The following respondents have aired their views regarding my thoughts. I am quite grateful for the feedback and may the ever-benevolent Divine Providence shower all these gracious souls with eternal blessings.
Epiphany_007 wrote:
Thank you Roaring_Thunder. When I read the Forum I was thinking the same thing. There are more Black actors and Black people with money than ever before, and we still whine about NOT being included in anything WHITE! instead of getting our own and taking care of our own. What`s the big deal anyway, a Black person getting an Oscar will not provide the same perks as a White actor getting it. When a Black actors does get one it is truly not for their best work but the best minstrel show they could deliver ie: Whoppi Goldberg in Ghost and Cuba Gooding Jr in Gerry McGuire.
To quote you "a begger has no dignity" and maybe too many of us lost that during the great civil rights movement.
Nyamii Ife wrote:
I hope you don`t mind if I add you to my friends list and forward your information to brothers and sisters I have met all over the planet and do not mean this web site. You have captured exactly the feelings of so many black men and women that I have lived and worked with all over this planet that it is imperative to point them to your site. Some one who has dedicated so much to this truth must be forwarded. Again, I will be correcting the page at my first opportunity.
Thank Sincerely,
Nyamii Ife
JSUalum95 wrote:
Thank you for stopping by my page and for letting me know you were there. I have enjoyed your essays very much ... it is refreshing to find such a profound thinker ...
Quiet_Genius, an accomplished author in his own rights, wrote:
When you wrote;
--"...and yet all you hear from Jesse Jackson to Beth Smith is a monotonous hymn condemning whites all the time."--
I was reminded of something that I heard on BET during one of their nightly news shows. I can`t remember the name of the show, but it`s the one hosted by Sheryl Martin. Anyway, They were talking About Jesse Jackson`s extramarital affair, when either the host or one of her guests said something to the extent of; "Now Blacks are wondering who is going to lead us in the new Millenium. And the question is can Jesse still do it?"
STILL do it? When did he ever do it? The low standards that so many people have for a leader disgusts me.
He came to Delaware State Univ. October 1, 2000. He spoke about the presidential campaigns and called his speech "Stay out of the bushes!" His speech was full of nothing but platitudes (thanks for that new word). He stuck to the old standbys like; "If you don�t vote you can�t complain."
Then the school newspaper (Which I used to be the editor-in-chief) asked him what he thinks about the increased cost of parking permits on campus (it was causing a big uproar amongst students). He said and I quote. "What we need to do as a people is rise up and stand for what we believe in. This parking situation is unjust, ludicrous and inexcusable. Young people should join together and fight the injustices of the powers that be. Always remember: KEEP HOPE ALIVE!"
Platitude with a capital "P"! And "Unjust, ludicrous and inexcusable" sounds like he was stalling for time to think of something else to say. How do these people get in the spot light??
HRW wrote:
Jonathan, I truly respect your
viewpoints and would be greatly
honored if you remained in touch
with me at [email protected]
f.mil or hrwchildofgod@ho
tmail.com. I`m always interested in
learning more and
expanding/broadening my horizons. You seem to be
the type that would challenge me to
dig a little deeper into my
consciousness to get to a true
revelation.
I`ve got to go, but please consider
my offer. thanks, and God bless!
Dark_Kat wrote:
You are correct to argue that there ought to be more recognition for Justice Marshall in the form of a holiday. Your comments regarding King, however, are misguided. Dr. King was everything to the Civil Rights movement. He was the face of black America for over a decade, and his brand of non-violent protest proved to be highly effective. Although one could contend that his tactics were too non-confrontational and that his influence had waned prior to his death in 1968, his methods were the most effective at that time.
Black Americans owe all to men such as Dr. King and Justice Marshall. To pit one against the other or to try to elevate one at the expense of the other, is counterproductive and wrong. Both men worked in unison to bring Amerika out of its dark age. Thus both men deserve to be honored, yet Amerika only wishes to pay tribute to the one who had the higher profile. That`s life!
Darvel
Teeann10 wrote:
Roaring_Thunder is the right name for you. You come accross as a very angry to me. It is my opinion that blaming MLK for the "demise" of anything is totally ludicrous. How on earth can you blame one man for so much. Now I do believe that he is given too much credit for the Civil Rights Movement, but to say that he is responsible for the pain and suffering of a race in that era is CRAZY.
CLASSYLADIE47 wrote:
HELLO THANKS FOR THE REPLY. BUT WITHOUT STRONG LEADERS YOU WILL NOT, CANNOT, HAVE STRONG FOLLOWERS. ALL THE WAY THOURGH HISTORY THERE HAS BEEN STRONG LEADERS EVEN IN BIBICAL TIMES REMEMBER MOSES, AND NOT SPEAKING OF ALL THE WHITE LEADERS OF THE PAST AND NOW INCLUDING SAM HOUSTON GEORGE WASHINGTON ,ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THAT IS JUST TO NAME A FEW BEFORE I THINK THAT YOU HAVE THE AUTHRORITY TO MAKE SUCH STRONG STATEMENTS STOP AND TAKE A BREATH TO THINK AND LOOK AROUND YOU. HAVE A GREAT DAY MAY GOD BLESS YOU
LEGGZ wrote:
I just read The Miseducation of Black America and i fully agree with your argument. However, to take it one step furthur, I feel that we, as seekers of truth, must broaden the picture even farther to encompass all information that`s handed to us by the media and over-religious, everything will be happy-go-lucky church goers. I am a very spiritual person, and I have a strong relationship with God, however, I don`t allow what I read in teh Bible to overshadow and blind me to what`s happening in the world around me here and now. The amount of slanderous prpoganda abounding today is unreal. Why slanderous? Because it slanders the truth. The truth is so twisted by the time that it`s received by the public, that the media has people in an uproar about something they don`t even have half the truth about. Television has truly proven itself over time. It has become a reliable source of garbage... combined with the undereducation of children in our schools and universities it`s a useful tool to those in power to sway the public in any way they see fit. The Black Revolution has been tainted.. history has been tainted... they`ve managed to taint religion over thousands of years. And today individuals don`t bother to think past what they`re spoon fed by "reliable sources". No one wants to believe it if World news Tonight doesn`t say it. And please don`t attempt to dispute the iron truth of CBS News. All of our information has been molded and controlled to allow us to believe as "they" want us to believe. It`s a sad state.
Thanks for the catalyst ;)
Marjoy wrote:
I accept your words in the spirit they were meant. The reason why I said the list could go on and on means that everyone no matter how great or small their contribution is needs to be acknowledged. I was in no way making any one`s contribution greater than the other or ignoring even the smallest of contributions of any person. In my mind whether, the made speeches, helped to enact laws, rebelled, sang in church, gave their lives and any other action they all were valuable and help to shape the society we now live in. I was no comparing Marshall`s contribution with that of Malcolm X or Martin Luther King, they all made inportant contributions.
Thanks for the lesson. I do respect your passion and your views are greatlly appreciated.
Symbiotae wrote:
Thank you very much for your compliments. I do have a lot of ideas on issues in America...perhaps I should right them down. Thank you for the suggestion.
First of all, I would never live in Mississippi, (that`s where you are, right?) and in that statement therein lies the attitude of many younger Black people in America. We tend to flock to those areas where we have no direct memory of oppression, and which we also forget have a fairly negative history of minority treatment, Black and everyone else. I think you realize this has a lot to do with that `Southern Strategy,` Corn-Belt, Wheat Field menagerie GWBush compiled in this November`s election. He knew he would not, COULD not get a majority vote in a `minority` region-- basically everywhere water touches and that has had some immediate connection with a distinctly non-American, non-Anglo-Saxon culture. While I personally saw Gore as `the lesser of two evils,` I worry about the welfare of up and coming minorities within the nation. Canada looks like The Promised Land more and more everyday to a lot of people my age. (smile) But I will not be run out of a country built upon the bones of my ancestors...and that`s a fact.
As for your Civil War re-enactors down there, any man who cannot self-elevate beyond "grievances" of the past has no hope for self-elevation in the future.
I still cannot concur with past tense statements such as `America was never going to embrace the equality of all mankind;` that sounds so hopeless to me. I predict with the growing number of minorities in America, especially the entourage of Latinos in the South, mental changes will come....be they for the positive or the negative, they will come. Close-minded people will either fold and accept, or things will got worse (ie, more militancy of supremist groups, etc). Also, with the population explosions happening all over the coast, those minorities will migrate inland and, shall we say, `mix things up a bit?`
We`ll see....
I always welcome comments. Thank you for yours.
Ciao,
Blaqheat wrote:
Brother,
You`ve succeeded in doing something that my colleagues would find impossible---leave me speechless. As I read your suggested essay pertaining to the demagogues that others have made for African Americans and I was taken aback. Not only was it both cogent and brilliant, it (and I say this not out of arrogance) was as if I wrote it!!! Your style of writing and exposition is so much similar to mine that I`m amazed. Your contention that "there is a need to understand that the civil rights movement predates the contentious years of the late 1950s and 1960s" is what I have been preaching for a good part of my 22 years of existence. However, my argument is a bit more controversial. I challenge African American "leaders" and teachers" to teach our children about the other half of our struggle. Dare we tell them about essayist Lydia Maria Child and her constant lecturing to Lincoln about the inhumanity of slavery? Would it be a crime to talk about Thomas Wentworth Higginson, who in the mid 1850`s told a group of slave catchers in Massachusetts that he will protect the runaway slave "by any means necessary"-sound familiar? Or perhaps, it would be sinful to inform our youth about Higginsons` colleagues: John, Brown, George Luther Stearns, Gerrit Smith, Reverend Theodore Parker, Dr, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Franklin Sanborn. These abolitionists risked everything, and died so that we can live. Furthermore, they constitute but a small number of the many men and women that made our struggle possible. However, our kids will never know of them�who knows we might stop blaming others for our faults-wouldn`t want that.
[Roaring Thunder], I like you way of thinking. I think it`s great and in need. In addition, when you state: It was a mistaken notion to think and have people believe that they were fighting for acceptance instead of exercising their inalienable rights to life, liberty and property," why do you use the Lockean "property" instead of Jefferson`s "pursuit of happiness"? Ifind that of interest.
Lastly, you made an excellent point in closing with, "History tends to repeat itself and only if we know our own can we anticipate impending doom and have ample time to put together counter measures" History does often repeat itself. My favorite quotation reads: "I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided and that is the lamp of experience; I know no other way to judge the future than by the past (Patrick Henry)." I believe that if African-Americans really know their history, and NOT their "stars", the future and integrity of the "race" (a whole different story) may have potential.
Quiet_Genius wrote:
When you wrote;
--"...and yet all you hear from Jesse Jackson to Beth Smith is a monotonous hymn condemning whites all the time."--
I was reminded of something that I heard on BET during one of their nightly news shows. I can`t remember the name of the show, but it`s the one hosted by Sheryl Martin. Anyway, They were talking About Jesse Jackson`s extramarital affair, when either the host or one of her guests said something to the extent of; "Now Blacks are wondering who is going to lead us in the new Millenium. And the question is can Jesse still do it?"
STILL do it? When did he ever do it? The low standards that so many people have for a leader disgusts me.
He came to Delaware State Univ. October 1, 2000. He spoke about the presidential campaigns and called his speech "Stay out of the bushes!" His speech was full of nothing but platitudes (thanks for that new word). He stuck to the old standbys like; "If you don�t vote you can�t complain."
Then the school newspaper (Which I used to be the editor-in-chief) asked him what he thinks about the increased cost of parking permits on campus (it was causing a big uproar amongst students). He said and I quote. "What we need to do as a people is rise up and stand for what we believe in. This parking situation is unjust, ludicrous and inexcusable. Young people should join together and fight the injustices of the powers that be. Always remember: KEEP HOPE ALIVE!"
Platitude with a capital "P"! And "Unjust, ludicrous and inexcusable" sounds like he was stalling for time to think of something else to say. How do these people get in the spot light??
Quiet Genius
mobay_ting wrote:
Thanks for acknowledging...it really wasn`t a problem...you`re good the written word and I hope to revisit and read some of your other points...Until...BE Blessed...ONE
MzBhavin79 wrote:
hey thunder:
i enjoyed peeking at your page, i must admit, when i`m not on the clock, i`m going to have to read those essays and articles. with today`s news of bush eliminating the office of aids and race relations, we are going to have to work especially hard. we won`t feel it now, so much, but a year from now when things have gotten out of control, its going to hurt. thanks for your comments and best regards new friend!
P.U.S.H.
Pray Until Something Happens!
Blessings & Be Easy!
omegasun wrote:
What you have stated is profoundly true and exact. There was a growing amount of passive apathy brewing in the grounds of "civil rights" struggles. The "brothers" and "sisters" of the Congo, Tanzania, Zimbabwae and even South Africa gave their lives to establish a freedom unrestrained. We need to produce armies not gangs and, communities not warzones. Develope strategies of revolution and induce a spiritual evolution. Being well-rounded will help us advance and model ourselves as fighters for freedom which is all, not some.
The message you sent is profoundly exact. Revolution is a "word" awefully used by those that are not ready to "pass on" for the true state of existence. This emphatic feeling shouldn`t be held back by ANY group that wishes to build a righteous means for freedom. Winston Churchill puts it "the best time to fight is when there is a great chance to win with minimal bloodshed, but if that is not chosen then you may have to fight, when the circumstances have grown and the odds are greater... and if that time still isn`t chosen, you may be force to fight, when there is NO chance of survival, because it is better to perish free, than to live as a slave. One bless one. Peace.
PAULNUBI wrote:
I agree with your perspective on that. IT SEEMS THE GREATEST BENEFICIARIES OF CIVILRIGHTS WERE WHITE WOMEN...THEY ARE THE ONES REAPING ALL THE BENEFITS TODAY...NEXT IS WHITE MEN...THEN OTHER MINORITIES...THEN BLACK WOMEN..THEN BLACK MEN.
I SAY WE BLACKS BETTER START THINKING ABOUT INDEPENDANCE IN A SEPARATE BLACK NATION ON LANDS RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S. THAT USED TO BE BLACK OWNED BEFORE COLUMBUS...THE WACHITAW "LOUISIANA TERRITORIES," WHICH WERE ILLEGALLY ANNEXED AND STOLEN FROM BLACKS WWW.HOTEP.ORG AND THE JAMASSEE TERRITORIES ALSO STOLEN AND ILLEGALLY OCCUPIED.
THE ONLY WAY WE WILL BE FULL HUMAN BEINGS IS WHEN WE ARE IN CONTROL OF OUR OWN DESTINIES.
PAULNUBI
X-ZDUS wrote:
Garvey, Lumumba, Nkumah, Malcolm X,ect..ect...ect...Jesus, Real or Imagined....that is the question...and religion appears to play a major role in black life...it`s not the clegery and the clergy alone, but instead; the improper use of philosophy and psychology....and Martins philosophy was based on The Bible and the version that he embraced, nevertheless he gave his life for what he believed, will you do the same??? better yet,,are you organizing in your area......
I thank you for your comments,,but please reserve them to the forums for public viewing, so that perhaps someone might learn from them...Thanks x-zdus