Former slaves, sitting on a step for photo (courtesy pinterest Fine Art America)
I recently wrote a blog on Langston Hughes’ " Let America, Be America Again " and posted it on Facebook. If you know me personally, you would know that I don’t often post on Facebook nor do I exude much social media competency. Recently, however, I have learned that the stakes are too high to remain silent. I have a voice. You have a voice. Let us use our voices collectively in a motion to organize our view in a loving, respectful, but insistent way.
And with that said, once again, I am inspired to share. There was an article written by the great Harry Belafonte with such poetic grace that it sounded like a symphonic movement. I took some of his words from the article and created two stanzas. These are just sound bites of a strong message that motifs throughout the article. These are the words of Mr. Belafonte:
What old men know is that everything can change. . .
What old men know, too, is that all that is gained can be lost. . .
With his simple, mean, boy’s heart, Mr. Trump wants us to follow him blind into a restoration that is not possible and could not be endured if it were.
What old men know is that things blown up . . . cannot so easily be put right.
What Langston Hughes so yearned for when he asked that America be America again was the realization of an age-old people’s struggle, not the vaporous fantasies of a petty tyrant.
Mr. Trump asks us what we have to lose, and we must answer, only the dream, only everything.
-Harry Belafonte (Excerpts from the New York Times Nov. 7th, 2016) http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/opinion/campaign-stops/harry-belafonte-what-do-we-have-to-lose-everything.html
Check out the link, it was a great article . . .
Picture of a civil war soldier with his slave boy.
My reflections on the election:
The raising of a veil is slowly revealing the fear of a prosperous nation. A nation that truly quivers to share a wealth that they do not solely own. Control of money is the issue here in what former president Bill Clinton coined as “economy stupid.” This is simply the act of devising plans to secure the power of the wealth by sabotaging opportunity for the lower social class. This practice is not helping the economy, but instead stalling it. If one were to step out of his bubble and admit that all Americans do not have equal access to educate themselves to take part in the American dream, the election would not have turned out like it had.
The argument by the elite is that, if you work hard enough you can do it too. What is kept quiet is the underhanded evil that exempts you; the common, the poor, the quickly disappearing middle class, from even approaching the door. We must realize the mind game that has been developed to keep a social construct in its place. As a man thinketh, so is he.
So today, many of our children are conditioned to think that their only way to be successful is by becoming a rapper, some sort of entertainer, or ball player. A true testament of advancement, however, would be when we as parents begin to teach our children that being rich does not mean you are successful. For my students in the lower socio-economic urban areas, yes, your odds are better of becoming a professional football player, than becoming a student at Yale. Reflectively, the odds are stacked against you, and a designed fate keeps you blue collar or inducted in a prison industrial complex.
Correspondingly, if you do happen to become semi-successful by the definition of money, will no one care when you lose it all because you never gained access to the club to find out how to hide it in the black hole. Furthermore, when you end up in jail for tax evasion, in the attempts of hoarding your material lusts, just know that it was all part of the plan. My bible says in Revelation that the black horse will come and its rider will be holding balances. Do you feel cheated? Oh yes you should feel cheated. Oh yes, we’ve been hoodwinked since before the worlds began. But I digress on my Christian soap box, for I know not everyone understands or believes prophecy of the holy spirit. So, if parents chose to promote wealth as happiness, than their sons will continue to get their brains bashed in for the entertainment of money making mongrels that don’t care if it destroys everything that the player worked hard for.
I recently had been on a journey to achieve wealth and understand that just because you are wealthy, does not mean that you are evil. This is not what I am saying. There are people who are blessed with opportunity, a good work ethic, and strong mindset that truly poured their heart into their work to achieve their successes. However in my inquiry, I learned somethings about S-corps, C-corps, and multi-managed LLCs which allow fraud, or what I characterize as legal money laundering, to take place with Internal Revenue Service approval. My qualms for conspiracy theory have been proven true. To this I hang my head in shame. So, when Mr. Trump refused to show his taxes, I knew exactly why. My friends, he’s in the club, he doesn’t pay taxes but instead earns money by spending money. But, that information is for another article.
Painting by Patrick Campbell
check out article here
The inspiring story behind the 'New Age of Slavery' painting capturing the movement
My purpose here is to vent, to share, and to motivate, so let us not stand in the shadow of hate. We must be positive and move forward. Although this country is truly showing it’s split of progressive thought and lack of cognitive processes, we must still be strong. Please prepare yourself for a different kind of America.
Racial tensions are increasingly hostile. I just returned from the NJ Teacher Convention, of which I planned to write a rather light article about my day. Instead, I am addressing this nasty election and the moral paralysis of our newly elected leader of the free world. I imagine Shonda Rhimes optimistically grabbing a plate to this smorgasbord of political content. But I tremble in fear of my children’s future, as I purchased my bus ticket on the way back home from the convention, and I witness a white man being beat to a bloody pulp for offending an elderly African American gentleman. That was not necessary. I know this is a different America.
My plea to you is to get involved. This same sentiment was proclaimed by Mark Weber, NJEA keynote speaker today, blogger at jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com. I feel confident to promote his blog here because I agreed with everything that he said about the effects that this election will have on the New Jersey education system. I am going to follow his blog, learn more, read more, and get involved. What are you going to do?
My cousin posted his reflections on the election on facebook. I thought it was very good, I re-post it here without edit:
Final thoughts on the election: I am proud to have voted for the candidate I thought was best. I am proud because the voter turnout in my community locally and nationally was not low, and while there will always be apathetic persons who feel that the system doesn't speak for them so they abstain from the process or vote 3rd party. I don't believe this election was a result of a lack of voting from the black and brown communities in our nation. This was a result of Red states ...being more red than ever, and battleground states leaning red because of an influx of non minority voters leaning that way. That is how the process works. Percentages now clearly show that The president elect was elected overwhelming by a single demographic and I respect the process, and the results. The returns however, made me very aware of 5 things. 1. This election was more about the current president then the presidential candidates. And the nation was prepared to make a statement regardless of who the candidate was or what he said and or did 2. By nature of the way the votes breakdown it is clear that We do not live in a post racial society no matter how many time we claim that racism is over. 3. As a nation we are not as egalitarian as we claim to be, even women seemed to have this issue that it must take a man to lead us.... which is just flat out sad 4. Pro-life champions will not overturn roe vs. wade - abortion is a politicized issue in America and the evangelical community uses it to maintain power ...but check the record they have had Reagan, Bush 1, and Bush 2 use this issue as a voting platform and when elected none of them seem to do anything, and abortions skyrocketed during their administrations because overwhelmingly abortions are based on financial status and the economy has been proven to perform better under democratic leadership. (Check the research) and finally 5. I'm still excited about the future because MY GOD REIGNS! -Chris Betner
My purpose is to help you become the best you you can be. My opinion is my voice and most likely very bias. I am an advocate for teachers, the arts, God, and positive African American identity. I encourage you to absorb the information you read and come up with your own consensus. I will continue to pass on information as it comes. I hope you are motivated to get involved. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us. Until next time.
-Tamorra