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.