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

And a Child Shall Lead Them

"And a Child Shall Lead Them"
by Sheri Bailey

juneteenthva@yahoo.com

Listening in on a conversation between a couple of old heads about the times and it was their feeling that it's time to start talking about alternatives to capitalism and my immediate reaction was, it's a long way beyond time to start "talking" about alternatives to capitalism. We don't live in an "either / or" world. Fact is, the American poor already live in a socialist state and it ain't pretty. It's called public housing, public schools, medicaid or medicare. It is a system designed to keep poor people poor. And when the poor react against this system they are criminalized for things like non-payment of child support, traffic violations and drug addiction.

The majority of poor people are under age 18 and because they neither work nor vote they have absolutely no value in a capitalistic society. They are raised on a steady diet of materialism, sex and violence while at the same time told they are shallow for their desire to participate in the vacuous orgy that pop culture has become. And despite how the previous generations have failed them, these young people who are going to put Obama in the White House, are energetic and optimistic.

Of course, it is the fate of the young to not know how hard it is to light candles in bitter winds. Many of them will be voting for the very first time because it is the first time that they are old enough. Others will be voting for the very first time because a presidential candidate has ignited their dreams and aspirations. They are too young to know that it's been almost a half a century since the American people have experienced hope in a political leader. They think this is normal.

To the cynics who caution that one man alone can't change America young people are responding, "He is not alone. We are with him." And they also make the point that one person alone can indeed be the force behind monumental change in a country, a community, family or the world. History is full of such people. (Moses, Abraham Lincoln, Hitler, Elvis, Rosa Parks are among many who immediately come to mind.)

And finally, on the idea of change, Obama is not being asked to do the impossible. His job will be to help America live up to its vision of itself as a nation that offers each and every one of its citizens from the youngest to the oldest, regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation an equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

Obama's unwillingness to get down in the mud with the Republicans should be seen as a sign that he is sincere about real and genuine change. How can he be for change while resorting to plays from Karl Rove's handbook? His willingness to move to the center should be seen as his nod to the old guard that he understands their concerns as he seeks to put democracy and capitalism on a new dance card. Certainly, after eight years of George Bush and Dick Cheney America does not need four more of the same. But before we embark on exchanging one government-corporate system for another, let's follow the direction of our young and the rest of the world and give Obama a chance. We have nothing to lose except the very future of America. One hundred years from now our today will be defined as the moment when America boldly looked to the future or continued to keep its head buried in the sand. Like one of the credit card commercials tells us, "You decide."

Because he's White - Because he's Black

Voting for McCain Just Because He's White!
by Pearl Jr.

When the heck have White people told other Whites NOT TO VOTE for a person just because they are White? Has anyone dared say that to a crowd about John McCain to any White audience? Just today, there was a story in EURWEB.com that reiterated Marlon Wayans' comment to a group of college students to vote, but "don't vote for Barack just because he is Black", even though Wayans is an Obama supporter. That's a direct insult to Black decision-making that must be voided.

It's ironic that the very people who have voted for themselves (Whites) time after time are NOT under suspicion of race preference, but the people who have voted outside of their race (Blacks) are being treated as if they have a track record for exclusively voting in Black Presidents in the White House when the truth is exactly the opposite.

Barack Obama isn't Lil' Wayne for goodness sake! Barack Obama is a highly educated attorney, experienced community organizer, university professor, state senator, the only Black US Senator today, and has been the EXECUTIVE of the most successful presidential campaign in history. It's daring to accuse Blacks of such an outrageous, unfounded indictment, as if Blacks are stupid enough to elect someone who isn't qualified on the sheer basis of race and race alone?

It's White people whose biases should be under suspicion, not Blacks when it comes to electing Presidents. All 43 Presidents in the history of the United States have been White, without exception, and three out of four of this year's candidates are White. Twisting this reality and putting Blacks on public accusation for racial favoritism is racist manipulation at its core.

McCain and Palin don't add up when it comes to education; Obama/Biden both have law degrees and together have more political experience than their opponents. McCain nor Palin have a graduate degree, just undergraduate degrees. McCain entered the US Senate in 1987, while Joe Biden has been in the US Senate since 1973. Palin was the mayor of a town with less than 9000 people, while Obama has had more people watch him play basketball. But McCain/Palin are both White, therefore if they steal Obama's message of change, apparently, Whites will vote White, even when it is obvious the McCain campaign has put White faces on a Black man's ideas and imagery of celebrity as with the selection of Sarah Palin, who has peaked too soon.

Everyone MUST stop promoting ridiculous ideas like, "don't vote for Barack because he is Black"-it's pure nonsense. Black people have voted nearly 90 percent democratic for decades, despite the ethnicities of the candidate. After all, Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Carol Mosley Braun didn't win and Cynthia McKinney isn't raking in the Black vote either.

A majority of Whites are the ones that must prove they are capable of voting for someone other than a White person. Everyone needs to tell Whites not to vote for John McCain just because he is White, because that is the only logical reason why a large group of people would vote for someone who has been attached to the most disastrous administration in American history whose policies are leading the USA towards socialism and have increased corporate welfare to levels never seen before. In addition, early on and during the set up of this financial downturn, John McCain was the Chairman of the Commerce Committee and has admitted that he is fundamentally against governmental regulations.

All the governmental takeovers/bailouts proves socialism is on the horizon if another deregulating republican president is elected. The US government will own and control what was once a plethora of private enterprises. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the two largest financial/mortgage institutions in America totaling more than $5.4 trillion of debt, which is nearly the same as the US publicly held debt, is now in the hands of government.

The economy in America seems to be collapsing: the bankruptcy of the 158-year-old financial giant Lehman Bros., Merrill Lynch's forced sale to B of A, the largest insurer, AIG, (who dates back to legalized slavery), is headed either towards a governmental takeover/bailout/bankruptcy is all a frightening reality. Over 33 percent of all mortgages are upside down, foreclosures at an all-time high adding 9,800 homes a day, outrageous gas and food prices, wealth redistribution to foreign nations, Wall Street losing trillions of dollars in less than one year, plus 401k retirement plans disappearing daily--someone please explain why anyone would consider another Republican President who is proving daily that since, he, John McCain is capable of outright lying about Barack Obama, he is ALSO lying to the American public about his promises as the US President to put "America First". This is especially troubling because lobbyists, who have been running Washington into the ground, run McCain's campaign. Furthermore, John McCain has voted with George Bush over 90 percent of the time-It has got to be John McCain's Whiteness at play, because nothing else makes much sense.

Even the future of CEO's huge salaries/bonuses is in jeopardy because most of the major corporations are losing money. Furthermore, John McCain wants to send more jobs overseas and give corporations tax cuts for doing so, when the US lost over 600,000 jobs since the beginning of 2008, then continue tax cuts for the rich when it is obvious that tax cuts don't trickle down to working-class people in the form of jobs, due to a corporation's greed by taking the profits for their personal benefits. Under Obama's plan, 95 percent of Americans will receive a tax cut.

Furthermore, a war with Iraq that was fought on proven faulty intelligence that is costing the US $10 billion a month, leading to a deficit that was a surplus before Republican President, George W. Bush took office. Plus, the admitted mastermind, Osama bin Laden, who was behind the 911 attacks, is still free to orchestrate another attack after seven long years.

Lest us not forget the failures of this republican administration in regards to protecting and helping its citizens due to the aftermath of Katrina's levee breaches.

Taking reality into consideration that all 43 US Presidents have been White, Whites need to prove they can vote for someone other than a White man for President. John McCain is biting off Obama's message of change and celebrity! And that brings to mind, Sarah Palin's female gender that doesn't fully account for change because she isn't running for President--just a running mate. Besides that, Sarah Palin is White, so the switch-a-roo, history-making mirage is just another illusion leading to the racist delusion that White is best no matter what!

The suggestion that Black people not vote for Barack just because he is Black is racist in and of itself, and belittles the fact that the Obama's are Black and have succeeded despite all the obstacles standing in their paths.

Contact Information
phone: 818-716-7838

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"Just Because He's Black"
Author unknown -

A white man asked his black friend, 'Are you voting for Barack Obama just because he's black?'

The black man responded by saying, 'Why not? Hell, in this country men are pulled over everyday just cause they're black; passed over for promotions just cause they're black; considered to be criminals just cause they're black; and there are going to be thousands of you who won't be voting for him just because he's black! However, you do not seem to have a problem with that! This country was built with the sweat and whip off the black slaves' back, and now a descendent of those same slaves has a chance to lead the same country, where we weren't even considered to be people, where we weren't allowed to be educated, drink from the same water fountains, eat in the same restaurants, or even vote.

So yes! I'm going to vote for him! But it's not just because he's black, but because he is hope, he is change, and he now allows me to understand when my grandson says that he wants to be president when he grows up, it is not a fairy tale but a short term goal. He now sees, understands and knows that he can achieve, withstand and do ANYTHING JUST BECAUSE HE IS BLACK!

Obedience - A message to men

(From Heath's weekly messages to men of Omega Psi Phi)
1 Samuel 15:17,22-23 (NKJV) ‘So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not the head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?”……So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.’

Brothers,
Some of you may remember the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and I am talking of the original one with Gene Wilder not the recent rock opera one with Johnny Depp. Nevertheless the premise of the movie was that Willie Wonka was looking for an heir apparent to his chocolate throne as a candy maker. He did not consider choosing an adult for as he put it an adult would not be obedient to following directions in how the factory should be run. So he decided to choose rather a child but not just any child but an honest child who would be obedient. If you remember there were four other children who were terribly spoiled and selfish. Due to their pernicious behavior they all got into ridiculous trouble that ruled them out for Willie Wonka choosing them to run the factory. Charlie however came from poverty but more importantly he was humble and honest and because of his humility, honesty and obedience he was chosen to be Wonka’s heir apparent.

This is an interesting story in the scriptures that has some connection to Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory except these verses do not have a happy ending particular for Israel’s first king Saul. In brief Saul had been commanded to wipe out a nation of “terrorists” (no pun intended). Apparently the Amalekites were a ruthless barbaric nation led by a barbaric king. Saul is commanded to destroy them but rather he opts to keep the king alive as well as some trinkets for himself. Now the purpose is not to argue whether they did or did not deserve to be destroyed. There are other directions that we could go with this passage and other passages were war was according to these texts initiated and encouraged by God but that is not the purpose of this discussion. This passage speaks to a greater issue of relationship, trust and obedience.

Relationships to all of us are important. On every level of our lives we have connections and covenants. Covenants that entail spoken or at times unspoken issues of understanding that should never be infringed upon but all of us have lived long enough to know that many times they are infringed upon whether by us or done to us in some way shape or form.

In short brothers all of us have broken vows of some kind in our lifetime. Some of us are repentant of what we have done, others of us have deluded ourselves to believe that what the other does not know will not hurt them or us and the rest of us have gotten ourselves so caught out there that we don’t know to get back on track. Apply that to any area in your own life experiences.

The issue here that we find is between Saul and God. In these opening verses Saul is reminded about his humble beginnings. Why do you think that is? Sometimes all of us need to be reminded where God has brought us from. There are times that monetary success and other worldly acknowledgments can cause our noses to rise higher in the air than they were ever intended to. Sometimes we forget that we are all responsible to someone as well as for someone.

Now brothers I will not engage you in your own personal walk with God. That is your walk whatever it is and if you have convinced yourself that you bear no responsibility in how you conduct yourself publicly or privately then that is between you and your understanding of who God is. But check on this, walking with God is about trust and understanding. The issue with Saul was not a matter of him not following orders but it was an issue of trust. He kept this wicked king alive as well as residuals from the battle after he was told not to because he did not trust that God would provide and keep him. It is like standing in front of someone you love and trust but you refuse to fall back because you are afraid that they won’t catch you.

What’s holding you back right now in your life from taking that next step with God? Are you going to bank on waiting until you can’t go and be out anymore when you are old and unable to do it or God forbid your health deteriorates and then you decide to trust in God? Let’s not simply call on God when we open or close a meeting or when we are doing a memorial service. Let’s get it right and keep it straight with God. Remember to say a prayer for those families who lost loved ones seven years ago and if you don’t know any families personally I ask that you pray for the family of Edna Stephens who was a member of my church who worked in the Pentagon and was killed on 9/11/01.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father,

We know where you desire us to strive to be in you and we know where we are. We have gotten so caught up in pleasing ourselves that it is only in moments of loss or death that we seem to attune ourselves to you. In our fun and frolic help us to be mindful of what our attainments are and lead us we ask to walk in them publicly and privately.

AMEN.

God bless,
Brother Heath Cheek
heathel7@hotmail.com

Fresh Water (September 11th)

In remembrance of the Human lives, the Diaspora lives, the American lives that became ancestors on September 11, 2001 we pay homage.

"Fresh water keeps me well, fresh water opens the way. Fresh water is my sustainer, fresh water is from above. We give homage and thanks to the fresh water in the form of the September 11th ancestors. We thank the almighty for fresh water in the form of the legacy these ancestors left behind. Ashee, ashee, ashee." Ray Charles sings America The Beautiful.

The Awful Grace of God. - Shery Bailey

“The Awful Grace of God.”
by Sheri Bailey

On April 4, 1968 it fell to presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy to announce the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. to a crowd of people in a Black community. In testament to the sincerity of his words -- where he spoke was one of the few cities that did not burn in the aftermath of pain and grief that gripped the country in the wake of Dr. King’s murder.

The words of this white man of privilege who himself would be dead by an assassin’s bullet a mere two months later carried the power, poetry and brevity of Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address. The simple use of poetry as in “Fourscore and seven years ago” instead of “87 years ago” identified Abraham Lincoln as a man capable of keeping the Union united.”

And like Lincoln ’s two minute speech RFK’s words on an inner city street corner were not immediately recognized as ones that would survive the ages. Some of what he said to the people there were some words from a favorite poet whose words give title to this essay. He implored this group of men and women, boys and girls to not react in anger at the “awful grace of God.” He spoke of the loss of his brother to violence and said that he could understand why Black people would have anger and hate in their hearts against a white man but he hoped that they would not. He asked them to “Say a prayer for understanding … compassion.” And he continued, “These are difficult times. We have had difficult times in the past. We have difficult times to come. But let us do as the Greeks said, “To tame the savageness of man and make gentle the light of the world.” Let us dedicate ourselves to that. Let us pray for our country. Let us pray for our people.”

On July 7, 2008 I was working on Juneteenth business at the home of Juneteenth’s board president Ernest Lowery when suddenly his wife came into the office and said, “Sheri, I don’t want you to be upset but someone hit your car and there’s a woman here who is an eyewitness.” Confused I went outside where Kara Cuffey started explaining how she was driving behind a grey Dodge pick-up when suddenly a white male, early 20’s hit my car and sped off. With her young teenage daughter in tow they followed the assailant until they were able to get the license plate (VA tags ......................................(Info' removed by the Imani Foundation.). I got all of this information from the Chesapeake Police Department. Thank you, Officer Jancewicz and Detective Weir.

Now I was truly exasperated by the fact that I had been assaulted by a thoughtless stranger, but my witness balanced the situation. What looked like buzzard’s luck was really good luck. And then I had profound luck. Detective Weir paid the Hill family a visit. Fortunately, the incident was so insignificant to (Name removed) that he had not bothered to run his truck through a carwash. Consistent with my ’93 Honda Accord parked on the right side of the street was evidence of maroon paint chips on the passenger side of his truck. And then Detective Weir told me something that blew me the hell away. Master Hill sports a Confederate flag emblem on his bumper sticker!

Now here’s the deal. Whenever I see the Rebel cloth, I go ballistic. I speed up, give ‘em finger, mouth the word “@$*%0le” and generally put myself and whoever else is nearby in grave vehicular danger. My daughter, now a college sophomore, vividly recalls grabbing the dashboard and hanging on for dear life when she was dependent on me for all her transportation needs. And because this is Virginia this was a fairly common occurrence during her formative years.

The biggest ones are in S-folk. The most on front porches are in P-town. C-peak has the most KKK types and VA Beach is a wild combo of poor and rich racist trash. Norfolk is the best place not to be offended and we don’t know enough about the rest of the region.

And now (Name removed) who can be reached at (Number withdrawn by Imani Foundation) has hit my car and made me realize that it’s not about me giving him the finger. It is about me using my God-given gifts in ways that encourage openness and decency. Today and everyday hungry children die in a world full of food. Torture and rape are allowed by the law of the land. Fear is the master of all, but I want to be a part of the healing that comes with forgiveness.

I want to be a part of a Kwanzaa performance on Saturday, December 27th from noon to 3pm at the Norfolk Public Library Lafayette Branch surrounded by Lakewood Park , Willard Model Elementary School and the home of James and Jennifer Cooper at 1705 Cromwell Drive . There’s plenty of parking, but very little space inside the library. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 757.397.5963 for more details. Please come and enjoy the holiday season with the Juneteenth Players.

My job is to share the stories of the past with accurate, entertaining lessons about today’s times. A scared young man using a symbol as a shield against his deepest fears is to be pitied. On the backs of daily acts of courage we will lift up those who would be burdens. And in those times when the world makes the least sense we must try to understand the awful grace of God.

sb
juneteenthva@yahoo.com

Stop Saying I’m Diseased!

Stop Saying I’m Diseased!

As a Black woman, I'm so sick and tired of every time there is a media story about HIV/AIDS, a Black woman is featured predominately front and center. For example, Black In America, which was watched by nearly 5 million people in CNN’s two-day airing, dedicated nearly the entire HIV/AIDS segment enforcing the poster person to be a Black female, but there are numerous other examples.

Making a Black female the face of HIV/AIDS is a radical form of racism at its highest level and more proof that there is a conspiracy to keep Black women without love. This image of Black women creates more negative stereotypes that Black women are diseased and along with being loud, fat, bitches and hos, who are overbearing, booty-bouncing, undesirable she-men, no wonder Black women are the least married; sadly unbeknown, Black Women Need Love, Too! (http://www.blackwomenneedlovetoo.com/)

The trickery to take the stigma of HIV/AIDS from being a White male homosexual disease to being a Black female heterosexual disease is consistent with racism in America. I cannot allow this type of deliberate prejudice to continue, especially since this is a big fallacy and here’s why:
According to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113244.php , the fastest growing group of HIV/AIDS cases TODAY are young Black males between the ages of 13-24, which is quite upsetting since I'm the mother of a 13 year old son to whom I tell NOT to ever have backdoor sex, with a boy or a girl, because that high risk behavior is very likely to cost you your health and ultimately, your life. This is advice that must be spread wide and far to lessen the number of infections in the Black community and worldwide among all groups of people.

The latest so-called breakdown of HIV/AIDS infections (figuring in one of four who are undiagnosed, of course, the vast majority being added to the Black heterosexual tally) is as follows (http://www.cdc.gov/ ): 53 percent is homosexual and bi-sexual men, and trip this, 4 percent homosexual men that inject drugs, why not just say 57 percent?? Thirty one percent is high-risk heterosexual sex, which is code for backdoor sex. Ladies, DO NOT allow this even with a condom because condoms break easier in the anus than in the front door, and twelve percent is injection drug use. These are all the main transmission routes of such a deadly disease. Over 80 percent of women with HIV/AIDS got it from heterosexual high-risk sex.

Since the beginning of this epidemic (circa 1981) through 2005, only 19 percent of all HIV/AIDS diagnosis has been women and a mere 16 percent of women have died from this dreadful disease. In other words, 81 percent of all diagnosis is MEN and 84 percent of all AIDS deaths have been men. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets/women.htm#3

HIV/AIDS is NOT a female disease! Black women have NEVER encompassed the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases—the quote was “Black women are the FASTEST growing group of HIV/AIDS”, which is no longer true, meaning Black women were growing in numbers fastest, but are not the most. Then why are Black women positioned predominately everywhere when this virus is discussed? The answer is RACISM and MISOGYNY at its finest.

Taking all this into consideration, backdoor sex accounts for nearly 82 percent of all transmission routes, but it seems everyone is afraid to tell the truth. I suppose, it’s easier to let people continue to contract and spread this disease and die? Ladies, common sense demands we stop booty-bouncing, booty posturing, and laughing at butt jokes, because this is not funny, people are dying!

I would like to remind everyone that I posted the high risk of backdoor sex on myspace.com blog over a year ago. I also contacted the Magic Johnson Foundation to alert the public about the huge hazard of backdoor sex, but of course, too many of us are more interested in being politically correct than telling the life-saving truth. Also, while conducting an interview on a popular blogtalkradio.com show, I was shocked and amazed by the arrogance of ignorance in regards to the dangers of backdoor sex. The response was my interview was banned because too many refused to acknowledge truth, and consistent with a popular mindset, defensiveness was the result. Lastly, I asked a friend, who is a gay activist (no confirmed cases of women to women or lesbian contraction of the virus) to help spread the word about the dangers of backdoor sex. I was told she couldn’t believe that people didn’t know the dangers of backdoor sex. Well, isn’t that quite obvious, due to the alarming rates of HIV/AIDS cases.

The arrogance of ignorance is mind-blowing, along with the fear associated with telling the hard-to-hear-truth is very disappointing and cowardly. Plus, it is like being an accomplice to murder for all the HIV/AIDS agencies to withhold the truth from the masses, when the obvious culprit (backdoor sex) is being hidden from the public at large.

So, I’m asking all of you to spread the word that RECEPTIVE BACKDOOR SEX is THE riskiest form of sex, whether performed on a male or female, and backdoor sex has at least a 50 times higher transmission rate than penis and vaginal sex. Plus, it is 500 times harder for women to spread this disease to men than it is for men to give it to women (deposit of teaspoons of semen vs. small slit in penis for fluid transfer). http://www.sfcityclinic.org/

Of course, AN ANSWER is using condoms, but it is not safe sex--only SAFER sex. Abstinence without injection drug use is the best way to stay clear of HIV/AIDS, but the species must continue via heterosexual front door sex, so let’s have safer responsible committed sex with someone to whom we know loves, honors, and cherishes us enough to NEVER cheat.

Also, it has been brought to my attention; males as well as females are participating in backdoor sex as an exchange for vaginal sex to prevent pregnancy. It's so very unfortunate that too many people don't understand the dangers of backdoor sex, which is much more deadly than getting pregnant. It’s safe to assume, they use no protection.

BTW, the number one cause of death for Black women between the ages of 24-35 is HIV/AIDS, so ladies you have been warned! The fact is, too many Black women are having too much backdoor sex. Black males have told me they didn’t know that a Booty-Call meant front door sex, so they went for the backdoor thinking it was the “in” thing to do. And Ladies, when dealing with men who have served time in jail, do not have any sex with them until you KNOW they don’t have HIV/AIDS by getting tested. Everyone must participate in educating our family members, friends, and associates with this life-saving article. Without HIV/AIDS, young Black women would be among the healthiest.

TOGETHER WE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD!

"Pearl Jr" pearljr@trutalk.us

(http://www.blackwomenneedlovetoo.com/)

818 716-7838

Beliefs - I Believe

I believe a birth certificate shows that we were born; a death certificate shows that we died; pictures show that we lived.

I believe - That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe - That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe - That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe - That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe - That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe - That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe - That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe - That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe - That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe - That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe - That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe - That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe - That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe - That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe - That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe - That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe - That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe - Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe - That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe - That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I believe - That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I believe - That when you focus on only yourself and material possessions, you miss out on the true definition of wealth.

I believe - The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

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Graduation Rates Between Black Males and White Males

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GIVEN HALF A CHANCE: Report Highlights Huge Gap in Graduation Rates Between Black Males and White Males

Over the past twenty-five years, the social, educational, and economic outcomes for black males have been “more systemically devastating” than the outcomes for any other racial or ethnic group or gender, according to a new report from the Schott Foundation for Public Education. The report, Given Half a Chance: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males, examines the disturbingly large gaps in graduation rates between black males and while males. It also highlights the resource deficiencies that exist in schools that black males attend.

“This report sheds light on a national crisis and puts valuable information into the hands of public school advocates and stakeholders, who can use it to hold the stewards of the nearly 15,000 U.S. school districts accountable for eradicating systemic failure as well as open avenues of opportunity to millions of black male students,” said John Jackson, president and CEO of the Schott Foundation for Public Education.

In examining graduation rates, the report finds a national graduation rate for black males (47 percent) that is 28 percentage points lower than the graduation rate for white males (75 percent). In ten states, the difference in graduation rates for black males and white males is 30 percentage points or more, as noted in the table below.

Largest Gaps in Black Male and White Male Graduation Rates

State Black Male Graduation Rate
White Male Graduation Rate
Difference

Wisconsin
36%
87%
51%

Nebraska
44%
87%
43%

Illinois
40%
82%
42%

Michigan
33%
74%
41%

New York
39%
75%
36%

Connecticut
51%
83%
32%

Wyoming
41%
72%
31%

Oregon
58%
89%
31%

Indiana
43%
73%
30%

Ohio
49%
79%
30%


In addition to low graduation rates, black males also have “consistently low educational attainment levels, are more chronically unemployed and underemployed, are less healthy and have access to fewer health care resources, die much younger, and are many times more likely to be sent to jail for periods significantly longer than males of other racial/ethnic groups,” according to the report.

But in a few states the report finds that black males actually graduate at higher percentages than white males, for instance in North Dakota (89 percent to 84 percent), Vermont (88 percent to 75 percent), and Maine (85 percent to 75 percent. According to the report, schools in these states are more likely to have greater resources, such as talented, caring teachers, well-trained and numerous support staff, and protective and supportive administrators. They have challenging curricula, high expectations for all students, and an expectation of success. These states also share another characteristic: they all lack large black populations. According to the report, this is a key factor because black males in these states are more likely to be educated in a diverse educational environment. “This underscores the fact that when black males are given access to schools and resources similar to those given to white males their performance levels improve,” the report notes.

Turning its attention to school districts, the Schott Foundation finds that the worst problems for black students are concentrated in a few large metropolitan areas. In these districts, which contain racially segregated schools and are attended mostly by black students, very few students—of any race—perform well. But the report finds that there are irregularities between white and black students even within these schools. It notes that schools attended mostly by black students “do worse on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, suspend and expel disproportionately more black male students than white male students, and assign more black male students than white male students to special education.” Graduation rates in these districts are tragically low for both white and black males, as shown in the table below.

Lowest-Performing Large School Districts for Black Males

School District Black Male Graduation Rate
White Male Graduation Rate
Difference

Indianapolis (IN)
19%
19%
0%

Detroit (MI)
20%
17%
-3%

Norfolk (VA)
27%
44%
17%

Rochester (NY)
29%
36%
7%

Pinellas County (FL)
30%
50%
20%


Thankfully, some large school districts, although not many, do a good job of graduating black students. Specifically, the report points out Fort Bend, TX, which enrolls over ten thousand black males and graduates over 80 percent within four years, and two large suburban Maryland districts, Baltimore County and Montgomery County, which have large enrollments of black students and graduate them at a rate comparable to the national average for white male students.

“If black students did poorly in all schools, we would plausibly seek solutions to the problem of their achievement among those students themselves,” the report reads. “The same would be the case if, in schools with majority black enrollments, black students did poorly and the other students did well. But in reality, black students in good schools do well. At the same time, white students who attend schools where most of the students are black and their graduation rates are low, also do poorly.”

The complete report, which outlines the work that the Schott Foundation for Public Education will undertake over the next five years to change the current educational trajectory of black males, is available at http://blackboysreport.org/.

Straight A’s: Public Education Policy and Progress is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, D.C., and around the country. The format makes information on federal education policy accessible to everyone from elected officials and policymakers to parents and community leaders. The Alliance for Excellent Education is a non-profit organization working to make it possible for America’s 6 million at-risk middle and high school students to achieve high standards and graduate prepared for college and success in life. To learn more about the Alliance for Excellent Education, or to access past reports, visit http://www.all4ed.org.

No More Essays - Davey D

No More Essays About CNN's Black In America
by Davey D (mrdaveyd@aol.com)

In response to the numerous essays and articles circulating about the lack of depth and insight of CNN's recent series 'Black in America'

I will say this again and again.. I grow tired of these type of articles as well meaning and insightful as they are...If we don't like what CNN did, in the age of You Tube, camcorders, reality shows and independent film festivals in every city-DO YOUR OWN.. It doesn't have to be a big production.. Hell, forget Black in America', kick off your own series called 'Black in your hometown'.. or 'Black in your neighborhood'.. Do a series called Black in Oakland, Black in Detroit.. Black in Compton etc. After you put this together, you can gather everyone to a local church and show a short film highlighting the heroes and sheroes from your town. Highlight the people, places and perspectives CNN overlooked. Get your own host, your own guest, break down your own analysis.. There are all sorts of shining examples of this...
We can start with local d-boys and gangstas who woke up and got tired of not seeing CNN or the local news give a fair shot to their ilk. They got tired of local media not showing gangstas in their way that they felt was just...so what did they do? They started making their own damn DVDs. Go to any barbershop in 'any hood' throughout the US and you can get all sorts of upfront and close DVDs detailing the exploits of local cats from the hood and their underground world...Can we say Smack DVDs? Can we say Stop Snitching DVDs? Can we say Real Gangsters DVD? The list is long.

We can sit here and pass judgement and moan and groan about their content or lack thereof all day, but one thing I will say, is that those young brothers walking around with gold teeth and sagging pants found a way to communicate to the rest of the world their points of view. And like it or not they been successful.
Don't believe me? Ask why BET, The History Channel and National Geographic all have shows focusing on gangs and gang life? Why do you think shows like American Gangster are so popular? Don't get it twisted, these corporations saw thwe success young cats from the hood were having with the sale of those dvds and decided to tap into that market. Ya better ask somebody and take a cue.

Now considering that CNN was most likely hitting the Black middle class with their recent series, that means we are talking about church goers, the civil rights crowd, the young urban professional class, Bill Cosby fans etc. Many of these folks have money and resources.

Instead of complaining, why don't we have people pooling resources to do their own Black in America series? Instead of putting on another expensive Jack and Jill type awards dinner where everyone dresses to the nines, why not take that money and pay some young film students to make us look good by putting together a film or series about us? Why not pay them to at least do some editing for us? What's the hold up? What example are we setting for the rest of the world that in 2008 we are still complaining about CNN and not doing our own series?

Can't somebody do a series and interview people like Rev Jeremiah Wright, Minister Farrakhan along with their local pastor and do a series called 'Black in the American Church? can we have all these people on the same show without the over the top, distracting, racist analysis of a Fox News? Can't somebody hit up entrepreneurs like Earl Graves, Dick Parsons, along with local businessmen and women and do a series called Blacks in the Business world? The possibilities are endless. I say no more essays and more direct action..

And finally for those who think I'm just writing.. think again.. I'm already doing my own series.. I went out and brought my first camera a few months ago, way before CNN announced their series. I started documenting my own stories.
I along with many others were following on the heels of activists like Malik Raheem who felt like the real story of New Orleans and the Katrina disaster wasn't being told, so he and folks from his Common Ground organization, got some cameras and documented the 200 plus viligante killings that took place in the aftermath.
The name of the film whicjh they gave away for free was called 'Welcome to New Orleans' That was our CNN..

We are following in the footsteps small films like Audio Rebellion put together by Fred Hampton Jr, Minister of Information JR and their POCC organization that focused on revolutionaries in our community.
They showed what happens when the community gets upset with elected officials and documented Congressman Bobby Rush being confronted by Chicago's southside resident They are now working on parts two and three.

We are following the efforts put together by those on the Luv 4 Self network and filmmaker Opio Oskoni who were annoyed with rap star Flava Flav and what they saw as his 'bafoonish' TV show and decided to do a show film called Turn Off Channel Zero to counter the negative images. It was well recieved and shown all over the country.
Professor Griff from Public Enemy was the main feature.

We are following the lead of Hip Hop pioneer Popmaster Fabel who was tired of Hip Hop's history incorrectly being told so he went out, got a camera and started documented all sorts of early history around the gangs that proceeded Hip Hop.
Five years later he has finished up this incredible film called 'Apache Line from Gangs to Hip Hop'. .

Many of us are following the lead of then up and coming film makers like Byron Hurt who got tired of misogyny in Hip Hop and decided to do his own film addressing the issue called 'Beyond Beats and Rhymes'.

We are following the lead of people like Raquel Cepeda who was upset with brothers wearing diamonds purchased from that sleaze bags like Jacob the Jeweler, so she got together with some rap artists, boarded a plane to Sierra Leone and did her own film 'Bling A Planet Rock'.

How about a Letter to the President that documented the intersection between Hip Hop and politics put together by film makers QD3 and Thomas Gibson?

I can go on and on citing examples.
Hell I can take it way back and bring up Public Enemy's PETV series before there was a such thing as DVDs.

Here they had people like Sista Souljah delivering news and views for Black people..Or even better lets take this back to the days following the LA Uprisings after the Rodney King beatings in 1992 and the film Straight from the Streets put together by Keith O'Derek. That was our CNN where he documented the historic gang truces that took place.

Time for us to step it up and do our own thing and stop expecting CNN, Fox News and anyone else who routinely exploits us to suddenly do right by us.
Like I said before, why worry about CNN when we have us?
http://www.daveyd.com

CNN’s Black in America - Dr. Boyce Watkins

This was a forward we received:
CNN’s Black in America: Exactly What it was Meant to Be by Dr. Boyce Watkins
http://www.BoyceWatkins. net

When I received the email about CNN’s recent series “Black in America”, I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t sad: I was indifferent. I saw it for what it was: an attempt to use viral marketing to achieve a ratings hit against Fox News. But after seeing the same damn email forwarded to me over and over and over again, I knew one thing: many black people were excited….really excited, as if CNN were the Union Army and this were a modern-day Juneteenth. The email was forwarded as a “must see”, save-the-date, tell ya mama, grandmamma, baby’s mama event that was going to change the world. Finally, the predominantly white media was going to give us a fair shake and truly tell our story. They were going to help White America understand what we go through and why we are not the animals some think we are. They were going to present hurdles and solutions that will help us come together as a nation. Call me a skeptic, but if the media has never told our story accurately in the past, what in the hell made us think they were going to do it right this time?

Given that some label me a “haterologist” for daring to question the religious figure known as Barack Obama (I am cautiously, yet strongly supportive and protective of Barack, but I insist that anyone who gets my vote communicates an effective urban agenda) I chose to let the liquor keep flowing at the “We Shall Overcome via CNN” Happy Hour in Black America. In other words, I remained silent, since it’s not fun to bring bad news (academics are trained to be skeptical, even if we think something is good). All of us were ready to pull out the popcorn and kool-aid, to stare down the TV set like we were watching Beyonce give birth in outer space. The CNN event was truly the Black middle class version of the BET Video Music Awards, without all the gold teeth and stuff.

I watched the show the same way I normally watch CNN: between flights in random airports. I don’t even watch CNN when I appear on the network, since I stay pretty busy. I won’t say how I felt after the special; I’ll just let you read my facial expression through these words. Imagine a modest-looking, youngish-oldish, blackish/brownish bald man with a twisted frown-like scowl, a twitching, squinted left eye, a curled up bottom lip and gritted teeth, viewing a TV screen between his two middle fingers. Sort of like the face you make when watching an Olympic gymnast fall crotch-first onto the balance beam right before breaking his leg.

“Black in America” was the socio-political lovefest between CNN and Black people that just wasn’t going to materialize. It was the day when we in middle class Black America truly thought we were going to be vindicated, and the world would finally learn to love us. Black America became Jeremiah Wright at The National Press Club, thinking that the same media that destroyed his image was going to be the source of image repair. But like Jeremiah Wright (whom I respect tremendously) , we marched away angrily, kicking the cracks in the sidewalk, shocked that we’d all been bamboozled. We were finally invited into the game, but only so they could use our ball and make us the mascot.

I don’t hate CNN, I’ve done a lot of work with them. I do, however, hate Fox News….well, just Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity (great job this week Nas – even though you should stop marketing yourself as a replacement for Jesse Jackson). I don’t question the motives of the producers, including Soledad O’Brien, a woman I truly believe to care about black people. I also felt that Paula Zahn (a former host) really wanted to dig to the root of racial inequality in an honest way. I did not, however, feel that CNN could pull off an honest conversation on race, and I don’t believe they wanted to. They were, to me, like American Generals thinking they could muscle their way to peace in Iraq. They felt that if they spent enough money, engaged in enough viral marketing and got enough black people excited, they could create a ratings monster.

CNN achieved its goal. What made me feel bad for black people is that many of us actually thought that their goals were the same as our own. Here are some quick thoughts:

1) Black people were not the target audience of this series. CNN was not talking TO black people, they were talking ABOUT black people. Understand, there is a difference between telling white America how horrible black people can be vs. telling White people things they may not want to hear. Sure, CNN was glad to have Black viewers, but they are designed to cater to the other 87% of the population, not the 13% who serve as stars of the show. Black people have always made good entertainment for the corporate news monster, which feeds itself from the number of eyeballs it gets on the screen.

2) Most of the content for a TV news show, guest selection, and everything else, comes from the mind of the producer(s). Most producers of cable news shows, and all of the hosts, are non-black. Their viewpoints, structured in a racist society, are going to manifest themselves in the content of the show. Our media school here at Syracuse is one of the top 3 in the world and we have a lot of students who go on to become producers at CNN, FOX, NBC, etc. During a highly racist show created on our campus news network a couple of years ago (it led to the studio being shut down and students being harshly and unfairly disciplined) , I noted that it was not the fault of the students that they see the world the way they do. It’s the fault of their parents and educators who refuse to teach them what they need to understand about race. America must face the truth about racism in order to properly educate news producers to provide a more enlightened perspective. As I began working with international news organizations this year, the contrast became quite clear: I enjoy appearing on international networks like Al Jazeera much more than CNN, Fox and MSNBC. The difference is like comparing a gourmet meal of knowledge to crackers from a sound bite vending machine. That’s why I only watch cable news in airports.

3) The Black in America series was done for one reason: to take away Fox News’ Black viewers (Black people hate Fox, and I am glad they do) and to defeat O’Reilly at the ratings game. While Black in America did very well in the ratings, it was still second to The O’Reilly Factor. The idea that there are 2.5 million people in America who watch O’Reilly every night says something about where we stand in America as it pertains to race. If CNN is trying to steal these viewers, then an honest reflection on racism is not going to achieve that goal.

4) The way this show was done underscores the need to finance and secure more black-owned media (I shared this with Rev. Jackson this week, since I was disappointed that his mishap with the microphone occurred on Fox – whether you like Jesse or not, our most respected and cherished leaders should not have to lean toward racist venues like Fox News to get a message to their people). No one else will ever tell our story the way we would tell it. This underscores the importance of supporting black media outlets and even going to the Internet to get your news if necessary. This does not imply that CNN can’t be a valid source of news, but I encourage their network to get more black hosts and producers so they can tell the story right next time.

5) Personally, I was a bit offended by the “Black in America” series, primarily because it gave me exactly what I expected: a series of shallow statistics and vignettes, featuring the most dramatically negative aspects of our existence, all provided without context to an audience that sits back and says “What’s wrong with those people?” I can’t help but wonder if a show called “White in America” would be produced, showing many negative realities of the White community. What is most ironic is that such a series would never be acceptable.

Only Black people feel the pressure to answer for every little thing that happens in all corners of our community. We will even say that we are “embarrassed” by something we saw on TV. I’ve never seen a White man get embarrassed by the behavior of someone in a trailer park, so I don’t get embarrassed by Flavor Flav. It is the lack of image diversity in mainstream media that makes us angry at Flavor Flav for simply being who he is. The truth is that we should wonder why it is ONLY Flavor Flav on the network, and not another Black image to balance him out.

Self-reflection is necessary. But I don’t believe in self-hatred. To LIFT yourself, you must learn to LOVE yourself. CNN’s “Black in America” didn’t give us much to love. But looking for love externally doesn’t usually work anyway, so why were we trying so hard? The next time CNN offers us a media Juneteenth, this slave will already have left the plantation, I’ll be educating my God kids instead.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “What if George Bush were a Black Man?” For more information, please visit http://www.BoyceWatkins. net.

Our campaign awaits....The Prelude

"A Japanese mobile phone commercial is under fire for parodying Obama's large crowds and message of change. The ad shows supporters cheering loudly at a rally and holding signs calling for “Change” while a monkey in a suit addresses them at a podium. E-mobile has used the monkey as their mascot in commercials before, and Obama has received a healthy dose of positive media coverage in the country. But critics of the ad, such as blog site Black Tokyo, say monkeys have been used in Japanese ads to portray black people in the past." (taken from a post from 103 JAMZ.Com)

Crabs in a barrell.

It mus' be crabbin' season yall'.

Part One:

Recently Jesse Jackson whispered to a co-host on a television show while a television camera and a nearby microphone he didn't know was still on (stupid mistake for a media professional), captured him saying he was ready to castrate Obama "See, Barack's been, um, talking down to black people on this faith-based sh#t, I want to cut his nuts off !" after Obama delivered a speech to a Black church group about fatherhood and responsibility. Jackson felt that Obama came off as talking down to black people. Jackson later apologized for his comments, but said there were other important issues for black audiences like unemployment, mortgage foreclosures and the number of blacks in prison. Obama accepted the apology.

Part two:

Hip-Hopper Nas later tells MTV "I think Jesse Jackson, he's the biggest player hater," Nas said. "His time is up. All you old nigga#, time is up. We heard your voice, we saw your marching, we heard your sermons. We don't wanna hear that sh#t no more. It's a new day. It's a new voice. I'm here now. We don't need Jesse; I'm here. I got this. We got Barack, we got David Banners and Young Jeezys. We're the voice now. It's no more Jesse. Sorry. Goodbye. You ain't helping nobody in the 'hood. That's the bottom line. Goodbye, Jesse. Bye!"

Part three (the response):

"They are all a bunch of usless CLOWNS...! Jackson, and Sharpton are nothing but two bit husstlers... and the rappers... thinking they have a voice... NO education, limited IQ... and they are the voice? WTF? No wonder the hood is the hood! The blind leading the blind over there!
Posted by: Big Daddy."

Part four:
Ludacris records a mix-tape track showing his support for Obama and his disdain for Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Using the word B#tch when referring to Hillary causes Obama's campaign to denounce the reference to Hillary.

Rejecting Mediocrity - Dorna Carrington-Scott

Rejecting Mediocrity & Accepting Excellence: One Woman’s Personal Challenge to Walk in Greatness

By Dorna Carrington-Scott

Will Smith (recently) said, "I am drawn to intellect. Some people are drawn to guns, women, money. I want to be around people who are smarter than me."

Will also said, "Confucius said you are who you associate with. Look at the 5 people you spend most of your time with. That is YOU. Do you want to be that? If not, replace them." Likewise, Dr. Wayne Dyer said, "If you find someone whose soul is not aligned with yours, send them love and move along."

Do the people in your life reflect your values? Does your (in)significant other share your basic beliefs and principles? Do your female and male friends share similar goals and outlooks on life? Would you want these people to raise your son or daughter if you were not around?

I have made many mistakes in my life, and even though I am armed with better than average intellect and have access to many resources, I tend to waste my time on menial and mediocre things. I train people to be excellent. I expect excellence from my son. But I accept mediocrity in my own life. I spend time worrying about what someone is doing or has done behind my back, when in actuality, it doesn't matter because we do not share similar values. I would not want this person to raise my son. I would not want my daughter (if I had one) or cousins or aunts or sisters or friends to be raised by or to be romantically involved with this person. So why accept it for myself?

Why do we accept mediocrity in our lives? I consider each one of you to be the absolute closest people in my lives and I am proud to call you my friend, my family. And I thank you for pulling me up on my "crap" on more than one occasion. And I have a responsibility to hold myself accountable for my excellence.

Pastor Dianne Canegata said "You are Exquisite." Why should we accept anything less? We surround ourselves with people who are unequally yoked because we feel we have a void to fill in our lives. How can I possibly feel a void when I have people like you surrounding me? How can I possibly feel like I have to prove that I am just "dorna" when everyone who matters thinks I am "DORNA!" “We can create excellent enterprises within ourselves, which will, in turn, create excellent exterior enterprises”.

What will it take for you to be excellent? I train my students to create a culture of excellence at work and at home, but what about a culture of excellence inside "YOU"? What is holding you back from your excellence? Is it fear? Is it money? Is it a feeling of low self worth? How can you feel worthless when you have a wonderful group of supportive people around you?

I know I have cheerleaders. I got a rejection letter from the University of Georgia’s Graduate School, and Connie said, "Don't they know who you are! You're Dorna!" I got cheated on, abused, lied to, and some of you said, "Don't YOU know who you are; you're Dorna!" I am me because of people like you and I am ready to create my excellence. Anybody coming?

We can create excellent enterprises within ourselves, which will, in turn, create excellent exterior enterprises. Surround yourself with people who hold the same things important, whether it be financial prosperity, intellectual prosperity, and/or spiritual prosperity.

So many different people say the same things over and over, and we read books, look at TV programs, go to church and internalize all of these things. But we don't act on them. We all know what we have to do. I've known, but stayed in paralysis for many reasons. Those reasons are excuses. There is no reason we can't have what we want. You have me, and the other four people around you.

I tell the participants in my classes, "Ignorance is bliss. Now that you know, you have a responsibility to act." I want to act. I need your help, your love, and your support. Likewise, I want you to act, and know that you have my love and my support.

There is excellence within us all. Will Smith amazed me last night. And he has partners with whom he is equally yoked. That is the key.

Think of this as a pyramid scheme. I bring you in, you bring someone else in. If we spread the concept of excellence and reinforce to people that they have our unconditional love and support, what can stop them?


Dorn

Click here to read more about Ms. Carrington-Scott

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http://sisterspeakonline.com/testimony.asp
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The 4th of July by Frederick Douglass

This was in an Imani Foundation email on 7/4/2004. We thought it was worth
posting for discussion.
The Imani Foundation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In his speech to the Rochester Ladies' Anti Slavery Society on
7/5/1852, he would make it plain for those of us of color who fail to
see the irony of this professed holiday. Here is a piece:

Fellow citizens; above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the
mournful wail of millions! - whose chains, heavy and grievous
yesterday,are today rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts
that reach them...Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or
to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems
equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to
the present, and solemnly bids herself to be false to the future....

What to the American slave is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that
reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross
injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him,
your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license;
your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing
are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted
impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your
prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your
religous parade and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud,
deciption, impiety, hypocrisy - a thin veil to cover up crimes which
would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the
earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the
people of these United States, at this very hour"....

Frederick Douglass
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenya,
The Imani Foundation

Seko VArner,
"God bless African, God bless America, God bless everybody !"
The Imani Foundation