Friday Information.

Many young people are using protests, walk outs, and other actions in demanding change in the Florida state legislature. When you have the majority of Americans by polls wanting AR-15s to not be owned by anyone for any reason and most Americans wanting universal background checks, then we have a strong movement for real reasonable gun policies. This has worked in Connecticut. The young people in Florida are very courageous and they are speaking their minds that legislators and everyone else must contribute an effort in ending this epidemic of massive gun violence. This is a national problem that relates to people of every color, creed, and demographic. Subsequently, we will speak our minds in favor of justice. Also, today, there is the sad news of the passing of Brother Lerone Bennett Jr. He was one of the greatest historians in human history. His specialty was dealing with African American history and black history in general. For decades, he has eloquently written and powerfully spoke up in favor of the liberation of our people. He has written great books from colonial America, the civil rights movement, and other phases of the long American epoch of U.S. history. He lived to be 89 years old and he was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Before the Mayflower in 1962 and Forced into Glory from 2000 are some of his many classics. The first book is about early America and the second book is about Abraham Lincoln. Morehouse College was his alma mater as HBCUs have great significance in the lives of Black Americans. They represent our excellence, our strength, and many of my family members are graduates of HBCUs too. Inquiry and precise understanding of critical information define his legacy as a black man dedicated to the truth. I send prayers and condolences to his family and friends.
Rest in Power Brother Lerone Bennett Jr.



Yesterday was the Birthday of Brother Julius Irving or Dr. J. He is one of the greatest basketball players in history. He helped to expand street ball and he has inspired tons of people to appreciate the great game of basketball in general. He is now 68 years old. He was born in East Meadow, New York. By the age of 13, he lived in Roosevelt, New York. He played in Rucker Park in Harlem. Rucker Park is a mecca of playground basketball in America. He was called Dr. J there and it was his nickname then and today. He was in the University of Massachusetts. Also, he played first in the ABA. Back in the day, there was the NBA and the ABA. The NBA was more conservative with the rules while the ABA were more freer with the rules and other things. Dr. J. excelled in both leagues. By the end of the 1970's, the ABA merged with the NBA. He played for the Virginia Squires in the ABA. He played in the Philadelphia 76ers including the Nets in the NBA too. He won a Slam dunk competition in the ABA in 1976. He won a NBA title and he made great accomplishments. He has many children and he loves his life. He still plays basketball and dunked in his 60's. Dr. J made innovative dunks and he made his teammates better. He is an innovator who loves the game and his family. I wish Brother Julius Irving more Blessings.

Days ago was the Birthday of the late, great Sister Nina Simone. Through the decades, she has expressed musical genius and advocated for social justice. She was a talented black woman who could play multiple instruments. Her beauty wasn't just found in her gorgeous dark skin complexion and she was a beautiful black woman. It was also found in her ideals of loving Blackness (in opposing colorism as Black is Beautiful), of fighting oppression, and of using music to inspire fundamentally necessary social change. She was born in Tryon, North Carolina. During her youth, Nina Simone was influenced by genres like jazz, folk, blues, classical, gospel, etc. Her parents loved her. She was educated in the Julliard School in 1950 in New York City. Her compositions and renditions were ahead of its time. She used her music powerfully to oppose Jim Crow apartheid and injustice in general. Her song about Mississippi emotionally reiterated the point of the seriousness of the problem of violence against innocent black Americans (along with the goal of ending such atrocious actions). Her artistry specifically was about to not only entertain, but to make poignant political statements. An artist is meant to provoke discussion, to show creative energy, to have fun, and to debate. During the 1960's, we saw the working class and the poor opposing the Vietnam War, the growth of Great Society programs, and the advance of the civil rights movement. In other words, we have to work with the working class in accomplishing the goal of human liberation. Nina Simone traveled the world and she passed away in France in the year of 2003 at the age of 70. Courageousness and honesty encompass her soul. Yes, she was black and gifted with her love and with her great humane spirit. Her daughter to this very day continues in her legacy and her passion for music. Nina Simone taught us about believing in causes, promoting the beauty of Blackness, and representing the sacrosanct value of musical expression. She was a heroine of the ages.
Rest in Power Sister Nina Simone.


Today is days after the assassination of Brother Malcolm X has taken place. Malcolm X's life and legacy is set in stone forever as made up of ideological transformation, courage, and above all a love for black people. Malcolm X loved black people by loving his wife and children. Also, he was honest with us in detailing the situation that we presently live in. Someone who tells you the truth truly respects you. He was born in the Midwest and he lived in New York City. He transformed his life into being a spokesman and an activist for human justice. He fully experienced the life of the poor and working class in the ghettos of the North and Midwest. He spoke what many of us (who are black) say in private. He was uncompromising in his advocacy of self-defense. He infused greater confidence in the black collective and he inspired us to not only speak out against racism, but to be part of the solution making process. He traveled into Africa, Europe, and the Middle East where he gained insights, promoted Pan-Africanism, and desired the equality of women. Malcolm X formed the OAAU to be a springboard in helping African Americans, so people of black African descent can ultimately unite in creating power to address our interests (and confront the U.S. government for its crimes against black people in the States as he has mentioned).

When threats came against his life, he never backed down. He stood up powerfully to confront evil and injustice. Malcolm X wanted to go into the United Nations to confront American oppression. He had allies in the Third World and Malcolm X was strident in his opposition to the Vietnam War. One of his last actions on this Earth was fighting for the voting rights of the black people of Selma in 1965. He was a champion of the oppressed and he is forever our hero. The fight isn't over. Key parts of the Voting Rights Act are gone. We have massive police brutality. We have war and we witness a narcissistic occupant of the White House spewing bigotry and hatred overtly. His daughters carry out his legacy daily. Ultimately, we want humanity to have justice. Anti-imperialism, self-defense, racial justice, opposition to the status quo, and love of Blackness represent his great ideological ethos.
Rest in Power Brother Malcolm X.

By Timothy