BLACK LIVES MATTER...?

The “BlackLivesMatter” movement is taking over, literally; just asked Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders. They took over his campaign event the other night because he wasn’t listening, obviously. But, the real question on everyone’s mind is; how has this movement grown so big, so fast? The reason I give you – All Lives Matter!

For centuries in America, several people, from Black, to Native American’s, to Jews, currently Muslims and gays; have had to fight for equality. In the land where we were born and raised; majority of us; aren’t treated as equal. 100% of the minorities in this country has felt some form of inequality. One can only hope this is what sparked, the “BlackLivesMatter” movement.

Yes, they are making a statement about Black people but, the point of the movement is that “our”, people who are treated less than; their lives matter. It shouldn’t take for thousands of unarmed, black males and females to be killed by police, for people to hear the cries of those lives that feel, they don’t matter.

As long as history goes, people of African American decent has been treated unfairly for several reasons, the main reason being because they are black. The fact that millions of people have chosen to ignore that these kind of things happen every day, doesn’t mean, it doesn’t exist. The first slaves were brought over approx. in 1619. Slavery continued and only got worse as the years went on. Black people were considered less than, human. We were traded and sold like the NASDAQ and it was a way of life for approx. 246 years. It took a financial movement to spark one of our, now considered great President’s, Lincoln, to abolish this law of slavery. Directly after abolishing slavery our great nation created laws to keep these same “negro’s” out of their society; Jim Crow Laws. Initially in the form of “Black Codes”, became a standard for every state in America. Sure they were different base on the state but, every state had Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow became the way of life for another, approx. 99 years. The same year America decided to grant “black” people, or minorities rights, was the same year, it created the CIA, and increased its efforts into the Vietnam War! 1964 was a crazy year for America; the 60’s in its entirety was ridiculous. Not to long after they gave us our civil rights and pushed us into War; they sent drugs home with us.

Seriously, you don’t think drugs was created or established in America by Black people; do you? Not at all; where the hell did Cocaine come from? The streets of New York? Where did they get it? Law Enforcement? It’s clearly all over the television and reports during the seventies. CNN is right now showing us different things about the 70’s. Drugs predominantly took over urban areas in America. New York had over 500,000 drug related deaths in the late 70’s early 80’s. The areas in New York where, these crimes were happening, were urban areas; “black neighborhoods”.  Do you think the “War on Drugs” was created out of thin air; please. They created a problem, they knew they could never fix. Then they created government agencies to defeat a created “War on Drugs”; the DEA and other numerous agencies. Just as with the prison industrial complex.

After all the drugs was filtered out into the urban area’s the next thing they did was remove the men out the communities; either by sending them to jail, putting them out of the homes through Welfare programs, or the most famous – watching them kill each other. From local news, to national news throughout the 80’s and the 90’s all you knew was black on black crime. We had festivals to promote non-violence in our communities, as if the violence wasn’t provoked. And million man marches’ to stop violence but, it just continued. The Blood’s and Crip’s, drug Lord’s and King Pin’s. All throughout the nation all you hear and see, is “Stop with the pointless killings and the slain of innocent victim’s; “Stop killing each other”. “Gang violence is destroying our urban neighborhoods”. When you rip everything else from a people, and make them create lives and systems within a small network of people (their own race; their own communities and neighborhoods); where they are respected for things that don’t make since outside of the hood; what do you think you will come out with. They didn’t create these street laws and rules because they wanted to. Neighborhood gangs and communities didn’t just join together and protect each other because they wanted to. Hundreds of years told them that they weren’t accepted in the big/real world- so they created their own. And who are you going to kill when your living in your own world; THE PEOPLE IN YOUR WORLD! Duh!

The same system that evoked, in people, that black people were animal’s, later made the world believe that all black men or black’s, period; are criminals and/or some sort of dangerous. “Stereotyping of Black as criminals is so persuasive throughout society that “criminal predator” is used as a euphemism for “young Black male” Bridget Welch; Sociology in Focus.

 During the early 2000’s the focus wasn’t so much on crime as it was keeping the black children down and not giving them all that they needed to survive and grow within the society as a whole. During, the democratic years of Clinton and some of the years of the great W. Bush we lost our footing in education. Again, majority in urban areas but, the law “No Child left behind” didn’t help no one. They begin putting our children through school, just because. Our children couldn’t make a smiley face on the paper and their ignorant self, graduated from high school. We went from fair trade, to less than; from less than, to criminals and dangerous folks, from dangerous folks to people with very limited abilities and not enough brain power to know any better; then from there we went to, well their lives aren’t really important; it won’t matter if we just get rid of some of them, “by any means necessary”; and here we are; “Black Lives Matter”.

“BlackLivesMatter”, because ALL LIVES MATTER! No one hasn’t been listening to us; all this time. We get a ruling here and there; we get some laws changed between then but, it never seems to matter; because, Black Lives have never matter in America. Once were ALL willing to accept the truth we can move forward but, the first step in any recovery is- admittance. The “BlackLivesMatter” movement, was created to be heard! Not to diminish anyone else’s life. Just because “BlackLivesMatter”, another person, of a different race, life doesn’t; NO. Why does there have to be a competition? Why can’t you just hear that we aren’t being heard! For almost 400 years NOW! Our lives Matter. Black people Matter! BLACK LIVES MATTER! ALL LIVES MATTER!

Its For The World

Majority of my life I couldn’t remember a lot of years. I could only remember from ages 9/10 and up; and even some of those years got scrambled. Maybe it was because of the trauma I faced around that age, that everything before then was completely erased. No longer a memory in my brain – to much trauma to remember the good or bad times, of what was. The years went away as the hurt and the pain took over my body. The hatred for myself and the overwhelming desire or need to have someone pay attention to me. The years that I forgot were also a part of me, however. They also affected how I treated myself and others growing up. So, initially on this journey of me – I had to find those missing years and put them all together to understand who I was and who I was meant to be. In that, I decided to write a book.

                Not only to put the things in order but, to exam all those important moments. The moments that shape who we are as people, the moments that we cherish forever. I begin my book; not as a book. I just started taking time to think about things and jotting them down as I went along. They weren’t in any type of order but, as I remembered them so did I remember things that never actually happened. Memories that I put in place of those lost memories to make myself seem important or to give myself a memory for that time period. As they came full force I begin to talk about the memories to my family and friends. They all said write a book – I’d read it; and so I did. And let me tell you, the process is much harder than it seems.

Taking all those thoughts, feelings, ideas, the pain and the sorrow and putting them in order and on paper; while also having them make since and come together, whew, it’s a process. I always wondered why it took so much to be a great writer but, mainly I now believe it takes drive and determination. Drive to finish the great work of art and determination to share all the crazy and secret aspects of your life. To leave a mark with someone else who may be going through similar things or someone who is warned before they get into similar experiences. Then on top of that you have to think about how to get the book to the world and how receptive one will be to your work of art. The entire time, Erykah Badu kept flashing through my mind; “I’m an artist and um sensitive about my shit!” I totally understand where she’s at with that; I won’t even let my wife read any of the book; it’s not finish and I don’t want her making judgments about an unfinished work of art. I don’t want anyone to hate my art, or dislike my art but, I also have to be realistic; there may be a few that dislike it. I have to remember; this book is not for me. It was; it was my way of getting my life in order but, the book, it’s turning out to be, for the world. It’s for someone who needs a little guidance, someone who’s looking for all the wrong things and don’t know that, that’s what they’re doing. It’s also for entertainment. My friends and family and I, have always said my life is like a Lifetime movie. As, I continued to put everything into my words, I got stopped by a daunting concern.

I have to have a title. What do you call your life, wrapped into almost 250+ pages? What do you, call all the blood, sweat and tears that happened to make this book what it is.  Until it came to me one night. Talking to wife about what the purpose of the book would be; it popped into my head, just like the words came to me. I would tell you but, then it wouldn’t be a surprise. I’m still tweaking it a little but, it’s almost done and I couldn’t be more proud.

I hope you all are enjoying my blog. It is my release of information to the masses. It’s where I go when I need clarity or when I need to get something off my chest. It helps me put things into perspective and see things in different viewpoints. As a writer my words mean everything to me and I hope that one day or every day that someone reads my blog, it sparks something in them to do something great for themselves or someone else. My blog is part of my gift to the world and I am dying to know what you think. Add a comment or two and follow my blog. I hope to make a difference in your life; if it’s something you need!