One of the biggest myths in the world is that praying and marching haven't caused any progress in the world. History is the best way to refute such a pernicious myth. First, there is nothing wrong with praying and marching. Many folks, who mock those marching, disrespect our ancestors who did these things for long years. Second, the Montgomery Bus Boycott involved boycotts, marching, praying, and social activism. The actions of many in that movement caused their cause to be successful. Many people marched, prayed, and protested during the 1960's to cause the Civil Rights Act to be passed in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act to be passed in 1965. Tons of marching and boycott worldwide caused apartheid to end in South Africa. During the anti-apartheid movement, there was a very successful economic divestment campaign which withheld funds from supporters of South African apartheid. Even back during the 1930's, massive labor rights protests contributed to Social Security and other economic rights to exist in our land. That is why workers must be respected since they are the ones who create our TVs, our homes, our cars, and so many other entities worldwide. In our generation, there is a higher sense of awareness about police brutality and racial injustice by marching and protests. It is true that we should use our economic power in boycotts and economic development. Yet, finances alone isn't going to save us. What will save us is a cogent, political and economic plan for our community. It involved promoting living wages (which the haters don't discuss readily), a healthy environment, labor rights, a fight against poverty, using policies that will improve our families including our communities, and grassroots organizing in order for us to see the Promised Land for real.
Today, there is some sad news. Yesterday, Brother actor Robert Guillaume passed away at the age of 89 years old. For decades, he was an actor who was involved in powerful roles. He was a man who loved the craft of acting and respected his people. Robert Gullaume was part of the generation of black actors who gained greater opportunities after the end of Jim Crow. He persisted to work hard and he valued his time while he was on this Earth. His family and friends are mourning his transition into the Afterlife. He is now in Paradise with mansions and golden streets. We remember his life as a person who not only acted. He was a trailblazer who wasn't afraid of his obstacles. He fought his obstacles like a man and he fought prostate cancer like a man. He was in Broadway during the 1960's. He was born and raised in St. Louis. He studied at St. Louis University and Washington University and served in the United States Army before pursuing an acting career. Robert Guillaume was in many TV shows like Soap, Benson, A Different World, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Good Times, the Jeffersons, etc. He had a wife and 4 children. Legend represents his legacy as a human being.
Rest in Power Brother Robert Guillaume.
It is certainly a historical fact that every victory that black people achieved was done by resistance against the status quo. Making a demand and using active resistance will proliferate against a strict respectability politics. Many of the skeptics didn't want Dr. King to even issue peaceful boycotts or civil disobedience. Now, the same reactionaries are complaining about a simple kneel. It doesn't make sense unless those in power desire no radical change in society. This is why we will still rise and fight in the right way for justice. There are a lot of so-called dating gurus talking about alphas, betas, and other names from the Greek alphabet. The truth is that you don't have to classify yourself as some alphabet. You can be yourself. Being yourself is free of charge. Being yourself means that anybody should respect men and women who are honorable, stand up for yourself, live your life, and harbor real character traits of humbleness, honor, altruism, and integrity. Never try to be like someone else in order to please the status quo. You have the right to be you and show the world your talents via strength, honor, and dignity. There is nothing wrong with being nice. The problem is that some of these so-called "gurus" exploit the meaning of the word "nice" as an excuse for them to bash women. That is wrong. So, life is not about a spectator sport filled with cut cutthroat agendas and advancing erroneous stereotypes and false generalizations about people. Life is about promoting the goal of having our eyes on the prize, which is human justice and building a community where humanity can have freedom from bigotry and freedom from oppression. That is the aim that we seek without apology. Part of that prize is witnessing men and women having total equality and executing their highest human potentials. This is the legitimate course that we take. We believe in treating people with dignity and with respect. We believe in honoring true love and using our minds to create solutions in the Universe (as God gave us a mind for a reason). As we approach 2020, we still believe in the Dream as our ancestors believed in.
Art is part of our souls categorically. It includes a diversity of numerous aspects of our lives. Art not only deals with paintings and drawing exquisite images. It can include dance, rhythm, a myriad of color patterns, graffiti, mosaics, and even abstract displays of objects. Art has been debated firmly too. A multifaceted interpretation of artwork is commonplace. For example, on artwork can mean different things to different people. To this very day, there are scholars who disagree on whether the Mona Lisa painting has a person smiling or frowning. From the prehistoric cave drawings to concrete exhibitions, artistic expression abide in places worldwide. In our time, art deals with complex technology too. Some people use Windows Cloud and other programs in order for them to form advanced, creative artworks. Other people use 3-D printers to sculpt objects with extraordinary aesthetic detail. Now, we are near 2020 and the same love of art is engraved in our consciousness. So, art is beautiful. It is always important to give great praise to the artists who sacrifice their time in developing their works. Some of these artists are unsung and many of them are found in Facebook. They have worked long hours in numerous cases, they have focused on establishing great minutia, and they have exhibited magnificent talent too.
Artists are among a plethora of ages, colors, creeds, sexes, and backgrounds. They are owed the utmost appreciation and respect as anyone else deserves. Art's qualities of creative power, of form, of color, and of its international influence has consecrated the human family completely. The beauty of art is that it is wide ranging, transcendent, and inclusive of a variety of genres. Cubism, Dadaism, Baroque art, African art, Modernist art, and Post-Modernism art are never monolithic. They encompass the exquisite diversity and the growth of art throughout the ages. Therefore, art is a field of expression that has stood the test of time. Art history deals with names such as Loïs Mailou Jones, Leonardo da Vinci, Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage, and so many other human beings who desire to utilize their spark of glorious imagination to bless us. I have participated in painting, sculpting, drawing, and other aspects of art before in my life. Others in the world have done the same and artistic expression is filled with manifold blessings. Art will always inspire the world to be better.
By Timothy
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