14 posts tagged “black and proud”
"Daddy I don't like to dream anymore..." (My 6yr old daughter's response to my question at bed time)
What a scary thought if she only knew what that meant literally.
'Activists say North Korean woman publicly executed for distributing Bible'
Headlines in the Morning Report July 25, 2009 just above the headline 'Evangelist convicted of sex with girls.'
"If you're going to support it, you should understand it enough to debate for it. It just promotes common sense and competency in the legislature." -Jerrol LeBaron
LeBaron is promoting the "Honor in Office Act" a ballot initiative that requires lawmakers to actually read the laws that they vote for. (They don't read the Laws they pass???)
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"Bay Area Transit riders have been holding their breath for fear of a strike that would cripple the backbone of the area's public transportation system." - Oakland Tribune
As California unemployment rate hits 11.6% with a $26 billion ($26,000,000,000.00) dollar budget deficit and is paying its' workers with State issued IOU's.
"Tell me three things about your significant other two that are true and one that's a lie" - Dr. Ronn Elmore (Psychiatrist, Life Coach, Marriage Therapist)
The first exercise at the "Marriage University" (At a 7- Week Christian Based pre-marital course.)
'Both houses of Congress have now approved a resolution Wednesday urging a presidential pardon for former heavyweight champion boxer Jack Johnson' -NBC NEWS (100 years later)
Jack Johnson, publicly defiant of the Jim Crow-era laws that ruled the day (1908),
was the first person prosecuted under the Mann Act, which banned the
transportation of females across state lines "for immoral purposes."
The official offense cited was for consorting and traveling with a
white prostitute whom he later married.
The Youtube video the circulated over the internet like a firestorm purporting that Russian officials refused to shake the Black American President's hand (he was actually introducing the Russian President to other diplomats)
My thoughts...
I see this place (our social world) we call strange, home, heaven and hell all in the same breath. We are just keepers of what we have been entrusted with (this green earth) we govern ourselves with a complex set of laws, rules, beliefs and lies all in the pursuit of happiness, health, wealth, equality or the promise of everlasting life with the creator. When I hold up the mirror of reality this is the reflection I see however skewed, biased, negative or positive; but most importantly I wonder about the world (society) we will leave for our children.
Bycha Buxton
I have always thought that there were two times in a woman's life that natural beauty radiated from her. An aura, a divine beauty that transcends mere physical attributes like smoothly hued skin, high cheek bones, big beautiful eyes, full lips or a statuesque gait. Those times of divine beauty are (one) on her wedding day, I have never seen a woman glow like on that magical day when she stands before the altar with friends and family in the pews wishing her glad tidings and she gazes into the moment and for a flicker of time, you see the natural beauty that God has so designed and called woman. The second such time in life is that of the rounded belly of a woman with child, so perfect and shaped just for the coming of the greatest gift to preserve mankind, the glow she carries with her, for only she can understand the majesty and humility that comes with the bearing of a new life to this great spinning globe. The natural beauty of a woman as I see it...until there was the First "Black" Lady of the United States.
It's not so much about who; but like the the Office of the Presidency, it is the occupation, the representation, giving a nation something to look up to, an aspiring goal for our young girls. So I must say that not only did the nation get it right with the newly elected President it was a two-for-one deal we (America) got a great representative for the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. It is so refreshing to see a positive image that is not exploitative of a Black Woman in America. It's not the sista' on the reality show acting like we know they can. Nor is it the sista' shown in the tabloids battered and bruised by her man, neither that sista' who feels she has to be a courtesan or sell her self-worth for a ticket to fame and fortune. No, it is a dawning of what the new "Black Woman" will become. What (Black) women can aspire too. Not just First Lady; but the defining of a new generation of role models.
Congratulations Women of America ,
Bycha Buxton
There has been a sea change of late within politics as we begin to conclude the first decade of the 21st century. With the accidental but timely appointment of the first Black Governor of New York. Then the overwhelming victory of the Presidency by a African American and the most recent appointment of a Black U.S. Senator by a now impeached Governor. Leave it to my party the GOP to get on the bandwagon albeit late but on the wagon with the appointment of the first African American RNC Chairman.
The GOP lost the presidency, 21 House seats and at least seven Senate
seats on Nov. 4. The party that emerged was concentrated in the South
and several Mountain West states, and it had little appeal to blacks or
Hispanics and problems attracting better-educated voters. So now Micheal Steele our new RNC Chairman, impervious to the race card sits atop the throne to guide the Grand Ole' Party to at the very least a congressional comeback with increases in representatives in the House and Senate or the coup de gras POTUS (President of the United States). But for now this chairman post is too important to be considered a token appointment but well within reason of status quo for D.C. politics. As a proud black man it would be my pride to assume that we as a people have finally arrived on the political stage as a force to be reckoned with; but as a realist and sometime cynic I see the world through a filtered lens. I cannot believe that all the barriers have come down post January 20, 2009. So with great reservation do I look to our new leader Chairman Steele not because of who he is but what he has become. The leader of a party in disrepair; the party that I chose because it did not have any representation by African Americans. I have been a member of this party for 21 years and just now does the RNC see fit to be lead by a man of color. Is it a fad or is it status quo?
I remember a conversation with my dad and I was telling him how I wanted to follow in his "footsteps". I remember a conversation like that with my son too. I told him what my dad had said to me. I said, " Sure son I want you to be like me in someways and follow in my footsteps..." my son, wide-eyed and in awe of the status that I had achieved at that time; "but..." as I began to utter the very words my dad had spoken to me, "...don't follow me too closely son, I might have stepped in some sh** along the way."
Bycha Buxton
When Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Barak Obama's Pastor) spoke of AIDS being put in the Black community in his much ballyhooed sermon this is why. There is precedence for this kind of action in America. Is this fear mongering? Or is this acknowledging (very real) possibilities? This (Tuskegee) experiment garnered an apology from the President twenty-five years later.
The United States government did something that was wrong—deeply, profoundly, morally wrong. It was an outrage to our commitment to integrity and equality for all our citizens. . . . clearly racist.
Apologies only begin the healing process. It does not cure the hurt. Germany has apologized (for the Holocaust) but the Jews still feel the pain and recognize the significance of never forgetting nor letting the world forget their struggle. Neither shall Black Americans forget; so when you hear the endless loop of Rev. Wright's petition to GOD damning America it stems from this experience along with, slavery, racism, discrimination and injustice that seeks to understand WHY? And how long do we have to suffer this kind of deception? And is their still this kind of government sanctioned racism going on now?
When (non-Black) Americans hear the horror of the Black experience they want to put it in the past, tag it as "what once was", say "it's not like that anymore" until the next event that tears the scab off a wound that will ultimately leave a scar at best. So here is a reminder of why you (America) will from time to time get the vitriolic rhetoric from our gatherings at churches, rallies and demonstrations. Please pardon the anger, hurt and distrust that Black Americans have for some of America's worst offenders, bad actors and racists. It is natural to cry in pain when your healing; to be in discomfort when you've been handicapped. We are in repair.
Your (test) subject,
Bycha Buxton
A ticket of Al Gore for President and Barack Obama for Vice President would create an electricity and enthusiasm that would transform American politics and send shock waves of excitement throughout a world yearning for new American leadership. - Brent Budowsky (Huffington Post)
BILL HEMMER : Do the Democrats need a savior? And if so, is that savior in the shape of Al Gore? - Fox News
Democratic Senator of Illinois Barack Obama put to bed that question from a voter who donned a t-shirt reading, "Obama and Gore: Experience and Youth, Obama and Gore: Wisdom and Truth." The supporter asked the '08 presidential hopeful if he would consider taking "the wind out of Hillary’s sails" by asking Nobel prize winner former Vice President Al Gore to be his running mate before the primaries. - ABC News (Political Radar)
But let's play a little. Let's say the elders of the Democratic Party
decide, when the primaries end, that neither Obama nor Clinton is
viable. Let's also assume—and this may be a real stretch—that such
elders are strong and smart enough to act...What if they then approached Gore and asked him to be the nominee, for
the good of the party—and suggested that he take Obama as his running
mate? - Time Magazine
Not only has the media played up the "Vice President" possibility of the democratic primary front-runner, who leads in national polls, has gotten more primary votes than any candidate in history (republican or democrat) and has raised more money than any other candidate in the history of campaigns. But the establishment "Illuminati" has threatened to change the rules, make new rules or just plain overturn the will of the people (maybe that's why I'm a republican, I know who I'm dealing with [insert sarcasm here]).
But simply put the audacity to pull out all the stops (including the Tanya Harding 'Knee Cap'em Strategy') shows either a desperate attempt to win or a prejudice that extends beyond just the DNC. It is absurd and insulting to the millions of Americans to think that even when your winning you are a loser. That is the message being broadcast by the media, insinuated by the opposition and projected by the pollsters. Presidential hopeful Barak Obama handled it well stating, "I can promise you that as President I will have him (Al Gore) involved in our administration in a very senior capacity in his role...having won the Nobel peace prize and an Oscar that being Vice President again would be probably a step down for him." It seem as though certain factions do not, will not and cannot allow the "front runner" status of Senator Obama the feed the hopes and fears of this nation. If you wont let him be the "front runner" is it a stretch to say you wont let him be President?
Our democracy,
Bycha Buxton
My life has taken a unique turn. I often felt this internal pushing and tugging to be a contributor to mankind (what a Utopian idealist I am). I look up to and reflect on many individuals unselfish sacrifice for temperance and guidance in my own quest for a life of service to mankind. A life that bears a mark (bastazo), a life that has used me as a touchstone of progress. It would be so easy to just wake up and live, work, love, and leave the philosophical, social and religious engineering to the Illuminati. But no, there will always be the Lynch’s of the world. Be they Internet hoaxes or real persons with an agenda that constitutes a response, an uprising or even at times a lifelong struggle to undo the social destruction they cause.
If you are not familiar with William “Willie” Lynch here is some background information for you. Willie Lynch was believed to be a successful British slave owner in the West Indies who was invited to the Colony of Virginia in 1712 to teach his methods to slave owners there due in part to several slave uprisings in the area prior to his visit (The term “lynching” [example] was derived from another ‘Lynch’ Captain William Lynch 1742 - 1820 who authored the “Lynch Law” sent to the Virginia Legislature on Sept. 22, 1782). There has never been any supporting document of Willie Lynch’s speech “The Making of a Slave” that mysteriously surfaced in the 1990’s.
Since its discovery (for lack of a better term) it has become the go to speech for ‘Black History Month’ (celebrated throughout February in the U.S. and Canada and October in the U.K.) programs, rally’s and the like. It’s a moving and thought provoking letter that is so relevant today that it is undeniably appropriate when African Americans gather. It provides a solution to systematically oppress a group of individuals (the Negro) for long term domination and manipulation for the benefit of the oppressor. It is not used as kindling for civil unrest as the supposed authors (Willie Lynch) race might think; but more so as a wake up call to the ancestors of former slaves (yours truly).
In this climate of Presidential Primary elections here in the States there is an uprising much like that of the Colony of Virginia in 1712. A man; not of the dominate race has brought the masses together and awakened a sleeping people, a people who were never intended to be fit for leadership of this kind. Whether this man is qualified for the highest office in the land is not the litmus test (although it should be) it will ultimately be the establishment he intends to serve and the threat assessment that is determined by a victory that will ascertain how the ancestors of former slave owners will react. The methods described in William Lynch’s speech are seen (by this author) as tactics used present day against the African American.
This entry is not an attempt to draw racial lines (they have
already been drawn) but to acknowledge that there was and is undoubtedly a plan
to make distinctions between the races and their roles. William "Willie" Lynch, fable or
foe; message or myth is the lesson for Black History Month, February 2008.
Watch, listen and learn...but never forget.
Celebrating my history with you,
Bycha Buxton
It hurts my heart to watch the pain of a people ("my" people) fight for the right to exist…again. I started college (Grambling State University) in Louisiana in 1987, I lived in New Orleans in 1989-90. My son was born in New Orleans; I became a better man because of my experiences there. It is a city of vibrant living, social injustice, epicurean delight (I learned how to eat in Louisiana) and endless entertainment. Now I watch as a spectator from my comfortable arm chair with all my creature comforts as "my" people fight for the right to exist in thier community, the only one they know. The culture there is like no other in the U.S. (the world for that matter), the energetic Second-line funeral procession, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Reggae Sun Splash, the Mardi Gras, the blending of French and African culture, Cajun and Creole. "The Big Easy” it’s called for good reason; Jazz was born there, the sports traditions of the Bayou Classic and the Super Bowl are played there, the great college institutions; black (Dillard University and Xavier University) and traditional universities (Loyola University and Tulane University) are part of the culture.
The celebrated Chefs of our time, Paul Prudhomme who introduced us (the broader U.S.) to Gumbo and Blackened Redfish, Emeril Lagasse whose '“BAM!” has been heard ‘round the world, and the many mothers and grandmothers that have been feeding the generations with the "love" that makes New Orleans cuisine so great. New Orleanians live to express their unique culture with love for their heritage that's deep and genuine. Every "Black American" born in New Orleans can trace someone in their family to one of the Low Income Housing Projects in and around the Crescent City, not that it's a bragging right ; but a rite of passage from who they were to what they've become. There is a systematic plan to rid New Orleans of this rich history and these particular inhabitants. First the natural disaster (hurricane Katrina) played a key part in putting the city in distress. We (Black Americans) cried out “Injustice!!” at how we were unfairly treated when the FEMA and other disaster relief agencies came to the “supposed” rescue of New Orleanians (a selective rescue at best). Then redevelopment by way of failing to rebuild in certain “black areas” that were deemed a flood risk in the event of a second “Katrina like storm.” Now they propose demolition of the last vestige of “real” Black History; “living” Black History is being erased. There is a better way than this.
I predict that New Orleans, for my youngest child’s (4 yrs old) generation and my grand-kids (none yet…I hope) will be homogenized like much of the U.S. The language, traditions, the food and culture washed away and the “real” history demolished and replaced with the “new American standard”. It is a sad day when this systematic removal of the “color” of New Orleans is razed to the ground.
Feeling the pain with New Orleanians,
Bycha Buxton
buxtonbycha@aol.com
Young brotha being young is a requirement; getting old is a privilege. Young brotha I've tried to be an example of a "Strong Black Man" for you; but life can get in the way at times. Young brotha no matter your circumstance never give up, if it (life) knocks you down, get up, dust off and get going. I'm here; I will help you young brotha. I've tried to clear a path for you; so follow me, but not too close cause I've stepped in some traps along the way. It truly is a jungle and you are the prey. Yes my young lion the [lion]keeper is closing in; but I'm here to help you.
Young brotha you can't do it alone, don't even try it. I'm here; I will help you. Even when you can't see me young brotha, cause the brush is too thick, believe me when I tell you I'm making a way through this madness. I love you, I'm here; I will help you young brotha. Don't tell me I don't understand; I just cut the path your going through. They say "when your going through hell don't stop...keep going". I'm clearing the way. I'm here; I will help you, just keep going.
Someone is helping me young brotha; he's just up ahead, clearing the path. And when he tires you'll pass by where he rests; give him respect he loves you too. And young brotha when it's time, you'll know...stand tall and make us all proud. We've been cut and beat and bruised trying to make a way through this jungle. Don't let us down were counting on you...and the young brotha behind you is too.
a Brotha, a Father, a Son;
Bycha Buxton
buxtonbycha@aol.com
