What is Positive Hip Hop?

November 2nd, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I Want To Eat For A Lifetime

September 16th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I got another story for you. Hope you enjoy.

There was once a man that loved to go fishing. It was his favorite pass time. He spent endless hours everyday out on the lake. Well one day, a huge storm blew through the town and caused the people to lose most of their crops. The fisherman had stored so much fish, he didn’t have a problem helping feed the town.

A couple days after the storm, a young boy approached the fisherman. He said, ‘it was really amazing how you were able to step in and help the town. Can you teach me how to fish?’ The fisherman agreed and the boy started spending countless hours out on the lake. He often got teased for the way he smelled and dressed. He looked and smelled like a broken down fisherman. The boy didn’t care. He remembered how the man had helped save the town and he wanted to be like him.

With the boys help, it wasn’t long before the fisherman had restocked all his fish. The boy thought it would be a good idea to throw a party for the fisherman. He was sure the entire town would show up to say thank you to the fisherman. He went into town to start inviting people. He was shocked to hear their response. “All he does is fish, he should’ve helped the town out. ” “He can’t eat all that fish himself, he should give it to the town.”

The boy went back to the fisherman and told him about the people in the town. The fisherman wasn’t surprised. He just got his rod and went out to the lake. The boy thought to himself; if they can’t appreciate the man, then maybe they can appreciate the action. The boy began making signs to hang around the Town. “Free Fishing lessons to anyone that wants to learn.” Everyone laughed at the boy. No one took advantage of the free lessons.

The next year, the fisherman died, and left everything to the boy. Now he had his own house, his own boat, and his very own fishing rod. He continued to fish everyday and maintain his stock pile. One day, another storm blew into town and devastated the crops. The boy decided he was not going to share his fish with the town. This time he would sell it.

The people in the town who had money, bought the fish from the boy. The people who didn’t have money were furious. ‘Our town is struggling and you have the power to help, why won’t you?’ The boy responded, ‘I’ll help. I’ll give you all fish every time you come to the lake and help me fish.’

The people without money where offended. ‘The old fisherman didn’t make us work for food. He was happy to help out those that needed it. He would be so ashamed of you.’

The boy didn’t move his position. You help me fish, I help you to eat. The people got even madder. Two boys came to the boy and said we’ll help. The boy said, it’s not easy work. Sometimes I sit out on that lake for hours and nothing bites. It feels like I’m wasting my time. Then I have days where it seems the fish just jump into the boat. The two boys shook their heads and spent endless days out on the lake.

Now with the three of them fishing, the stock piles went through the roof. The town was beginning to brace for another storm. One of the boys went to the New Fisherman and said, ‘maybe we should take some fish into town, so we can give it away before the storm hits.’ The other boy said, ‘No. We should go out and hang up more signs for free fishing lessons.’

The fisherman looked at the two boys and told them they were both right. There are some in town that can’t fish. The very old, the very young, and some in the middle that have limited abilities. You can go into town and give them some fish. Then there are those who don’t understand you can be given fish to eat for a day or you can learn to fish and eat for a lifetime. So you can go and put up signs for those who are coming to understand the power of self sufficiency.

The problem comes when you continue to give away fish without offering a pole. Or offering a pole with nothing to sustain you until your first catch. Or refusing aid on the days when the fish just aren’t biting. It’s nothing wrong with helping those less fortunate, but it is something wrong with not giving them the desire to help themselves.

How many people want to sign up for those free fishing lessons? How many people expect the fisherman to continue to save the town? Say that storm hits while the fishermen are out on the lake and they don’t make it. Who will then fish for the town if no one else knows how?

Social Programs are a necessity. There are people out there that can’t do it by themselves. But there are those who refuse to try. Should they continue to get the fish? Or should that fish go to help those that are trying and hit a couple bad days when the fish aren’t biting? Give me a rod and you can keep your fish.

Becoming the $100 Million Man; Or Woman in this Case :-)

September 9th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

My Beau and I have this long running joke, If we ever hit the Lottery for a lot of money, we would split it immediately. He would get half and I would get half. I would then spend all of mine and we would have to live off of his.

There is a Community Center across the street from my Childhood Church. The first thing I would do is buy this community center. I’d gut it and rebuild with Computer Lab, Classes for Money Management, Addiction Help, and lots of Community Activities to bring people in. I’d name it after My Mother because she always was willing to help others.

It would be the start to my foundation. A conservative rebuilding of Our Communities. Then I would buy some land in Kansas and build a School. I’d fill it with teachers that don’t take crap or excuses from the kids. I’d fill it with Ghetto Mothers, you know the ones that take care of all the kids in the Neighborhood, to discredit the “you don’t understand what I’m going through”. Throw in a couple Felons who realized a little to late they were wasting their lives and let the sparks fly.

But this wouldn’t be a School for any that apply. No. This is a special School. This is for the Kids that are fed up with dodging bullets and slinging crack. So you might have dropped out at 13 but at 16 you wish you hadn’t. It’s not to late. Apply. We’ll catch you up and get you started again. You might have looked up to your older brother and now he’s dead or in jail and you’re lost. Apply. We got some real Men to guide you through. You might have realized looking for love starts with loving yourself and you just don’t know how to do that. Apply. We won’t coddle you. You will find your own strength.

Now, while I’m getting all the pieces in place for a chain of schools across America, I’d travel this Country giving away Money. Let me tell you how this works. I see a woman with two kids dressed from head to toe in RocaWear, I keep walking. I see a woman rushing her kids on a Bus so she won’t be late to work, I’ll stop her. I’d give her her regular salary for a month. I’d get her a decent car and pay the insurance for a year. Then offer her a chance to volunteer at My School or A Community Center to recieve extra help with her Day Care costs.

I see a group of boys on the corner slinging, I might stop and offer a change to see if they bite. If they don’t, I keep walking. I see a boy crossing the street to stay out of their path, I’ll stop him. Say he tells me, he’s in High School and working a full time job so he can have money for food and clothes. I’d tell him to quit his job, come volunteer at the School or Community center and receive a stipend every month. And while there, I’d make sure he knew of every scholarship available, every grant, and every avenue of assistance he could get to help him get into college, with no offer of Assistance from Me. When it’s time to graduate, he should have the money for his Education. And I could continue is Stipend so he can concentrate on his studies.

And while I’m touring cities everywhere in America, giving away money and building Schools and Community Centers, I’d always be looking for investment opportunities. I’m smart enough to know that you can’t continue to give away money without generating More Money elsewhere. But what most people don’t understand, if you show someone that they can accomplish something, they try harder to accomplish everything.

So say the Woman who got the car contacted me to say thank you. She just wanted me to know because of the volunteer for child sitting trade off, she was able to go back to school and get her degree. Now she wants to open a Childcare service off the same principles of the Community Center. She’s not asking for help, she just wants Me to know she been inspired. I’d send someone over to help her with a business plan and give her start up capital. Put it under the Foundation until she turns a profit, then turn it over to her.

This is where I get the criticism. If you turn it over to her, how are you going to continue to help other people? That’s the Fucked Up principle of the original $100 million dollar man. See he thinks that everyone needs him to make a difference. I’d trust her to continue to make her business grow. I’d trust her to realize the assistance she was given and return it in kind. I’d trust her enough to keep her own money and personally decide to donate to my foundation. I don’t have to make it mandatory.

Let’s say the Boy went to College, got his business degree, and a job at a major technology firm. I would have faith that when they had a whole set of discontinued or devalued computers he would call and give me first dibs on getting them. I would trust he would recommend my foundation when his business started talking about Charitable Contributions. I would trust on “Alumni Day” he would be happy to come back and tell his story. I won’t have to force him to come back, he’ll do it willingly.

Another major source of income is Property. A funny thing about Ghetto’s is their location. Just think about it. Big cities need a pool of blue collar workers. Now most of these workers are not finacially set and there for need to be kept closer to the cities. What’s the point of having big hotels if you have no bell boys? What’s the point of having five star restaurants if you don’t have waiters? So think of the actual value of these under classed pieces of property.

This is where I’d take a huge risk. There a couple things that influence property value. Schools in the Area, cleanliness of the Area, Access to Stores and Businesses, but mostly it’s Violence. You can not raise the property value of an area if you can’t control the Violence. All my first ideas are based on individuals. Helping one person at a time, but this encompasses an entire community.

How can we bring up our community value if we can’t separate ourselves from the rotten elements? I will not lie to you. This is where I get stuck in my grand scheme. See it doesn’t matter how much money is pumped into a community if we can’t first reach the mind of it’s inhabitants. If we help 20 and 200 say what about me, then we get stuck trying to explain the sacrifices Made by the 20. We can say we want to help you excel, but they are still stuck in the mindset that it comes for free. Not from me it doesn’t. You have to work for my help. It’s not a hand out, it’s a step ladder. It’s up to you to climb it.

The question then becomes “Without separating the two, how can we get the 20 and the 200 to at least have a little respect for each other. It doesn’t come from telling the 20, “you have to pay for the 200.” The 20 are going to take their money and go elsewhere. Nor does it come from the 200 getting a free pass based on excuses that are invalid. And while we’re having the same old argument the 2,000 in the middle who don’t care how the situation is solved, they just want to see some progress, are trapped having to pick sides.

They can agree with me on this, but they can understand the other side as well. They want better for themselves and their communities, but they don’t want to leave anybody behind. These are the people that are a major source of our Problems. It might not be fair, but you do have to choose sides.

It’s not black against white. It’s not rich against poor. IT’S WRONG AGAINST RIGHT. Simple. If you have pity for ‘Debo’ because his dad is in jail and his mother is on drugs, demand more from the Men around you. Don’t give ‘Debo’ more excuses, tell the fathers you know aren’t taking care of their responsibility the truth. You know your son or daughter is going to carry the same hate for you as you carry for your father. And if after hearing this, they still make no attempt to be apart of that child’s life, you should no longer have pity for them. When they say, “I don’t know how to be a Father.” You say “That’s no excuse for not trying to learn.” Hold them accountable.

So when they come to you and complain how unfair the world is. Remind them that’s what their Son or Daughter will think one day because you’re not showing them how to navigate through all the mess. Make it about our future, not the appeasement of self caused problems. Tell them to stop thinking of themselves.

And please stop grouping yourself with the do nothings. This really ticks me off. If you get up everyday and go to work, if you save money for emergencies, if struggle and strive and still come up short; stop grouping yourself with those that do nothing. There are those that need a little bit of help and there are those who want everything done for them. To many people are in the former group advocating for the latter.

The problem with that. You won’t get the help you need because the one’s at the bottom need more than you. Let me explain. If you got a little behind in your house payments because you wanted to send your child to a better school, you should be in a completely different category than someone that went out and bought a new house that was 3x’s more than they could afford. I don’t mind helping you, but that other person needs to learn a real lesson before getting assistance. Why spend money saving their home when chances are they are going to lose it anyways because they really can’t afford it, even at a lower rate?

The lower rates and riskier loans were but into place to help with Minority Home Ownership. Making it more accessible for those without sufficient savings to own a home. By doing so, a lot of people got into new homes. That’s how we got our house. We saw a lot of beautiful new houses being built but the prices were ridiculous, so I said let’s look at some old houses. We qualified for a new model but I felt uncomfortable about the price. I found an older house with a great bookshelf and I was sold. Because of that, we weren’t completely crushed when the oil prices rose. My Beau wanted the bigger better house then but he’s grateful he listened to me now.

His sister and her husband owned a Townhome before the Housing boom. When the prices started to rise, they decided to sell their home and upgrade. Got a huge house with an adjustable rate. They lost their home and now are renting. But there is a silver lining. It won’t happen again. This was a major lesson learned. His sister went back to school and her husband is working towards his own business. One day they will own another big house and this time nobody will be able to take it from them.

There are some people out there that really deserve help and there are some out there that need to learn a lesson. A opened ended policy of just pouring money into everybody doesn’t help this cause. Those that need a little help will never get it, if we continue to bail out those that want it all with out the work involved. A mother of four can’t get help because she does own a home, but a mother of four with no job gets free housing, free food, and free money. Which brings us back to wrong and right.

You know it’s wrong. But you need help so you group yourself with the give me, give me. So when I speak up about helping you, it get’s lost in the argument of Us against Them. The 20 vs. the 200. But if the 2,000 in the majority step up and say Enough. Those on the left, we can do it for ourselves, thanks but no thanks for all the free stuff. It’s time we start working for it. Those on the right, we don’t have to change who we are to accomplish this, so you can back off too. Then we can start to see changes.

In fact, it would turn my risky investment into a Gold Mine. See, I want to return ownership. I want the people in Urban areas to own 80% of the businesses in those areas. This is important because then they would care about their communities. Not just because it’s where they live. But because it’s where they make their living. Just imagine everyday people fighting with the same zeal as drug dealers to protect a block. Just imagine them working with the police, making it harder for senseless crimes to go unsolved. Imagine them roasting a black politician that comes in and says I’m going to take more of your money to help the people less fortunate.

I’ll pretend for you. “I help the less fortunate every time I open a new store and provide new jobs. I help the less fortunate every time I offer health care to part time employees who are still attending College. I help the less fortunate will real help that will last them a life time. Don’t you dare come in here and tell me to give them something for nothing. I had to work for everything I have. And yes I got some help along the way, but it wasn’t in the form of a check for nothing. It came with self confidence, self sacrifice, and self respect. And when I learned those things I was able to understand Community and my place in it. I learned I can hold people accountable for their own judgments without being judgmental. I can expect more from my People and point out when we aren’t living up to our potential. ” Just Imagine.

The Point

If I were the $100 million dollar man, the big house would not be the same. Because instead of finding new money to keep people in, I would be telling them your time to make a mark on the world is coming. This house will be here if you lose your way or you encounter problems you just weren’t expecting, but let it be known this is no place to make your home. Unless you come back with a business plan to stake out your piece of Real Estate. Unless you come back because you realize this is where you came from and where you need to start leaving your impression.

And nothing in my Big House is for Free. Nothing. Everything costs. Even your right to complain. If you haven’t acted on your plan, then do not come to me and tell me things aren’t working out. I will laugh at you. Tell me you’ve tried this and tried that and you still can’t figure it out. I’ll get you some help. Don’t hang out with people you know are going to get into trouble and call me to bail you out. I will laugh at you. When you do get out, I’ll be willing to give you a second chance but don’t push it. Now if you happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, I’ll be on my way to get you. Depending on the situation, you might even get my full attention in defending you. And it won’t be because the story is a Media Sensation. It would be because there was a real miscarriage of justice.

I guess all this irrelavent since I’m not Oprah. But if I were you, I wouldn’t be surprised if you looked up one day and saw me walking down the street stopping Random people, giving them just a little bit of hope that everything is going to be O.K. And watching that grow into ideas and self renewals. I may never hit the Lottery but that’s not the only way to get rich. Sometimes it just takes a Fiesty attitude from a Smart Fairly Attractive New Voice. Just ask Oprah. Let me go.

I’m An American; I Just Happen To Be Black

September 1st, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

Check out the Smokey Robinson Spoken Word On My Side Bar: Then Come Back.

I listen to this Every Day. Just to Know that I’m Not Alone. Now being the 5’9 120lbs. Light Skinned Girl, I’m never Black Enough. See I think For Myself. I’m Not Voting For Obama; So I get hate mail telling me to bleach my skin. I got a Stomach Disorder. I’m skinny; So they tell me I need to Eat So I Can Get An Ass. I’m self-aware. I Preach Personal Responsiblity; So I obviously ignore that there is Real Racism in This Country.

See I decided a long time ago to stop trying to be black. I used to think that there was really something wrong with me because I didn’t think like the people around me. Where they looked for excuses; I looked for Opportunity. When they looked For Someone To Blame; I looked for the Lessons to be learned. When they question my devotion to Education; I stood my ground.

But As Life Inevitably does, you get hit with a dose of Reality. Yes I was looking for Opportunities but I was looking for Black Opportunities. Finding me a Drug Dealer with Money to Spend. Having my choice of Which Car I wanted to Drive by talking to the right Dude in a Crew. Always being in right place at the right time to Pull off A Little Hustle.

Yes I was looking For Lessons To Be Learned. But I was Looking For Black Lessons. How to get in and out of someones’ else’s hood unnoticed. How to talk the Police Out Of Arresting You. How to get away with Bad Shit without anyone knowing. How to make a Dollar out of 15 cents with no real effort.

I was looking for that Black Education. You know, just make it out of High School and You’re Good. As long as You Get Your High School Diploma, You’re doing better than alot of them out here. You Finished School, why would you go to College?

It wasn’t until I had my daughter that I realized; I needed to stop chasing those Black Dreams and Start Making Some American Dreams. But that brings Internal Conflict. Were they right all along? Am I Just Not Black Enough?

My Answer to That! Fuck You. I’m An American; I Just Happen To Be Black!

See my blackness doesn’t lie in your opinion or perception of me. Nor do I care if I Live up to What You Think A Real Black Person Should Be. I’m going to do the Real Black Thing, I’m Going To Do Me. I’m going back to school; but my IPOd will still play Tupac and Jay-Z. I’m growing my own business; but I’ll still Catch “The Family That Preys” by Tyler Perry the very first day. I’m not voting for Obama; but I hope Condi can stay,for whom ever makes their way into the white house.

Starting to Rhyme a Little. But to get serious. Was Martin Luther King Jr. fighting for our Rights to be An American? Of Course. He wasn’t fighting to have Us All Sent Back To Africa. When will we claim our Place as Americans? Not the Victims of America.

I’m proud to be Black. I Love the Swagger of Our People. I Love the Resilliance of Our People. I Love the Flo, the Groove, the Passion of Our People. The Question is Do You? If you say you do, Then The Time Is Now. Make the Black Dream and the American Dream One in the Same.

It’s not Okay to be just getting by; unless you’re on a path to a goal. It’s not O.K. to accept anything less than your whole slice of the American Pie. Not just the piece The Government Decides To Give You. But all the yummy Crust you have to Work To Get.

We don’t have to change who we are to Acheive this Goal. But we do Have To Do Our Part. We Have To Start Taking Ourselves Seriously. We love to see Grafitti but will you buy a Painting to make the ArtForm Legitimate. We love Breaking and Popping but will you go see a play that features the Dancers. We Run the Music Charts but there are few songs that will go down in History. When will we make our Culture Legitimate; Not Commercial?

Let Me Go Before I Say To Much!

My Declaration to Fight: Forging a Black Civil War

August 11th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

After America won it’s freedom from the British, we were a Country. A country ready to forge a path into history. But before we could reach the future, we had to fight amongst ourselves.

In Iraq, most of the violence is sectarian, meaning they are fighting over what they want their country to become. They are not over there saying let’s blame Saddam, the U.S., the world; I’m sure some are, but as a whole I doubt it. They are meeting with family and friends previously prohibited by their own government.

I saw a bumper sticker that said “War isn’t the answer.” I thought to myself; it’s the solution.

As Conservative Black Folks, we don’t fight like we should. We look at those on top complain just as much as the one’s on the bottom, and we’re stuck in the middle trying to navigate through hate, bias, intolerance, and a constant need to explain we are not all alike.

So I Make My Declaration of War

On our “So Called Black Leaders”, your services are no longer needed.

We have a duty to wipe out mass ignorance and not help support it, by supporting you. I will say it one more time; How in the hell did you make it? And why in the hell do you then turn around and tell me I can’t? And I’ll even answer it for you. You need me to broke and ignorant so you can succeed. Ain’t gonna happen. Your final check is in the mail.

On the FTW”S of our race, Fuck You too.

You get no more sympathy from me. If you think you have the right to sell drugs, rob, steal, beat, rape, or harass, and still be safe in our neighborhoods, you are wrong. You are a product of your environment, no you are a product of choice. You could choose to suffer a little now; go to school, maybe get picked on a little for not having the best clothes, or not get any play from the girls. But you choose to want it now, and Fuck The World. Not working anymore.

The choices you make forge that environment you blame so much. You sell more drugs-> there are more addicts-> the more addicts->the more kids grow up without the ability to have the bare necessities. You know all those things you use as a crutch. My father wasn’t there, my mother was an addict, I didn’t have food, and nobody gave a damn about me. You selling that crack to that mother causes the environment that holds you down. Seriously. Blame placed at your door step.

(Don’t send me any excuses. I got a million. But you will never hear me use one.)

On the ignorant for the sake of being ignorant of our race; What’s up?

Once black people risked their lives trying to learn to read and now you risk yours trying to stay away from a book. O.K. I had to pause right there. This should have been my first declaration. Why do we set a goal to be stupid?

When I was in high school, (gotta get personal for a moment), I was a nerd. I didn’t need a Training Bra until I was 16. I almost got into a fist fight with one of my Math Teachers’ for correcting her. I had a hard time maintaining friendships with females, so I was alone a lot. In that time, I taught myself to type, learn the math for next year, and write all kinds of poetry. I grew, even though I had to do it alone.

While you are so eager for that guy or girl to look at you, colleges are eager to give you money for an education. While you beat down those that study, you turn away assistance in helping you succeed. (Be their friend and let them help you learn) While you tell a teacher what your not going to do, you miss a chance for a flame to be sparked inside yourself. It wasn’t until I was handed an essay in middle school did I learn to appreciate Hip hop.

On black women having babies to keep a man; you know he ain’t no good.

My sistas, I know we don’t always get along, but you deserve so much more. And on top of that, You make our Men weak. I don’t want to hear you complain about Niggas’ being dogs, when you let them dog you. If you can play a dude to get yourself some bling, use that same influence to make him better himself. If he refuses, the answer is not to have a baby, it’s to move on. Do you and do it better because you don’t have some one bringing you down.

On black men having babies and not taking care of them; you know you wrong.

If your dad wasn’t there and you choose not to be there; that doesn’t make any sense at all to me. What excuse could your father tell you that would release all the pain inside you? Would you accept; my boys all got dayton’s so I had to rob that fool so I could have so too? How about; your mother wanted me to spend time with her, I had other chics to focus my attention on? I don’t think that would work with you, and I’m sure it won’t work with your child in the future.

In the coming weeks, I will be breaking down each Declaration and starting a movement on it. I purposely left out hip-hop because it will change when we do, and not a second before.

Interested in joining my War?

I would like to tell you it’s easy, but I can’t. It won’t be easy, because you will be judged by those who like excuses. They will pull up slavery, Rodney King, and anything else they can to keep you were you are. They will say you ain’t fly because you don’t rock Gucci. They will say your not black enough because you speak with proper vocabulary. They will say you don’t care about the plight of black people because you don’t want hand outs.

To me it’s easy to laugh at these things, but it’s not that easy for everyone. The power comes in the little successes. When you receive your report card and see A’s instead of F’s, it gets a little easier to fight. When you get that job and that white man shakes your hand and tells you he looks forward to having you as an employee, it gets a little easier to fight. When a real man or woman approaches you and you can tell and appreciate that person, the fight gets alot easier. But these are not things that happen overnight. These are things that take Sacrifice.

Start small. Find a little way to see if I’m right. Call up your cousin that’s always in trouble, and spend the next couple weekends with him or her. Take them to a museum, a play, or some other event they wouldn’t normally got to. Find their passion and entice them with it. Watch them change because they get a chance to see some new. It will be the first time they think in terms of choices, and you will have won a battle in my cause.

Encourage your child to play with the kid that sits alone in the corner. Not just for the benefit of the kid in the corner, but for the benefit of your child. Teach them to see Character in Man, not the outside showing.
Teach them we all belong, and sometimes all it takes is an introduction to spark a long lasting friendship. They will then see that there are choices. Then we could have students competing for Valedictorian, not just prom queen and king. Then you will have struck a blow to those who say change is impossible.

Allow your children to listen to Hip-hop, then make them hate it by breaking it down for them. (This is one of my Favorites) Sit down and try to have your child (say 8 and up) explain Soulja Boy to you. Seriously, ask them what that song means. And watch as they can’t answer. Then play Tupac (any song will do, even a violent one; but for the kids stick with Brenda had a Baby or Keep Your Head Up) and ask them what the song means. Just do the experiment. If you don’t have kids, use a niece or nephew. If you’re a teenager, ask your friends. You do that and watch the conversation spark. You are helping to build my arsenal with each debate.

Come up with your own experiments based on what’s going on in your community. Like I said start small. If you have a good job and fly car, go to the ghetto during the day when most of the playgrounds are filled with kids and talk to them. When they tell you nice car, say yeah it cost me four years in college, but boy is it worth it. I got a job, a house, and a nice car. It was worth it. Set up a time for them to meet you in the library or rec center and show up. Be on time, dressed properly, and show interest in them. Show them how a man operates, and maybe something you’re missing in your life will open up. I’m just saying, we all have room for improvement. But improvement brings rewards. You keep this up and you’ll be a General in my army.

If you choose to stand in my way

Go ahead a try. See that’s the difference between me and you. You see an obstacle and look for an excuse. I see an obstacle and I look for a way to tear it down. I have confidence you don’t have the stamina to fight toe to toe with me for 12 rounds. I’ll be moving forward, while your looking backwards. I’ll be gaining success, even if in small measures, and you will continue to be at the mercy of someone else. To paraphrase Specta; Don’t give me fish, give me a fishing pole, I can do the rest myself.

But I will question what do you have to gain by staying in your current position. Are the Ghettos’ getting better without my knowledge. Are politicians keeping promises made during campaigns, it’s just were to stupid to see all the changes? Why are you satisfied with the script handed to you by those that benefit from your misfortune? Are you truly satisfied with our people right now?

If in answering these questions, you still find yourself opposing my position, I’m ready. The War Is On.

Could you imagine if we win? If each one of us takes a little step and we actually push our people past drugs, aids, poverty, defeatist thinking, misogyny, materialism, violence, and negativity that keeps us poor and oppressed. Imagine schools that pay for books not metal detectors. Imagine communities that pay for playgrounds instead of jails. Imagine stores opening in black neighborhoods, where white people aren’t scared to go.

Black Men: There is Power in the Military

August 2nd, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

In WWI there were >350,000 black troops. None were allowed to fight.

In WWII, the numbers increased. Though there were some exceptions, most troops still weren’t allowed to fight. They did play a major role as drivers on the Red Ball Express, the backbone for delivering supplies across Europe.

It wasn’t until Vietnam that black men got to actually fight for the United States of America. Of course, not counting the Civil War.

www.blackmilitaryworld.com Check for all kind of stats and stories.

Today, I get sick when I hear people say, the military isn’t a place for a black man. There are a couple factors that contribute to my disgust.

Using it as a Race Card

If you’ve read any of my articles, you know how I feel about excuses. But this is even worse, because they are setting up excuses for the future. Now what happens if no black men enter the Military for the next ten years. Ten years from now, you can would hear Democrats running of the platform there are no black faces in the Military. Of course, there isn’t. We have a volunteer military, if they don’t apply there won’t be any black faces.

They just send them places to die

More black men die on the streets of America in one year, then we’ve lost the entire time in Iraq. A Black American has more of a chance of being killed here, than any other place in the world. What makes it worse? Here, it’s usually another Black American committing the crime.

Experience can be your way out

How many dudes in the hood get the chance to work on an Airplane? How many dudes get the opportunity to learn how diplomacy works. Well I take that back, it’s a lot of diplomacy in the streets. But how many of them know, that’s what they’re doing? How many dudes wouldn’t make it in college, but would excel in security or be a great commander? Most people never know what their real passion is, because they never get a chance to experience it.

Other people get the Power

Most elected officials have had some sort of military back round. Those that don’t are usually very liberal and/or come from money. Military service gives you creditability. Just the simple fact you decided to serve, makes people listen to you just a little more. Whether it’s to complain or compliment, they listen. That’s power, especially to someone who’s never felt it before.

The Just

Normally, I would write out these long blogs. Telling of this and that, but this time I wanted to keep it short. We are a country at War. Two Wars, with more brewing around the corner, but that not an excuse. I wanted to join the Military, but I had Crohn’s and wasn’t excepted. I scored a 91 on my test and was told I could do any job I wanted.

They didn’t say, ‘well usually we sign black girls up for this.’ They didn’t say, ‘I think you’d be more comfortable doing this.’ They said I could do anything I wanted. By the time they laxed the rules, I had a baby.

Where would I be right now? I can’t answer. Maybe I would have hit a land mine and blew off my leg. Maybe a sniper would have taken me out. Maybe I could’ve been captured and held for months. Or maybe, just maybe, I could have pointed to something others missed and caught Bin Laden. Maybe I could’ve been the one to convince Saddam to allow the inspectors in. Maybe I could’ve been the one to get close enough to Ahmadinejad to assassinate him.

Maybe it could be you that stops the next war. Or you that wages the next war, with a winning strategy from the beginning. If we never try, how will we ever know our true potential. Just Ask Colin Powell.

U.S. Govenment Apologizes For Slavery; Now It’s Our Turn

July 30th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

When I was about 11 or 12, my mother rented all the episodes of ROOTS. I tried to watch it, but I couldn’t. I got real emotional and left the room. My siblings stayed and watched, but my mother joined me in another room. She told me it was O.K. because it was the past. It’s important to know the past. I didn’t watch the complete Roots, until I was 20.

When I was 14, we went to the slavery museum in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s a wax museum with a duplicate of a slave ship. I almost vomited when they started explaining what it might smell like, how long they had to endure these conditions, and how many of them killed themselves. I hated it.

I’m not big on apologies though. I never had to ride on a slave ship. I never wore chains around my feet, waist, and arms. I never had to endure 1/10th of the things slaves had to endure.

If the United States government wants to apologize, do it to all the people that love excuses. I love progression. If it weren’t for slavery, I wouldn’t be an American. If it weren’t for slavery, black people wouldn’t be apart of this great melting pot. That’s the truth.

The real apology should come from us Black Folk. I know I’m going to catch some flack for this, but fuck it.

I want to apologize to my Ancestors that were once slaves.

Once you were shackled and chained, separated from your children, and sold and traded like chattel. You were told were to live, how to live, and sometimes when to die. But you continued to sing songs of praise, and upliftment. You had a million and one things to complain about, but instead you put your faith in God to get you through.

I’m sorry we refuse to follow your example.

I want to apologize to Martin Luther King Jr

You knew this fight would probably cost you your life, but you fought anyways. I know you didn’t think you would see the changes in your life time, so that meant you were fighting for the changes in my life time. Your work wasn’t easy, but boy did you throw your heart and soul into it. I thank you.

I apologize for letting your death mean the opposite of your life. Your fight wasn’t about making excuses, it was about changing perception. You didn’t want black men in the streets creating violence, you wanted them at home with their families. You wanted them to teach their children the lesson you taught them. How we let you down.

I want to apologize to Malcolm X

Your life showed the struggle of a black man. When all that surrounds you are things to bring you down, you found light. You looked inside yourself to find what was missing. You allowed to see that growing is inevitable, not something to be ashamed of.

I apologize for not realizing that it takes all of us to make a positive change. If we want white people to start giving us respect, we first have to learn to respect ourselves. We wear pictures of your face and hold you in reverence, at the same time we’re spitting on the lesson you taught us.

I want to apologize to Rosa Parks

How much nerve did it take for you to sit at the front of that bus? I smile to myself thinking about it. That is a moment in American History were black women had some power. As black women, we always want to help out a black man, but sometimes that means showing them how to do some things. I get that from you.

I want to apologize for the place black women have allowed themselves to dwell. You proved our actions could have major repercussions. You showed us that our voice could be mighty. We pay you back by dancing on stripper poles, chasing niggers with temporary money, and refusing to realize we can make our own money with our brains and actions, not just our bodies. We owe you so much more.

I want to apologize to every single white person that participated in the Civil Rights Movement

You had no real reason to stand beside us. You did it because you felt it was the right thing to do. You marched with us, you got arrested with us, and you were subject to the same mistreatment as us, all by choice. Thank you.

I want to apologize for the attitudes we still carry; all white people are racist and won’t give a black man a chance. I know that there are white men that create black charities. I know there are white men that give black men opportunities. I know that there are white men that can look at a brother and not see color, but see a man.

Think about these things next time you want the government to apologize for the past. Alot of people fought to get us were we are today, and instead of looking for hand outs, follow the lessons left to us by some pretty remarkable people at a time way worse than it is today.

Black Family Breakdown+ Excuses Excuses Excuses+ Refusal to Integrate= The Black Plight

July 25th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

On CNN’s, Being Black in America, I was surprised by the lack of excuses put forth by many of the contributing Black Folk. It’s even better because they are all rich, accomplished, and made it to the spotlight.

Russell Simmons caught my attention. He said you can’t blame the rappers for the music. You can’t blame an artist for painting a picture of what he sees. Instead, we have to take the problems showcased in Hip Hop, and solve them. So let’s start there.

1. The breakdown of the Black Family.

When you were growing up, did you have that woman in your neighborhood that would beat other people’s kids? Yeah, that was my Mother. I was hated because she would whip your ass. My mother believed, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

How do you develop a suitable village to raise your child? See most of you are thinking it comes with a nice house, in a nice neighborhood, with nice schools. That’s not it. It comes when Uncles spend time with Nephews because their father isn’t around. It’s a grandmother telling her history, because you make your child sit down and listen. It’s not about economics, its about time spent.

A Home should be a sanctuary. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the middle of a ghetto or in the Hollywood hills. It should be a place where morals are established, goals are set, and a plan is hatched to succeed in those goals.

I’m a strong woman, so you won’t hear me say “Women need a man,” but I will say life is better when you have a real one. It’s important because your daughters are watching. If you bring an unacceptable man home, your daughter looks up to that, especially if she doesn’t have contact with her father. She’ll look for the things that make you happy, and if you only care how much money a man makes, that’s all she’ll care about.

Men. My black men. I just don’t understand some of you. Now, for my brother’s that didn’t plan to have that kid, but are taking care of your responsibilities, you got the message. You hated the fact your father wasn’t there, so you decide to break the cycle. Thank You. But all you brother’s with so much hate in your heart because your father wasn’t around, why are you the ones that walk away Someone close to me doesn’t know his father and cries about it constantly, but doesn’t put any effort into his son, because his new girlfriend doesn’t like it. He’s a big boy, literally. I could imagine if his real father came and told him he wasn’t there because of a girlfriend, he be ready to fight.

2. We love excuses

This is the worst. The breakdown of the family comes first because that’s where a lot of these excuses come from. It’s hard not to believe there is racism around every corner when it comes from your family. My family asked me what my perfect job would be. I said, I would love to write for a living. They told me you can’t make any money being a writer. My first response was J.K. Rawling, the author of Harry Potter. I choose her as an example because she is the richest author ever. I shot high with my aspirations. They told me I wasn’t white like her, so I couldn’t succeed. I’ve written a couple novels, a few screen plays, even came up with some ideas for reality shows. I know better than to listen to haters.

But what about the kids that don’t know any better? What about the kids that have dreams of becoming a doctor or lawyer, but are surrounded by people with no dreams or aspirations because they listened to the hater speech? Where is the accountability of our elected officials that should be saying “I made it and you can to”, instead we only see them when bad stuff happens? The message is simple. I made it. You can’t. Continue to vote for me. And it works.

Are there racist people in America, Sure. You’re probably one of them. Whether you hate Muslims for 9/11, Mexicans for immigration, or white people for slavery. Everyone carries some sort of Racism, but does that make America a Racist country. No. White and black people marry and raise families. Mexicans add their flavor to hip hop and the music sounds good. This is a melting pot. If you chose to make excuses instead of applying yourself, one day you will have to look back and realize racism didn’t steal your dreams, your undeniable belief in Racism did.

3. We don’t want to integrate

I was out with my daughter and see saw this really fancy store, so she wanted to go in. I was apprehensive taking a three year old into a store with crystal every where. So when the sales associate approached me upon entering the store, I wasn’t surprised. She asked me to keep a good eye on my daughter. I said O.K. My sister lost it. She went off. “I bet she don’t tell white people to watch their kids.” Everyone in the store started looking at her. Then she had to add “Racist Bitch.”

I was about to start my tirade, when the white sales associate came over. This white lady let the ghetto out. ” Nobody is Racist, your ass is just loud as fuck.” Then like some message from God, the lady’s husband walks in, Black as Tar. I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t think the lady was being racist. My daughter like to touch everything and I’m sure other kids do too. I’ve seen bad ass white kids is a store. I knew she was concerned about the merchandise, not because I was black, she was concerned about my daughter destroying it, and so was I.

We can take the previous two problems and add them in here. Black Family breakdown+ Excuses Excuses Excuses+ not wanting to integrate= the black situation of today. It’s no getting around it.

Why should we have to integrate into white society? You don’t, but you have to be respectful of it. You can’t demand respect, if you don’t command respect. Meaning, if you don’t want to be treated like a Nigger, don’t act like one. If you walk in a store with your pants falling down, talking loud on a cell phone about how much you liked jail, with a mouthful of Gold, as a black woman, I think nigger. No different than you seeing a man on a horse, wearing a cowboy hat, and spurs on his boots, I’d say cowboy.

We want to be treated as equals without acting equal. We want the ability to tell the cops when and where they can arrest us. We want to tell the government they have to pay for us, because we can’t work for ourselves. We want the entire world to think America is a racist country, without taking one step to improve our own situation.

Integration doesn’t only mean white people accept us and our culture. It also means we have to all other people and their cultures.

When we put all these things together, we have the solutions to the problems that plague us. The only question is if we want it solved

The 12 Things The Negro Must Do For Himself (Updated)

July 7th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

In my About section, I have listed the 12 steps laid out by Nannie Helen Burroughs in the early 1900’s. Here they are the same 12 steps, just rewritten by me.

12 Things We Need To Do For Ourselves

1. WE MUST LEARN TO PRIORITIZE.

We can’t go out and buy a BMW before we first purchase a house. We can’t go out and buy our kids NIke’s and not invest in books and learning material. We can’t go out and buy Grey Goose and Hennessey when they are closing down community centers in our neighborhoods. “WE BUY THE THINGS WE WANT AND BEG FOR THE THINGS WE NEED.”

2. WE MUST LEARN SOMETHINGS ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITY

We as a people have always helped each other out. If you don’t have food, I’ll feed you the best I can. But if you won’t even try to feed yourself, why should anyone help you. Take a step and if you fall, I’ll catch you, but “Even God does not do for man what man can do for himself.”

3. WE MUST CLEAN UP OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

That means everything in them. The houses, the stores, the parks, and the people. Graffiti is beautiful sometimes, but mostly it brings down property value. When addicts and dealers consume parks and playgrounds, where do the children go. We must realize our personal value is directly connected to our community value, and if we want to advance we must take our communities with us. The standards we set for ourselves, will be those expected of us from others.

4. WE MUST DRESS APPROPRIATELY

First impressions mean everything, and you never know where your opportunity may present itself. If you are seriously seeking a career, dress appropriately all the time. You may be in a public setting and catch the attention of someone in a position of power. It’s common sense to know what is appropriate. You don’t wear halter tops and booty shorts to Chuck E. Cheese, or jeans and a t-shirt to court. Nor should you allow your children to wear clothes you feel are inappropriate because it helps them fit in. Teach them character.

5. WE MUST NOT BE AFRAID TO TELL PEOPLE WE LOVE THE LORD

Majority of us believe God is Real. We feel him in our souls, but that’s where we keep him. We go through our evolution, and we give God the Glory, but we don’t tell the little girls and little boys our stories. We walk past them and blow them off instead of taking two minutes to stop and tell them “God loves You, and no matter what is holding you down today, God will take it away if you ask him.”

6. WE MUST STOP TALKING ABOUT THE MAN

I could do this but I’ll let Booker T. Washington handle it. ” There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs-partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs….There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don’t want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public.” Why do we only see our so called leaders when something bad happens? No one told me I could be anything, they only told me if I try, somebody will stop me.

7. WE MUST STOP BMW (Bitching, Moaning, and Crying)

Nobody is going to stop you from making money for them. It’s that simple. Black is no longer the important color. The new color of significance in GREEN. If you make a company millions of dollars, they won’t care the color of your skin. Even if he doesn’t like black people, he will do what he has to do to keep you, because MONEY is more important. The major mistake we make is thinking we can do it alone. We try and fail and look for someone to blame. Did you reach out to other black people and ask them to invest? Giving them a sense of pride and ownership of something, and you a chance to see your dream fulfilled. Instead of complaining and making excuses, look around you for people like you and make the climb together.

8. WE MUST STOP EXPECTING A JOB

Don’t go to a job interview late, wearing baggy pants, and speaking broken English and expect to get a job. You wouldn’t hire you. Don’t get the job, call out in the first week, show up late three days the next week, and then tell your manager what your not going to do. You would fire you. Don’t go to work, talk about your other employees, have totally inappropriate conversations loudly, or break an attitude and show out. Realize whether it’s fair or not you are a representative of our race, and we have to change our image if we want more doors to open up to us. Make your habits so impeccable they can’t function without you.

9. WE MUST STOP ACTING A FOOL IN PUBLIC PLACES

Most of the time, I think most black people don’t want integration. If they did, they would realize it’s really a matter of standards. I don’t go to the movies at night time and it has nothing to do with the prices. I see GROWN black folks loud and obnoxious, cutting lines and cussing at attendants for no reason. There are no white people around, that’s how we act amongst ourselves. We all have to realize there is a time and place for everything. If you want to support our local businesses, go in and act like you have sense. Make it comfortable for other races to taste our food, see our clothes, listen to our music, and support us.

10. STOP LIMITING YOURSELF TO WHAT YOU SEE AROUND YOU

Just because the only black successful people you see play a sport, are surrounded by half naked women, or don’t reach out to you, that’s not your only resource. A success story is a success story. If you can’t find one that looks like you and succeeded in the dream you have, just look for one that succeeded. Don’t worry about color. You may find that just because they are a different color, they are still went through the same problems and pitfalls you’ll have to endure.

11. WE MUST NEVER FORGET WHERE WE CAME FROM

This is what ticks me off about Hip-Hop Artist that say it’s not there place to be role models. Especially those that spend money and give back to the community. Yes, the money will help, but listen to the message that comes with the money. You may not have wanted the position, but God gave it to you. He allowed you to live and to suffer through all the pain of your life, and then he put you out front to preach his message. Tell me I can make it out, but don’t tell me it requires me sitting on 22’s. Tell me it’s hard, tell me I’ve got to change my mind set. Jay-Z did it, and he’s successful. Kanye West, Common, they are doing it and making money, is it just that you can’t be creative enough to change the message and still draw people in. Maybe that’s your wake up call to check your skills, and make sure your records reflect your actual life.

12. WE MUST STOP BEING MORE RACIST THAN ANY OTHER GROUP

Chief Moose, from the Maryland Police, lead the search for the D.C. Sniper. He joined the police after college, with the intention of learning the crooked operations of the police, then become a lawyer and fighting against it. He never became a lawyer. We talk ourselves into hating the police, when we’re really more scared of the brothers on the corner than we are of the police. We don’t restrict ourselves from going to certain neighborhoods because we’re scared the police are going to mess with us. Yet when something happens to a brother, we all want to run to his aid, and stand up for him. So the white cops that put their life on the line to protect you, you spew them with hate and disgrace. And give comfort to people you know are wrong. That’s racism at it’s strongest. You know who’s selling the crack to the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers of our communities. I know there are certain cases where there is police brutality, but you’ve been around that dude that said they wouldn’t take him without a fight, and you believed it when he said it. You know the ones that prey on 13 and 14 year old boys to get them started, and we stand up for them. Why? We give them excuses to believe it’s okay for them to go out and do the same stupid shit over and over again. Why? We call them square if they decide their not going to fall in and ruin their lives? Why? Then when they make it and come back to help, we attack them. They open businesses, we rob them. They open community center, we sell crack in front of them. Is there never a time when we all we have personal responsibility, with no one to blame for our short falls but ourselves?

A Disconnect Between My Elder and Me: Older Generation We Need Your Help

February 14th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

My Grandfather loved to get drunk. I could remember getting to his house about 10 a.m. and he would already have a drink in his hand. As a kid, I hated it. I knew about 4 or 5 o’clock, he would be wasted and story time would start. He would holla and scream until all the kid’s were gathered at his feet.

He cussed, a lot. That’s what made the time worth it. We were allowed to ask any question and our mother’s could say nothing. We had a little power and that was cool.

No matter the subject, we always got back to self-responsibility. No matter how much someone has wronged you, it’s only important what you do after the fact. This was a lesson real important to my brother, my sister, my cousins and me.

Not one of us came from a “complete family” where both mom and dad were present. Every single one of us had issues with abandonment. He didn’t care. It wasn’t an excuse to fail in school, disrespect your elders, or to dwell in your own self-pity. Your job was to move past it and live your life. Because he lived his life everyday, to the fullest.

Now, another perfect example is my Uncle Pop. Boy, is he a piece of work. We sometimes look at our elders like they are just old. We don’t realize they were once the pimps, whores, squares, and everything in between.

Uncle Pop has the philosophy that if a man works, nothing else matters. As long as he pays the bills at home, what he does in the street is his business. And that’s how he’s lived his life. Bringing hurt and pain into the lives of his family members and not caring because the lights were on.

Yet, he is biggest advocate for self-responsibility. I don’t talk about politics around my family. They are liberal by default. No research, no news, just follow the blind. On New Year’s, he stands up in his drunken stupor and starts talking about the bail out of the Banks. I was shocked.

He said as long as he has his health, he can make a dollar and everyone should be held to that standard. It was so funny. If it had been me, they would have argued and yelled. But because it was him, they all sat and listened. Just as I had my entire youth.

So, what’s my point.

Most of us, still hold a lot respect for our elders. I’m scared not to. My mother passed but I still fear her presence for disrespecting someone older and wiser than me. The rule was as steadfast as not singing at the dinner table.

I got a funny question for you. In all the movies we watch, why does the main character always return to Grandma’s house? Is it because she is always cooking something good? Maybe it’s because we really need the advice of someone older? Or maybe it’s because she’s the only one guaranteed to still be in her home!

See, Grandma wouldn’t take out a second mortgage to have a down payment for a car. Grandma would drive the wheels off the car she already has. Grandma didn’t buy brand name clothes, unless something big was happening at the church. Grandma would shop at yard sales and discount stores. Grandma wouldn’t spend extra money going green. She already had a garden in the back that would supply her with all the fresh, organic vegetables she needed.

So, even though Grandma wasn’t rolling in the dough, she always had the money to pay her bills. She was responsible so you would always have a place to come back too.

While we praise Obama, we need to give praise to our older family members. Those that watched us as our parents struggled. Those that propped us up when we struggled. Those that have maintained a place where everyone can call home. Thank You.

Having said that. Some times you love us too much. In that same movie, the child that comes home takes something invaluable from the Grandmother. She is so willing to help her kin, she forgets exactly what helping them is. She gives up her house, her savings, or the sentimental piece of jewelry she’s always had and the child learns nothing until further in the story.

That’s where we are. I will take nothing away from the pride felt by older Black Americans to see a black man sworn in as President of the United States of America. From your perspective, I could understand you not believing you would see it in your lifetime.

The surprise and elation was lost on me. I wasn’t surprised a black man could run a successful political campaign and capture the heart and souls of all class and color of Americans. I have pride and belief in our people, their success doesn’t surprise me.

That’s the problem.

We are two very different generations. Our grandparents caught the best and worst of our struggle. They had to deal with the injustice of segregation but they also experienced our most prevalent time of self pride. People cared about their neighbors and communities. They picked up trash voluntarily, offered assistance when they were barely making it themselves, and kept each other in good spirits when they were experiencing so much hate.

Our generation, not so much. For the sake of argument, I’m going to play conspiracy theory. Suppose the government did drop large amounts drugs into black neighborhoods. We got that, torch and pitch forks to the government.

Where is our strength to get past it? Like my Grandfather used to say, “What are you going to do to fix your situation?” We have a refusal to take a step above victim. That is our problem.

It has nothing to do with government or color of the president’s skin. It’s what do we want and how do we go about getting it. We want everything, now. We aren’t willing to put in the work to acheive a goal, we want it handed to us on a silver platter.

Why aren’t our elder standing up and saying, “That’s not how you do it baby. If I had mortgaged my house on what I thought your mother was going to become, neither of us would have a place to live right now. Instead, I struggled to keep it together so your mother could have a chance at a better life. It was her decision not to take advantage of it. Just like it is your choice not to take advantage of the opportunities you have in front of you.”

A simple message but full of lessons to be learned.

1. The importance of keeping your star player in tact so you have the ability to help those you love
2. The importance of making wise money decisions
3. How important it is to keep going, no matter how tough time gets
4. Doing your part and realizing that’s all you can do. You can help someone that doesn’t want it.
5. The importance of self-responsibility
6. The importance of learning the mistakes of others before you have to endure them

These aren’t empty words when they come from a matriarch or patriarch. These become life lessons to follow.

Because my generation is living by a whole new set of rules. We don’t respect anyone or anything that blocks our instant gratification. We don’t care if it brings the detriment of our entire community, including the elders that still demand it is the system’s fault. You are fighting for us, and we are fighting for nothing.

And that’s where we need to meet. One of my brother’s was kicked out of school for fighting. A white boy called him a Nigger and he put the boy in the hospital for a month. He was sent to Juvenile for 6 months. My grandma asked him if it was worth it, he said yes. She never mentioned it again, at least not to my knowledge.

That same year, she jumped on me everyday because I was getting a ride to school with a boy. Everyday, no stop. I was very self aware. I knew what boys wanted and it was my job not to let them have it. Her wisdom did little to effect my outlook.

But my brother. He needed someone in his face telling him to take responsibility for his own actions and there was silence. There was no sticks and stones talk or look how much it cost you talk and my brother still walks around like the world owes him something. When in trouble, he still runs back to Grandma’s for assistance.

I’m like, when is it time you start assisting her? But she will have none of it. My brother can do no wrong. Even when all she wants is to see her great-grandchildren on her birthday, he is the only one not to show up. Family pictures always remain incomplete.

We need the assistance of an elder population that realizes we were not brought up with the same morals and values as them. We need help realizing our dreams are not assured because those before us suffered. We need to know that it is our time to stand up and take our place.

Silence is just as bad as excuses. It’s right above enabling. Silence either means you understand or you don’t care. Both are equally as dangerous to a mind with little hope for a bright future. If you understand than they find acceptance in excuses. If you don’t care, why should they. And if you only speak when it benefits you, we are not dumb, we realize the placation.

So what do we do? Hope my elders can give us some help!