 8 or even 4 years ago I would have ruled it out. It was a possibility that I would have been confident I would see in my lifetime, and once Barack Obama showed viability in the Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton, I began to believe. However, in a country that, allegations and proof of election fraud aside, had just elected George W. Bush twice the United States as a nation, just seemed too prejudiced, frightened, and angry for such a thing to happen.

Or perhaps, I was too cynical.

In either case, I stand corrected!
The 2008 election was a monumental moment in history that I am glad I was alive to see, though I’m hardly teary-eyed or politically swayed by it. I maintain my skepticism (more like outright rejection) about the prospects for making meaningful change through the less right-wing, portion of the American single party system, the Democratic Party. By my estimation the Democratic party continues to function like a pressure release valve for the public’s discontent with this system and prevents truly meaningful and far reaching progressive changes to American society. In fact it even discourages and limits any serious discussion of such change.

For all the sloganeering about “change” and Obama’s campaign being based on it, I’m still a little hazy on what the extent of what these “changes” will be. In fact if those most responsible for the groundswell of public support that ushered Barack Obama into office don’t hold his feet to the fire I fear an Obama administration may look eerily similar to the Clinton years. Already as Obama looks to build his cabinet many of the top names on his list are Washington insiders and a surprising number of Republicans. Although I can’t really fault President Elect Obama, for these proposals as he has consistently made his “centrist”, moderate Democrat views apparent in his speeches, writings, and public appearances. It is only large numbers of his “progressive” supporters who have failed to hear him, preferring to paint him with the brush of what they would like him to be, instead of what he has already told you he is. I suppose after 8 years of the disastrous policies of the Bush administration people feel they can get into all the specifics later, they just know they don’t want any more of anything that looks like more of what they have been getting.

Still, there is something special about this moment.
As an African-American man whose political views, would place me soundly on the left of the political spectrum, I also find myself fighting two wars. I find myself looking at the 2008 election from many angles and with a variety of emotions, but mainly a combination of apprehension and hope.

As novel as it may be to have an African-American president for the first time, I am apprehensive on a number of fronts. As one of the faux-news correspondents on the Daily Show jokingly put it on election night, Barack Obama is being handed America as a crap sandwich - a steaming economic crisis patty between two sesame seed wars. At this point there may be a limited amount that can be done to stave of further crisis or to deliver on any of his “promises” as it will likely take more than 4 years to unravel the damage done by the last few administrations. If things do not immediately turn around, there will definitely be attempts from sections of this society to saddle him with the blame for the nation’s decline. And although Obama’s ascendancy may represent progress on some fronts, it hardly represents the arrival of full equality for people of color in this nation though that will certainly be one the most prevalent arguments made. If Barack Obama can become president then racism, institutional, etc, is over and we must all be equal, and now we can finally get rid of any programs meant to redress centuries of exclusion and denial of fundamental rights and equality – right? If nothing else Obama’s election is the rebirth of the American myth that this nation is a meritocracy and that anyone can become anything they want in America through hard work alone.

I also worry that so many newly invested people now believe the job is done and will become jaded and politically apathetic again when/if this singular act of electing Barack Obama as President doesn’t produce the results they hoped. And lastly, but not least, I am apprehensive because at the end of the day this election may have breathed new life into a fading empire. It will be putting a very new face on possibly the same old thing especially in the arena of foreign policy. Obama’s election has ushered in a new era of goodwill and hope internationally as the world rejoices and waits to see what will happen now, and if the empire’s new ambassador will truly be different from all those previous in something more substantive than his appearance. If he proves not be a significant change from their most recent experiences, those feelings of goodwill and the opportunities for dialogue internationally may quickly revert to the old feelings of seething anger and distrust that have haunted America’s dealings internationally, recently more than ever.

Lastly I worry – in fact I already know, that Obama’s election will render many people, especially African-Americans incapable of thinking critically about his policies. It is clear unless he does several things bad on the policy front, to the point of being reminiscent of the Bush Administration, Obama will be beyond reproach in many communities of color. In the Black community there is only room for two images on the mantel place in “Big Mamma’s” house, one is Barack Obama and the other is Jesus.

Despite my misgivings there is hope and an appreciation of the sheer magnitude of this event. Even if the Obama administration is politically not the “change” so many had hoped for, as a Black man it is a public relations coup. So much damage has been done to the image of Black people internationally and in America especially, by the media and entertainment that the United States produces, that the image of Obama and his family is of tremendous value. The day after the election I had no less than 3 of the teenagers that I work with say that they were reevaluating their life outlooks, hopes, and dreams based on Obama’s achievement. One of the more rough around the edges of that group, actually told me he no longer “wanted to be a ‘gangsta’” after witnessing Obama’s election. Obama’s regal persona, intelligence, charisma, and a host of other positive personal traits provide an alternate image of Black manhood for children of color, the value of which is hard to underestimate. Using a different set of positive adjectives, a similar argument can be made about Obama’s picturesque family, his powerful, beautiful, and capable wife Michelle and the beauty of their relationship. It gives a whole new set of images in America and on a world stage on how Black men and woman relate romantically or at least how they should.

I left my home to go to Harlem’s 125th street after Obama’s surpassing of the 270 electoral vote count total needed became more or less official, not because I couldn’t sleep due to the noise of the evening, but because I felt a need to read the pulse of people at that moment. Before I was able to walk two feet from my doorstep I was passed by a group of 6-8 brown children smiling, laughing, and chanting “O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!”, as they walked hurriedly down the block. There was something magical and palpably special about the night and as I walked towards 125th street there were people of literally every color chanting and visibly ecstatic about the night’s events. There were people yelling from cars and cab drivers honking their horns. It had the feeling of a city after a major sports team wins a championship after decades of losing. The excitement and hope, and specifically for people of color, pride, was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Only time will tell what, if anything, any of this will mean once the euphoria wears off but it was a sight to see.

Lastly there is the fact that despite the outpouring of support from people of color, particularly Blacks Americans who have consistently voted above 90% for the Democratic candidate in any recent election, Obama’s election would not have been possible without a majority of support from White Americans. The Republican ticket made every possible appeal to backwardness and prejudice that they could get away without openly being accused of racism, and this time it wasn’t enough. The perfect storm of looming economic disaster, disgust with the Bush administration and the outpouring of support from younger White voters exposed a bit of a generational divide among White Americans. Of course racism in America is nowhere near conquered, at best maybe there is a dent in the armor, but this occurrence perhaps signals more hope for the current generations and those of the immediate future, than I had been willing to concede in the past.

Like the President Elect this election has me inheriting two wars. I still long for much more far-reaching and meaningful progressive change for every ethnic group in this country. The kind of change that is not even allowed to be discussed in mainstream media venues. On another war front, I realize there is a tremendous amount of work that must be done in the Black community to redress centuries of trauma at the hands of the exploitative and racist economic and social system that is America. Sometimes these struggles overlap, while other missions are mainly for one of these wars. However based on what I’ve thus far seen and the almost irrational exuberance about the results of the 2008 election this may be a period where I’ll find it most rewarding to shift my resources to the war front that involves repairing the Black psyche. My intuition tells me that the next few years I may find it hard to convince many people that it is the system that must be challenged when they now see themselves so thoroughly as part of the system.

Yes We Can!

Yes We Did!

Now it remains to be seen what exactly have we accomplished.
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Here are a few about President Obama

Photo Credit - David Schwartz

"Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, in a May 1961 radio broadcast noted the United States' problems in the area of equal rights for Negroes. He focused on the progress that had been made and for an awareness that everything pointed to continuing progress. "There's no question that in the next thirty or forty years a Negro can also achieve the same position that my brother (John F. Kennedy)has as President of the United States, certainly within that period of time." This did not happen in 1968 as folks are claiming.

(Click here for a Tim Russert video although Tim has a bad date.)

Since Obama's victory The Imani Foundation have received numerous articles. Here are a few of them:

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Honored to cast my vote - Irileria Muhammad

We are all celebrating the elevation of Barack Obama to the White House. Black people are represented everywhere from the projects to Pennsylvania Avenue . Now, one of the most powerful men in the world will look just like us. While black people are celebrating, we don't see the silent challenge that is being issued by Barack. Barack has set the bar and now we will all be expected to rise up to it. How far do we have to go? Let's look at what I have learned from Barack.

1. By example, Barack is challenging men to be fathers to their children. Many photo-ops showed his children, and some of the most endearing moments on the campaign trailed involved his relationship with his daughters. What type of standards is he setting in their lives by being there, being involved, and simply, being daddy? He has silently issued a challenge to all men, black men in particular, to become the fathers their DNA claims they should be.

2. By example, he is challenging our community to put education back in its proper place, as the number one priority in our community. His days at Harvard definitely benefited his drive to become President. The fact that he was an educated, articulate man is what made him stand out in the beginning of this journey and that education and ability to exercise critical thinking will carry him further, and we need to make sure that it is carrying our children.

3. By example, he is showing us that no man can get to where he aspires without a strong woman behind him, and when push comes to shove he can and will protect her at all costs. This is a lesson that needs to permeate in our community where black women are treated like sex objects. We are mistreated and undervalued, yet he never stop saying how much his wife means to his dreams. He is challenging us to have better relationships and make black love, and all love, important.

4. By example, he is showing us that we are are only excuse. Whatever we choose to do or not do can no longer be blamed on the "white man". He does indeed have great influence on circumstance, however, he can only create obstacles, not roadblocks, as Barack has proven. If he can make it from his circumstances to the most coveted address in the world, what is stopping you from opening that business, going back to school, buying that house...etc...There are no excuses for failure anymore. We voted them away.

I could go on an on. I am truly honored to say that I was able to cast my voted for a man, a BLACK MAN, with such integrity, values, and promise. I ask that we all pray for his success, as the future of our country really does depend on it. Let's all reflect on what this historic event means in our own lives, and how we can continue to shine a light of positivity on our lives and communities so that we may reap from the harvest of this most amazing seed that has been planted!!!

“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."

Living in the light,
Irileria Muhammad evolutionofagoddess@hotmail.com

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Obama won, will we ?

Kwasi Imhotep KWA708@aol.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO PRESIDENT-ELECT BARAK OBAMA!

RACIST EUROS ARE HAVING A VERY BAD HEADACHE THIS MORNING THAT WILL LAST AT LEAST 4 YEARS, AND THEIR ONLY REMEDY IS TO EMBRACE JUSTICE.
IN THEIR MINDS, TO HAVE AN AFRIKAN-DESCENDED PRESIDENT WHOSE AFRIKAN ANCESTORS WERE/ARE SUBJECTED TO THEIR DEADLY RACISM IS SIMPLY UNTHINKABLE. THEY CAN'T ACCEPT THAT THIS SO-CALLED "BLACK/AFRICAN-AMERICAN" ,BOTH OF WHICH, OF COURSE, ARE FALSITIES, (WRITE ME FOR MORE DOCUMENTATION ON THIS POINT) WILL SOON BE THEIR LEADER.

NOW THAT OBAMA HAS BEEN ELECTED, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR AFRIKANS IN AMERICA? DON'T BET ON RACISM DISAPPEARING, OR DWB, OR UNLAWFUL PEDESTRIAN STOPS AND SEARCHES, OR OUR EXTREMELY HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, OR OUR HIGH RATES OF DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, (MUCH OF WHIC IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO OUR HIGH STRESS LEVELS AS AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE), HIGH DEATH RATES, EXTREME POVERTY LEVELS HIGH JAIL IMPRISONMENT RATES, HIGH INFANT MORTALITY RATES, AND ON AND ON.

WHY DO I SAY THIS, BECAUSE WE HAVE LEARNED TO LOOK AT ALL HUMAN EVENTS IN THEIR HISTORICAL CONTEXT. SOUTH AFRICA IS AN EXAMPLE THAT COMES TO MIND. HERE IS A COUNTRY THAT HAS AN 85% INDIGENOUS AFRIKAN POPULATION THAT THROUGH THE AFRIKAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, SWAPO, AND OTHER AFRIKAN-LED REVOLUTIONARY GROUPS WAGED A MILITARY WAR AGAINST THE INVADING EUROS (@15% OF THE POPULATION) TO LIBERATE THE COUNTRY FROM RACISM, DEATH, POVERTY, AND GENERAL HELL AT THE HANDS OF THE EUROS. AT THE END OF THE REVOLUTION, NELSON MANDELA WAS NAMED PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA. ALLEGEDLY WITH THE AIM TO RIGHT THE WRONGS OF THE EUROS.AND TO EFFECT SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL CHAMGE IN THE FORTUNES OF HIS PEOPLE. TODAY, INDIGENOUS AFRIKANS STILL SUFFER HIGH POVERTYY LEVELS, POLICE BRUTALITY, LOW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, LITTLE POLITICAL POWER, AND STILL LIVE IN CRIME-RIDDEN AREAS SUCH AS SOWETO. WHERE'S THE JUSTICE? HERE YOU HAVE AN 85% AFRIKAN PEOPLE WHO ONLY CONTROL 15% OF THE LAND, WITH AN AFRIKAN PRESIDENT IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY, STILL BEING DOMINATED BY THE 15% EURO POPULATION THAT CONTROLS OVER 85% OF THE LAND AND NIMMENSE NATURAL RESOURCES!

NOW OBAMA HAS NOT MADE ANY PROMISES TO US, YET HE ASSURED ISRAEL THAT HE WOULD BE OWN THIER SIDE AND DEFEND THEM AGAINST THE ARABS, HE VOTED TO REDISTRIBUTE THE WEALTH OF OVER $700 BILLION,TO A FEW WALL STREET "BANKS" WHO ARE BUSY PAYING HUGE RAISES AND BONUSES TO THEIR EXECUTIVES OF OUTR TAX DOLLARS. WHAT ABOUT US?

LET'S ALL HOPE THAT DR. WRIGHT'S PRO-AFRIKAN SERMONS WILL ULTIMATELY HAVE AN EFFECT ON OBAMA'S POLICIES. I HAVE THE SNEEKING SUSPICIONTHAT WE STILL NEED TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON HIM TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY US FOR OUR SUPPORT OF HIM.

ALUTA CONTINUA........

KWASI

KWA708@aol.com

The Milk and the Meat by KRS-ONE

The Milk and the Meat

An essay on Christ by KRS-ONE

Usually when we hear the term Christ we immediately think of Jesus. In most westernized countries Jesus and Christ are one in the same. In fact, Jesus is believed by many to be the only Christ there is (or was). And of course, this essay in no way debates,demeans, or attempts to challenge the faith of the reader. The intent of these writings is to factually inspire the reader to reach for the Christ within one’s self. Is this not the whole point of the Jesus story? Yes, the praise and worship of Jesus is essential to the“believer’s” faith. And again, this essay has less to do with Jesus as it has more to do with YOU!

At some point we all must bear our own cross and adopt the actual character of the Christ for ourselves. However, if we adopt a “nobody’s perfect” attitude when it is written Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect(Mathew 5:48), we shall in no way grow into spiritual maturity. How quickly do we forget that Christ is who Jesus became and it is Christ that we all must become. Long before the birth of Jesus, the people of the ancient world were already familiar with the term and concept of Christ. For hundreds of years even before the birth of Moses the concept of Christ was ascribed to those who personified God (or the gods) on earth.Christ was a title given to God’s appointed and/or chosen messiahs. Similar to an Islamic Mahdi meaning; right guided one, the Christ in the ancient world was a leader, a liberator, an anticipated savior; someone who relieved human suffering with the events and/or sacrifices of one’s own life. Self-sacrifice is the Christ. This basic idea of the Christ is not exclusively Christian, nor is Christ the family name or last name of Jesus. Christ is who Jesus became.

The Bible documents how Jesus was called Christ.From the very beginning of the Jesus story we read in Matthew 1:16; And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of who was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Elsewhere in Matthew 16:15 Jesus asks Peter; But whom say ye I am? And Peter answers in Matthew16:16; Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. In John 4:25 the woman at the well said to Jesus;…I know that messiah cometh which is called Christ. The concept of the Christ was already a well known concept in the ancient world. The Jews were simply waiting on “their” messiah to come with the supernatural ability to free them from roman rule.Many cultures at different times in world history have recorded the words and deeds of their Christ or messiah. And many of the Christ stories of other more ancient civilizations bare a striking resemblance to the Christ story found in the Bible’s New Testament. As far back as 1200 B.C., the savior Virishna was born of a virgin and his birth was threatened by the ruler, Cansa. He was presented at birth with frankincense and myrrh; he performed miracles, healed the sick and taught basic morality. But finally, he was put to death upon a cross between two thieves. He also rose from the dead. The same and/or similar stories are told of Budha Sakia of India, Odin of the Scandinavians, Zoroster and Mithra of Persia, Hesus or Eros of the Druids, and Adonis—son of the virgin Io of Greece. All of these Christs were worshipped as God and all were revered as saviors.Krishna, the Hindu God of India, appearing over 3,000 years before the birth of Jesus was also born of a virgin; father was a carpenter, was called Savior and was crucified between two thieves.An even more ancient resemblance comes from the Egyptian Christ, Horus. Horus was revered all across Egypt as the light of the world. Horus was the way, the truth and the life five thousand years before the birth of Jesus. Horus was even baptized by Anup the Baptizer just as Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Horus (like Jesus) was also called the good Shepard. And Horus (like Jesus) was also called Christ. In fact, Horus was called the KRST or the Ka of Ra meaning: the consciousness of God. The Greeks called such a personality the Christos which is a translation of the Semitic m`sheeha or messiah;the appointed or anointed one—the Christ. The all-seeing single eye of Horus appears today on top of the pyramid on the back left hand side of the American one dollar bill.The eye shining above the pyramid is the all-seeing eye of Horus and a symbol of the Christ—the finishing of an unfinished work.For centuries (before and after Jesus) the Christ consciousness was always thought of as the consciousness of a person who has subdued the cravings of the body, was completely detached from the pleasures of the world and absolutely committed to the manifestation of God’s Will on earth. Christ is that state of being where the servant of God becomes the friend of God, ultimately becoming the son of God; one with God—the Christ.Over many centuries those who have been intuitively called out of the world to pursue the Christ have been advised to symbolically die to their old character and old understanding in the flesh to be reborn into a new character and new understanding inspirit. Dying to your will meant dying to your carnal passions, and when you died to your carnal passions you were free. The ancient world knew that no human being was truly free until they had mastered themselves! That as long as you are led by the cravings of your own body and the desires of your own mind you shall in no way be truly free. The same is still true today.For centuries this is what Christ has really been all about.

Christ was about the perfection of one’s Self which started with a decrease in one’s carnal nature and an increase in one’s divine nature. It was about submitting one’s worldly will to the Will of God. It was about being God’s Will on earth. The Christ was about adopting the personality of God over the passions of the flesh. Ritualistically and symbolically the decision to be the Christ begins with the symbolic death (or sacrifice) of one’s flesh and one’s dependency upon the world. This ritual and symbolism predates the Jesus story of the Bible and to this day remains the initiation into many spiritual fraternities, societies, churches, temples, etc.However, today more Christians are satisfied with praising and worshipping Jesus’ holy name than picking up their own cross and following in Jesus’ footsteps. And again, this is not a harsh or unjust criticism of anyone’s faith or specific belief in Jesus. However, at some point those who talk Jesus are going to have to walk Jesus! And Jesus walked on water. Going to a church or a temple to worship and praise God shows your faith and love for God. It shows that you value the things of the spirit. But at some point you are going to have to become the spirit that you worship and praise if are to truly relieve your own suffering as well as the suffering of others. At some point, God must become real in your life. This essay does not deny that Jesus was Christ. This essay simply asks; when are we going to become Christ ourselves? When are we going to die to our old beliefs,old traditions and old habits to be resurrected as the savior of just our own homes? How long shall the cravings of the flesh rule over us?Such a ritual as dying to one’s carnal nature to be resurrected in one’s divine nature is depicted in Luke 23:26 where it reads: And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. This bit of scripture draws interest in a variety of ways. First, the Spirit is the animating essence of a living thing, whereas a ghost is the animating essence of a dead thing. To commend something is to present it as worthy, as approved. When Jesus says,Father into thy hands I commend my spirit, Jesus is presenting his spirit as acceptable before God. However, it is interesting how after Jesus …commends his spirit it is written that he …gave up the ghost, the animating essence of his flesh; the dead thing. Such a commencement of one’s spirit and the death of one’s flesh is not the end of one’s spiritual life, it is actually the beginning.Almost every spiritual teacher says it in their own way according to their own cultural experience, but the general theme has always been the same. Those who have been intuitively called out of the world to serve the Will of God have been for many years advised to symbolically die to their old character and old understanding to be reborn into a new character and a new understanding in Christ.

John 3:3 reads; verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.Traditionally, the spiritual journey toward Christhood began with one’s baptism. Usually a ceremony was performed and the “believer” was anointed with water symbolizing anew birth, a new beginning, cleanliness, purity, resurrection. Here, the seeker symbolizes a baby just born into a new world. From the time you make the decision to pursue the Christ, you are like a newborn baby in spiritual understanding—you are reborn. And just as babies drink milk until they are strong enough for solid food, so also the “believer” is given the word of God (the Bible), until he/she can handle the deeper mysteries of God that stretch beyond the Bible and all written materials on God and spiritual living. The Bible (or the Word) is indeed spiritual milk.While you are a babe in your spiritual understanding, the Bible serves as your milk while the Church serves as your nursery. The strong meat of advanced spiritual living is reserved for those who have outgrown the milk and the nursery. Nevertheless, the milk and the nursery play important roles in the development of the Christ. Unfortunately,many well-intentioned people tend to linger too long in the nursery, comfortable with the milk. The milk is not the life of Christ; the milk prepares you for a life in Christ. It sustains “believers” until they can eat the stronger meat of self-sacrifice. But for centuries“believers” have become comfortable the milk of God, stagnating their progress in eating the bread of God, never tasting the strong meat of God’s Will. As Hebrews 5:12—13reads; For when for the time ye ought be teachers ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness for he is a babe.The Bible, or word of God, symbolizes the milk. As 1 Peter 2:2 states; As newborn babes,desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby. We can see Paul’s frustration with the “new-born” Christians of his time and their use of the milk in1Corinthians chapter 3, verses 1, 2 and 3 where he writes: And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there are among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? And notice the relation between..babes in Christ and fed you with milk. Paul also reveals the fact that even though you may know the word of God, such a knowing is still immature or carnal in spirit.However, after spending some time with the milk of God (the Word), the seeker does mature and begins to grasp the bread of God (righteousness through example). Having grown strong with the milk, the seeker is now prepared to eat of solid bread.

As John6:33 states; For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. Those in search of Christ already know that the Bible speaks in parable.This simple fact was learned during the milk-drinking stage (or degree) of one’s spiritual development where Jesus says; unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand (Luke 8:10). So when the Bible speaks of…God’s kingdom, we do not look up into the sky. We refer to Luke 17:21 where it states; Neither shall they say, lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Those in search of Christ, or a perfect union with God, are beyond the milk. They are beyond the worship of Jesus as the Lord of their lives. They are seeking the personality of Christ which can be found in the story of Jesus.The bread of God is he who comes down from his/her own place of security (heaven) to assist others get to their places of security. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst (John 6:35). For those seeking the Christ consciousness this statement is not interpreted as what Jesus is saying to us; such a statement is interpreted as what we should be saying to ourselves and others. He that cometh to me shall never hunger…is a declaration or affirmation as to the character of the Christ within all of us. We should believe this of ourselves and express this toward others. Imagine if we said this to ourselves every day before we walked out the door…he that cometh to me shall never hunger… this is the character of the Christ. Such is the bread of God. Those that routinely give up their security and happiness for the security and happiness of others are called the bread of God.At this stage (or degree) we have matured now from milk to bread. As the living bread of God we attain the proper spiritual character for digestion of the strong meat. Here, we are still young in spiritual understanding but we are not babes. It is at this stage that we really begin to train for Christhood. Through the experiences of our own lives we are formed,sculptured and chiseled into the Christ. As mentioned earlier, such spiritual maturity includes the giving up of one’s own individual worldly will and desires so that one may unite with the Will of God in spirit and in truth. Such a unity has been expressed generally in three stages (or degrees); they are the milk, the bread and the meat. Or the way, the truth and the life.The milk, or the way, signifies preparation. The bread, or truth, signifies realization. And the meat, or the life, signifies the work (or conformation). The work is to carry out or perform the Will of God which is written in your heart! It is your purpose. By this act,people are taught the way, the truth and the life of God through the conscious examples of a Christ-lived life.An example of the Christ-lived life is described in John 6:38 where it reads; For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of Him that sent me. This is a clear statement as to the self-sacrifice of the Christ-character. Such a character (or personality)is the Will of God. John 6:39-40 reads; And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me,that of all which he hath given, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone would seeth the son and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up on the last day.Further down we read in John 6:44-45; No man can come to me, except the father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.First of all, we should notice the repeated phrases…I will raise him up at the last day.When a “believer” commits to the path of Christ, that “believer” is said to have died.Such a death is symbolic. However, it does mark the beginning of one’s new life in the pursuit of Christ. In such a pursuit, the “believer” is said to be born-again. With this in mind, the last day of the “believer” is interpreted as his/her first day in the pursuit of Christ.

At the last day, or the day you decide to become born-again, Jesus says;…I will raise him up. This is a declaration of God’s commitment to teach, protect and mature the“believer” toward the Christ consciousness. In other words, the character of Jesus (the bread of God) is what raises the “believer” up toward the Christ. Up is used here symbolically because the Christ consciousness is commonly thought of as a higher consciousness. Such a consciousness represents the mind of the upper man/woman or the superman/woman. It is the character of Jesus; which is the giving up of one’s individual will in submission to God’s Will that raises us up to Christhood.But hidden in parable is an even deeper meaning to the Christ-lived life. First, at the last day…all which He (God) hath given me, I should lose nothing. Here, it is realized that all students, assistants and family members are given to you by God. All possessions and titles as well are given by God. And the declaration (even promise) given to those committed to the path of Christ is that all that God gives to you shall not be taken away,lost, or destroyed—this includes people. However, the statement…I should lose nothing…clearly shows that as the bread of God you do not lose or give up, or let go of your material possessions or close friends. In fact, you shall…raise it (them) up again at the last day.This is important to know because during the milk-drinking stage of spiritual learning,the “believer” is told to…sell whatever thou hast and give to the poor…take up the cross and follow me (Mark 10:21). However in John 6:37 we read; All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Here, the“believer” realizes that God is the provider. We can even see a call to patience and a subtle submission of one’s desires and wants. We read; All that the Father hath given me,shall come to me…It’s clear that, all that the Father giveth me…indicates that God has already decided what we are going to get; and …shall come to me, clearly indicates that we haven’t gotten it yet. That it shall come. Such a statement is a call to patience and faith. That whatever is yours; is yours by divine right. Therefore, there is no need to be anxious or worried. All that the Father hath given me, shall come to me.In addition,…everyone that seeth the son and believeth on him, may have everlasting lifeis also what we should be saying and perceiving of ourselves. If you interpret the use ofthe word, son to mean you, then everyone that sees you and believes in your righteousness should receive spiritual motivation and rejuvenation or everlasting life from your personality and character. The “believer” is instructed here to lead and inspire people by example. Finally, no man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him…is not only a declaration of protection against the spiritually immature, no man can come…except the Father…draw him, but the following passage; …it is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God…indicates that the people of God, the true “believers”, those who already intuitively feel the presence of God in their lives will be automatically attracted to you. In fact, they are given to you by God. This realization creates your ministry.

So, as you eat of the bread of God, you learn to give up a littlemore of your will for God’s Will. You let go of worldly worries and the pursuit ofmaterial goods and you inspire the everlasting life in others with your Christ-likecharacter.With this stage of spiritual development, the “believer” is prepared for the meat. AsHebrews 5:14 states; But strong meat belongth to them that are of full age, even thosewho by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews6:1-3 speaks even deeper to such spiritual maturity, it reads; Therefore, leaving theprinciples of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again thefoundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God. Of the doctrine ofbaptisms and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead and of eternaljudgment. And this we will do if God permits.Here, the Bible clearly points to a level of spiritual living that is beyond the rituals of theChurch and the Bible itself. The Bible seems to regard our modern day church rituals andtraditional church teachings as milk. As a spiritual instruction story, the Bible seems to bepushing its readers beyond its pages; urging the Christian to eat of God’s bread and eventually of God’s meat.

What is God’s meat? Jesus answers this question in John 4:34where it reads; My meat is to do the Will of Him that sent me and to finish His work. Thisspeaks directly to your purpose. Your purpose is your work. God has already given youyour work but are you actually afraid to do your work? The bread of God clearlyunderstands that the actualization of one’s God given purpose is for the benefit of all.God is depending upon the actualization of the purpose given to you. However, afterthinking about what it might take to actualize God’s Will in our lives, most of us becomeafraid of the trails and tribulations that must be faced, and we simply go get jobs contentwith Sunday service at the local praise and worship church.To walk in the security of God you must be willing to give up the security of the world.This is another form of self-sacrifice. However as the bread of God, one’s love for God isexpressed through the free giving and serving of one’s purpose toward others. Here, you act on God’s behalf in people’s lives; not on your own behalf. You express your loveopenly to all. Whether difficult or pleasant you are unaffected because you are not actingon your behalf; you are acting on behalf of God. You are acting on behalf of Love. Not that you have no life of your own, but that your life is dedicated to performing the acts of God in the lives of those that surround you.

Jesus says in John 15:13; Greater love hathno man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Again, we can see in thisstatement the self-sacrificing nature of the Christ.As mentioned earlier, such a life is not lived in the world dependent upon worldly ways,truths and lives. Such a life is free and fearless. But do you have the courage to live theway in which God intends for you to live? Are you strong enough to carry the burden ofGod’s blessing on your life? Are you even worthy of such a blessing? Or are you at adead-end job while your purpose deteriorates in your own mind? Ask yourself seriously,if you work everyday and still feel unfulfilled like you are not getting anywhere, what areyou actually laboring for? Jesus says in John 6:27; Labor not for the meat whichperisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. Such a life requires anunwavering commitment to the actualization of the purpose that God has placed in yourheart.Doing the work that God has placed in your heart for the benefit of all is the Christ.Rising to one’s own higher Self against all obstacles, temptations and traps is the Christ.Sacrificing yourself for the benefit of someone else is the Christ. Perfection of yourself isthe Christ. However again, most people appear to be more concerned with worshippingand praising Jesus as the Christ, as opposed to imitating Jesus’ character in an attempt tobe the Christ. Eventually, we all must bear our own crosses.

This is where some people cringe. Be the Christ? How? But this is the very point of thewhole Jesus story. Here, we can see that reading, worshipping and praising are greatmotivators, and all are necessary steps in one’s spiritual development. But the intentionof the Jesus story clearly encourages the reader to imitate Jesus and do the work! Such isthe attainment of the Christ consciousness—a perfectly selfless and loving being. In thisstate of being the Will of God is your total existence. You are God’s Will on earth.Advancing from believing in Jesus as the sacrificial lamb of God sent to take away thesins of the world; the true “believer” becomes the Christ that takes away the sins of theworld through one’s own individual conduct and character.The truth of the matter is that most people are simply too afraid to be God. Yes, be God!Not to posture as if they are God! Or that they are the creator and sustainer of theuniverse; but very simply, many people are afraid to be the light of their own world. Andbeing the light of your world, selfless and loving is the Christ. Ye are the light of theworld. A city that is set on a hill, cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put itunder a bushel, but on a candlestick; and giveth light unto all that are in the house. Letyour light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify yourFather which is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). However, many well-intentioned, kindhearted,religious people are simply too afraid to answer someone else’s prayer on behalfof God. Many well-intentioned people are simply too afraid to love, too afraid to forgive,to trust, to respect.Jesus says in John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Jesuscontinues in John 15:15; Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth notwhat his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of myfather, I have made known unto you.

When Jesus says, Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you, he also tells us what his “command” is in John 15:12. Itreads; This is my commandment that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Thiscommand is repeated in John 15:17 where Jesus says, These things I command you, thatye love one another.However, such a simple command turns out to be the most difficult act to carry out.People are simply too afraid to love. Yet, it is this act that makes you a disciple of Jesusand the Christ. Not whether you are “saved”. Not whether you go to “this” church or“that” temple. Not whether you’ve studied the Bible in its entirety, nor even whether youhave secret knowledge. None of these things make you a friend and a disciple of Jesusthe Christ! Jesus says in John 13:34-35; A new covenant I give unto you, that ye love oneanother as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know thatye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.This command literally encourages the “believer” to be Christ-like by doing whataverage people cannot seem to do; that is, …love one another. As easy and as simple asthis statement may sound, it takes a tremendous effort to actually live within a personalitythat loves, cares for, shows concern for and is affectionate toward those we come incontact with. But this is the character of the Christ.

It is important to note that Jesus gave this command (love one another) to his disciples—to his friends. Even though Jesus’main message was love, he explicitly commanded those who were his friends to love oneanother. This is the character of not only the Christ, but this is the strategy that holds thechurch together. True “believers” in Jesus truly love one another. Here, we learn that it isone’s conduct of love that identifies one as a disciple of Jesus the Christ. The life of Jesusas the Christ is about having the strength to be God. This ultimately was Jesus’ crime—blasphemy!John 10:33 reads, The Jews answered him saying for a good work we stone thee not, butfor blasphemy and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus responds bysaying in John 10:34, Is it not written in your law, I said ye are gods? Jesus furtherexplains in John 10:37-38, If I do not the work of my Father, believe me not. But if I do,though, ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know and believe that theFather is in me and I in Him. Once again Jesus displays the selfless Christ characterwhen he says…The Father (God) is in me, and I in Him. This revelation in one’s own lifeis the Christ.Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Mathew 5:48).Such a statement commands “believers” to reach beyond the milk and the nursery to be asGod would be. To act as God would act. Forgive as God would forgive. Love as God would love.

Praise and worship has its place, but “believers” are commanded to be…doers of the word. This means on the job, you are the Christ. This means with yourfamily, you are the Christ. This means, equally with your friends, and with your enemies,you are the Christ. Your character is selfless. Your greatest satisfaction is in easing thesuffering of others. With love and with patience you teach those around you by example.Your very lifestyle inspires others to reach for their own innate potentials and abilities.You truly care. You truly love. Thou art then truly the Christ! THERE IT IS!

KRS-ONE

http://www.myspace.com/templeofhiphop

Lawrence Krishna Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage name KRS-One, is an American rapper. Over his career, he has been known by several pseudonyms including "Kris Parker", "The Blastmaster", "The Teacha", and "The Philosopher". KRS-One is a significant figure in the hip hop community and is often credited by critics and other hip hop artists as epitomizing the "essence" of an MC and for being one of the greatest MC's to hold the mic.[1] At the 2008 BET Awards, KRS-One was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, for all his work and effort towards the Stop the Violence Movement as well as the overall pioneering of hip-hop music and culture.

Hispanic Heritage Month - Puerto Rico

(Photo of a tribute to Jose Celso Barbosa taken by Seko VArner)

Black history in Puerto Rico initially began (according to Europeans who do not recognize the traces of African presence in the Americas prior to Columbus) with the African freeman who arrived with the Spanish Conquistadors.

In the 8th century, nearly all of Spain was conquered (711 — 718), by the (racially African & Arab) Muslim Moors who had crossed over from North Africa. The first blacks were brought to Spain during Arab domination by North African merchants. By the middle of the 13th century all of the Iberian peninsula had been reconquered. A section of the city of Seville, which once was a Moorish stronghold, was inhabited by thousands of blacks. Blacks became freeman after converting to Christianity and lived fully integrated in Spanish society. Black women were highly sought after by Spanish males. Spain's exposure to people of color over the centuries accounted for the positive racial attitudes that were to prevail in the New World. Therefore, it was no surprise that the first conquistadors who arrived to the island, intermarried with the native Taínos and later with the African immigrants.[7]

The Spaniards enslaved the Tainos who were the native inhabitants of the island and many of them died as a result of the treatment that they had received. This presented a problem for the Spanish Crown since they depended on slavery as a means of manpower to work the mines and build forts. Their solution was to import slaves from Africa and as a consequence the vast majority of the Africans who immigrated to Puerto Rico did so as a result of the slave trade. The Africans in Puerto Rico came from various points of Africa, and suffered many hardships and were subject to cruel treatment.

When the gold mines were declared depleted and no longer produced the precious metal, the Spanish Crown ignored Puerto Rico and the island became mainly a garrison for the ships. Africans from British and French possessions in the Caribbean were encouraged to immigrate to Puerto Rico and as freemen provided a population base to support the Puerto Rican garrison and its forts.

The Spanish decree of 1789 allowed the slaves to earn or buy their freedom. However, this did little to help them in their situation and eventually many slaves rebelled, most notably in the revolt against Spanish rule known as the "Grito de Lares. On March 22, 1873, slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico. (Photo - A Christo-Negro on a shop in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico)

The Africans that came to Puerto Rico overcame many obstacles and particularly after the Spanish-American War, their descendents helped shape the political institutions of the island. Their contributions to the music, art, language, and heritage became the foundation of Puerto Rican culture.

(Photo of a building in Loiza, Puerto Rico taken by Seko VArner)

Puerto Rican cuisine also has a strong African influence. The melange of flavors that make up the typical Puerto Rican cuisine counts with the African touch. Pasteles, small bundles of meat stuffed into a dough made of grated plantain (sometimes combined with pumpkin, potatoes, plantains, or yautía) and wrapped in plantain leaves, were devised by African women on the island and based upon food products that originated in Africa.

The salmorejo, a local land crab creation, resembles Southern cooking in the United States with its spicing. The mofongo, one of the island's best-known dishes, is a ball of fried mashed plantain stuffed with pork crackling, crab, lobster, shrimp, or a combination of all of them. Puerto Rico's cuisine embraces its African roots, weaving them into its Indian and Spanish influences.[42] (Mofongo & Fish from Seko's plate)

A video study of Puerto Rico's African Roots volume 1.

A video study of Puerto Rico's African Roots volume 2.

(Seko VArner at a cultural museum in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico)

Some African slaves spoke "Bozal" Spanish, a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, and the language spoken in the Congo. The African influence in the Spanish spoken in the island can be traced to the many words from African languages that have become a permanent part of Puerto Rican Spanish (and, in some cases, English).[36]

The following is a list of Puerto Ricans of African descent born in the island who have reached notability in their respective fields, either in Puerto Rico, the United States, and/or internationally:
Juan Morel Campos - composer
Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos - lawyer, Nationalist leader
Dr. Jose Celso Barbosa - medical doctor, sociologist, and politician
Wilfred Benitez - boxer
Carmen Belen Richardson - actress
Jose Campeche - painter
Dr. Jose Ferrer Canales - educator, writer and activist
Bobby Capo - musician, composer
Roberto Clemente - baseball player
Orlando "Peruchin" Cepeda - baseball player
Rafael Cepeda - folk musician and composer
Jesús Colón - writer and politician
Rafael Cordero - educator
Jose "Cheo" Cruz - baseball player
Tite Curet Alonso - composer
Carlos Delgado - baseball player
Sylvia Del Villard - activist and actress
Cheo Feliciano - salsa singer
Ruth Fernandez - singer and actress
Pedro Flores - composer
Juano Hernandez - actor
Rafael Hernandez - musician and composer
Emilio "Millito" Navarro - baseball player
Victor Pellot - baseball player
Ernesto Ramos Antonini - Speaker of the House
Pedro Rosa Nales - News anchor/ Reporter
Mayra Santos-Febres - writer, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and college professor
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg - educator and historian
Félix Trinidad - boxer
Juan Evangelista Venegas - boxer
Otilio "Bizcocho" Warrington - comedian and actor
Bernie Williams - baseball player

You are beautiful (Tell yourself that)

A few days ago I returned from a trip to Puerto Rico with the Wifey. We visited Old San Juan, San Juan (proper), Loiza, Santurce, Ponce, and we had a ball. While in P.R. I promoted the Spanish version my line dance single 'La Cinturita'. Upon returning to Hampton Roads Virginia I met with some Special Event business owners developing a wedding event that we are holding. All of these business owners were women, all were African-Americans. One stated "Oh wow, I know you were staring at those Puerto-Rican women with your crazy self. Those Puerto Rican women are so pretty." I stated "Yea, I saw some gorgeous women....but I see fine women every day so I don't trip over that." She retorted "But they are so much more beautiful than we are...Aren't they ?.....Seko, women know women...them women are so pretty." I kinda' looked at her 'funny-like' and said "Sisters are fine, Spanish speaking and English speaking.. Sisters are damn fine." She said "You trying to be funny, you know that they women are prettier than normal 'Black' women......Right?..." The other women remained silent awaiting my answer.

Every morning I have my children say a 'mirror-mantra' which includes a statement about them being attractive. I have a particular concern for my daughter . As I noted on another blog I worry about her self worth. My daughter's hair is very thick, I tell her how regal and beautiful her "African" natured hair is. I learned this reading about Felipe Luciano, the New York born Puerto Rican of the Last Poets, who said in an article how his mother would constantly tell him how beautiful his "African" hair was. I loved the Last Poets growing up and Felipe had a poem that used to empower me named "Jibaro...My Pretty Nig##r". He says in the poem, "How times have changed men, how men have changed times." After studying the African presence in Puerto Rico about 11 years ago I found an article about Elder Felipe in Ebony magazine who discussed how some, I stress some, Latinos in New York looked down on people of African descent and how while on the bus his mother kept her mouth shut while she heard other Latina mothers say some very downing things about Blacks, then his mother would speak to Felipe and his brothers in Spanish to the amazement of the bus riders. The part of the article that has forever touched me was his description of how his mother constantly reminded him of the beauty of his tightly curled hair.

Brothers we have got to begin/continue/consider the way we deal with our women. Too many think that their features are of a lower caste. As I studied our African diaspora I have seen factors that are affected people of African connection that have either been colonized or enslaved. A "Perm" is seen as a necessity for beauty rather than an beauty style/enhancement, Bleaching/fading cremes were at one time very popular for darker women, "Blacks" live in areas that are not maintained very well, and these "Black" women find women that may be racially different from them as being more beautiful than they. I also find that in these studies and in my travels I realized that too many women of African descent suffer from self esteem and worth issues. In discussion with friends some have noted that these issues are prevalent with all women. However, I don't see that "White" women think that as a whole "Black" or "Mixed" women are in general more attractive than they are. I do see that paradigm as being solidly a "Black-Thing".

Now.... A truly funny aspect of "me-being-me" is that this revelation-of-sorts is occurring during a time in my life that I'm starting to find more "White" women as attractive. For a time in my life I didn't find a lot of "White" women's features as frequently as attractive as "Sisterly" or "Soulful" features. I was D.J.ing a wedding reception this weekend and thought too myself "Whoa, she's fine" as I watched a group of "White" women dance and say every word to "Baby Got Back" by Sir-Mix-A-Lot. I've always found it interesting that this song placing Sisterly features above "White" features seems to be a favorite and highly requested whenever I perform for a mainly "White" crowd.

I'm starting to believe that a person is who they consider themselves to be, and that the consideration is partly made up of how the world interacts with that person. While I was a school teacher (3 years) and a school counselor (11 years) for Portsmouth Public Schools I developed a habit of referring to the female students who didn't fit the 'mode' of being beautiful as "Pretty Girl." As I stated this the students who were nearby the student would say "You think she's pretty ?" I would always say "Yes" and then smile and say "I hope my daughter is pretty too when I have children." The child that I was referring too would often be as surprised as the other kids. I also would make a point to state that a child's mother or female guardian was beautiful when bringing up their parent, even after being cursed out by some of these female guardians. I developed the belief that if one knows better, they do better. If one feels better, they act better. If one understands more, they achieve more. I used to say "Know better, do better. Feel better, act better. Know more, do more." These students seemed to perform better when they felt good about themselves. The less inferior they felt, the less inferior they did.

During December of 2007 I put thoughts to paper and wrote the words "Black Improvement." I have been haunted by those words almost daily and am now driven to act on it to stop it from acting on me. One simple strategy I think will affect a change in people of African descent is to uplift our women, then uplift all women. Start with the women around you and uplift them. Tell them when they are right, compliment them, and encourage them. Tell them that they are beautiful.

She said "You trying to be funny, you know that they women are prettier than normal "Black" women......Right ?" I told her that she was beautiful, and we carried on with our meeting. She smiled the remainder of the meeting. She later told me, I wish I could see myself the way you see me. I thought to myself....."We need improvement."

Brothers, I direct you to encourage and uplift as many women as you can. This is the Black Improvement Movement signing on.

Seko VArner
The Imani Foundation