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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

True Information









Many words must be mentioned. First, for decades, multinational corporations and other political figures promoted neoliberal policies that has increased economic inequality and other economic problems in America. Black people do have an issue where we are struggling in many cases to develop our generational wealth. The Great Recession has hurt many black people in terms of median income and other indicators of wealth. That is why we should enact programs in our communities to address poverty as poverty is a scourge. Also, we have to reject the sick past time of marginalizing poor black people. Classism has been embraced by many whites and even by some black people (especially among some of the black bourgeoisie who care more about individual achievement than social justice). The great late black scholar Dr. E. Franklin Frazier wrote a book about the black bourgeoisie in that some members of the black bourgeoisie focus on consumption, materialism, and a reviling of the black poor. He's right. So, we know that it will take a village to solve this problem as collective power is better than selfish individualism. We have to learn about the systems of the economics in order for the masses of our people to have true empowerment. There are many stories where we assist black relatives who are struggling financially. People don't want be scapegoated. People want structures to change. People want a living wage. People want discriminatory policies to end. People want justice. Many of our people live paycheck to paycheck, many face huge debts, and others face massive poverty. This must change, because we want our people collectively to prosper and see a future better than the present.

I adamantly disagree with Kate Upton's views. She is just wrong. First, it must be established that many white people want to control or rule over the actions of black people. Frankly, we are black people and our right to protest should never be infringed upon. The athletes protesting is totally acceptable. What is truly unacceptable are the evils of police brutality, economic injustice, and racism. What is unacceptable is about how even black people and people of color expressing outrage at a corrupt system are falsely demonized by some far right extremists. Being silent on police brutality and any social injustice is the antithesis of supporting someone. America is not infallible and to express opposition to evil is the promotion of goodness. Jemelle Hill made the truth plain about how some folks wrap themselves around the flag, but some of these same individuals once refused to support funding for 9/11 victims. 9/11 was a terrible event just like the Maafa, lynchings, rapes, assaults, and other atrocities that black people experienced throughout the Americas. That is why I will never forget about Mary Turner of Georgia. She was a black woman who was pregnant. She was murdered by a white racist mob. Hundreds of racists murdered her in 1918, cut out her stomach and stomped the baby to death. Therefore, we do this (or stand up for liberation) because it is right and we do this to honor our black ancestors who suffered much worse than us in this generation. The big point is that white people should never own us or control how we conduct ourselves all of the time. We own our own thinking and our humanity as black people.

First, Solange is a very talented black woman. She has made classic albums like True, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, etc. Her voice and lyrics are incredible. Also, she is a conscious person. Second, there is a serious problem where black women are disrespected by cowardly, immature people. Solange and her family just wanted to enjoy themselves at a music concert. Then, many white folks harassed her and her family. Later, objects were thrown in the direction of Solange and her family. That was wrong and disgraceful. We are all in solidarity with Solange plus her family too. We should never tolerate disrespect against any black woman and against any black person. Black women have every right to be angry at fake, disrespectful people and black women have every right to be angry at injustice too. We salute Solange on her courage and we want more blessings to come to her. The poll results (of white youth saying that violence against cops is more important than the police killing black people) confirm what we, as black people, have been mentioning for years. The epidemic of police terrorism is not an isolated incident. It is a serious problem that includes police murdering innocent black people, the practice of the Blue Wall of Silence, and some cops using forfeiture to gain wealth in an unjust fashion. The majority of white youth claiming that violence against police is a more serious problem than the police killing black people are just plain wrong. Being a cop is not the most dangerous job in America. Also, we desire crooked cops to be held accountable for their actions and other real policies to address this complication.


Yes, just because light privilege is real doesn't mean that biracial & light skinned black people are immune from discrimination. It is always important to condemn and oppose colorism as black people exist in many hues with the same dignity. Zendaya experienced an injustice and Zendaya has the right to tell her story. Also, it is important to always recognize the experiences of dark skinned black people who suffer racism, colorism, and other forms of mistreatment. That is why it is vital to acknowledge light privilege (as when we have Nina Simone being played in a disgraceful, lying movie by a person not of her skin complexion, then that's a problem. Studies have documented colorism fully. Also, many people take the words about racism and the system of white supremacy more seriously from a biracial person than a dark skinned black person saying the exact same words because of evil, colorist attitudes) and use actions to combat colorism too. The overall point is that we have work to do and we desire black liberation worldwide. One advice that I believe in truly is for people with privileges (whether it is male privilege, light privilege, class privilege, etc.) to acknowledge our privileges and to enact social change. Oppression is intersectional and colorism may never go away completely. Also, it is important to educate the youth on the truth, so the youth in the future won't make the same mistakes as others have done during the past. A better term to describe those in power for real would be those with not only economic power, but political power too. A person can be a millionaire, but lack political power to influence much of society. Those, with great international power, own banks, own multinational corporations, and own large areas of lands. Some people with a lot of monetary wealth end up bankrupt, because of many complex reasons. Only a select financial oligarchy not only have the massive material wealth, but the international political connections to influence public policy in America (and throughout the world). That is why people advocate for more equitable distribution of wealth in America.

Today is the 20th year anniversary of the unfortunate death of Tupac Shakur. He was a man of many words and he was raised by his great late mother Afeni Shakur. His mother was a Black Panther and stood up against oppression. Tupac was raised by many conscious human beings who desired black people to have liberation. He was born in New York City in 1971. He was raised in Harlem first and then Tupac and his family moved into Baltimore. He met his lifelong friend Jada Pinkett-Smith in the art school found in Baltimore. He saw poverty, crime, and violence first hand and his experiences influenced his records and his speeches. Tupac moved into Marin City where met new friends and promoted his early music career. Tupac moved into Oakland and later to Los Angeles as well. Digital Underground gave him great exposure and his first album criticized the FBI, the CIA, and the powers that be. Tupac had great talent and great strength. Many events would change his life forever. One event was him being shot in Quad Studios in 1994. To this very day, we don't have total understanding of the events in Quad Studios. We do know that one man recently confessed to being involved in the shooting. His name is Dexter Isaac. After the shooting, Tupac was in prison and when he left prison, he became more passionate about expressing music, and living his life. He made albums, met people globally, and spoke his mind. Tupac headed The New Afrikan Panthers at 18. He made mistakes and he had done great things for people, especially behind the scenes. Tupac's Dear Mama record was one of his greatest songs that he made. When he passed away back in 1996, I was in the eighth grade and I was 12 and 3/4 years old. Since that day, we know more about his life. He was the most influential hip hop artist of our generation. Many artists, from across genres, mimic his actions & his style. It is important to understand the legacy of Tupac too. He wasn't just a rapper. He was a man who sought justice for our people and he had a deal love for the community. He also promoted affirmative action, opposition to police brutality, and other progressive policies in various rallies too. He loved to read and he was an intellectual too. He spoke about the issues that young African Americans go through everyday. He also appealed to people globally. One of the many ways to honor the Brother's legacy is to help human beings in our communities, to be the best that we can be, to study information, to question authority, and to follow righteousness. Tupac was murdered unjustly and his murderers have never been prosecuted. Likewise, we do know about Tupac's poetry, friends, and other people who respected him. We certainly have to use our minds to change the world.
RIP Brother Tupac Shakur.


By Timothy

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