Words of Wisdom

Every time, I hear the name of Lupita Nyong'o. I am filled with joy. Her cover on VOGUE is gorgeous. Her beauty isn't just found in her beautiful, glorious black skin. It is found in her magnificent wisdom about race, about human life, and about the true meaning of success out of life. She reminds everyone on this Earth that dark skin is a blessing as dark skinned human beings deserve not only justice, but respect. Her words about the image of Alek Wek was glorious since Alek Wek (who overcame so much adversity) refutes the myth of white European aesthetic physical superiority. We (who are of black African descent) are the descendants of the first human beings on Earth. Sister Lupita is the living embodiment of the refutation of the evil of colorism as dark skinned Sisters have made great contributions since the beginning of human history. It is by our talents, our love of Blackness, and our gifts that we enrich the world. Her words on beauty ring true for true beauty also deals with compassion, love of our inner beings, and the realization that the diversity of Africa ought to be cherished. Her new movie makes the point home that no matter where we are born, we can enact great accomplishments (the movie deals with a young black girl from Africa excelling in the game of chess). I wish the best for the film. I honor Lupita Nyong'o's light. Her light is amazing and Sister Lupita Nyong'o is an amazing example of Black Excellence.
Bless Her.

First, gentrification is very expansive. It is found in NYC, Atlanta, and other places in America. Tons of black people in New York City legitimately have disdain about it. Not only does gentrification harm black cultural cohesiveness. It readily displaces the poor and causes housing to be even more expensive for families. Many families struggle to pay bills dealing with housing in New York City now. As for black people, we are experts in musical, artistic, and other forms of creative energy. That is why many non-black people constantly copy or mimic our natural creativity. Some young people are staying home from the clubs. Also, it is sad that many celebrations that deal with black culture have declined in many areas of NYC. We love to have fun just like anyone else. Demographic changes are apart of this situation and the cultural colonialism done via gentrification. We, as black people, have the right to build and own. Other non-black ethnic groups have their own restaurants, cultural celebrations, museums, and create enterprises their own neighborhoods, yet society doesn't complain. When black people form more of our own, then we're falsely accused of "racism." Therefore, classism, racism, sexism, and xenophobia are realities. So, the nightlife is part of life. Black people have the right to enjoy a safe, fun nightlife (which doesn't just deal with clubs, but restaurants, festivals, rallies, sporting events, etc.) just like anyone else.

It's not shocking to witness Lil Wayne's words. Some black people are afraid of the establishment and afraid of revolutionary views. Lil Wayne is incredibly wrong and naive to view racism as gone. He was born in New Orleans (a place filled with racism and economic inequality). I read where white racists gangs assaulted people and murdered people in New Orleans during the Katrina disaster. Many poor and even some rich black people have experienced mistreatment and racism. It is an antiquated, lying argument to view that since the President isn't a white man and many white people love rap music, therefore racism is gone and eliminated from our society. Some of the biggest white racists not only listen to rap, but many of them have sex with black people (among both sexes). Therefore, racism is not about whether someone listens to rap or whether someone has black friends or not. Racism is an evil and it is about white racists wanting unjust domination over another group of people unjustly by virtue of someone's skin color. Racism is a systemic injustice that harms black people and people of color constantly. Racism is an evil philosophy that views people as innately inferior by virtue of ethnicity. Therefore, this time is a time of discernment. We have to use our discernment to reject post racial deceptions and advocate black liberation no matter what. Black liberation is about loving our people and wanting our descendants to look like us literally and for us to have legitimate power to govern our own lives. We reject capitalist exploitation and classism too. We reject bigotry and unjust wars. We have to be honest about the issues of race, class, sex, etc. in order for us to see society live up to the ideals of equality and justice. Change comes by sacrificing, loving our black humanity, and wanting structural change. Just because we have black millionaires, doesn't mean that the struggle is over. The struggle continues. Courage must be promoted in our generation. Lil Wayne (who made a living disrespecting Emmett Till, black women, etc. He is known for his colorist lyrics. He made a decision to slander black people in his music and his actions. Post racial views aren't just embraced by people like Lil Wayne. Such thinking is also embraced by some bourgeoisie black people who hate poor black people and are very materialistic) is not an admirable person. We need people who reflect the courage and sagacious wisdom of Dr. King, Malcolm X, Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, etc.

This is a disgrace. Officer Pantaleo killed a black man and he has a pay raise, which is offensive and disrespects the family of Eric Garner. In other occupations, this would never happen. Yet, cops are given massive immunity and huge benefits even after some of them enact injustices against people. We witness a crisis of not only of police terrorism. We have a crisis where some cop unions are more concerned with the status quo and defending all cops at all costs than defending the victims of police brutality. Ironically, New York City is the most diverse city ethnically and culturally in human history (tons of people of New York City are strong, creative, intelligent, and courageous), but the same problems of classism, homelessness, racism, police brutality, and other injustices persist in NYC (and throughout America). Therefore, we have to put the pressure on and fight onward against evil. If a dog was choked to death by that same officer, that officer would never received a pay raise. I feel for the family of Eric Garner. That bonus is blood money and Pantaleo should not wear a uniform and he ought to experience true justice for his heinous, reprehensible actions.
RIP Eric Garner.

Joan Higginbotham is the third African American woman who came into space. She was in a shuttle mission logging over 300 hours of spaceflight. Also, Joan Higginbotham participated in 53 space shuttle launches. She received the Adler Planetarium Award Women in Space Science Award. Her story reminds us that excellence is not limited to a select group of people. Excellence is found all over the world. Doing what is right counts and helping others definitely counts. I congratulate her on her work forever. One of the greatest unsung heroes of our generation is Sister Valerie Thomas. She is a legend. She was born in 1943 and she is an African American scientist and inventor. She was born in Maryland and had an early interest in science and mathematics. As a young child, she loved electronics. Valerie Thomas was a data analyst in NASA. She invented the Illusion Transmitter, for which she received a patent in 1980. She worked in projects to investigate Halley's Comet, ozone research, and the Voyager spacecraft. To this very day, she has mentored the youth on STEM fields as well. Valerie Thomas is a black woman with tons of accomplishments and we congratulate her. Also, we encourage anyone to pursue STEM fields and other avenues in their own lives. Bless Sister Valerie Thomas. I do believe that more athletes should follow the examples of Colin Kaepernick and Brandon Marshall. They are right that action is needed to end social injustices. Also, their acts of protests are legitimate, they are part of the freedom of expression, and they make the point plain that we can't be on the sidelines when innocent people are being murdered and injustice is widespread in the world. We have to stand up and speak up in order to make sure that we live in a truly freedom-filled society that respects justice for all. We have a big opportunity to witness societal change for the better and this change will make people in love with the status quo uncomfortable, but we will not yield. We will continue to speak our minds and promote social justice.

By Timothy