| Author | Subject: Re: There Are Still Our Slaves |
| Charmlin II | Posted At 19:12:49 12/14/2002
Hello Wonderful Descendants of the ORIGINAL PEOPLE: I am a Young Black Man living in ameriKKKa. In response to this piece, though I have serious issues with whites appointing themselves as the guardians of morality and as the epitome of knowledge, intelligence, and the naming and defining of things (remember that scene in "Malcolm X" where all the definitions in WEBSTER'S Dictionary for the word BLACK were all negative, and all the ones for WHITE were all positive? ), WE do need to look critically at OURSELVES, for as this was so eloquently stated in the Old-School Hip Hop jam "Self Destruction": To evolve/ And revolve to self-respect/ 'Cause we got to keep ourselves in check/ Or else it's - SELF DESTRUCTION!/ (Chuck D, "Self Destruction", 1989) As Bro. Garvey once said, "Up you mighty race, you will accomplish what you will!". Bro. Garvey DID NOT SAY for us to accomplish what we will with the help of someone else, or by looking to someone else, for when it comes down to it, WE are and MUST BE the only ones to save us (of course, with the help of the CREATOR) - yet and still, a large number of us STILL LOOK TO SOMEONE ELSE to tell us when to be thankful (so-called "Thanksgiving"), when to celebrate the life of Yeshua (The letter "J" DID NOT EXIST when this wonderful, special man was around - yes, I said MAN - read about the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. and how those white bishops DID NOT LISTEN to the testimony of ARIUS, a BLACK AFRIKAN FROM LIBYA), when to show love to our mates (so-called Valentine's Day), what to buy, when to do this, when to do that, when we need our prayers answered (with that fallacious Italian-looking, blond- or dark-haired, blue-eyed Jesus),how to look, and even when to celebrate our history, or should I say, our HIS-STORY, since so many of us think that our history ONLY STARTED IN this continent, conveniently forgetting the THOUSANDS OF YEARS of AFRIKAN HISTORY that occurred long before we were brought over here which included how THOUSANDS OF EUROPEANS went into the Afrikan Educational System to learn, i.e., the Romans, Greeks, and the like. Men such as Aristotle and Plato even wrote that they considered Afrika to be the foundation of the world's knowledge!!!!!!But going back, Black History Month is the SHORTEST MONTH OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess at the time, Dr. Carter G. Woodson figured that white folks would only give us 28 days to celebrate OUR STORY, since he went through the U.S. Gov't to get this recognized, as is the procedure for other "holidays" and "special times". Now, here are some ideas on how we can change our predicament: 1)Celebrate holidays that TRULY and FULLY reflect us. Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years Eve/Day, Easter, 4th of THEY-LIED (Read Frederick Douglass’ speech on this, and then compare the last few hundred years – you’ll see that his speech is timeless), Independence Day, and other so-called "holidays" are commercialized, EXPENSIVE, STRESS-INDUCING, AMBIGUOUS and IRRELEVANT eurocentric creations, created by whites, and FORCED ON US on the plantation and in our motherland (to some extent). We HAD NO SAY ABOUT THEM, and we certainly were not asked if we wanted to celebrate them, or if we wanted to stay in this country. Therefore, WE DID NOT CELEBRATE THESE THINGS BEFORE WE WERE BROUGHT TO ameriKKKa, and we should SERIOUSLY look into KWANZAA, or any other AFRIKAN-CENTERED celebration that reflects us, was made by us, and is FOR ONLY US!!!! 2)When reading, or experiencing media, take some time out to connect with your ANCESTRAL, HISTORICAL, COLLECTIVE SELF. Read books such as BLACK WOMEN IN ANTIQUITY, SISTAHS IN THE STRUGGLE, BLACK MAN OF THE NILE AND HIS FAMILY, BLACKS IN THE BIBLE, GOD, THE BIBLE, AND THE BLACK MAN'S DESTINY, ISIS PAPERS, AFRIKAN WOMAN-THE ORIGINAL GUARDIAN ANGEL, etc. Watch movies, shows, and or documentaries such as DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST, SANKOFA, A GREAT AND MIGHTY WALK. And of course, read and experience their media, but do so with A CRITICAL, COMPARATIVE ANALYTICAL eye. Learn etymology so that you KNOW the origins, and histories of the English words you speak every day, and of all other languages you may speak. 3)USE the knowledge obtained in steps 2 & 3, and CULTIVATE AN OUTLOOK AND ATTITUDE receptive of that knowledge, to create SELF-SUFFICIENT INSTITUTIONS and support existing BLACK/AFRIKAN-CENTERED INSITUTIONS as often as you can. They definitely could use more help FROM US, AND BY US. I know that it is sometimes hard due to the fierce white supremacist/racist eurocentric resistance that exists, and the long hard hours we work. But if we are to survive, it is something WE MUST DO. 4)Know that WE are part of a huge region of this earth - THE AFRIKAN DIASPORA. Stop looking down on your indigenous Afrikan Brothers and Sisters. As Bro. Malcolm stated, if you hate Afrika, then you hate yourself. Bridge the gap. 5)Let's make sure that, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"; In other words, let keep this FOR US, and BY US. The best way that whites can help us is to trust that we have the intelligence and capabilities to fix us and that WE (NOT THEY), can solve our problems. After all, we built the only-remaining one of the Seven Wonders of the World, The Great Pyramid. WE built the ancient universities that still exist in Timbuktu, Mali, and Spain during the Moorish Period. And these monuments still stand today. For we know that the white media (and white people in general) will try to co-opt everything we do and will recast it into something twisted. 6)Support our people, especially when they are doing well. 7)Strive to live by the values, wisdom, and morals of OUR ANCESTORS, and NEVER FORGET THEM. 8)Reclaim our ORIGINAL SPIRITUALITY - for as Dr. John Henrick Clarke said, "If you are a child of God, and God is a part of you, then GOD SHOULD LOOK LIKE YOU!" If you bow to other peoples' manufactured image of god, then you are the spiritual slave of that other people, and this is certainly the case with the mainstream Jesus image, since that image was used to enslave us psychologically, mentally, and emotionally. And LAST BUT NOT LEAST, 9)NO SELL OUT! No matter how good you think you can get in with "Tha Man" or "Tha Woman" (He's more like a child to me), and no matter how much money or prestige you feel you have, as long as we are IN THEIR SYSTEM we will NEVER have STRAIGHT-UP ACCEPTANCE. I’m sure that Colin Powell, Michael Jackson, and Tiger Woods have found this out the hard way. Because, as we progress, white people rewrite the laws, and keep pushing the hurdles further and further, in an effort to trip us up. And don't forget to help pull up another Brother and Sister as you succeed. I know that this was alot, but this is no simple overnight issue. It will take a long time to undo, unlearn, and deprogram 400+ years( and running) of white supremacy/racism and oppression, but WE CAN DO IT IF WE APPLY OURSELVES AND STAY ON COURSE! PEACE and LOVE! Sincerely, Charmlin II |
| missy sanchez |
Re: There Are Still Our Slaves (Currently 0 replies)
Posted At 00:45:11 03/12/2003 hey at least black people have a history month all hispanics have is cinco demayo wich is now reduced to nothing but parades that serve lots of beer |