Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
3.28.2012
10.17.2011
Jobs & Justice - DC, 10.15.2011
{for pictures, click here.}
I arrived at the Mall around 11:30am, thinking I’d missed the march itself. Actually, it hadn’t started. Speakers were still speaking, folks were still gathering.
I noticed the youth first. They seemed ubiquitous, some in marching bands, others rhythmically shouting “Free DC!” as they made their way through the crowd. Black youth. I had to struggle to find whitefolks--one of the radio personalities cracked a joke about that from the stage a little later on.
I arrived at the Mall around 11:30am, thinking I’d missed the march itself. Actually, it hadn’t started. Speakers were still speaking, folks were still gathering.
I noticed the youth first. They seemed ubiquitous, some in marching bands, others rhythmically shouting “Free DC!” as they made their way through the crowd. Black youth. I had to struggle to find whitefolks--one of the radio personalities cracked a joke about that from the stage a little later on.
3.08.2011
merlin stone has passed on...
i remember when i was first coming into a new consciousness around god/dess and someone told me i should read when god was a woman, not now but right now.
i never looked back.
whatever scholastic errors she may have made along the way, she opened a door that could never be shut again.
may we continue to discover the Divine in our own images. and may we love Her fiercely.
thank you.
i never looked back.
whatever scholastic errors she may have made along the way, she opened a door that could never be shut again.
may we continue to discover the Divine in our own images. and may we love Her fiercely.
thank you.
3.06.2011
woman, unapologetically
it is my hope that, one day, my sistas will stop spitting out "feminism" as if it's a dirty word.
first and foremost: the mainstream feminist movement was never "ours" anyway. black folks seem to have developed a gross misconception of what the feminist movement entailed both during its inception, in the mid to late 20th century, and now.*
the labels womanist/womanism do better to explain the struggle of women of color for dignity, life and freedom within the kryarchic oppression imposed by their respective men--but even that might not be enough. and that's ok. wikipedia attempts to sum up some of the complexities:
for me, the bottom line is this:
i deserve to be able to stand up for myself and my humanity--from my seat as a woman and in solidarity with other women. if that somehow screws with the worst manifestations of the black man's ego, i don't see that as my problem. or, more sweetly said, that is an opportunity for healing amongst the community of brothas, just as we have healing to do amongst ourselves.
being down for some of "our men" at the expense of ourselves is killing us, not to mention forcing us to shoulder the blame for systemic problems that harm us all. somehow, our collective consciousness around those systemic issues has been reduced--in many circles--to a perceived inability to have "respectable" heterosexual relationships.** in my humble opinion, that loss of consciousness is both unfortunate and dangerous.
expanding that thought: if "feminism" is the root of the black man/woman problem, then maybe it got that way when black men achieved a measure of male privilege in the general society.
yes, you heard me.
in that historical window between the end of segregation and the beginning of urban decay--including the rise of the prison industrial complex--it seems that black men learned a lot and forgot a lot. then, when sistas got wise and started looking out for ourselves, the response from the brothas wasn't, "whoa...maybe we should check ourselves." black women were simply wrong, acting counter to our original culture, trying to be "white" and all that. or lesbians.
the forgetting was deep and complex.
black women have always worked.
black women have always been spiritual leaders.
black women have always made, kept, and used their own money.
black women have always been strong.
it'd be lovely if we could recall the concept of ubuntu, coming to understand that all our oppressions under white supremacy are linked. i can't get free without you, you can't get free without me, and the basis of all that is that we also have to let ourselves be ourselves--man, woman, human.
it is my belief that when you are following your purpose--the things you agreed to do before you incarnated--then you are assisting the community. but so many sistas are being taken off their square so they can fit in, be down, please a brotha or at least remain "attractive" to one...
warrior goddesses pushed into to being handmaids for the consciousness movement du jour. mama goddesses forced to settle for mediocre mates as they fulfill their calling to raise the beautiful babies that will someday move us all forward. love goddesses pushed into the ever changing vortex of the madonna/whore complex when they could be transforming the energy of whole communities--while enjoying deeper, higher love in more powerfully intimate spaces.***
we are so much more than the boxes we've been given. if we're going to decide to embrace afrika, we need to look at her fully, and that includes understanding the true depth and complexity of the afrikan woman.
"feminism" doesn't have a whole lot to do with that. being truthful with ourselves does.
*anybody remember that little rift between elizabeth cady stanton and susan b. anthony around whether or not to give black women their due? remember mama audre's constant calling out of white feminists? no? see what i mean?
**despite who might be left out of that equation--not to mention the centering of the gender binary. and who defines respectable? but that's another blog...
***and please note just how white that madonna/whore thing is.
first and foremost: the mainstream feminist movement was never "ours" anyway. black folks seem to have developed a gross misconception of what the feminist movement entailed both during its inception, in the mid to late 20th century, and now.*
the labels womanist/womanism do better to explain the struggle of women of color for dignity, life and freedom within the kryarchic oppression imposed by their respective men--but even that might not be enough. and that's ok. wikipedia attempts to sum up some of the complexities:
Black feminism argues that sexism, class oppression, and racism are inextricably bound together. Chicana feminism focuses on Mexican American, Chicana, and Hispanic women in the United States. Multiracial or "women of colour" feminism is related. Standpoint feminists argue that feminism should examine how women's experience of inequality relates to that of racism, homophobia, classism, and colonization. Postcolonial feminists argue that colonial oppression and Western feminism marginalized postcolonial women but did not turn them passive or voiceless. Third-world feminism is closely related. These discourses are related to African feminism, motherism, Stiwanism, negofeminism, femalism, transnational feminism, and Africana womanism.that's a lot, right?
for me, the bottom line is this:
i deserve to be able to stand up for myself and my humanity--from my seat as a woman and in solidarity with other women. if that somehow screws with the worst manifestations of the black man's ego, i don't see that as my problem. or, more sweetly said, that is an opportunity for healing amongst the community of brothas, just as we have healing to do amongst ourselves.
being down for some of "our men" at the expense of ourselves is killing us, not to mention forcing us to shoulder the blame for systemic problems that harm us all. somehow, our collective consciousness around those systemic issues has been reduced--in many circles--to a perceived inability to have "respectable" heterosexual relationships.** in my humble opinion, that loss of consciousness is both unfortunate and dangerous.
expanding that thought: if "feminism" is the root of the black man/woman problem, then maybe it got that way when black men achieved a measure of male privilege in the general society.
yes, you heard me.
in that historical window between the end of segregation and the beginning of urban decay--including the rise of the prison industrial complex--it seems that black men learned a lot and forgot a lot. then, when sistas got wise and started looking out for ourselves, the response from the brothas wasn't, "whoa...maybe we should check ourselves." black women were simply wrong, acting counter to our original culture, trying to be "white" and all that. or lesbians.
the forgetting was deep and complex.
black women have always worked.
black women have always been spiritual leaders.
black women have always made, kept, and used their own money.
black women have always been strong.
it'd be lovely if we could recall the concept of ubuntu, coming to understand that all our oppressions under white supremacy are linked. i can't get free without you, you can't get free without me, and the basis of all that is that we also have to let ourselves be ourselves--man, woman, human.
it is my belief that when you are following your purpose--the things you agreed to do before you incarnated--then you are assisting the community. but so many sistas are being taken off their square so they can fit in, be down, please a brotha or at least remain "attractive" to one...
warrior goddesses pushed into to being handmaids for the consciousness movement du jour. mama goddesses forced to settle for mediocre mates as they fulfill their calling to raise the beautiful babies that will someday move us all forward. love goddesses pushed into the ever changing vortex of the madonna/whore complex when they could be transforming the energy of whole communities--while enjoying deeper, higher love in more powerfully intimate spaces.***
we are so much more than the boxes we've been given. if we're going to decide to embrace afrika, we need to look at her fully, and that includes understanding the true depth and complexity of the afrikan woman.
"feminism" doesn't have a whole lot to do with that. being truthful with ourselves does.
*anybody remember that little rift between elizabeth cady stanton and susan b. anthony around whether or not to give black women their due? remember mama audre's constant calling out of white feminists? no? see what i mean?
**despite who might be left out of that equation--not to mention the centering of the gender binary. and who defines respectable? but that's another blog...
***and please note just how white that madonna/whore thing is.
1.10.2011
drumming while female
i've been thinking seriously about owning a drum. for several reasons.
i know a lot of sistas can be intimidated into thinking that they can't/shouldn't/never did drum, but we do, and we did. this knowledge is reemerging from many sources.
i know a lot of sistas can be intimidated into thinking that they can't/shouldn't/never did drum, but we do, and we did. this knowledge is reemerging from many sources.
From a metaphysical standpoint, women are natural receptors. As such, we, often unknowingly, pull in the energies of our environments. The added bonus is that we also have the bonus ability to transmute. Any toxicity we pull in can be changed and released to the community or cosmos for greater benefit. Personally, I become much more psychically in tune with my environment when I drum, and can feel when something is in or out of sync. Our ancient foremothers knew these secrets as they gathered in secret during the mooncycles to trance dance and drum these energies into personal and collective empowerment. Today's woman has lost touch with these practices, but tries to subconsciously transmute by partying, obsessive exercise, drinking, shopping...all in an effort to shift the toxic energy that has been built up from daily living.also check out layne redmond's research, obini bata, and this blog that seems to have quite a bit of information on female drummers in west africa.
Buy a drum.
You will be delightfully amazed at how beneficial just five to fifteen minutes of drumming is for you. And when you drum, pray. Mentally focus your intention. Bond with the energy of your instrument and make magick. Extend the time as you go further into your drumming meditation. You'll find yourself trancing out as Queen Nyabinghi's drummers did as they were possessed of her warrior spirit. You may have ancestors come to your aid. [source]
1.07.2011
short memory, long history
in all the discussions about what's going on with black folks, i often hear references to things like post traumatic slave syndrome, the industrial prison complex, loss of identity and culture, etc.
i agree with these explanations, and we should definitely be aware of them. however, what i rarely see woven into the conversation is the more recent history that has decimated our communities and placed gaping holes in our historical memories.
vietnam scarred our parents' generation and layered generalized PTSD onto our other wounds. many were lost during the war, but we'll never know how many were lost in the streets after it.
in the 80s, the crack epidemic and reganomics formed a perfect storm in urban america.
on its heels, the early days of AIDS wiped out scores of queer elders, simultaneously claiming the intravenous users crack left behind.
but even before all this, before integration and the civil rights movement, there was the destruction of places like rosewood and tulsa's black wall street. we had our own businesses, banks, goods and services, schools and social supports. but when we got too good at it, we were often put back in our place.
despite it all, we have survived and thrived. no doubt about that. still, when we start to wonder "what went wrong?" i think we can have a tendency to reach back a little too far for the answers.
the fact is, in the last 30-40 years, we've lost many--known and unnamed--who could still be singing songs, writing words, and painting pictures to inspire, enlighten and lead us. mentors who could have ushered us over the ground we seem destined to endlessly retread--because we're leaving too young to tell our stories and share our gifts.
just a thought.
so when the scripts start running for the millionth time, stay mindful. dig deeper.
i agree with these explanations, and we should definitely be aware of them. however, what i rarely see woven into the conversation is the more recent history that has decimated our communities and placed gaping holes in our historical memories.
vietnam scarred our parents' generation and layered generalized PTSD onto our other wounds. many were lost during the war, but we'll never know how many were lost in the streets after it.
in the 80s, the crack epidemic and reganomics formed a perfect storm in urban america.
on its heels, the early days of AIDS wiped out scores of queer elders, simultaneously claiming the intravenous users crack left behind.
but even before all this, before integration and the civil rights movement, there was the destruction of places like rosewood and tulsa's black wall street. we had our own businesses, banks, goods and services, schools and social supports. but when we got too good at it, we were often put back in our place.
despite it all, we have survived and thrived. no doubt about that. still, when we start to wonder "what went wrong?" i think we can have a tendency to reach back a little too far for the answers.
the fact is, in the last 30-40 years, we've lost many--known and unnamed--who could still be singing songs, writing words, and painting pictures to inspire, enlighten and lead us. mentors who could have ushered us over the ground we seem destined to endlessly retread--because we're leaving too young to tell our stories and share our gifts.
just a thought.
so when the scripts start running for the millionth time, stay mindful. dig deeper.
11.18.2010
10.18.2010
8.13.2010
...but am i really american?
"american" is a brand spanking new identity. one that is only about 230-400 yrs old for whitefolks (mayflower status proper), and MAYBE about 145 yrs old for blackfolks.
put this up against the millenia human beings have been on this planet.
this is one of many reasons songs like this - while i understand the attempt, sentiment, and meaning - frustrate the hell outta me.
in my opinion, this is one of the major differences between descendants of voluntary immigrants and the descendants of enslaved africans and indigenous american peoples (continentally speaking).
it is not a bad difference. you want a better life, i'm all for it. come on thru and get your piece of the pie.
but while songs, imagery and sentiments like this may do wonders for soothing white guilt--especially when being sung sweetly by a woman of color (yeah, i said it. run tell dat.)--i don't know that they do much to address the cat-back-raising complexities the statement, "i am an american" holds for those of us who have...um...complicated relationships with this place.
or maybe i'm just being an angry black lady again.
i dunno.
put this up against the millenia human beings have been on this planet.
this is one of many reasons songs like this - while i understand the attempt, sentiment, and meaning - frustrate the hell outta me.
in my opinion, this is one of the major differences between descendants of voluntary immigrants and the descendants of enslaved africans and indigenous american peoples (continentally speaking).
it is not a bad difference. you want a better life, i'm all for it. come on thru and get your piece of the pie.
but while songs, imagery and sentiments like this may do wonders for soothing white guilt--especially when being sung sweetly by a woman of color (yeah, i said it. run tell dat.)--i don't know that they do much to address the cat-back-raising complexities the statement, "i am an american" holds for those of us who have...um...complicated relationships with this place.
or maybe i'm just being an angry black lady again.
i dunno.
5.12.2010
3.02.2010
an uneasy love
i listened to the entire saviour's day address on sunday...
i've seen minister farrakhan speak in person, and i have long respected his views and insights on social issues, not to mention his unwavering wisdom in presenting a united front in the face of all the things black folks face in this country. he is gifted orator, respected leader and elder.
where we disagree: the undercurrent of percieved "jewish world rule", religious dogma, views on women, the perpetuation of compulsory heterosexuality and gender "norms"--honestly, possibly more than we agree on. i also recognize that he is a manifesation of several ways in which black male hegemony can force sistas into several corners at once.
and, of course, there's all that business with brother malcolm.
on sunday--more than ever--i found myself having to separate the wheat from the chaff; the message was unclear, and that disturbed me a bit.
full disclosure: i completely acknowledge that part of the reason for the lack of clarity could be my never having been affiliated with the nation. some of it wasn't for me--i get that.
even so, i wondered how damaging and dangerous certain implications can be when many who are hanging on your every word don't have the tools to make those subtle distinctions, no matter how much critical thinking you teach at the mosque.
in my humble opinion, min. farrakhan--like the rest of us--holds a piece of the truth. i certainly do not deny the existence of spiritual vision, clairvoyance and the like. all that still didn't stop me from feeling, at a gut level, that his deep allegiance to the problematic lineage of the NOI and its leaders skews the ways that truth is expressed.
in other words, it's possible that some of the leaps he has to take to make things fit within the islamic--such as it is--framework wind up feeling like half-truths.
i see the same thing with christians squeezing in holistic attitudes about, say, sex or liberal social policies. yes, it's there if you dig long and hard enough, or if you prioritize the words and deeds of yeshua above all else. but outside of that is a whole tome based on spiritual superiority and other oppressive power structures/hierarchies, the absolute authority of men/masculinity, the evil inherent in human beings, etc and so on.
the foundation matters. if you're going to use the master's tools, you can only shift the paradigm so far.
that said, i will always keep my eyes and ears open for an opportunity to hear the minister speak, and i'm sure i will still tend to agree with him when he says things like (and i paraphrase), "we like you, obama, but if you keep beating their drums of war, we won't follow."
but i have to trust my intuition, and lots of bells and whistles were going off sunday afternoon.
by the time he closed--"right on!" moments aside--i couldn't shake the feeling that the line between respected leader and cult of personality-leader was being danced upon. or crossed.
only time will tell.
i've seen minister farrakhan speak in person, and i have long respected his views and insights on social issues, not to mention his unwavering wisdom in presenting a united front in the face of all the things black folks face in this country. he is gifted orator, respected leader and elder.
where we disagree: the undercurrent of percieved "jewish world rule", religious dogma, views on women, the perpetuation of compulsory heterosexuality and gender "norms"--honestly, possibly more than we agree on. i also recognize that he is a manifesation of several ways in which black male hegemony can force sistas into several corners at once.
and, of course, there's all that business with brother malcolm.
on sunday--more than ever--i found myself having to separate the wheat from the chaff; the message was unclear, and that disturbed me a bit.
full disclosure: i completely acknowledge that part of the reason for the lack of clarity could be my never having been affiliated with the nation. some of it wasn't for me--i get that.
even so, i wondered how damaging and dangerous certain implications can be when many who are hanging on your every word don't have the tools to make those subtle distinctions, no matter how much critical thinking you teach at the mosque.
in my humble opinion, min. farrakhan--like the rest of us--holds a piece of the truth. i certainly do not deny the existence of spiritual vision, clairvoyance and the like. all that still didn't stop me from feeling, at a gut level, that his deep allegiance to the problematic lineage of the NOI and its leaders skews the ways that truth is expressed.
in other words, it's possible that some of the leaps he has to take to make things fit within the islamic--such as it is--framework wind up feeling like half-truths.
i see the same thing with christians squeezing in holistic attitudes about, say, sex or liberal social policies. yes, it's there if you dig long and hard enough, or if you prioritize the words and deeds of yeshua above all else. but outside of that is a whole tome based on spiritual superiority and other oppressive power structures/hierarchies, the absolute authority of men/masculinity, the evil inherent in human beings, etc and so on.
the foundation matters. if you're going to use the master's tools, you can only shift the paradigm so far.
that said, i will always keep my eyes and ears open for an opportunity to hear the minister speak, and i'm sure i will still tend to agree with him when he says things like (and i paraphrase), "we like you, obama, but if you keep beating their drums of war, we won't follow."
but i have to trust my intuition, and lots of bells and whistles were going off sunday afternoon.
by the time he closed--"right on!" moments aside--i couldn't shake the feeling that the line between respected leader and cult of personality-leader was being danced upon. or crossed.
only time will tell.
8.04.2009
in fourteen hundred & ninety two...
so, apparently columbus set off on his first voyage yesterday?
maybe that's why i've been feeling jacked up...
517 years later. hm.
folks can be cute if they wanna, but i'd say spain owes a whole lot of the world a huge damned apology.
maybe that's why i've been feeling jacked up...
517 years later. hm.
folks can be cute if they wanna, but i'd say spain owes a whole lot of the world a huge damned apology.
5.29.2009
it isn't about marriage. seriously.
thinking about the marriage equality issue again...
frankly, it's time to reframe the argument.
every article i see on the topic seems to be progressively devolving into nitpicky, almost juvenile squabbling. when that happens, you have to wonder: what are people really angry about?
if you can agree that marriage is, essentially, a familial contract, it's obvious that these contracts provide very specific bureaucratic privileges which can also tie into a certain amount of class privilege*.
contracts aren't about gender or religion, they're simply contracts, right? so any two consenting adults should have the right to enter into said contract.
to be fair, everyone--heterosexual or otherwise--involved in these contracts should be calling them civil unions. 'cause that's what they are.
let's not forget that the church doesn't marry you. the preacherman's (or woman) power is invested by the state, even if you don't have the marriage ceremony at the courthouse.
i have not heard one person argue that churches/spiritual orgs should change their practices, and if i did, i would call him/her an idiot. from a religious standpoint, marriage can most certainly be defined as a covenant between a man and a woman. i may not agree with you, but we can coexist. that's cool.
can you see how, when you start sifting through the messy details, marriage begins to emerge as something else entirely?
in my humble opinion, it is beginning to seem that the institution of marriage defined as a heterosexual relationship between one man and one woman may be one of the last tangible vestiges of the "america is and always has been a christian nation" myth.
when many of these state constitutions and statutes were being written, the myth was accepted as fact by the rich, white, (presumably) heterosexual males who wrote them.
furthermore, there are many people in the mainstream culture (which is already feeling threatened) who cannot abide the debunking of this myth.
maybe, on a very visceral level, folks are mad because the collective consciousness that does not subscribe to the western european, patriarchal context will not go away. understandably, those who are fully invested in that context--by birth or acculturation--are fighting to hold it up in all its oppressive, abusive, insanity-creating glory.
listen. many sane people have been trying to break this to you for years, but apparently it still has not sunken in. let me reiterate:
while the first europeans to step on what is now called american soil may have been fundamentalist protestants and catholics, many of the colored people who were subdued, captured and otherwise oppressed by those "founders" lied to you. they feigned adoption of your god in order to ensure their survival.
the indigenous people of this land were not christian.
the west africans who came over on the slave ships were not christian. it took generations--in the colonies as well as in the caribbean--to even nominally stamp out the memory of those traditions, and they were still never fully eradicated.
and so on.
to you, the great melting pot is a proud accomplishment. to many of us "others", it is a euphemism for cultural erasure.
as wade davis said, "other cultures are not failed attempts at being you. they are unique manifestations of the human spirit." i would venture that that statement applies to human sexuality as well.
again i ask: what are we really arguing about?
*marriage, for many upper and middle class folks (or those aspiring to the middle/upper class) equals legitimacy. our society further acknowledges the legitimacy of this contract with all the benefits mentioned above. simply put, married people are special. if you make them less special in any way--since us little folks in a big, capitalist world so rarely come to understand our true worth beyond these kinds of benefits--it's a threat. see how that works? part of how they distract us & turn us against one another...
frankly, it's time to reframe the argument.
every article i see on the topic seems to be progressively devolving into nitpicky, almost juvenile squabbling. when that happens, you have to wonder: what are people really angry about?
if you can agree that marriage is, essentially, a familial contract, it's obvious that these contracts provide very specific bureaucratic privileges which can also tie into a certain amount of class privilege*.
contracts aren't about gender or religion, they're simply contracts, right? so any two consenting adults should have the right to enter into said contract.
to be fair, everyone--heterosexual or otherwise--involved in these contracts should be calling them civil unions. 'cause that's what they are.
let's not forget that the church doesn't marry you. the preacherman's (or woman) power is invested by the state, even if you don't have the marriage ceremony at the courthouse.
i have not heard one person argue that churches/spiritual orgs should change their practices, and if i did, i would call him/her an idiot. from a religious standpoint, marriage can most certainly be defined as a covenant between a man and a woman. i may not agree with you, but we can coexist. that's cool.
can you see how, when you start sifting through the messy details, marriage begins to emerge as something else entirely?
in my humble opinion, it is beginning to seem that the institution of marriage defined as a heterosexual relationship between one man and one woman may be one of the last tangible vestiges of the "america is and always has been a christian nation" myth.
when many of these state constitutions and statutes were being written, the myth was accepted as fact by the rich, white, (presumably) heterosexual males who wrote them.
furthermore, there are many people in the mainstream culture (which is already feeling threatened) who cannot abide the debunking of this myth.
maybe, on a very visceral level, folks are mad because the collective consciousness that does not subscribe to the western european, patriarchal context will not go away. understandably, those who are fully invested in that context--by birth or acculturation--are fighting to hold it up in all its oppressive, abusive, insanity-creating glory.
listen. many sane people have been trying to break this to you for years, but apparently it still has not sunken in. let me reiterate:
while the first europeans to step on what is now called american soil may have been fundamentalist protestants and catholics, many of the colored people who were subdued, captured and otherwise oppressed by those "founders" lied to you. they feigned adoption of your god in order to ensure their survival.
the indigenous people of this land were not christian.
the west africans who came over on the slave ships were not christian. it took generations--in the colonies as well as in the caribbean--to even nominally stamp out the memory of those traditions, and they were still never fully eradicated.
and so on.
to you, the great melting pot is a proud accomplishment. to many of us "others", it is a euphemism for cultural erasure.
as wade davis said, "other cultures are not failed attempts at being you. they are unique manifestations of the human spirit." i would venture that that statement applies to human sexuality as well.
again i ask: what are we really arguing about?
*marriage, for many upper and middle class folks (or those aspiring to the middle/upper class) equals legitimacy. our society further acknowledges the legitimacy of this contract with all the benefits mentioned above. simply put, married people are special. if you make them less special in any way--since us little folks in a big, capitalist world so rarely come to understand our true worth beyond these kinds of benefits--it's a threat. see how that works? part of how they distract us & turn us against one another...
3.13.2009
don't hate.
i tuned in to nightwolf this evening, and he was talking about the intersections of black folks and native americans in the context of the cherokee freedmen struggle.
i am grateful to him for his truth-telling, including his willingness to acknowledge the pre-colombian contact afrikans had with native americans.
i grew up knowing i had native american ancestry. later, i was able (pushed, really) to connect with it spiritually.
however, i do not know which tribe intersected my family. considering my maternal great-grandmother's ancestry, it was probably the rappahannock.
i also grew up with the implication that even if we could find out about that side of the family, it didn't really matter. they probably wouldn't want to acknowledge us anyway.
the same story over and over again.
interesting how everyone's trying to one-up themselves on the ladder of white supremacy or fight for the scraps from massa's table, forgetting that we all came from africa.
black folks, no matter where we are found, are the most concrete evidence of that.
(i am africa man, original)
it's hurtful that some indians would shun us, considering our shared struggles and history. when we knew who the enemy truly was, we helped each other.
it can be difficult to see how eager folks are to distance themselves from us.
we're not indian enough
we're not spanish enough
we're not white enough
and, now, we're not even african enough.
unbreakable
broken too easily...
the list goes on.
but, in the end?
we survived the whitefolks the best way(s) we knew how. just like you.
we lost many in the struggle. just like you.
and we're still losing them. just like you.
it just so happens that it was that much harder for us to blend in or pass or be accepted as civilized.
for the strength of our genes, we've paid some heavy costs.
regardless, i'm going to hold my head up high, 'cause we don't need any more hate, inferiority complexes, or half assed, fetishistic love.
up, you mighty race...
i am grateful to him for his truth-telling, including his willingness to acknowledge the pre-colombian contact afrikans had with native americans.
i grew up knowing i had native american ancestry. later, i was able (pushed, really) to connect with it spiritually.
however, i do not know which tribe intersected my family. considering my maternal great-grandmother's ancestry, it was probably the rappahannock.
i also grew up with the implication that even if we could find out about that side of the family, it didn't really matter. they probably wouldn't want to acknowledge us anyway.
the same story over and over again.
interesting how everyone's trying to one-up themselves on the ladder of white supremacy or fight for the scraps from massa's table, forgetting that we all came from africa.
black folks, no matter where we are found, are the most concrete evidence of that.
(i am africa man, original)
it's hurtful that some indians would shun us, considering our shared struggles and history. when we knew who the enemy truly was, we helped each other.
it can be difficult to see how eager folks are to distance themselves from us.
we're not indian enough
we're not spanish enough
we're not white enough
and, now, we're not even african enough.
unbreakable
broken too easily...
the list goes on.
but, in the end?
we survived the whitefolks the best way(s) we knew how. just like you.
we lost many in the struggle. just like you.
and we're still losing them. just like you.
it just so happens that it was that much harder for us to blend in or pass or be accepted as civilized.
for the strength of our genes, we've paid some heavy costs.
regardless, i'm going to hold my head up high, 'cause we don't need any more hate, inferiority complexes, or half assed, fetishistic love.
up, you mighty race...
1.20.2009
today's the day...
i love obama as much as the next person. i really do.
but we ain't done yet. don't think for a moment that we are.
the red black and green is still relevant. we still struggle for relevance, for dignity, for our lives, and to be beautiful.
the media still ignores us (when it's not demonizing us). the industrial prison complex is still eating us alive.
africa is in shambles. and when the mother is in decline, the family is in decline.
i went to see him when he came to baltimore, but i wasn't about to say the pledge. i'm not even sure why they started it up when they did.
i pledge allegiance to olodumare, to the spirits of my ancestors. to my family and my people. not to the flag.
not just after oscar grant had been shot like a dog.
not with adolph grimes dead.
not with this video circulating around the net.
not with palestine being bombed into oblivion.
not with 20 years and counting of black mesa's decimation.
insert your cause here.
while i can't justify the pledge of allegiance yet, i can be very, very glad that we have an intelligent, seemingly level headed black man leading this country. a man who obviously loves his wife and daughters, and one who has already brought a good level of diversity to his cabinet.
change.org is fantastic.
let's hold him to his promises and make sure he has the public mandate necessary to do the work.
thank you, jay.
but we ain't done yet. don't think for a moment that we are.
the red black and green is still relevant. we still struggle for relevance, for dignity, for our lives, and to be beautiful.
the media still ignores us (when it's not demonizing us). the industrial prison complex is still eating us alive.
africa is in shambles. and when the mother is in decline, the family is in decline.
i went to see him when he came to baltimore, but i wasn't about to say the pledge. i'm not even sure why they started it up when they did.
i pledge allegiance to olodumare, to the spirits of my ancestors. to my family and my people. not to the flag.
not just after oscar grant had been shot like a dog.
not with adolph grimes dead.
not with this video circulating around the net.
not with palestine being bombed into oblivion.
not with 20 years and counting of black mesa's decimation.
insert your cause here.
while i can't justify the pledge of allegiance yet, i can be very, very glad that we have an intelligent, seemingly level headed black man leading this country. a man who obviously loves his wife and daughters, and one who has already brought a good level of diversity to his cabinet.
change.org is fantastic.
let's hold him to his promises and make sure he has the public mandate necessary to do the work.
thank you, jay.
1.04.2009
open your eyes just a little wider...
wandering around the interwebs, i came across an interesting take on the obama phenomenon...
while i generally agree with the author's sentiments, this comment grabbed me:
sigh.
how quickly we forget that "other cultures" come here with their culture, language, religion/spirituality, etc intact--all the things that were stripped from, beaten out of and secreted from us.
they're just stopping through for the extra loot. maybe asylum or education they can't get at home. but they still bring home with them. they chose to come here. and they can go back.
to ignore the effects of our trauma is to buy into the misconception of our "inferiority". we did not choose, and we are caught between worlds.
again, that's not meant as an excuse to behave poorly. but if we're not aware, we're healing in a vacuum. that's almost as bad as not healing at all.
time is fluid. the past does matter.
there was another comment about people needing a "savior" from the times of kemet and the osiris/isis/heru story...also misconstrued. kemetian culture was built around a sociopolitical, cosmological and spiritual framework diametrically opposed to the notion of heru being a "savior" that encouraged looking without vs. within for salvation in the vein of christianity/western religion.
...which is something of a mind/spirit control technique to begin with.
but that's another story...
while i generally agree with the author's sentiments, this comment grabbed me:
Atlalien on 02 Jan 2009 at 10:11 pm #
What frightens me the most about black folks is that the ignorant and purposeless seem to constitute the majority. Think about it. How is it that other cultures (Middle Easterners, Chinese, Koreans, ect ) have all managed to find a considerable measure of success in this country yet blacks, who’ve been here all along have not? It begs the question as to whether or not we are truly an inferior race. I’m just saying…..
sigh.
how quickly we forget that "other cultures" come here with their culture, language, religion/spirituality, etc intact--all the things that were stripped from, beaten out of and secreted from us.
they're just stopping through for the extra loot. maybe asylum or education they can't get at home. but they still bring home with them. they chose to come here. and they can go back.
to ignore the effects of our trauma is to buy into the misconception of our "inferiority". we did not choose, and we are caught between worlds.
again, that's not meant as an excuse to behave poorly. but if we're not aware, we're healing in a vacuum. that's almost as bad as not healing at all.
time is fluid. the past does matter.
there was another comment about people needing a "savior" from the times of kemet and the osiris/isis/heru story...also misconstrued. kemetian culture was built around a sociopolitical, cosmological and spiritual framework diametrically opposed to the notion of heru being a "savior" that encouraged looking without vs. within for salvation in the vein of christianity/western religion.
...which is something of a mind/spirit control technique to begin with.
but that's another story...
12.23.2008
the jeffersons
no, not weezy and george.
tom and sally.
did they love each other? really?
i think ms. gordon-reed does a good job of breaking it down so it can forever be broke.
get over it, whitefolk. jefferson was a product of his times.
unitarian or not, brilliant framer or not, he was still a rich white man who owned folks, and didn't think all that highly of 'em, either.
and sally, well, i suppose she did the best she could with what she had. as the last paragraphs note:
tom and sally.
did they love each other? really?
i think ms. gordon-reed does a good job of breaking it down so it can forever be broke.
get over it, whitefolk. jefferson was a product of his times.
unitarian or not, brilliant framer or not, he was still a rich white man who owned folks, and didn't think all that highly of 'em, either.
and sally, well, i suppose she did the best she could with what she had. as the last paragraphs note:
Judging Hemings’s feelings about Jefferson proves more difficult, because she exercised no legal power over him. While she did abandon her plan to stay in France and then came home to live and have children with him, Hemings may well have had second thoughts about leaving her large and intensely connected family back home. Several of their great-grandchildren explain that Hemings returned to America because Jefferson “loved her dearly,” as if that meant something to her. Upon their return, Hemings’s relatives, both enslaved and free, behaved as if Jefferson was an in-law of sorts. After he died in 1826, Hemings left Monticello with several of Jefferson’s personal items, including pairs of his glasses, an inkwell, and shoe buckles, which she gave to her children as mementos.
While marriage is generally taken as a proof of love between a given man and woman, the quality of the relationship between couples who are not married, or cannot marry because of legal restrictions, may be better than that of men and women whose unions are recognized by law.
The most that can be said is that Hemings and Jefferson lived together over many years and had seven children, four of whom lived to adulthood. Jefferson kept his promises to Hemings, and their offspring got a four-decade head start on emancipation, making the most of it by leading prosperous and stable lives. That, I think, is about as much as one can expect from love in the context of life during American slavery.
8.23.2008
i will not apologize (c) the roots
to some degree, i agree with her.
on the other hand, hearing she's an israelite got my TKON antenna up...but more on that later.
first of all, i don't expect her to elaborate too much within 4 minutes. and i appreciate her honesty here. that's a reality for many of us (and men as well).
i think that this sista and i have some things in common. we are both lovers of our people, desiring of love, peace, and joy, trying to make our way in this crazy, crazy world. she's obviously a beautiful, intelligent woman, and i appreciate her being brave enough to speak her truth.
secondly, anyone who reads this blog probably knows by now that i don't understand how anyone takes anything in the bible literally.* it makes far more sense as metaphor. i tend to compare literal (mis)understandings of the bible to a group of folks finding a mangled copy of the matrix trilogy 1000 years from now, trying to fill in the plot holes, and calling it the one true religion.that said...
"blame the feminists" does not and never has flown with me. anyone who has ever seriously researched the movement easily discovers that the feminism this sista alludes to (particularly in its nascent stages) had SHIT to do with women of color. in fact, most white women leaders were neglectful towards, if they didn't outright shun, women of color.
women of color were forced to develop a parallel movement based on their own issues which some later called womanism. black, chicana, latina/hispanic, and native american women have always had different relationships to their men, and the movement for liberation often included things like resisting domestic violence, condemning the criminalization of their men and upholding their culture, language, and family structure.
black women may not have needed to be "liberated" from our men, but we did (and still do) need to liberate ourselves and our mates from the racism, classism, and sexism that plague our lives. again, history tells us that our men did not feel the need to lead women around by their necks until they were influenced by the followers of abraham.
i do agree that there are plenty of sweet, loving, wonderful sistas who act as the embodiments of nurturing, sweetness, compassion, and love. i'm one of them. but i don't see the problem with being "independent", particularly in this day and age.
the statistics are what they are, and the damage has been done. if our mates are late showing up to our lives, should we remain lonely, broke, and unfulfilled in the meantime? if we heal and come into our full selves, we can support and love our brothers while also saying, "come to me ready, or not at all" until they take charge of their own healing processes.
that, to me, is not counterrevolutionary, harsh, or "against god". the consequences of the dance of wounded souls are apparent each and every day. there are too many babies being born to parents who are ill prepared to care for, love, and nurture them. we need to stop, look, listen, and HEAL before we usher the ancestors back into the world.
the socioeconomic separation of black women and men is/was perpetuated by the white supremacist system that viewed women as less threatening (and allowed them to slip under the economic radar with things like domestic work & hair care) and criminalized the men.
i agree that we have fallen into the trap of keeping up with our WASP-y neighbors, but even that wasn't possible until the mid-late 60s and integration. before that, segregation--with all its ills--offered a social, economic, spiritual, and intellectual isolation that actually assisted the black community in many ways.
i just sighed at the commentary on lesbians. sexual abuse and the lack of understanding between the sexes that the author herself alludes to are probably far more salient factors in chosen homosexuality--which i think is blown largely out of proportion by similarly minded folks--than a lack of trust/faith in the black man.
sexuality is a continuum, gender roles are socially/culturally assigned, and some of us are just born that way. the faster we can accept those truths, the better.
having seen a lot of male israelites and very few of their women, i take many of their missives with a heavy dose of salt. i'd be reluctant to join up with any group that seems to only involve women as an afterthought and/or as a mere accompaniment to the male backbone of the organization.
*steps off soapbox*
thanks for your time.
*i do believe that the old testament was meant to be taken literally, HOWEVER, it was also speaking to the very specific culture, law and mores of a particular group of people. that group was pretty small, and most african ppl at the time didn't have jack to do with it. it's also quite difficult to understand in the absence of complete study of the torah (some of that's oral, y'all) and other jewish scriptures.
the new testament is a series of esoteric metaphors, largely meant for initiates. based on what i've seen/read, it was not taken literally in its day and should not be now. if you can dig deep enough to get to the meaning behind the metaphor, be my guest. but it's been my experience that the "keys to the kingdom" are far more accessible in metaphysical systems such as yoga, hinduism, orisa, vodou, akan, native american/indigenous spirituality, etc., and that's why they are perceived as a threat.
6.13.2008
what's natural, what isn't, the ownership of african tradition, and other related obscurities
i want to speak to my african traditional religion (atr) folks for a minute.
for the most part, i don't know who reads this thing. there could be a few of y'all out there, and i hope you comment, because i think it's high time that a dialogue is started--among priests and aborishas (i.e., non-priesthood level practitioners/shrine-keepers) alike.
several months ago i met a priest and her family who are doing the work to unify yoruba practitioners and other atr folks. they have already traveled to several countries to observe various diasporan practices and plan to use our common beliefs to strengthen our people and our communities. they essentially wish to illuminate the fact that the lanugages we speak and the names for the orisa only differ as a factor of, as i like to say, when you got off the boat. the source is the same. their philosophy branches out to the understanding that, at our core, we are all africans, there is only one god(dess)/creator entity, and we all ought to be striving towards wholeness and unity.
there was no mention as to whether or not the people they are seeking to unify should pass a paper bag test, nor was there mention around who they should be sleeping with.
typically, when i meet continental atr priests--at least in the yoruba tradition-- their first concerns are iwa pele (character) and knowledge. in other words, are these people who are truly living up to the standards and dictates of their ori, ifa, and the orisa, or are they power mongering? were they trained properly? do they know the proper rituals, prayers, etc.? their level of ase and understanding doesn't rest on their heterosexuality or degree of "blackness"--phenotypical or otherwise. it's about living right.
diasporan atr folks can be quite different. there are plenty who think any white american priest is an interloper or culture vulture. the views on homosexuality are varied. some are ok with it, as long as they choose black partners. others are vehemently against it, claiming it's unnatural and that none of our ancestors were ever gbltq until they were exposed to the culture and depravity of europeans.
there are a few things wrong with this.
because of our unique history in the united states, it can be easy to forget that there are some whitefolks who are "blacker" than african americans (see: passing). hence, it is certainly possible that some white americans were born with ties to african spiritual lineages and could be charged to do some ancestral "clean up", so to speak.
in my ile, the importance of egbe is acknowledged along with ori, ancestors (egun/egungun) and the orisa. your egbe consists of friends from previous lives, e.g., adopted family members, former spouses, close family friends, etc. all those of good character who walk with us in the spirit world are acknowledged.
who is anyone to tell me that i cannot pray or make offerings of gratitude to a white person who may have helped one of my blood ancestors to freedom? what about the relationships forged in the era when just about every poor person wanting to come to america was condemned to indentured servitude?
we do not always know everything about who walks with us. the spirit is what lives on, not the societal attitudes and contradictions.
now, that's not to say that there aren't pimps and players out there. there are. but they cross all kinds of ethnic and cultural lines. there are plenty of black priests who, in the name of uplifting folks, are perpetuating the same westernized dichotomies, patriarchy, -isms, and psychological menace that whitefolks have thrown upon us. and it's a problem on the continent, too.
as far as the homosexuality issue, i ask: how can we know?
we in the diaspora are now several generations removed from africa. even in brazil, where africans were imported into the late 19th century, you'd probably have to look back to a great-great grandparent or further to find someone from the continent.
since african history is oral and tribe/clan-based, how can we say that there were no gbltq people or communities, particularly when clear gender roles dominated so much of african life. males and females had different puberty rites and, often, separate living quarters for much of their lives.
along with that, several orisa are known to be androgynous "gender benders". even clearly "masculine" and "feminine" spirits often have attributes and paths where they are considered of the opposite gender.
if we follow the logic of the spirituality, if someone is born with the ase of one of these orisa, how can we say it's "unnatural" that they grow into a glbtq identity?
riddle me that, y'all.
for the most part, i don't know who reads this thing. there could be a few of y'all out there, and i hope you comment, because i think it's high time that a dialogue is started--among priests and aborishas (i.e., non-priesthood level practitioners/shrine-keepers) alike.
several months ago i met a priest and her family who are doing the work to unify yoruba practitioners and other atr folks. they have already traveled to several countries to observe various diasporan practices and plan to use our common beliefs to strengthen our people and our communities. they essentially wish to illuminate the fact that the lanugages we speak and the names for the orisa only differ as a factor of, as i like to say, when you got off the boat. the source is the same. their philosophy branches out to the understanding that, at our core, we are all africans, there is only one god(dess)/creator entity, and we all ought to be striving towards wholeness and unity.
there was no mention as to whether or not the people they are seeking to unify should pass a paper bag test, nor was there mention around who they should be sleeping with.
typically, when i meet continental atr priests--at least in the yoruba tradition-- their first concerns are iwa pele (character) and knowledge. in other words, are these people who are truly living up to the standards and dictates of their ori, ifa, and the orisa, or are they power mongering? were they trained properly? do they know the proper rituals, prayers, etc.? their level of ase and understanding doesn't rest on their heterosexuality or degree of "blackness"--phenotypical or otherwise. it's about living right.
diasporan atr folks can be quite different. there are plenty who think any white american priest is an interloper or culture vulture. the views on homosexuality are varied. some are ok with it, as long as they choose black partners. others are vehemently against it, claiming it's unnatural and that none of our ancestors were ever gbltq until they were exposed to the culture and depravity of europeans.
there are a few things wrong with this.
because of our unique history in the united states, it can be easy to forget that there are some whitefolks who are "blacker" than african americans (see: passing). hence, it is certainly possible that some white americans were born with ties to african spiritual lineages and could be charged to do some ancestral "clean up", so to speak.
in my ile, the importance of egbe is acknowledged along with ori, ancestors (egun/egungun) and the orisa. your egbe consists of friends from previous lives, e.g., adopted family members, former spouses, close family friends, etc. all those of good character who walk with us in the spirit world are acknowledged.
who is anyone to tell me that i cannot pray or make offerings of gratitude to a white person who may have helped one of my blood ancestors to freedom? what about the relationships forged in the era when just about every poor person wanting to come to america was condemned to indentured servitude?
we do not always know everything about who walks with us. the spirit is what lives on, not the societal attitudes and contradictions.
now, that's not to say that there aren't pimps and players out there. there are. but they cross all kinds of ethnic and cultural lines. there are plenty of black priests who, in the name of uplifting folks, are perpetuating the same westernized dichotomies, patriarchy, -isms, and psychological menace that whitefolks have thrown upon us. and it's a problem on the continent, too.
as far as the homosexuality issue, i ask: how can we know?
we in the diaspora are now several generations removed from africa. even in brazil, where africans were imported into the late 19th century, you'd probably have to look back to a great-great grandparent or further to find someone from the continent.
since african history is oral and tribe/clan-based, how can we say that there were no gbltq people or communities, particularly when clear gender roles dominated so much of african life. males and females had different puberty rites and, often, separate living quarters for much of their lives.
along with that, several orisa are known to be androgynous "gender benders". even clearly "masculine" and "feminine" spirits often have attributes and paths where they are considered of the opposite gender.
if we follow the logic of the spirituality, if someone is born with the ase of one of these orisa, how can we say it's "unnatural" that they grow into a glbtq identity?
riddle me that, y'all.
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