Fiscal Cliff

The masses hang on the fiscal cliff clinging to the hope that things will get better. However,most live  paycheck to paycheck. So, as our collective checking account balances dwindle with the onset of numerous responsibilities we remain largely silent. Why are we silent when the rigged game the we are force to play produces predictive results? The results of our collective silence is continual oppression masquerading as a hollow democracy. The question is what do we do?

The NCAA treats college athletes like property period. However, most cannot see the exploitation through the lens of their envy. Most envy the position that these young men find themselves in. So, we ignore a capitalistic reality where there are owners are making millions while the laborers remain impoverished. So are impoverished thoughts leads us to believe that a depreciating degree is enough. At times I wonder if we see the parallels between their reality and ours? Those who labor in this country are never valued as the value of labor is set by owners who have intentions of letting you see the American dream. So, most are convinced that must simple dream harder. Truthfully, it has always been hard for me to digest bullshit. I just wondered when the masses will see the truth? Let's get Free!

My Choice

Do conscious words fall on deaf ears? I wonder if revolutionary words fall on powerless ears? So, those ears turn their attention to the loud noise of distraction. So, the writing is on the wall but most are blind to the penmanship. We are on a sinking ship. However, instead of attempts to abandon the course, of course we push forward towards destruction. Destruction seems to be encoded in our D.N.A and yet we seem to be oblivious to it's ramifications. I simply sit on the stoop of concerns watching the masses pass by. By and large we seem to be content with hollow democracy and the illusion of choice. In the midst of the wreckage I have a choice, either succumb to the apathy or keeping fighting for the day a collective liberation. My choice is simple, to continue use my pen and voice to articulate my ambition for revolution. Let's Get Free!

Precious Self-Hate

How many times do we down the drink of self hate until we our intoxicated with ignorance? It is a simple question that arises when I listen to rap music and black men use precious as a punchline. How precious is it to material profit to profit off a hate for your own? It seems that profit is perpetually linked to the linking of blackness to self-hate. As our theme songs diminish our worth we must ask ourselves is blackness worth anything anymore? Or have we simply sought to be judged as individuals while we collectively conspire to alleviate our collective identity to the scrape heap of white supremacy. So once what was thought to be sacred is no more. Our love one another seems to be reserved for recollections of the past while past one another on the street without a second thought. These are the simple thoughts of one who wonders if we will ever see that if precious is a punchline then the joke is on us.

Immune to Tragedy

As the world keeps turning I wonder if we have become immune to tragedy? Have we lost our ability to grapple with the reality that the world is changing and not for the better? This is a difficult truth for most to embrace because the prospect of the inevitability of goodness to win out seems to be continuously injected into the American bloodstream. This hollow optimism allows for us to rationalize tragedies of Aurora and now Wisconsin as blips on the path to continued human progress. The truth is these tragedies are not blips, and when we trivialize the lost of life, or when we refuse to wrestle with the larger questions humanity suffers. When we think that our job is done with status updates or  clicking the like button on trending articles, the possibility to truly learn and be transformed by tragedy is lost. We must do more. We must challenge a culture that continually diminishes the value of human life. We cannot simply choose to move on. The time is now to stop, and grieve for the lost life, and to also grieve for ourselves, if we cannot recognize that something more than our condolences is needed.

A New Story

What are the stories that we tell ourselves? What are the narratives that we follow that shape our worldviews? And is it time to for a new narrative? Is it time to discard the idea that this world was made for us and us alone? Is it time to due away with the notion that rigid ideologies provide salvation? It would seem that salvation may not be in our control but the ability to destroy sadly seems to rest collectively on our fingertips. So, the time is now to start a new narrative. To relinquish the story of competition and individualistic ambition. Truthfully, ambition without consciousness is simply a vice that causes more discord. We must recognize that any narrative that is not rooted in a love of the people is doomed to more us closer down the road of destruction. So, lets awake from our slumber and begin to redefine the way we see ourselves and ultimately our world. Our futures depend on it. Let's Get Free!

Let's Get Free

We are in a battle with those who seek to makes the chains of oppression common accessories for the masses. So, the masses must refuse to adorn themselves in the garments of apathy no matter how comfortable those garments maybe. No, we must stretch our vision so that it encapsulates those that we may have previously classified as different. We must resist the notion that our ambition should be focused on anything other than making sure that everyone is free. And this freedom is not connected to monetary gain or the accumulation of trinkets. No, it is connected to the idea that everyone should be free allow for their authentic selves to spring forth. Let us fight for a better world. A better world where justice and peace are the pursuits of those who crave success. Let's redefine success. Let's move away from values that are destroying our world. Let's fight to make the measure of a human being the capacity to love not destroy. Let's Get Free!

The Myth of the Bad Employee

I am not a bad employee. I simply do not give a fuck about the task I am being asked to complete. Is it completely irrational to believe that my poor work performance is connected to my complete lack of interest in the task? I believe my rejection of the mundane is a testament to my inability to accept bullshit as a way of life. Life has to be more than structured obligations and spending mass amounts of time punching time clocks, doesn't it? Am I wrong for wanting more? I do not have the talent for convincing myself that getting up everyday and doing something I hate for money is worth it. So, ultimately it is my defiance that makes me a bad employee. It is my inability to be domesticated into a way of life where it is natural to accept that being a cog in an oppressive machine is the meaning of life. That accumulating meaningless trinkets is enough to offset the sheer boredom that a capitalistic system brings on. I am convinced there is more. So, I will continue to be characterized as a bad employee as long as dehumanization is prerequisite for employment in this evil capitalistic system. Let's Get Free!

Pull yourself up by your Bootstraps Lebron the American story

The things we believe about Lebron are the same ignorant things will believe about success in America. Why can't he just win the title? Even in the midst of a team sport our selfish narrative of individualism blinds us to the truth. Individuals do not win titles teams do. However, this would be difficult for our country to accept. A country that prides itself on believing that individuals determine their success alone. That systemic barriers do not limit the life chances of many and that by simply making the right choices success will be the outcome. Lebron is great that does not mean that there are not other teams better than the one he is on. Winning a title will be determined by the collective. It is this collective narrative that would transform our communities as well. The belief that success is not simply this singular goal that can be achieved by our greatness. We need help! Can we accept that, can we see past the allure of believing that we can do it all. The American system wins if we keep alive these narratives that the system has no impact. That individuals can simply will themselves to success. This is as likely as one man willing himself to a team title. Something to think about. Let's Get Free!

Damn Seattle!

When did the town become a place where violence was so prevalent? I, like many others am wrestling with this question. As I see numerous updates that highlight the fear that now grips our city. I am left with the realization, Uncertainty is scary. It is difficult when we recognize that those ideas that we have taken for granted must be re-examined. Safety is a privilege that it seems we have taken for granted. Now, the question is how will we challenge ourselves and our communities to be better? How will we make the choice not to give into the despair? It is easy in times like this to make your circle smaller. So often we tend to believe that there is no one that we can trust and that barriers and fences will make us safer. However, we must resist this logic and recognize the solution occurs when we begin to truly see one another as brothers and sisters. Beautifully flawed individuals trying to deal with the same cruel world. That skin color, sexual orientations, economic class or political affiliation does not shield us from the same fundamental issues. The truth is, We are in this together, and until we accept this, and place the value of life at the centerpiece in the restoration of our broken world we will continue to fall short. Falling short screaming in solitude Damn Seattle!

Love Life

Love Life. A simple phrase that seems needed now more than ever. As the news is continually filled with stories of lives stolen to soon, I wonder how did we arrive here? How did we reach this point where precious lives were no longer viewed in that context? When did innocence die? More importantly, when did we began to revel in our guilt? Why are guns now aimed and bullets fired in undefined directions looking for indiscriminate targets? The truth is, we all become targets when violence becomes normalized and the solutions to the feelings of powerlessness become automatic weapons. So, how do we teach our young people to love life in the midst of culture that teaches them that violence is legitimate tool to solve problems? We must critique the larger cultural vices that seeks to corrupt the minds of youth with questionable messages. Our message must be that when we begin to love life you begin to recognize how precious it truly is. And hopefully this recognition will lead you to see the precious nature of others and will force you turn from the destructive ways of violence. Let's Get Free!

Love Life

Take A Chance!

It is shocking when you realize that change does not simply occur. That we are responsible for the picture we paint. That sitting and waiting for perfect opportunities or moments is pointless. This is life! This is our time and any time spent wasted waiting for a time more perfect than this is futile. What do I want out of life? This is a question I have struggled to answer. However, I know its more than working in places that provide me no meaning. I want my life to be more than safe choices. Living Rational has not lead to happiness? No, it has simply re-enforced the idea that without risk there can be no rewards. That being unwilling to take chances is not living at all. Freedom and fear cannot co-exist. The question for me is how to challenge fear so that I can live more free?

How to make Consciousness Cool?

How to make consciousness cool? This is the question? Far to often intellectuals are isolated from the mainstream because the masses can't or simply choose not to float in deep waters. So the tides of ignorance continue to engulf whole communities while the life rafts of wisdom and consciousness remain out of reach. Can we reach the masses? Or will the masses continue to be enchanted by lyrics that re-enforce captivity? Do, the captives desire freedom or will the familiar chains of captivity captivate many? Many questions however I have limited answers. However, I must answer to the voice that says there is freedom in the possibility that revolution can still charter a new course. Of course complacency can never confine a free spirit. So my spirit emanates freedom songs even from the depths of a chained body. My body will be my sacrifice and revolution will forever be my message. Let's Get Free!

Maybe

Maybe, Revolution is impossible. Maybe, the remnants of oppression will forever stain the possibility of a more perfect picture of humanity. Maybe, I am unrealistic in my belief that consciousness will one day precipitate real action. Maybe, the belief that life must be defined in a capitalistic context is common sense that I must simply accept. Or maybe, there is more, and that our willingness to envision more is where true freedom begins. I begin each day with the hope that a broken world can be put back together by caring hands. Let's Get Free!

Human Misery Profitable!

It's crazy how human misery can be profitable. How bad choices can be continual currency for capitalist. And how human suffering and unjust conditions do not shake those who have been conditioned to accept atrocities. We have accepted so much oppression that I question our capacity to resist. Even though resistance is the only weapon in the war to salvage our humanity in the midst of de-humanizing times. So, as time runs out I still allow for my pen to passionately paint pictures of possibilities of brighter tomorrows. Truthfully, if tomorrow never comes I live with the peace that comes from resisting today. So, today it is our choice. To resist and rescue humanity from the brink of destruction. Or to allow for fear to freeze our voice and to hardened our hearts. The Choice is ours. Let's Get Free!

No Sports?

What if there were no sports? If Black Males had to find new avenues to assert their dominance? If the dominant dreams of fade away jump shots and touchdown passes passed away? How would we past the time? The time is now to examine the peculiar position that sports holds in our communities. We have allowed it to symbolize the only way out of poverty. It is the bedrock of hope for so many. As many believe that they will be the one who makes it out on the strength of their jump shot or right arm. The question is why are we not up in arms? Why have we not told countless young men that they can be more? As we seem content to simply recreate similar messages of years past. Messages that said that physically we could be strong but that mentally we would remain continually weak. Truth to be told we need more Malcolm's than Lebron's,more MLK's than RG3'S. Unfortunately, until we instill in our young boys the message that we are proud of their minds as much as their athletic achievements they will continue to aspire to the glory of jam packed arenas instead of the chance to dominate boardrooms. Let's Get Free!

What do your actions say?

The suffering of the masses deserves a response. What will we do? What will be our reasons for not speaking out about oppression? How will we sooth our conscience when we are reminded that we did nothing? That it was ambition over everything. This is not to say that ambition is bad, simply raising the question where will our ambition lead us? To the accumulation of materials that depreciate once purchased? Or, will our ambition connect us with a revolutionary consciousness that will inspire us to fight for change? These are the questions we must wrestle with. The question of who, will we be? How, will we be remembered? What, will our legacy be? Will most continue to live there lives for the building of monuments to self? So that we can brag about the things we have purchased and beauty of our materials? Hopefully, we will wake up and recognize that there is only one question worth answering. Whose side were you on? Was it the oppressed or the oppressor? Was it the powerful or the powerless? Our actions decide where we stand not our words? What do your action say? Let's Get Free!

Not For Sale!

Are we willing to reject the notion that we are for sale? Is integrity outdated? Have we lost sight of that which truly matters? What does material success mean in the midst of societal suffering? We must reject capitalistic values that praise selfishness as a virtue. It is virtually impossible to stomach the corrupt culture that capitalism has created. So, with my words I still intend to paint a picture of the world free from the chains that chain most to a difficult living. Living for me will forever be defined in the context of revolutionary struggle. I admit, I still struggle to light the fuse that will lead to the Fire Next time that James Baldwin talked about. To me it is about how to set the captives free and make humane living the norm. Maybe, these ideas are not normal. However, I will continue to embrace abnormality when the confines of normalcy force me to pledge allegiance to the idea that oppression is a staple of human nature. Truthfully, the nature of my success will never be defined in capitalistic terms. Terms I've accepted long ago. Success will forever be defined in relation to how much I have done in regards to alleviating the injustices that cause human suffering. And if my bank account suffers because my career will never eclipse the importance of my calling so be it! Let's Get Free!

Do love stories still exist?

Do love stories still exist? Or have we collectively moved to a different section in the book store. Maybe, love stories have been replaced with our consumption of self-help manuals that allow for us to mediate on a new motto. You see love stories require sacrifice, and sacrifice of power is something that most are to scared of. Vulnerability is losing, so to play it cool is the desired position for those who have lost in the past. The past keeps us chained to memories of never again blocking the possibilities of what could be. And what could be never occurs, but it never occurs to us to give any real chances. The chances for many are slim because most have consumed to many calories of bad choices. So now these choices hang around the spare tire of our memories and are difficult to shed no matter how many miles we run from our past. You see, in the past we were willing to invest in the purchase of a love story. Now, we seem to fearful of the consequences. Let's Get Free!

Will you accept the mission?

Will you accept the mission? These are the words that lay at the collective doorstep of this generation. The mission is to choose love when the allure of hate grows with every passing day. Hate is so seductive. The notion of an eye for an eye is an addictive drink for those that thirst for justice. We see weakness in patience and have lost faith in the system to provide justice. This lack of faith has been affirmed by the presence of continual letdowns. This is by no means an endorsement of the system, but more importantly a call for us to transcend the notion that animosity and anger is the solution. This generation must choose love and its revolutionary power to transform strangers into brothers and enemies into humans. Hate dehumanizes and at this moment the desire to embrace hate and the self-righteousness that it accompanies seems reasonable. Why not simply retreat towards simple answers and easy classifications of good and evil? However, this generation must resist the appeal of hate and cling to the notion of love. Love must be the weapon of choice for this generation. We must be courageous in our attempts to break the simplistic chains of division. Let’s Get Free!

There is hope!

There is hope in the conversation. There is hope in the frustration or the stubbornness of those that still hold onto the idea of justice. I find hope in the midst of the struggle even though the struggle seeks to injure freedom and relegate it to the sidelines in the game of life. I still am enamored with the idea that people will eventually awaken from the confines of cultivated ignorance to the precious daybreak of consciousness. I am conscious that the notion of hope has been hijacked by the terrorist of conformity. However, I will not conform to the notion that change is related to the maintenance of the status quo. I see hope as a necessary ingredient in the revolution. So, I will speak revolution into the air until it becomes a part of the weather. Let's Get Free!

Was Garvey Right?

Recently, I have been struggling with the question was Marcus Garvey right? Is the American project a failed experiment? An Experiment that will never provide African Americans any semblance of collective freedom? Where the calls for an equal playing field will continually be seen as simply the complaining of the ungrateful? Will there ever be recognition of the historical factors that set the context for present day atrocities? Or will the struggles of African Americans remain misunderstood or simply tragically ignored by a society seemingly to invested in the perpetuation of white privilege to deal honestly with the issues that cause black suffering? These are the questions I find myself wrestling with. Can my people ever get a fair shake? Or will the hope of a more just future be trampled by the continual reminder of the entrenched nature of hate that seeks to justify undeserved privilege. So, was Garvey right? Do distant shores offer the best chance for African Americans to not have to wrestle to have their humanity affirmed? I hold no answers but I am filled with questions. Let's Get Free!

Greatest Story ever Sold

The greatest story ever sold is that success coincides with consumption. No, not consumption of consciousness but consumption of capitalistic values that confine whats valuable to the limited realm of commodities. So we chase lifestyles sold to us through cultural vehicles with a GPS set to destination destruction. Sadly, the masses seem oblivious or unwilling to engage with the consequences of our apathy and indifference. We are indifferent as different voices sing the same message " I am just trying to get mine". That is the slogan that will be placed on the collective head stones of those that thought theirs would be saved in the midst of collective lost. At times I find myself at a lost for words. Maybe, I am at lost for words because difficult words are often rejected for simple symbols. So, the symbols of oppression remain intact while those with words to challenge are classified as haters. I am embrace the label of Hater, if hater is one who simply detest the grotesque conditions that cripple my people. Call me a Hater of ignorance and simplistic stories that continue to produce chapters of misery for the masses. Let's Get Free!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

I love being a consumer!

Damn, I love being a consumer. I love how I have been convinced that I can purchase my freedom at local malls. Seeing so many consume ignorance it is no wonder we continue to rock wardrobes of foolishness. Yet, those that critique our current love affair with consumerism or labeled out of touch. Touching the minds of the youth seems more difficult as time passes. As consciousness does not pass the litmus test of cool, cool has be co-opted and crafted as an embrace of an apathetic pose. And this popular pose poses no threat those that benefit from our unrecognized oppressive state. I simply state facts and wait for the day that revolution is not spoken of as a time in the past but will define the actions of our present. Let’s Get Free!

Student Debt

The reality is that student debt has become a prison that seeks to confine countless generations to an existence rooted in servitude. Granted, now what do we do with this truth? We must first recognize that a social system that has normalized debt and sanctioned corporate interest over the public is in need of drastic change. Granted, now what do we do with this truth? We organize and begin to create spaces for resistance not sanctioned by the system that is the cause of our conditions. Fundamentally, we must accept the reality that this system is designed for the rich, for their continued privilege and extravagance. So, the poor must abandon the idea that reason will change our condition. No longer can we subscribe to the notion that eventually, if we use the right language the architects of this flawed system will hear our plight and take pity on our condition. No, the interests of the poor are different and until we realize this we will continue to suffer. Revolution is not beautiful but its reality is necessary. Let’s Get Free

Revolutionary Rhetoric

I do not crave chaos I covet change and if chaos is the vehicle that will lead me to that destination then so be it. I have resigned myself to the belief that those that agitate for just conditions or who simply seek to highlight the current state of injustice will be forever be criminalized. Although, few seem to recognize the criminal conditions in which most live. So no, I cannot rest in the midst of complacency, because the cry for more has been forever etched into my soul. The cry for revolution may fall on deaf ears but that stark reality will not dampen my voice. My voice will forever be a weapon, illuminating a picture that may never come into focus but whose possibility is powerful nonetheless.

Lessons of Jesus

As a teacher there are times when I return home frustrated by feelings that my efforts are wasted. That my hard work is ignored. I am disappointed in the feelings that my sacrifice is lost on college students who do not recognize my "brilliance". However, I now see that at the depths of my arrogance lies a voice silently whispering a message. And as I turn down the noise of my bravado I hear the voice of the Lord saying, how does it feel? How does it feel to seemingly give so much and yet receive so little in return? How does it feel to care so much only to have that purpose ignored by others to consumed with their own issues? So now, I see that the path of dejection and pain was walked willingly by you. I apologize for believing that carrying the cross would be met with adulation and acclaim. That I deserved a greater fate than the one you suffered. I am sorry I ignored you, and at times ignore your enduring message everyday. Forgive me Father for I know not what I do. Or sadly, I know and yet continue to do it.

Life is Not a Romantic Comedy

It is crazy when you realize that your life is not a romantic comedy. That in order to find love that you are required to do more than to sit in the audience and wait for the one who will change your life. Truthfully, we must engage in this contact sport, and that takes a level of vulnerability that most are to afraid to embrace. So, instead we embrace shallow positions playing the game of love with no intention of committing to anything, other than our own ideas of what we deserve. However, I see now that most love stories fail because most are only concerned with the main character. Therefore, everyone else is relegated to the role of supporting actors for our fulfillment. So until we look at relational love as an opportunity to love someone else more than we love ourselves we will continue to miss out. And flock to the movies where we can view love stories we are to scared to chase in our own lives.

Journey

I am on a journey to find meaning. My struggle to escape the grips of the mundane that leave me unmotivated may resonate with many. I see now, that when lost we often return to familiar spaces even when those spaces no longer hold useful answers. I believe that my answers now reside over the horizons in the midst of new beginnings. As, I began to see that conformity is a prison that I must escape. I long to be free based on a definition of freedom still forming. I just now that freedom cannot be formed in the midst of a society constructed on enslavement. So, maybe my attempts to construct more in the midst of so much that is truly meaningless will prove fruitless but I still must try. Try to envision of life that connects me to more of the beauty that the blinders of constructed success have shielded me from. To get Free!

Can We?

Can we ever speak for anyone other than ourselves? Does the appropriation of the words of the voiceless by those that intend to lead them to the promise land simply reinforce their perceived powerlessness? For those that truly intend to help, they must work to create spaces and opportunities for those who have been convinced that their existence will forever be muted. There acceptance of their muted state is an indictment of those that profess to care about their plight. The plight of the weak cannot be alleviated until they are convinced of their strength.

The arrogance of change

Yes,there is a need for change. However, do we alienate potential allies when we identify the problems in terms that relegate concerned citizens to the sidelines unable to understand the true plight? Sadly, in this battle to be labeled the super oppressed we desperately cling to the privilege of our scars. Scaring those whose wounds we ignore or deem unworthy to join in the fight. This fight to make the world a better place will take all willing participants. So, when we assume an arrogance in our victim hood we begin to simply make the same mistake as the oppressor. Falsely adopting the notion that we have private access to the the right way. I see in my mistakes the recognition that all who fight for revolution deserve to be called my brothers and sisters in the struggle. The divisive blinds of class, race, and gender can no longer be barriers to true community.

Simplicity

There is simplicity in life that is often ignored by needless distraction. The quickness with which we complain but the beauty is most don’t wish to leave and maybe those that due simply need to be reminded of their significance. Let us not allow for complexity to distort the simple truth that each moment is a gift. A gift that continues to provide us chances to enjoy that which we can never enjoy again. Moments that may be fleeting but are simply remnants of a larger cultural truth. That our time on the stage is fleeting and we must fight to enjoy the spotlight.

Broken Expectations

Do we ever choose to send apologies for broken expectations? Sadly, there are times that we fail to live up to the lofty promises of our expressions. So, we leave others in disarray as then begin to rely on those promises and are disappointed when our actions change and we begin reflecting a new truth. Truth be told so many of our interactions will end in broken expectations. So, we must simply hold fast to the idea that eventually our expectations will be cherished by those to fearful of causing us disappointment.

Profit off Black Bodies

You see this system still profits off black bodies. As new age slave masters still set the going rates for black labor. Sadly, they never intended to give blacks their just due. Our apathy is their greatest weapon as our weapons our continuously turned on one another. You see they still profit off black bodies. As we desecrate our blackness on the altar of white approval little is done to delay the tragedy. Its a tragedy the way they attempt to stifle our voices when we proclaim our love of blackness. Its like they covet our shame and rejoice when we embrace a post racial pose. You see they still profit off black bodies. And yet Black bodies no longer hang on trees but are still elevated for public spectacle behind prison walls.Sadly,steel bars still serve as tightened ropes still lynching our collective potential. You see they still profit off black bodies.

My Voice

It is my struggle to transcend the grips of helplessness that cements indifference as a lifestyle choice. I choose to wrestle with the real frustration that society is on a dangerous course but most are to distracted to notice. However, I allow for my frustration to fuel my struggle to simply be a voice. A voice that continues to imagine a world not yet here but nonetheless still possible. A voice that seeks to alarm all those who will listen while accepting the reality the most will continue to hit snooze. It my struggle to continue to speak even when affirmation is not forthcoming. I battle to recognize that the message is to important to allow for the vanity of I to triumph the message of we. So, I speak because the cause of liberation cannot be muffled by the static sounds of conformity. Let's Get Free!

For better or worse

For better or worse I believe that there is more to our existence than just survival. I believe that the essence of life is more than obligations and a time-clocked existence. This belief fuels my unwillingness to accept the status quo. I desire more for my life than servitude to a heartless state. A state that has broken its promise long before my rebellion. My rebellion is emboldened by its continued hypocrisy. So, I choose to stand in opposition to conformity. Conformity that only normalizes oppression and sanctions the belief that this is all there can be. No, there can be more and we deserve more. So let us fight for a new world or struggled to continuously to change this one. Let's Get Free!

The Post-Racial Myth

It is alluring at times to embrace the idea of post-racial. We desperately desire to allow for its tenets to provide simplicity where complexity was once commonplace. The myth of a post-racial society allows for a do over. It allows for us to divorce ourselves from a troubled history and ignore its implications on present day politics. Sadly, when we embrace the myth of post-racial we allow for the legacy of white supremacy to continually plague our democratic institutions. So, in the midst of these changing times we must resist the embrace of post-racial. We must remain vigilant in our witness to the reality that the persistence of the color line still seeks to paint portraits of certain populations in America in harsh tones. Our blindness to color is nothing to be applauded because it simply allows for the normalcy of whiteness to remain unchallenged.

Black Targets

Black Bodies remain targets. America still cannot understand that which it has been socialized to fear. So, it is this harsh reality that sets the backdrop for the systemic brutalization of precious black bodies. So, as countless precious souls leave this earth in the midst of questionable gun smoke we are forced to rationalize hoping it was a mistake. However, our mistake is believing that post-racial rhetoric can overshadow a history where to embody blackness was an unforgivable crime. And that the remnants of this legacy can be cleaned with the sterilizing bleach of good intentions.The truth of our condition must be made bare if we our to ever be free. So, as these crimes against humanity continue I ask brothers and sisters to emerge from the doldrums of complacency and take their rightful place at the table of revolution. The time is now! The only thing we have to lose is our chains! Let's Get Free!

Lebron or Kobe

It is crazy how eager we are to engage in debates about Kobe and Lebron but are strangely silent on issues of real importance. As college students are smothered under the weight of oppressive student debt silence lingers. As the American government seems content on moving to war with Iran our collective attention is turned towards the trivial. This is not to say that I do not engage in conversations of triviality. I will argue about whose better Lebron or Kobe, Kobe but I am partial to Lebron for hours on end. No, the issue is how this becomes the only thing we seem legitimately passionate about. Not systemic oppression or the vicious truth that the American dream is becoming less achievable by the day or that millions are suffering at the hands of our foreign policies that are fashioned by war profiteers who are intent on global domination. It is these realities that should compel us to converse for hours on end. It is these issues that should occupy our Facebook walls. Sadly, it is only when we are willing to engage in debates, about strategies in regards to dealing with oppression and injustice, with the fervor that we argue about our favorite players that change will be possible. Let's Get Free!