Archive for April, 2010

He Took Me Away: A Simple Reflection

April 24th, 2010 | By

Whenever things get tough in my life, I start to think back on the past.  I’ve learned there are no new lessons, just lessons learned the hard way and forgotten.  Even the most self-reflective person falls victim to apathy. And it is in this moment God hits you with a dose of reality.

He took me away.  I was only an infant and my mother was addicted to crack.  My father wasn’t ready to  be a single father, so he gave me away.  I found an Angel on earth.  God gave me my mother.

He took me away.  I was always one to question, so he sent me a pastor who welcomed debate.  In the youngest years of my religious up-bringing my pastor preached self-sufficiency, the power of faith, and an always open mind. I had a spiritual guide sent by God

He took me away.  In high school I got Honor Roll without even trying. I did the minimal to succeed and spent the rest of the time skipping. When I was forced to switch schools my junior year, I was awakened.  One old bald teacher asked questions that made me think, this was a foreign concept.  I was used to regurgitation. God blessed me with the true method of learning.

He took me away.  I was surrounded by conservatives that preach liberalism. Single mothers who pay all their bills on time will encourage you to get food stamps. First generation fathers convince their sons abortion is acceptable.  Former felon turned business owner proclaims “The man in trying to keep me down”.   God gave me a sense of humor for irony.

He took me away.  I love a bad boy. A crisp white tee, fresh braids, and an attitude to match.  Crohn’s stopped that fast.  It’s hard to deal with the drama of a hard-headed stubborn male when you spend every other week in the hospital.  God knows better than you, I’ll leave it at that.

He took me away.  Away from his church, away from school, away from my family and friends, and away from my own personal desires.  He took everything from me and I was left wondering what was next. For a long time, I wondered what was the purpose. Why did God put so much time and energy into guiding my life, even when I had turned from him?

Only now that God has built me back up do I understand the wisdom in his plan.  He knew I needed something strong in my life that wouldn’t let me stray to far and he blessed me with Mary. Before she gave birth to me, someone slipped something in her drink.  She hasn’t been right since.  Though I wasn’t perfect, I knew that my actions held consequences.

He knew his church wasn’t what it used to be.  At 16 I began to wonder why the church had never built anything.  Not to be funny but since I was 6 there was a building fund to buy land adjacent to the church.  My Grandmother forced me to attend meetings, so I know the county was selling the land to the church at a reduced price.  To this day, no land.  You get a message, with no real community outreach just judgement, criticism, and a collection plate.

He knew schools were no longer teaching the truth.  I did three book reports on Langston Hughes and was never told he was a Communist.  No books available to me at the time revealed this fact nor did any teacher correct my error.  And don’t even get me started on W.E.B.  I would love to ask just one English or History teacher for the truth about him and the Eugenics movement.

He knew I had surrounded myself with people who had already surrendered.  They are in the same place now as they were when I left.  No progress, no advancement just a bunch of complaints.  I love to talk so I have two options; complain or speak out.  When in Rome……..I’d still be there complaining.

He knew that when I set my mind on something I wanted, or something I wasn’t supposed to have, there was no stopping me.  Even to my own detriment.  The hardest transition is taking your personal desires and pushing them to the side to do God’s will. It leaves you wondering what could’ve been, if you don’t have the faith to put it all in God’s hands.

He took me away and he placed me in this bubble.  In this confined space I have reaffirmed my commitment to God, I’ve captured my history, I’ve build a new group of friends, and now I’m fighting the last step in the process.  Why?  I know what God has in store but I can’t help but want what I want.   God I am a work in progress.  Please keep your hands on me.

Racism vs Elitism: Which Game are You Playing?

April 19th, 2010 | By

This article is weeks in the making.  I’ve actually sat at the computer and started to write four time already, to no avail.  I really don’t want to write another race article, yet God has put it on my heart  so here we go.

What is Racism?  Dictionary Definition- a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.   WOW! 

This leads me to all sorts of questions.   Let’s start with America’s most known racist, the KKK.   The Ku Klux Klan was created by Democrats after the Civil War.   After the Confederates defeat, there were a lot of soldiers and land owners who wanted to maintain White Supremacy.   Why?  If they we’re really Racist, they would be unafraid of giving blacks their freedom.  In fact, they were cowards afraid to compete.

Just think about it.  These white men had been taught their whole lives that they were the cream of the crop.  They were the race that God put here to dominate America but in their heart of hearts, they knew better.  They had seen the Black Men in the fields and they knew they could not outwork them.   They knew the only thing standing in the way of Black People rising to take over the South was lack of education.    Now they were no longer in the position to deny them that right. 

Blacks outnumbered whites in the South, so if they found out they could vote, it was all over.  This is what sparked the KKK.  FEAR!   Fear they were not pre-destined to greatness.  Fear they were really equal to blacks, therefore we had to be put in our place.   Fear of their own inferiority.  So, were they racist or  elitist, thrown from their mis-placed high perch? 

Their mothers and fathers, not God, gave them the feeling of Superiority.  They were Elitist.  Dictionary Definition-  the socially superior part of society or a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence.   As long as slavery existed, they could control the minds of the people and keep their social stature.  Elites are always scared to compete.  That’s why Kings, Queens, and Slave Owners ruled with absolute power.  Who are you to question me?

I’ve run this concept across a couple of people and I get the same reaction from those who disagree, just look at the Nazis’.  Ok but first we have to look at the Jews.  What is the primary argument used to justify hating the Jews?  Most say, “they crucified Jesus”.  Ok, they played their part in God’s will.  What else you got?

The real reason Jews are hated is because they are perceived as the pervayers of money and power.   They are the reason this group is poor or that group is unhappy.  They have  been used as a scapegoat all throughout History to redirect a nation’s hatred away from the “ELITES” that rape and plunder private property and personal funds.  Just blame the Jews.

Now, if you are Hitler and you already have the people, what’s next?  If you were really that secure in the dominance of the Blue-Eyed Blond-Haired race why not build a nation on that dominance?  Like, “German People stand up, strap up your bootstraps and let’s show the rest of the world how a perfect White Society looks”.  Instead, it became “if we could only get rid of the Jews”.  Why?  Are Germans so inferior that you have to eliminate all other ethnicities to be successful? 

This is Cowardice, not Superiority.  Are Germans incapable of practicing frugality?  Are they to stupid to manage, stack, and re-invest the resources and capital within their society?  Why is their whole existence predicated on the extinction of another race?  Nazi’s were not racist, they were Elitist who believed they could forge a perfect society once they became the only strong group.  While all Jews were sought after, those who owned land, businesses, and personal wealth were the first to go. 

This is the part where I really piss some people off.  If the definition holds true, we are the most racist people on the planet and to make it worse, most of our racism is targeted back towards ourselves.   We were taught by our mothers and fathers, “A white man doesn’t want a black man to succeed”.  Does this actually affect a Black Person’s ability to succeed?  Only if that Black Person believes they are inferior.

And as a community, we have brought into this notion hook, line, and sinker.    “They” want Black Communities to fail and we stand and watch as they crumble.  “They” don’t represent us and our needs in Government, so we stand back and let them make the decisions for us.    “They” want to see our Black men in prison, so we sell drugs and shoot each other to make their job easier.  Here comes the million dollar question, WHO is THEY?

Are “They” white men in sheets or are “They” the black people that convinced our mothers and fathers we needed government?  I ask this question because I’ve been learning my history.  When those white men were running around afraid to show who they really were, Blacks were building towns, industry, and healthy, happy families.  While those white men hung us from trees and burnt down our churches, we were taking our rightful place in the food chain of America.  For all the hate and destruction perpetrated by the KKK, in actuality, they were a complete failure as a group.  We beat them by building, when all they could do was destroy.

While white racism towards blacks may still exist in America, is it the true force behind our ills?  Take a look back at the footage of the Civil Rights movement.  Most Blacks were in suits and dresses with their heads held high as they marched through White neighborhoods unafraid.  They didn’t care what White people thought, maybe because they had white people marching along side them, they marched because of their own strength and dignity.  They owned homes, businesses, and were productive members of society, whether a white man wanted them to be or not.

So how did we get to thinking we have to take everything from White People to be successful Black People?  When did our existence start to depend on the extermination or degradation of another racial group?  When did we become Cowards afraid to compete because of our own inferiority?  I don’t believe this is who we truly are.  I believe we are powerful beyond measure when we count on ourselves instead of focusing on tearing down someone else.

Where did our current lack of self-sufficiency begin?  In my opinion, it started in the 1920’s with W.E.B. DuBois.  While Progressives like Margaret Sanger were trying to develop means to destroy the black community, DuBois stepped in and said Wait.  All blacks are not inferior.  There are 10% of us who are equal to white people.  The other 90% can be controlled by us Black Elites.  What percentage of the black vote did Obama receive?

Then the Civil Rights movement began.  We wanted to prove we were equals and all we demanded was an equal playing field.   This movement wasn’t started by the Elite.  It was started by a single black woman, Rosa Parks, who had enough pride and dignity within herself to say enough is enough.  She became a national treasure because she showed the strength of a single American to start a Revolution.

And where were the Elites?  They were negotiating with President Kennedy.  It didn’t matter to them that Kennedy had both Martin Luther King Jr and Malcom X under government surveillance, it only mattered that they be the one’s that officially broker the deal of Civil Rights.  How upset the Talented Tenth, DuBois’ Elite 10%, must have been to have the 90% of inferior citizens move mountains.

After King’s Death, the Elite went right to work within the Democratic Party.  They missed their chance to win over the black community, who still voted Republican, and they were hell bent on proving their superiority.   They were now amongst the Elites from the KKK, the Elites from the Progressives, and the Elites of the Unions.   

If you are a White Democrat and you want to secure the black vote, you must now go through the Black Elite.  And this is where we have been for the last Forty Years.  It doesn’t matter if a Democrat has our best interest at heart, it only matters they are accepted by those who presume they are the Cream of the Black Crop.  The Jesse Jacksons’ throw out accusations of a Racist America, when they are Millionaires.  The Al Sharptons’ preach on “fairness” and “social justice”, without explaining what they mean is Socialism.    They make it seem like being Black in America is a plague, yet they are invited to all the parties, galas, and conventions with the other Elites.

And we are left to argue over Race.  We still talk in Black and White, while the Elites have moved on to giving favors to the Unions, Car Companies, Banks, and other Financial Institutions.  Slowly but surely, this generation of perceived Black Elites are learning a hard lesson.  Barack Obama didn’t come up through the traditional “Harlem” channels.  He didn’t seek out Al Sharpton, he had Andy Stern.  He didn’t seek out Jesse Jackson, he had “Chicago Politics”.  And now they are surprised there is no “Black Agenda”.

We must stop talking race and start talking Financial Freedom.  We must stop waiting for Government to be “FAIR” and “SAVE” us, we must begin building the life boats to save ourselves. We must declare our own equality copying those before us.  We must build.  We can no longer play the game of React and Destroy, remember you reap what you sow.  We can no longer accept someone else’s failure as our only access to success.  We’ve done it before, can we do it again?

What I Got From the Tea Party!

April 18th, 2010 | By

Holla at ya Girl.  I did my very first speech ever Tax Day 2010 down in Roanoke Virginia.  There were a lot people there and I was excited to be apart of such a fantastic rally.  The Roanoke Tea Party Coordinators and Participants are AWESOME.

And that’s the question I’ve gotten asked, How did the White People treat you?   Such a moronic question and I’m so tired of hearing it.  Let’s have an adult conversation here.  How do the white people treat you at the bank?  How do the white people treat you at the grocery store, the mall, or any other place in America where there is integration?

Wait!  Isn’t that what the Civil Rights movement was about?  The right for blacks, whites, and every other color or shade to use the same bathrooms, eat at the same restaurants, and YES, PROTEST big government spending at the same rally.  This, more than the election of Obama where most blacks admitted voting on color not character, is a true reflection of Martin Luther King Jr’s dream.

I was unafraid to bring up the issue of race during my speech and the people where not scared to bring up race in personal conversation.  They were a lot like me, they didn’t lie about not seeing color, they just didn’t care about color.   Just Check out the Speech………

Part 1

Part 2

April to Celebrate Democratic Confederacy/May to Celebrate Republican Reconstruction

April 8th, 2010 | By

If I were petty and racially-driven, I would be upset with my Virginia Governor Bob McDonell.  His decision to call April Confederate History Month has sparked anger with Black Democrats across the state.  Black Republicans within the state are now scrambling to answer calls of “Uncle Tom” and “Traitor”.    As the newly named President of the Frederick Douglass Foundation of Virginia, I am left looking at this as an opportunity.

Ironically, a couple weeks ago at the Frederick Douglass Foundation Leadership Summit, I got to ask Va Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli a question on this very topic.  I pointed out the rather large Robert E. Lee Statue is celebrated in Richmond as a part of Democratic History in Va.  I asked the Attorney General when will we start to celebrate Virginia’s Republican History?   I contrasted the Robert E. Lee Statue against the Maggie Walker House and the former Black Wall Street only a few blocks away.

He gave the best non-answer a person can give, he plainly stated he didn’t know about the History of which I spoke.   O.K.  I’m giving him to much credit.  He rambled on and on until it was plain to see he couldn’t answer my question because he didn’t know the History of which I spoke.  Yet, I held no ill will.  It would be like inviting me to a fancy dinner and asking me to point out the salad fork, not going to happen.

Most of the Black Residents of Virginia don’t know the Republican History in this State.  Since most of that History is centered around Blacks, maybe we can play a little game.  April is Confederate History Month, where we learn how Virginia Democrats seceded from the Union to keep their slaves and May can be Reconstruction History Month, where we learn what Black Republicans did during that time period to enhance Va culture, education, and financial freedom.

We all know the name Langston  Hughes but very few know the name, John Mercer Langston.   He was the famous poets Great Uncle and one of the first Black Republicans to obtain a United States Congressional Seat.  Since this happened after the Civil War, it won’t be celebrated by McDonnell’s little proclamation.   And there in lies the problem.  We give the preception of celebrating Southern History with Southern Pride,  yet we leave out Southerners of color who stayed to improve the conditions of the newly freed slaves. 

So, my question is “Why celebrate and give notice to the Democratic Legacy in Virginia, if you are a Republican Governor?”  Where is your Republican Southern Pride?  Now, I can understand why White Republicans don’t officially go after the Black Population.  I’ll give credit to McDonnell.  He had multiple Black Republicans working on and supporting his campaign but did he stop to think how this decision would affect them?

Before I follow the racial path and shout, “Don’t these White Republicans know what us Black Republicans have to go through just to represent our party,” I’ll instead offer a different point of view for the Republicans in power.  If you don’t know how to communicate with the black community, then how about reaching out to the young Conservatives on College Campuses?

Maybe you can point out how Hampton University started with classes under an Oak Tree by a single teacher, Mary Smith Peake.  Explain how, under Union protection as “Contraband”,  free blacks flocked to Republican Strongholds for Safety and Education.   Enlighten Virginians on how Rich and Affluent Republicans gave huge donations that turned that tree into an Emancipation Oak.  Then that Emancipation Oak into a little brown cottage.  Then that little brown cottage into  Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, and now it’s Hampton University, a proud HBCU.  Just for kicks, add the fact that Booker T. Washington, an abolitionist entrenched in the Republican Reconstruction graduated from Hampton University.

Since I brought up John Mercer Langston earlier, let’s see what we can say to college students at Virginia State University.  Let me bring up another name most Virginians, black or white, don’t know; Robert Russa Moton.

   The next morning I asked my father about the school for coloured people, which was being projected under the influence of General Mahone at Petersburg, now a State Normal School. He told me much about it. It was to open the following fall. The Hon. John M. Langston, he said, a coloured man who was as well educated as any white person that he knew of, was to be the president. He said I might go if I wished and that he would do what he could to help me. It being a state school, and he having certain strong friends in the Republican Party (General Mahone among them), Hon. B.S. Hooper, a member of Congress from the Fourth Congressional District of Virginia, would probably arrange for me to have a scholarship.”

When VSU was still Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, blacks seeked out Republicans to help them aquire an education.  No wonder J. W. Langston became the schools first President.  You know, the same man who broke Virginia’s racial lines to become an elected official.  Because of Republican efforts in education, Robert Russa Moton was able to follow in Booker T. Washington’s footsteps to become Principal of the Tuskegee Institute.

We can stop by Virginia Union University.  We can show how Religious Groups, along with the Republican Party, stood up to Virginia Democrats to teach released slaves about their heritage.  Slavery had ripped the titles Father, Mother, and Family from the black vernacular and VUU played an important role in returning the family unit.  Then we can go to St. Paul’s College and Norfolk State.  Same message for every school, the Republican Party has played a major role in establishing some of the most prominent colleges in Va.

So why is Confederate History Month so important?  Who is McDonnell really trying to impress with this edict of respect?  This is my only problem with Reaganomics.  It leads modern day conservatives to believe the Republican Party started with Ronald Reagan.  What about Carter Woodson, Sojournor Truth, and how many more that held the Republican label as a badge of Honor long before the Cold War.  Is there any importance in this History, while you are picking and choosing which History to celebrate?

This whole mess has presented me with the answer to a long held question.  Why is the Republican Party unable to connect with the Black Community?  I’m convinced I’ve come up with an answer.  Most Republicans don’t know the full extent of Republican History, as demonstrated by my Attonery Generals’ lack of an answer, and most Blacks don’t know the full realm of Black History, as evident by the majority of Black Citizens assuming Democrats have their best wishes at heart.  If both groups would brush up on their History, they would realize it’s one in the same.  You can’t celebrate the Republican Party without Blacks and you can’t celebrate Black History without Republicans.

With all that being said and as a precursor to insults and judgements sure to be hurled my way, I offer this bit of solace.  I am a Revolutionary, not a reactionary.  I won’t accept Foodstamps as a solution to poverty because Bob McDonnell wants to celebrate the Confederacy.  I won’t accept Obamacare because he didn’t mention slavery in his declaration.  I will not be led by the collar on the basis of race by either party.  Instead I will do what those great black Republicans did before me and make a way when elements on both sides are praying for my downfall.