Nappy Headed Black Child

In creating this blog its i was really just a way for me to get some use of being a poli sci major in analyzing politics and the world around me. That and frankly my at the time my friends had heard my analysis to the point of nausea. Blogging seemed natural. I had a good thing going. I was able to track my growth, get in the habit of putting my thoughts down and I was able to meet much greater minds than myself. However as my own personal politics began to evolve i've noticed that i have less and less to say b/c i seem to be repeating myself and becoming increasingly critical of the conscious community that i was so happy to be apart of a year ago. The blueprint of what we need to do has been throughly laid out. The evidence to support those actions is copious. I've been thinking about what we need and how to get the ball rolling and i have come to the conclusion that what we need isnt another writer or social/cultural/political commentator (or athlete or entertainer or poet no disses though unless of course you mad then i would advise you reevaluate how u spending your time).

We need do-ers, people who are going to enact the plans and strategies necessary for our success.

Im gonna go hang out with them some. I have said before that there isnt an established paradigm for blackness that exists beyond theory. Aside from many of the inappropriate behaviors that hamper our ability to move as we need to.

so with that said this is the probably the last post of this blog. Thanks for reading following promoting. Hopefully i given some of you something to think about.

Thank you sincerely

Props to Jasmine Mans

As i look at a Nicki Minaj and the out of love criticism being sent her way by Jasmine Mans, I can't help but notice the fact that Nicki Minaj does not exist in a vacuum and the same can be said for all the other problematic representations of black music culture. We come from communities where certain ideas and certain actions are held to be more valuable over others. In other words it is very very foolish in my estimation to view Nicki Minaj as the problem. She is only the symptom. Music i dont relate to i dont buy, request on the radio, play in my system, recommended to my friends, go to concerts to see perform. I wouldn't support the award shows that highlight them, the stations that play them. Further more i would fight the attitudes that produced them.

something to think about

Sellout By Randall Kennedy



An excellent book. I found myself enjoying it much more than what i thought i would. In this text Kennedy explores the meaning of racial solidarity with respects to how we go about labeling those who betray that solidarity.

One of the key points of this text is how do we go about determining who is a "sellout" rigorous. Often times the term sellout is tossed around arbitrarily used often a derailing tactic to reduce if not outright ruin a persons credibility over what amounts to disagreements (which are far too often petty ones) or folk who are just wrong.

Given the weight of that term, we should do better. When used sloppily, the threat of sellout stigma functions as a muzzle on criticism and commentary as well as creating the false notion of black people existing as monolithic whole.

Lets be honest here if we as a people are going to move up as a group we must plan and take action based upon who we are where we are. Given the breadth of the black experience when we try to enforce our piece of the black experience on others and ostracize (particular as sellouts and traitors) those who choose to do different things we become more about our particular cliques than about our people as a whole.

Kennedy makes it clear that being a sellout hinges on intention. Meaning purposeful action to subvert or sabotage. And that intention is the bar that must be cleared if we are accurately interested in preventing false accusation. In his presentation of Clarence Thomas arguably the most visible sellout in contemporary memory due to his vehement opposition to Affirmative Action. While Kennedy declines to label Thomas he essentially lays out the facts surrounding Thomas regarding his affirmative action stance which is what earned him is "sellout status" , his other jurisprudence, his philosophy with respects to a judges duty, and the mindfuck race card he pulled (<--my emphasis) in his confirmation hearing regarding the allegations levied by Anita Hill which revealed just how patriarchal the concept racial solidarity is and the culture of black protectionism as well (obama stans). In presenting the case Kennedy is saying if we are going to label someone a sellout we must fully investigate it.

Kennedy also investigates who is black and the phenomenon of passing for white as selling out in addition to the slave catcher house negro informant option.

its an excellent read. check it out. and as you know if i can provide it here i will

For awhile I have insisted on being defined as as African. When i started this there was a sense of pride i derived from it. But as of late it has begun to fad not for lack of love for the land of my ancestors but because its not specific enough. Africa is not a monolithic whole and I am very limited in my ability to be much more specific than a region. I always say so much of the experience of the Diaspora African in America is about finding a place. Where do we fit? We are so hated here in America and often look to Africa as a home and yet have more in common with the very same western world that oppresses us than the land that we acknowledge as home. As my own search for my ancestral home i see how separated I am. Regardless of how I feel about it I am a westerner. I have more in common functionally with the west than i do with varied peoples of Africa, that i am connected to by heritage.

In my mind if one is claiming to be African and is seriously interested in that being a reality, repatriation is academic. Eliminating and undoing our separation has to happen and folding ourselves back into the land we call home and its peoples makes sense. But lets say if I repatriate today and go home my future children and their children possibly even my future partner will be African but I will always be a westerner. And it saddens me because that means referring to myself as an African as opposed to a man of african descent in an appropriation of an identity that i only have a marginal claim to. I suppose this is what its like to be moses in the biblical account of him looking into the promised land knowing that he could never really be apart of it.

the presidency has always been a bad job. the president consistently is getting the heat for something at all times and usually with good reason. Many people don't realize that that blame should be equally shared by congress. Its a democracy its comes with the territory. Understand the intricacies of what it means to be president and what governing in general entails (making compromises) and dealing with a reactionary white supremacist patriarchal Christian electorate i was inclined to cut a lil slack.


But after these FBI attack on the anti war folks i can no longer stand by an attitude of Obama being a good man with a bad job. A constitutional lawyer at least one interested in preserving that constitution in a human way would not be okay with silencing dissent. Look at net neutrality, Shit look at the obama administration want to assassinate american citizens w/o any due process. If this isn't Cointelpro i dont know what is. Granted Obama did reaffirm the patriot act. Add this upon the merely cosmetic changes in social justice issues. It would seem all that noise about change was just that, noise. It seems that Obama is another war machine feeding half stepping politician more concerned w/ political expediency of his party than whats right.

disappointed yes. surprised no.

Thats hope for you

source

As we head into the November elections and politicians in a hurry to go and campaign, TANF Emergency Contingency Fund to expire today the one really piece of legislation that was actually doing something about the job situation. There is also 5.5 billion dollar shortfall in education money that will kill accessibility for Pell grants and there is also the matter of the money promised to the black farmers that has yet to be allocated.

Now in this era of politics has been characterized, particularly in the case of the most recent Bush, by governing by campaigning. That is governing in such a way that focused purely on doing what is politically expedient any actual good done is purely coincidental. For example take the PATRIOT act has provisions that weaken the ability of unions and labor groups to protest and picket(obviously setting the precedent for other groups to be censored and silenced. Which would go a long way towards preventing political upheaval. Coincidence?). For democrats that sucks as unions make up a significant part of their base and are vital to presidential election strategies. However b/c of the characterization of 9/11 and the "security need" for the PATRIOT act, a vote to prevent union weakening was as a vote against national security. Rock and a hard place. Gotcha politics i suppose you could say.The implication is that no work gets done. If my side cant win make damn sure the other side loses. The republicans are much better at it than the Dems. Despite their marked majorities.

It is well understood why the conservative bullshit is well bullshit. The racism the baiting white guilt and being in the pocket of the corporations thats hurt us. B/c really at this point in the political game, It is the people versus the Corporations for politicians (read mercenaries). The democrats are just as unacceptable b/c their lack of political fortitude to do anything besides what is cosmetic. The democrats are not interested in systemic change (Militarization of the Dream) the want secured power and that requires stability that systemic change simply cannot give them. (are you hearing me black folk).

Solution: Fuck Them Both. We break up the two party strangle hold by lending our political allegiance to people that are actually going to the work that will benefit us instead of attempting to make compromises on things we cannot afford to be shelved or weakened for the sake of political expediency. The unrest and anger that is brewing and can be channeled for good things.

Anyways ill meet yall in the middle.