Thursday, March 29, 2012

Hate will not win

Hate will not win. This may seem like a difficult truth to proclaim in the midst of evil times. As examples of hate are exemplified daily. It is easy to lose hope. To believe that love is a silly answer to the complex realities that hatred creates. However, LOVE is my defiant response to those that try to interject hate into the bloodstream of democracy. Love humanizes while hate dehumanizes. Love unites while hate divides. And we must resist the division. We must resist the desire to retreat into the safe corners of constructed normalcy. Our resistance must be rooted in love. Love is the only thing that can transcend ignorance and fear. And yes, daily I am fearful that the world is simply to divided. That the beloved community will remain a distant dream in the midst of a perpetual nightmare. However, I see freedom in love, and liberation in the march towards the beloved community. So, let us release ourselves from the chains of hate and embrace the ethic love. Let's Get Free!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Facebook and the Spread of Hate

Sometimes I wonder why certain post need to be shared. Truthfully, I do not want to see the ignorant responses to Hunger Games. Unfortunately, I and countless others are painfully aware of the reality that racism still exist. However, I think we should not make ignorance famous, and when I see post shared that are fueled by hate it diminishes my hope in the possibility of us transcending the ugliness of our current reality. This is not to knock those who post. It is simply to raise the question, why do we need to reward ignorance with recognition? Why do we not simply allow for the ignorant and those inflicted with the disease of hatred to be isolated from the beloved community that so many of us seem to desire? It is their lost if they are blind to the diversity of humanity. And when we give publicity to their positions it magnifies their voice in a way that is undeserved. So, I do not want to see any racist responses to Trayvon or pictures of Do not Renig bumper stickers. These images destroy my capacity to hope and it makes the hopelessly ignorant famous if just for a moment. Let us not allow for the spread of ignorance and hate to be aided by Facebook. Let's Get Free!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Where do we go from here?

The question is where do we go from here? Will we allow for the tragedy of Trayvon to transform us? Or will we be content to attend a couple of rallies and assume that our job is done? This is not to say that attending rallies serves not point. No, it connects us to others who have been stirred to action by the presence of injustice. However, we must be willing to do more. We must be willing to challenge an American culture that normalizes the spilling of precious black blood into the drains of callous city streets as inconsequential. We must be aware that our society needs a dramatic transformation when hoodies can be criminalized and victims can be blamed for their tragic demise. The question of where do we go from here is critical at this moment. We must be changed for the long run, eradicating the systemic evils that create tragedies of Trayvon to become commonplace in certain communities. We must capitalize off of this current moment of consciousness and allow for our communities to forever be changed. So, that the tragedies of Trayvon are not repeated. Let's Get Free!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Dear Privileged

Dear Privileged,
I have a simple message! You do not get to decide who is innocent and who is guilty. It is not your responsibility to chase down the innocent simply because your lens has been tainted. You do not get to decide whose guilty simply because you cannot see the humanity in those with a Darker hue. And while we are on the subject of privileged definitions,it is not up to you to decide for others who God is.More importantly,you do not have a monopoly on truth and your arrogance is destructive. Privilege voices that seek to define what constitutes normalcy usually are oblivious to the voices of the disenfranchised. This creates a reality for the disenfranchised where they must seek acceptance in the midst of societal constructs that are not created for their benefit.So,for all those that think they can define who is guilty and who is innocent, or what women should do with their bodies, or who should be allowed to be married I have a message. Your privileged does not denote the righteousness of your position. And until you recognize the humanity in others and their choices you will continue to be the biggest impediment to a just world. And not simply a just world for those that are fortunate enough to be considered privileged. Let's Get Free!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tragedies should Not Compete

Can we accept the truth that tragedy knows no color? Can we see that tragedy knows no geographical location? Are we blind to the reality that the human experience continually provides us with numerous examples that highlight the fact that we our tragically flawed? Flawed not only in our inability to empathize with human tragedies that fail to infiltrate our concerns but also in the way that we tragically condemn those whose tragedies we deem unimportant. Our failure to see that tragedy is a part of the human story and that our convenient choosing of what stories will capture our attention is problematic. Our hearts should bleed for a world that continuously provides examples that create a context for the old adage that life is not fair. That some will suffer outside the spotlight in regions we may never see. These truths should not be ignored. We must begin to open ourselves up to the truth that this world is in need of repair. And that healing truly begins when we recognize tragedy even in the events we don't deem important. Pain is pain and tragedy is tragedy and when our hearts break for all tragedies the same then we will be one step closer to ultimate freedom. Let's Get Free!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Trayvon Martin

The shooting death of Trayvon Martin cannot be explained away. It is simply another example that black skin in America is enough to be considered a threat. A threat that does not diminish because of education, status or wealth. So, for those that think they can outrun their blackness by simply working hard and seeking to pull themselves up by their bootstraps they are sadly mistaken. Trayvon made no mistakes his blackness was the crime. He was never viewed as an innocent child because innocence is not reserved for those that have been historically criminalized. The true crime is that we still seek justice from the same system that has proven it is incapable of recognizing our humanity. The question is when will we recognize this corrupt system for what it is? When will resistance require more from us than passive outrage confined to spaces that do not threaten the status quo? What is to stop the next tragedy? Our resistance must be more vocal more threatening to a system that still thinks black bodies can be discarded with no repercussions. Let's Get Free!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Words

Can words resuscitate apathetic souls? Can revolution be more than a slogan? Can its tenets be transformed into a lifestyle? How many desire to style their life's aspirations off of the playbooks of revolutionaries? Are books still popular? Or are we willing to revel in ignorance? I pass no judgments. I simply pose questions to those that pose like everything is fine and that my allegiance to monotony is obligatory. Unquestioned allegiance is not an apt description for freedom fighters, so I seek to contort oppressive language and redefine it in a revolutionary context. I create a context for those willing to fight, even though at times true opponents remain invisible. We are at war with ideas and sadly ideas can mutate and find protection in decaying institutions. So, for those willing to fight they must resist the notion that notoriety is the goal. The goal is to allow for words to resuscitate apathetic souls. Let's Get Free!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Humanity Speaks

The masses must struggle to resist dehumanization. Unfortunately, at times we fail to realize how this corrupt system seeks to strangle the collective vocal chords of the people to the point that it becomes impossible to articulate the cries of a suppressed humanity. Humanity speaks in the suffering of the masses. It soothing rhythms are still heard in the joyful laughs of the youth. So, we must never allow for injustice to become the soundtrack by which we define our lives. No, we must continue to challenge the corrupt entities that are devoid of substance. Our substance lies in our resistance and our unwillingness to turn a blind eye to the mechanisms that seek to mummify our existence. Let us stand and embrace the fight to rescue the masses from lives impoverished by societal limits that deny freedom to the most vulnerable. Our vulnerability is hidden in the soothing bosom of collective action. Action is our choice. Revolution is our destiny. Let's Get Free!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Peyton Manning

The myth of loyalty in sports must forever be erased from the dialog. No longer, is it acceptable to brandish loyalty on the back of the laborer while allowing companies to make decisions that further the flourishing of their bottom line. The bottom line in sports is to win, and that exceeds all claims of loyalty. Peyton Manning was a worker who services were no longer needed. Truthfully, we accept this reality even though we recognize the worth of the Indianapolis Colts was cemented on the strength of Manning's right arm. My only question is why will the Colts not experience the same criticism that a player would for making a decision that is best for them. The Culture of corporatism that pervades American life continues to leave the worker at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, we are blind to this reality because we are taught to simultaneously love and hates our athletes. We see their pay as unwarranted and ultimately undeserved. This brainwashing allows for us to side with ownership even when they show no qualities worth supporting. Peyton Manning at the end of the day was an employee, who in spite of his tremendous resume was let go in a move that benefits the company. Why can we not see that loyalty is one way street. The worker is expected to be loyal but cannot hope for that in return from his or her employer. We must challenge the corrupt constructs that confine the choices of the laborer. The ultimate limits of the laborer are exemplified in the story of Peyton Manning. Let's Get Free!

Friday, March 2, 2012

One of Many

There is no perfection in my pose. I simply embrace the pose of those who inspired me. I am cognizant of how in the rush to spread the message one can become enamored by the sound of one’s own voice. I humbly recognize that my voice is simply one of many in the symphony of resistance. I simply seek to voice my disdain for a system that stifles potential and relegates human life to that of nothing more than that of production machines. So, I speak, but never do I fall victim to the belief that I am the only one speaking or that my voice should be exalted above others. No, I seek to move with the collective because in reality collective liberation is all that matters. My freedom is connected with the freedom of the people. My pen and voice are simply two of the many weapons that I hope will one day free us all. Let’s Get Free!