The Milk and the Meat by KRS-ONE

The Milk and the Meat

An essay on Christ by KRS-ONE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KRS-ONE

http://www.myspace.com/templeofhiphop

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

Hispanic Heritage Month - Puerto Rico

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You are beautiful (Tell yourself that)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seko VArner
The Imani Foundation

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