Emergency Update Regarding Michael Jackson and Oprah

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Ancestor “Brother” George Welch is honored

“Brother George” (1932-2011) Considered Friend And Mentor To Many In Hampton Roads
By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal and Guide
About Brother George

For more than two decades, “Brother” George Welch owned and operated the Self-Improvement and Educational Center on 35th Street in the Park Place section of Norfolk.

Welch, 79, died recently at Sentara Bayside Hospital, according to family members.

Known as “Brother George” by most of the people who knew him, he was born in the Liberty Park section of Norfolk. His father worked for the railroad and his mother was a housewife who raised eight children.

A graduate of Booker. T. Washington High School, he enlisted into the U.S. Air Force and served his country 22 years at various posts around the world, including Great Britain and a tour of duty in Vietnam.

After retiring in 1972, he then worked as a longshoreman as a member of Local Union 1248.

Welch opened the Self-Improvement and Educational Center in 1979, according to his daughter, Francisca Welch-Stidham of Virginia Beach. She described him as a quiet and thoughtful man and a strong believer of the Nation Of Islam (NOI).

“My father noticed that many of the people he encountered here did not know enough about themselves as Black people or their culture or history,” Welch-Spidham said. “Most people understood only what people had told them. He always believed that people should be given a chance to improve and elevate themselves to improve their outlook on themselves and their environment.”

The Self Improvement and Educational Censer was more than a bookstore filled with Afro-centric books and other educational and cultural materials.

It was also the cultural and social nerve center for many who lived in Park Place and all over the region.

Welch sold the center last year. But for the last few years, he ran the shop with the help of his now 11-year-old grandson, Malcolm Stidham, who “knew every book in the store, like his grandfather,” said his mother Welch-Spidham.

“Over the years and recently I have run across people who knew my father and they told me about how he inspired them,” she said. “He never talked about it, but he also shared knowledge and inspiration for countless people. He was also a mentor to many. Many people even defined him as the father they never knew.”

Angel Pye works at the St. Bride Correctional Censer and counsels at-risk youth. In 1994, while attending Norfolk State University, she was assigned to write a college paper comparing the practices of African American and White businesses. She interviewed George Welch and his wife on the subject.

“Brother George taught me about integrity,” said Pye. “If you gave him $5 to hold in 1995 ... in 2005 he would give that same $5 back to you ... because it was yours. How many people can you say have that much integrity? That was Brother George and his legacy.”

Farrell Watson, 26, met George Welch on his last day as an enlisted man in the military. Watson was born in Norfolk, too, and unknown to him, “Brother George” knew his entire family. Watson is now a graduate student at George Washington University and a social worker for the city of Hampton.

“He was an inspiration to me. He always gave me words of wisdom and some of the things he taught me kept me out of trouble,” said Watson. “I attended Old Dominion University, got my degree in political science. On the day I graduated, he could not attend because he was busy at the center. But after the ceremony, all of my 50 family members drove over to the center and saw him and we had a small celebration. I appreciated his being my inspiration. I will miss him.”

Mr. Welch was married to Mary Softly Welch, who now lives in Washington, D.C. He had three daughters, Francisca Welch-Stidham of Virginia Beach; Rosemary Omesietie of San Antonio; and Judieth Welch of Washington, D.C. Other survivors include four grandsons and a host of relatives, extended family and friends.

Mr. Welch’s funeral will be at 2 p.m. Saturday May 14 at the Metropolitan Chapel on Granby Street in Norfolk. It will be a cultural ceremony with Afrikan dancers and drummers. Yoruba priest Baba Orisa officiated at the burial.

This article was published in the New Journal & Guide.
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About the New Journal & Guide
The New Journal & Guide is Hampton Roads’ oldest, most widely read and most respected weekly source of information. Our paper is a broadsheet and is published each Thursday. We are especially proud of our 100-plus-year-old legacy as a Hampton Roads institution.

When you read our paper, you will know that this is a medium seeking to inform, enhance, encourage, and inspire the community we serve to move ahead, in spite of the odds. We place a special emphasis on local concerns and features. We are well aware of the competitive business environment. We believe advertisers should get the highest return possible on their advertising dollar when targeting Hampton Roads’ Black Consumer Market. The New Journal and Guide has a weekly circulation of approximately 15,000 and the paper stays in the home a full seven days. With the pass around factor, our paper is seen by an estimated 45,000 people each week.

We feature special editions and supplements to the New Journal and Guide throughout the year. We kick off the year with a special edition saluting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During February and March, we salute Black History Month and Black Press Month. Our Minority Business Supplement in October is also a popular edition designed to get our advertisers’ message to the target audience.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: We take pride in being an active part of our community. We lend support to our organizations and provide a number of free services for our audiences, such as free publication of their church news, social news and area news hotline. Our newsroom staff volunteers during the summer to tutor reading and math to area children. We provide a Speaker’s Bureau which is available free of charge to community groups.

POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT: We take an active role in the political process. We encourage participation in the political process among our audiences, and try to present the issues in a manner that relates to their concerns with emphasis on how it affects them so they can make a clear decisions.

CHURCH AFFILIATION: The Black newspaper was born out of the Black Church. and gospel music has been the root of the Black experience, thus our very existence is connected into that of the church. Weekly, we have a religious page that encompasses the Southside as well as the Peninsula and features religious columns, news items and church services.

SOCIAL ISSUES: Major issues directly affecting the Black community are also of prime concern to us. What the social clubs, the civic and community groups and individuals are doing to support America’s system of freedom and justice is important to our readers. The motto of the New Journal and Guide is: “Dedicated to the cause of the people...no good cause shall lack a champion and evil shall not thrive unopposed.”

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She's Baaaaacckk! Raymone Bain's Michael Jackson's spokesperson/manager

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Frederick Alexander Meade on the Black Church

Author and human rights activist Frederick Alexander Meade provides analysis on the failures of the black church as an instrument in promoting social justice. An excerpt from the syndicated columnist's weekly two hour segment - Mondays with Meade - on WMCS 1290 AM, hosted by Earl Ingram Jr. (4:00 - 6:00 p.m. CST) www.frederickmeade.com

OPEN LETTER: TO ALL MICHAEL JACKSON FANS

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The Prison Industrial Complex - Mondays with Meade - Frederick Alexander Meade

Author and human rights activist Frederick Alexander Meade provides analysis on the prison industrial complex.  Follow the link to listen.   The Prison Industrial Complex - The Evening Rush 1290 AM - Mondays with Meade   An excerpt from the syndicated columnist's weekly two hour segment – Mondays with Meade - on WMCS 1290 AM - The Evening Rush hosted by Earl Ingram Jr.  (3:00 – 6:00 p.m. CST)    www.frederickmeade.com

Pearl Jr interviews Psychic Jane about Michael Jackson's "death"

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Michael & Oprah

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The Black in Latin America Series on PBS

The "Black in Latin America" Series on PBS The series will air over four weeks on Tuesdays, April 19 and 26 and May 3 and 10, 2011, at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS stations. Check your local listings for time and channel. Here are PBS's descriptions of the series. Episode 1: Haiti & the Dominican Republic: An Island Divided In Haiti, The Root Editor-in-Chief Henry Louis Gates Jr. tells the story of the birth of the first-ever black republic, and finds out how the slaves' hard-fought liberation over Napoleon Bonaparte's French Empire became a double-edged sword. In the Dominican Republic, Gates explores how race has been socially constructed in a society whose people reflect centuries of intermarriage, and how the country's troubled history with Haiti informs notions about racial classification. Episode 2: Cuba: The Next Revolution In Cuba, Gates finds out how the culture, religion, politics and music of this island are inextricably linked to the huge amount of slave labor imported to produce its enormously profitable 19th-century sugar industry, and how race and racism have fared since Fidel Castro's communist revolution in 1959. Episode 3: Brazil: A Racial Paradise? In Brazil, Gates delves behind the facade of Carnival to discover how this "rainbow nation" is waking up to its legacy as the world's largest slave economy. Episode 4: Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet In Mexico and Peru, Gates explores the almost unknown history of the significant numbers of black people -- the two countries together received far more slaves than did the United States -- brought to these countries as early as the 16th and 17th centuries, and the worlds of culture that their descendants have created in Vera Cruz on the Gulf of Mexico, the Costa Chica region on the Pacific, and in and around Lima, Peru. http://www.theroot.com/views/features/black-latin-america-other-african-americans

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Frederick Alexander Meade on The Prison Industrial Complex

Author and human rights activist Frederick Alexander Meade provides analysis on the prison industrial complex. An excerpt from the syndicated columnist’s weekly two hour segment – Mondays with Meade - on WMCS 1290 AM, hosted by Earl Ingram Jr. (4:00 – 6:00 p.m. CST)


www.frederickmeade.com

Santa's Black Elf

Santa Claus' "Black" servant, the fore-runner to Santa's Elves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet

In the folklore and legends of the Netherlands and Belgium, Zwarte Piet (meaning Black Pete) is a companion of Saint Nicholas (Dutch: Sinterklaas) whose yearly feast in the Netherlands is usually celebrated on the evening of the 5th of December (Sinterklaas-avond, that is St. Nicolas Eve) and the 6th of December in Belgium, when they distribute sweets and presents to all good children.

The characters of Zwarte Pieten appear only in the weeks before Saint Nicholas's feast, first when the saint is welcomed with a parade as he arrives in the country (generally by boat, having traveled from Spain). The tasks of the Zwarte Pieten are mostly to amuse children, and to scatter pepernoten and candies for those who come to meet the saint as he visits stores, schools, and other places.

1845: Jan Schenkman writes Saint Nicholas and his Servant; Piet is described in this book as a servant and as black, and is depicted as a dark man wearing Asian-style clothes. Steamboat travel becomes part of the mythos from this point. In the 1850 version of Schenkman's book, they are depicted looking much as they do today. The servant gets his African origin but still has no standard name. In later editions Piet was shown in the page costume, the book stayed (with some changes) in print until 1950 and can be seen as the foundation of the current celebration, even though it did use a lot of older ideas and customs.

1891: in the book Het Feest van Sinterklaas the servant is named Pieter, until 1920 there were several books giving him other names, and in live appearances the name and looks still varied considerably.

In the early 20th century the Civilized Standard Celebration for children, with Zwarte Piet as the standard personal servant of the saint, spread throughout the country. In the 1930s urban adults become more involved too and the arrival of Saint Nicholas and his Zwarte Pieten are staged, which more or less explains the shift from the 6th to the 5th of December, as the adults would celebrate on the eve of the saint's day.

During the 20th century, the number of Sinterklaas' servants multiplied. This paradigm shift opened possibilities to create (for TV and such) lots of different characters being a "Zwarte Piet" at the same time. For example, there's a "Hoofd Piet" (Head Piet) who carries the book of Sinterklaas, "Rijm Piet" (Rhyme Piet), et cetera. Especially during the televised yearly event, when Sinterklaas arrives by boat he is often assisted by dozens of Piets. In america he is called Black Peter.
The Dutch now celebrate Sinterklaas (5 December) with an exchange of gifts. These presents are given anonymously, but are often accompanied by poems (Sinterklaasgedicht), signed by "Zwarte Piet" or "Sint", which are read aloud during Sinterklaas evening for the enjoyment of the ones assembled. The poems often are teasing in nature.

Origin and evolution
According to myths dating to the beginning of the 19th century, Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) operated by himself or in the companionship of a devil. Having triumphed over evil, it was said that on Saint Nicholas Eve, the devil was shackled and made his slave. A devil as a helper of the Saint can also still be found in Austrian Saint Nicholas tradition in the character of Krampus.

Some sources indicate that in Germanic Europe, Zwarte Piet originally was such an enslaved devil forced to assist his captor, but the character emerged in the 19th century within the Netherlands as a companion of Saint Nicholas resembling a Moor.[1] Saint Nicholas is said to come from Turkey. The relation of Zwarte Piet with Haji Firuz is incredibly close, Haji Firuz is a traditional herald of Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebration, exactly black in the face and comes with Amoo Nowruz a white beared old man who brings gifts for the children counter part of Western Santa.

The introduction of this new Zwarte Piet was paired with a change in the attitude of the Sinterklaas character that was often shown as being quite rough against bad children himself and thought unbefitting of a Bishop by teachers and priests. Soon after the introduction of Zwarte Piet as Sinterklaas' helper, both characters adapted to a softer character.[2]

Until the second half of the 20th century, Saint Nicholas' helper was not too bright, in line with the old colonial traditions. Once immigration started from the former colonised countries Zwarte Piet became a much more respected assistant of Saint Nicholas, who is often a bit inattentive.[3]

According to the more modern Saint Nicholas legend, a Zwarte Piet is a servant who accompanies Saint Nicholas on his holiday travels. In some versions, it is alleged that Saint Nicholas once liberated a young slave named Peter, who decided to serve Nicholas (as a free servant) rather than enjoy liberty alone. Zwarte Piet is today commonly depicted as a black person in the colorful pantaloons, feathered cap and ruffles of a Renaissance European page, a tradition based on a single illustration in a book published in 1850.

Zwarte Pieten are often portrayed as mischievous but rarely a mean-spirited characters. Parents used to tell their children that if they have been good, a Zwarte Piet will bring them gifts and sweets, but if they have been bad, a Piet will scoop them up, stuff them in his huge dufflebag and spirit them away to Spain as punishment. Though this is increasingly uncommon nowadays, he can still carry some type or scourge (called a "roe"), especially a a bundle of birch branches, which could be used for birching or in modern words, to chastise children who have been too naughty to deserve presents. The character is believed to have been derived from pagan traditions of evil spirits. Also told for decades is a story that the Zwarte Pieten are black because of chimney soot and/or in mockery of the darker Spanish occupiers of the Low Countries in centuries past.

The traditions of the Saint Nicholas feast are in part at least of medieval origin, if not much older. St. Nicholas himself, as described in the Dutch tradition shows some similarities to Wuotan/Odin, which suggests that the duo have a pre-Christian origin. Possible precursors to Zwarte Piet can be found in Odin's ravens Hugin and Munin.

Zwarte Piet During recent years the role of Zwarte Pieten has become part of a recurring debate in the Netherlands. Present-day observations in the Netherlands under controversy include holiday revellers blackening their faces, wearing afro wigs, gold jewellery and bright red lipstick, speaking in a Surinamese accent,[4] and walking the streets throwing candy to passers-by.

The lyrics of traditional Sinterklaas songs and some parents warn that while Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten will leave well-behaved children presents, they will punish those who have been naughty. For example they will take bad children and carry these children off in a burlap sack to their homeland of Spain, where, according to legend, Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten dwell out of season. A child who has been only slightly naughty will not get a present, but a birching with a "roe", which is a bundle of birch twigs. However, due to the long ago banishment of physical punishments like birching, the legend of birching has been replaced with simply receiving a lump of coal instead of gift.

Foreign tourists, particularly Americans, often experience culture shock upon encountering the character (to dress in blackface is a gross taboo in America). Since the last decade of the 20th century there have been several attempts to introduce a new kind of Zwarte Piet to the Dutch population, where the Zwarte Pieten replaced their traditional black make-up with all sorts of colours.[5] In 2006 the NPS (en: Dutch Programme Foundation) as an experiment replaced the black Pieten by rainbow-coloured Pieten, but in 2007 reverted to the traditional all-black Pieten.[6]


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For black men who have considered homicide

The link to the original post is here.

For black men who have considered homicide after watching another Tyler Perry movie...
By Courtland Milloy milloyc@washpost.com
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 8, 2010; 5:30 PM

Can anyone name a movie that came out recently starring a black man who wasn't a sociopath? Someone who had a terrific screen presence, like a young Paul Robeson? And he portrayed a character who was complex and fully drawn? Did he respect black women, too?

Anybody see that movie? I didn't. But surely it's out there somewhere, right? An alternative to those Tyler Perry films portraying black men as Satan's gift to black women? But where is it?

Maybe I didn't hear about it because of all the buzz over Perry's "For Colored Girls," which opened Friday and is based on Ntozake Shange's 1975 stage play, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf."

Or maybe I didn't hear about it because I was retching too loudly after seeing "For Colored Girls" - and reading so many inexplicably glowing reviews.

"This movie is powerful," Demetria L. Lucas wrote recently in Essence, the nation's premier magazine for black women. "It is incredible. The performances in it are astonishing, but most of all, this film will leave you lifted."

Me, I thought the movie should have been renamed: "For Black Men Who Have Considered Homicide After Watching Another Perry Movie."

"Oscar buzz, breaking news," read the Hollywood Reporter on Friday. "Will 'For Colored Girls' blindside Tyler Perry's critics?"

Too late. I was blindsided while watching the movie, especially when superstar Janet Jackson appeared onscreen looking like Michael Jackson with breast implants.

"Don't laugh," says Shadow and Act, an online publication about black films and filmmakers. " 'For Colored Girls,' an Oscar contender?"

Oscar for what?

In the category for best infection of a black woman with a sexually transmitted disease that renders her infertile. . . . And the winner is: black man.

For best down-low, double-dealing husband who has sex with wife while sneaking around having sex with men on the streets. . . . And the winner is: black man.

For best portrayal of a guy who at first seems nice but turns out to be a rapist. . . . And the winner is - OMG, his third of the night - black man!

"You may need some time alone after viewing 'For Colored Girls,' " wrote Tonya Pendleton for BlackAmericaWeb.com. "Whatever you may think of the fact that it was Tyler Perry who finally brought the award-winning 1974 Ntozake Shange stage production to the big screen, it will move you."

So will ex-lax.

"You will want to know that two kids get thrown out the window by their father," wrote Jane Nosonchuk for Hamptonroads.com. "The scene is well done."

Do I hear another Oscar nomination?

"The men in the movie are all bad guys except for the cop," Nosonchuk wrote. "They are a means to an end rather than any lead characters. Also, a back-room abortion may disturb some."

You think?

What an awful year for movies featuring black actors. Samuel L. Jackson in "Unthinkable." Thoughtless would be more like it. "Brooklyn's Finest" had a nice cast, with Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes. But Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke got top billing. "Our Family Wedding" with Forrest Whitaker was okay. But how many black wedding comedies can you watch? Even preacher T.D. Jakes is coming out with his own copycat wedding movie next year.

Surely Spike Lee and Denzel Washington could team up for a sweeping historical drama - say, a black sharecropper's son, educated in a one-room schoolhouse built by slaves in Alabama, who grows up to become one of Wall Street's most powerful CEOs.

Smarter than Gordon Gekko and more complex. With a cameo appearance by former Merrill Lynch chief executive Stanley O'Neal.

Maybe you saw the kind of movie I'm talking about. If not, maybe it's time to make one.
milloyc@washpost.com

Historical Information:

The movie "For Colored Girls" weaves together the stories of nine different women - Jo, Tangie, Crystal, Gilda, Kelly, Juanita, Yasmine, Nyla and Alice - as they move into and out of one another's existences; some are well known to one another, others are as yet strangers. Crises, heartbreaks and crimes will ultimately bring these nine women fully into the same orbit where they will find commonality and understanding. Each will speak her truth as never before. And each will know that she is complete as a human being, glorious and divine in all her colors.
Starring:Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Michael Ealy, Kimberly Elise, Omari Hardwick, Hill Harper, Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Tessa Thompson - Director:Tyler Perry - Release Date:Opened Nov 5, 2010

The play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf" is a 1975 play by Ntozake Shange. Initially staged in California, it has been performed Off-Broadway and on Broadway, and adapted as a book, a television film, and a theatrical film. The 1977 Broadway production was nominated for a Tony Award for best play.

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Nick News: "Do We Need Black History Month?"

Nick News:

"Do We Need Black History Month?"

"Nick News" examines the history and controversy behind Black History Month.

http://www.nick.com/videos/clip/do-we-need-black-history-month-full-episode.html

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The Million Man March Pledge of 1995

15 Years ago
The Million Men Marchers took this pledge:

I PLEDGE that from this day forward I will strive to love my brother as I love myself. I, from this day forward, will strive to improve myself spiritually, morally, mentally, socially, politically and economically for the benefit of myself, my family and my people. I pledge that I will strive to build businesses, build houses, build hospitals, build factories and enter into international trade for the good of myself, my family and my people.

I PLEDGE that from this day forward I will never raise my hand with a knife or a gun to beat, cut, or shoot any member of my family or any human being except in self-defense. I pledge from this day forward I will never abuse my wife by striking her, disrespecting her, for she is the mother of my children and the producer of my future. I pledge that from this day forward I will never engage in the abuse of children, little boys or little girls for sexual gratification. For I will let them grow in peace to be strong men and women for the future of our people.

I WILL never again use the ‘B word’ to describe any female. But particularly my own Black sister. I pledge from this day forward that I will not poison my body with drugs or that which is destructive to my health and my well-being. I pledge from this day forward I will support Black newspapers, Black radio, Black television. I will support Black artists who clean up their acts to show respect for themselves and respect for their people and respect for the ears of the human family. I will do all of this so help me God.




The direct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol3BIfAKqPI&feature=player_embedded


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Deficiency and Difference - M'Bwebe Aja Ishangi

The direct link: http://daghettotymz.com/current/deficiency-difference/deficiency-difference.html?sms_ss=facebook

This is in reflection of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's April 27, 2008 speech at the NAACPs Freedom Fund Dinner] by Deficiency and Difference - M'Bwebe Aja Ishangi.

"Because they (Afrikan people) learn from a subject, not from an object... They have a different way of learning. Those same children who have difficulty reading from an object and who are labeled EMH, DMH and ADD. Those children can say every word from every song on every hip hop radio station... Why? Because they come from a right-brained creative oral culture like the griot's in Afrika who can go for two or three dayz as oral repositories of a people's history... That is a different way of learning. It's not deficient, it is just different."
xxxxxxxxxx— Rev. Jeremiah Wright

Over the last several weeks, white America heard two eloquent perspectives of america from an Afrikan-in-america point of view. The first bein' presidential candidate Barak Obama's March 18, 2008 speech on Race and in response to his affiliation with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, with the second comin' from Rev. Wright himself on Sunday, April 27th as he addressed the nation via the NAACPs Freedom Fund dinner in Detroit.

The theme of Rev. Wright's speech was that Afrikan people are not deficient, we're different. His response was fueled by 'massa'-media's unrelenting attack on him for citing what they (the media) still refuses to credit as wordz from a white politician who made comments condemning America for its role in civil and foreign unrest. And although I'm no christian, muslim nor believer in man-made religion, as I tuned into CNN, I listened with an open mind.

Rev. Wright revealed some serious jewelz that Sunday evening. The difference in learning modalities was a topic that had never been discussed on prime-time tv. Not only did he mention educated research by hedz like Dr. Janice Hale on the distinct scientific differences of the way Afrikan people learn opposed to whites, he touched on it scientifically,

"What Dr. Janice Hale did in the field of education and what Dr. Geneva Smitherman did in the field of linguistics, Dr. Eldon (Katter) did in... the field of music... African music is different from European piano music. It is not deficient, it is different... We were taught a European paradigm as if Europe had the only music that there was in the world. As a matter of fact, if you just say the term, classical music today, most here, use of that term will automatically refer to Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and already cited Mozart and Handel... From grammar school to graduate school, we are taught in four, four time. That the dominant beat is on one and three. Our band directorz, our choir directorz, our orchestra director start us off how? 'And ONE, two, THREE, four. ONE, two, THREE.' Now, that's the European dominant beat. For Afrikan and Afrikan-Americanz, it is not one and three, it is two and four... Listen to black people clap to this song. Glory, glory hallelujah, you are clapping on beats two and four. If you got some white friends, they'll be clapping like this (on one and three). You say they can't clap. Yes, they can. They clap in a different way... Afrikanz have a different meter and Afrikanz have a different tonality. European music is diatonic, seven tones. Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do... In west Afrika and south Afrika,... it is pentatonic with five tones. Wintley [Phipps] points out that if you want to know black music, just look at the black keys on the piano. Do, re, fa, so, la. Just those five tunes. Those are the only five notes you'll hear..."

An additional jewel was when he said,

"...Here in Michigan, look at and listen to the University of Michigan and Michigan State University bandz at half-time. Their bandz hit the field with excellent European precision... Now go to a Florida A&M and the Grambling State Band. It's different. And you can't put that in no book."

Yo, you had to see him demonstrate this, it's so true... so true!!

A difference does not mean you are deficient. Rev. Wright blessed us with madd jewelz and for it to be televised made me envision that change is upon us. My only problem is that in the year 2008 — nearly 150 yearz since the Emancipation Procrastination (Proclamation) — we're still takin' the "I wanna be down" approach in the fight for liberation, havin' to explain again and again, generation-after-generation, askin' for YT to accept and treat us equally.

Why haven't we realized by now, the likelihood of this happenin' isn't worth continuing to exert energy towardz?! What has delayed us from goin' back to doin' what our immediate Ancestorz did before the Civil Rights era? Why hasn't there been a Black Wall Street since the one that was burned to the ground by jealous whitefolk back in 1921 (the Tulsa Race Riot)? Afrikanz around the globe have been in this state since we substituted self-reliance and self-determination with the burning desire to be accepted by euroepanz, even if it meant bein' less of ourselves naturally (How oxymoronic is it for Afrikanz to be afraid of tanning in the summer sun or wearing blue-colored eye contacts and dyeing your hair blond?!!?).

Since this paradigm began, we've witnessed the continued exchange of what I like to call, "the Great Cultural Sell-off", where we find Afrikanz literally givin' ourselves to the world with the only want in return being equal acceptance — how about ownership/patenting?! This mindset of 'Afrikan-invention-morphed-into-european-control/profit' today feedz off the creation of urban music (from Bebop to Hiphop), culture (now blue jean companies make saggin', low-pocket jeanz like urban youth wear) and language (Newt Gingrich actually said the word, "diss" when talkin' about Rev. Wright disrespectin' Obama on the show, The View!).

If you really look at it from a global/historical perspective, who has alwayz gone against the majority? CAUCASIANZ!! And for those white folks readin' this (and even black folk who still suffer from the 'please-don't-beat-me-massa' syndrome), don't try and flip this into some reverse-racist argument; and no, I'm not speakin' individually, I'm talkin' collectively as in the historical white race in general.

I'll accept that there are some less than savage white folk, and in return, won't dispute there are some wicked blacks (like the Boule'). Herein lies the difference, for every white person who believes they shouldn't be associated to somethin' their immediate ancestorz did, take a look at how you still benefit from their misdeedz. In addition, don't sit here and act like racizm and enslavement no longer exists! Institutionalized slavery is more powerful than ever and it's global! As a member of the white race, you benefit from it simply because you're white. What's more, there aren't enough (if any) white organizationz who denounce their forefatherz. And lets not even mention if they'd raise fundz as a sort of payback (like the 40 Acres and 2 mules we still haven't got!).

In a world full of all kindz of people, white folk still project themselves as the majority — not in number, but intellectually and financially — which is divisive tactic that creates a superior/inferior complex. Now create a system [composing the fieldz of education, entertaiment, economics, labor, law, politics, sex, religion, war and health—called the 9 Areas of People Activity, plus 1 (health) theorized by Drs. Neely Fulller and Francess Cress-Welsing] that magnifies this, and you end up producing people of color with less esteem due to lack of opportunity, and whites with confidence because of privilege. Call it a coincidence if you want, I call it a generational systematic and effective plan!

A plan like this in todayz world is more subliminal than right in your face. A perfect example can be seen simply by turnin' on your television or by flipping through the pages of publicationz (magazines, books, etc.). For every one person who's not white, there's at least 8-10 who are. Go 'hed, flip the channelz/pages and count how many white folks you see versus Afrikan people (or other people of color).

What's more sublime are the roles we see people in. Look at anything that has to do with beauty and entertainment, like the Miss America pageant. Of the 50 contestant's involved, you can count on one finger (yeah, that's right, I said finger and not hand!) how many are Afrikan versus white. Or take a look at how many politicianz or memberz of congress are white versus non-white. Still think it's a coincidence? I could go on, for dayz naming scenario's.

Yes, we are in the majority of some thingz, like sport jocks, but certainly not in the ownership department! But we're not fairly represented as cheerleaderz! Take a look at all the professional sport cheerleading squadz. This is deep because its systematic, or duplicated around the league's trickling down to the college ranks! It isn't by coincidence that the majority of cheerleaderz are white. The decision makerz (who I bet are mainly white) are defining what they want to be perceived as beauty and they actually feel they are doin' justice by sprinkling a token American-Afrikan/West Indian, Spanish or Asian chick to lessen the blatant racist preference; and we, the public are too blinded (and appreciative of inclusion, no matter what level) by their snail-paced (say delayed) effort for ethnic equality.

We're even doin' it to ourselves! Tyra Banks show, America's Next Top Model is the perfect example of self hate. Notice how many Afrikan women start out on the show versus how many actually win! In addition, she constantly berates our sisterz for not walking or posing 'european', not to mention the consistent gay male presence like that maama-mon (gay) 'Miss J'!

When we are on center stage, we are often depicted in a manner they convinced us to accept as "art". Did you see Vogue magazine's April 2008 cover of LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen? If you looked at conceptual artwork of the original 1933 King Kong movie, you'd see a close resemblance... or is this just a coincidence?

YT not only sees anything not white as deficient, it's seen as divisive 'cause it goes against the control of what they want it to be, and they've proven throughout time that they're willin' to do whatever it takes to have thingz in their favor — even if it meanz some of their own will be oppressed! If Fox news will keep this link up, peep what a white priest (father pfleger) defending Rev. Wright and Farrakhan as well as his thoughts on the double-standard white america has comparing how whites who criticize america are seen opposed to Afrikanz-in-america: http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?videoId=1fd1c0cf-5c80-4d75-996f-bd53b2461ae0&sMPlaylistID .

Remember the ol' sayin', "When in Rome, walk like the Romanz"? Who was the first to say it? I'm willin' to bet they were of european descent! Ask yourself, has the sayin', "When in Afrika, walk like the Afrikanz" ever been honored? Oh, when YT came to Afrika, they did walk like the Afrikanz. In fact, they wound up impersonating our Ancestorz, plagiarizing everything Afrikan and calling it theirz (study the persianz, romanz and greeks to name a few, or read 'Stolen Legacy' by George GM. James).

See, to them, it is a matter of survival. Never in the recorded history of europeanz have they lived in harmony with any race, not even their own! They can't function unless they are in control. And its this egotistical mindset that has prohibited the human race from living together, peacefully.

It may shock you to know that white folks are not the majority. This isn't me just sayin' it, it's true! When you take into account the people's of the world. In fact, research states they are a dying breed. Ask yourselves, who created artificial insemination and In-Vitro fertilization; what race invented cloning?! The even better question is why did they create these?!!? Don't see it, or better yet, don't wanna see it? Let's travel back in history...

HISTORY FOR HISTORY'S SAKE
When the founding pirates, I mean, "fatherz" arrived in North America, it was already populated; it just wasn't by them! Dark-melanated beingz that look just like the dark-skinned hedz on the continent of Afrika were here well before the erroneously called "Indianz" or "Native-Americanz"! [The earliest chiefs of many tribes would've been thought to be Afrikan because they looked like Afrikanz, but can't be called that because they were in North America, not Afrika. Additional proof of an early "Afrikan" presence are the countless ruinz that have "Afrikan" features like the Olmec Headz found in Mexico as well as pyramid structures and underground passages said to be found in the state of Indiana (look up Ancient America magazine). This bringz into question where did the first inhabitants of this planet originate from and that's a whole 'nutha piece that will be addressed at a later date—(hint) look up Pangaea].

The first europeanz in the "New world", were the different one's, not the hedz who were already here! And what did they do? Did they try to adopt and learn the customz of the original inhabitants? Yes and no. It's just like you havin' someone come from another state or country and stay in your house and they bring with them their home habits, not even considerate enough to learn the wayz of your household first before basically "housin'" your house!

This is what YT did then, and what they do now; alwayz have, and likely — if we use history as our measuring stick — will continue to do! Ask yourselves, how is it the United States military have bases nearly all over the world but there are no foreign bases within the United States that are from Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, the Ukraine, not even Mexico or Canada! Y IZ Dat?! What race decided to split the continents up into territories and borderz, makin' it so you have to have citizenship and passports to enter and leave places on this place we all live on called Earth?! I mean, ain't we all Earthlingz before anything else?!!? Let that jewel marinate for a lil' bit...

Need more examples? Look at chronic disease's sudden rise in China. The culprit? How 'bout all those McDonalds' outlets that sprung up — and I'm not even counting the increase of softdrinks (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc. which also usher in the worldz most addictive substance, refined sucrose aka white sugar - watch two Video Articles on White Sugar on DGTv) [SIDEBAR: why is it called 'soft'drinks when the amount of sugar in soda can eat away your teeth?! Another jewel... marinate on that a bit as well...].

Or how 'bout the guerilla warfare tactic of sendin' christian missionaries, who for yearz, have gone (and still go) into Afrika, converting Afrikanz — who created spiritual systemz millenniumz older than christianity — to this faith that was mandated to the world [thanx to Constantine the (not so) Great], that convinces hedz they're born in sin. Ever heard the short parable, "when the christianz came into Afrika, we (Afrikanz) had the land and they had the Bible. They convinced us to close our eyes and pray to their God. When we opened our eyes, they had the land and we had the Bible!" Yes. That's another jewel... take your time with this one!

Not good enough? How about the western hospital and pharmaceutical syndicate that went into this same area and tricked the inhabitants into believing their natural herb-using doctorz were witch doctorz and that they (YT) had better drugz, which didn't cure you, it just masked the pain (which usually brought on additional ailments); all this in efforts to control the mind, body and spirit (belief system) of whom they refer to as 'Third World' people.

Peep the tricknology, picture a witch doctor... now picture a doctor. What are the first images of each that come to mind? The witch doctor is some savage with a bone through his nose dawnin' a necklace full of teeth screamin' in a language you could swear was a cousin of the caveman; whereas the doctor in over 90% of hedz mind is a white man in a clean, pure, "white" coat. Echoing Rev. Wright, "we're not deficient, just different!"

This piece isn't to bash religious believerz. On the contrary, this is to show the genesis of who actually sees difference as deficient versus who's been convinced they're deficient, not different, and because of this, fights to be accepted by someone who hasn't proven capable of even accepting themselves!

The work of the co-conspiratorz of global white supremacy have kept the world blind for some time now. Today, we are witnessing the erosion of that pact, for as they say, nothin' lasts forever. But this device called global white supremacy won't just roll over and die. As the discussion of race, the imbalance of historical perspective and impending future dawnz upon the next generation, these culprits are workin' overtime to hold on to the benefits of their misdeedz as long as possibility will allow it. They are determined to be divisive; with them bein' on top of the food chain with a healthy gap between the next, of course.

The fact is, there is no difference in deficient or divisiveness; they actually go hand-in-hand. When we look at white-folk, we see whenever they're in a situation they're not in control of, or can't comprehend, it makes them feel deficient, so their instinctive plan of retaliation (although retaliation isn't even needed) is divisiveness. See, to them, anything non-white is a threat; as if blending or merging harmoniously with other ethnicities would literally 'whiteout' their existence (sorta like how the color white is fundamentally an inferior color to all the other colorz of the rainbow. Just blend it with any color and white becomes almost absent. Use a dark hue like black or brown, and it's totally engulfed — oh, they've studied this as well! They call it 'Eugenics'). I even dare call it a defense mechanizm. And why would they be so defensive? Because of all the ill deedz they've done to people the world over. They know karma could be right around the corner!

With that theory bein' said, they still refuse to practice humility and continue on with their wayz creating hierarchies, classes, deciding what (who) is of value and what (who) is not; all this, because they cannot handle not bein' in the driverz seat at all tymz. It's not until they are confronted that they show a sliver of shame.

I'll give you a personal example. The very next day after Rev. Wrights speech, I'm gettin' dressed one afternoon after workin' out at a gym in New York City. My attire was business casual, wearing a button-down shirt with brown pants and brown shoes. This older white guy chooses a locker across from mine and beginz to laugh under his breath. I paid him no mind. I guess my ignoring him gave him some courage as he uttered to me laughin', "You know what would be funny?... If you was a lawyer! With your (dred)locks and all; you'd be a rasta lawyer!" Because I wasn't wearing jeanz saggin' past my ass and a backward baseball cap, I was a (corporate) threat to him.

He's laughin' waitin' for me to laugh with him. Now, in any other situation, I'd go Dave Chappelle on his ass, but I'd be seen as the one in the wrong. In addition, he probably didn't even realize there was nothin' funny about what he just said. I paused, thinking before I spoke... turned around, lookin' him square in the eyes and replied, "you shouldn't be so afraid; but then again, I understand why you would be..." His smile turned to a look of embarrassment, as his eyes searched for his jaw that was on the ground. He mumbled under his breath, "I guess that wasn't so funny. I'm glad you said that," as if he wanted me to see his acknowledged foolishness. Trust, I wanted to say (and do) more! But what I said was enough to change his vybe. And it made me think of Rev. Wright's speech.

Am I sympathetic to white folks 'cause they can't handle hedz that are 'different'? At tymz, on an individualistic level like this encounter, yes; but when I look at this and see this is a microcozm of a macrocozmic and historical way of thinking white folk have had for everyone non-white, the answer is no, not at all...

Maybe now we can realize there's the urgent need to change our focus from acceptance to defining ourselves, first and be understood by otherz, second; for the other way around continues to empower the very oppressor we're tryin' to defeat.

About the author: http://daghettotymz.com/lecture/lecture.html
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