deepculture

Happy New Year Space Pimps!

2012-01-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012.
Supposedly this is the year all this shit is going to fall apart and something new is going to be born. Frankly, I think that would be awesome. What we have is clearly broken. Somehow more and more money is being generated, but as always the poor keep getting the short end of the stick, the prisons are ever more crowded, the kids are literally raping and killing one another in the streets and the baby boomers refuse to die.
I really like my new job. I'm working directly with Parolees, law enforcement and social services. It's a cool gig. Today, I went to a meeting at a local community college where our clients are going to be able to go to school and get support. I'm pretty excited for our clients.
Anyway peaceful people. Know that you are loved. Not by me at all, but somebody loves you!
Just kidding. I love you.

A hard head makes a soft ass

2011-12-11T09:59:00.001-08:00

My dad always said this to me. A hard head makes a soft ass, meaning being stubborn and not listening makes life harder for you than it has to be. At the fine age of 41, I'm learning to not make the same mistakes over and over.
I've detailed some of my missteps and bad choices here in this forum. I've made some more recently, and the results again suck.
In any case, I also know that it's never too late to start doing the right thing. So....I've started doing the right things and make much better choices, and things are better.

On the right side of things, my bookstore business is picking up, I'm fixing my credit slowly. My son just told me that he got accepted into the University of Maryland! I can't believe my baby boy is going to be a college student in a year. I love it.

Anyway.

Spread love, be honest. It's better for everyone in the end.

#OCCUPYEVERYTHING

2011-11-16T18:54:00.001-08:00

Pretty much.
The police have been raiding #occupy encampments all over the country. Mostly because they are ugly and they stink, and the people who we "polite society" want to see the least, i.e. the homeless, the mentally compromised, the street kids, etc. They are attracted to the encampments and it's not pretty.
#Occupy can be a very ugly reminder that there are many of us for whom the American dream does not work.

Many of us in and outside this movement have a different understanding of capitalism. I cannot speak for everyone, only myself. My understanding of capitalism is that it is an economic system built on commodification and markets. Commodification is the practice of assigning a value to a thing, and marketing is the process of creating a need among consumers and then filling it. Capitalism allows it's participants to assign value and market anything, air, ovum, sperm, clean water, land and human life. I don't believe in this system because I deeply believe that there are many things that belong to all of us, like water, air, land, our private information. Capitalism cut it's teeth on American slavery. African labor was sold around the New World and traded for other commodities, alcohol, gold, indigo and cotton.

Those of us (Africans, the Native Americans, the Colonized) are victims of capitalism. Vast numbers of us are displaced and devalued. I don't think that African Americans ever made a real recovery from Slavery. To keep Africans suppressed and to get the buy-in from the rest of the "civilized" world, Africans had to be dehumanized. Much of our history as a people has been eradicated, our links to our homeland fractured so much so that many of us have no concept of ourselves as Africans in any context. This is a horrible crime against humanity. This forced historical amnesia, this forced separation is a direct byproduct of capitalism. But enough about that, Black History Month is three months away, check for me in February.

What's interesting about the #occupy movement to me is that now more of America is coming to see what it is like to be marginalized. Can't find a job, your self esteem is constantly under assault? People blaming you and looking down on you for being poor? Got to get on Public Assistance? Can't support your kids? Welcome to the Black People party. We've been singing this song for a long time and unable to get any relief. Sure, we've made some progress, but our wounds are deep, generational, and systemic. We've been here, at or close to the bottom of the barrel for 391 years. Yet and still, we've only been full, legal citizens of this country for less than 50 years. That's not really enough time to recover from the many years prior. We're going to need a long time and concerted effort to be healthy. Now many more Americans are being victimized by this system that tells us that the individual is the highest priority in society, that the desires of the individual is more important than the welfare of the many. To me, this system is inherently flawed. I'm burnt out really. Upset about the whole thing.

2011-10-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Man....sometimes I go far too long without posting to my blog. There's been so much going on.The cities are occupied. My gf and I broke up. I moved into a new apartment. Much more.

#OccupyOakland There's a lot to say about this. The people are speaking directly to the power structure. Folks are "Occupying" spaces all over the world. The semantics of it can be disturbing (are disturbing) people of conscience, we shouldn't be occupying anything. We should be liberating everything, decolonizing everything. The people are speaking in the streets, marching several times a week, holding meetings in the plazas, camping out and building this movement alongside one another.We are coming together, confronting the issues that have divided us and it is a beautiful thing. I have yet to camp out, but I may yet.
The police lost their minds on the crowd the other night, and that was the absolute wrong thing for them to do. There was no reason for them to attack. They attacked completely out of their own fear. Crazy. We the people, have the right to protest and to change our condition.
The police response to the #occupy protesters really reminded me of the #MOVE bombings in Philadelphia, 1985. Then too, we had a person in the Mayor's office. In Philadelphia, 1985 we had Wilson Goode, the first Black mayor in Philadelphia. Here in Oakland, 2011 we had Jean Quan, the cities first Chinese Mayor and first Woman Mayor. Both times, the mayors were out of town when the ish hit the fan. Both times we had city officials make decisions that were absolutely the wrong decision. 26 years ago, the Fire Chief and some police officers decided to drop a concussion bomb on the roof of a house in Philadelphia, in an effort to take out a "rooftop bunker". The bomb, which was supposed to be non incendiary, merely concussive, ignited the roof of that house and the resulting fire burnt down an entire city block. Bad move.
This time in Oakland, the cops used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bang grenades on peaceful protesters. One of those flash bang grenades critically injured a Marine, Scott Olsen who was marching peacefully at the time with a Navy buddy. Bad move.
I learned that the OPD supposedly gets 60% of the municipal revenues. How do they justify 60%? We need those funds to keep schools open, to have good city services, to make our city better. The people will prevail.
Here is the link to an OccupyOakland website
http://www.occupyoakland.org/

Here's a YouTube video about what happened with the MOVE Organization.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-3BzrSVK0g
AND
the MOVE Organization website
http://www.onamove.com/

.....sidebar....my #eagles are whooping on the Dallas Cowboys right now. 34-0. wow.

love life. I won't say much about this, only that it got real deep in public and real ugly. I had been lying about unnecessary bullshit, and really not reaching out to my lady the way I should have. It's been about two months and I go to bed and wake up alone. I will say this-I've learned the importance of listening to my woman, of being honest and not listening to my lying ass ego. anyway. I am really working to get it together. Life the way I was living it is not sustainable. I really saw some ugliness in myself and I am now working to remove it, to reconcile with my higher self, and make amends for the pain I caused. It's not like it's the first time I messed something up, but hopefully, it will be the last.

My new apartment is the business. This is my third apartment, since I got off the street. I am just now starting to recover from that experience. It was horrible, but it made me stronger. The importance of being stable can not be over emphasized. Being unstable causes so much damage to a person. But I would have never have been in that situation had I made better decisions. I've learned a lot of things the hard way. I'm sure many of us have, I just write about mine. I write so much of this stuff, because I want to share my life with the hope that someone will learn and benefit.

Love and More Love.
-M

Movement

2011-10-11T17:41:00.001-07:00

Let me start this post off by stating very clearly that I love the American people and unlike a lot of "activists" I will cop to loving this country, troubled though it is. America is the home of my birth, and it is because I do love America, that I am willing to do the work necessary to make it a better place for all people.
Toward that end, I went to #occupyoakland because I am one of the 99%. I am not wealthy, got no tax breaks, no stimulus or incentives, none of that. I work with people every day who are deeply under the thumb of economic oppression. Those people are Americans too, don't they deserve the consideration afforded to the big businesses? We do.
Too many of us are struggling to pay bills while the wealthy party and enjoy lifestyles of indulgent frivolity.
Now is the perfect time for us to review our national priorities and adjust our actions and expectations accordingly.

Buy a book! My newest venture

2011-10-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

Yo...you like to read? I just got over 1,500 new books to add to my bookstore...comics, religion, SCI FI, math and science books. Check www.amazon.com/shops/deepculturebooks for what you want and email me at deepculture@gmail.com if there's something you want. I'll discount it for you. USE 'AFROSUR' in your request. Email me also for requests. I have over 2,000 books not yet added.

Just down the street from my house.

2011-08-31T14:22:00.001-07:00

Nice to see something so whimsical.

Steve Jobs~Cultural Hero

2011-08-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Back in August, I reflected a little on what Steve Jobs meant to me. Now he's gone on into the hereafter. I hope his soul is resting. You did good work Steve, Rest now in Peace and Power. Below is my reflection on the life of a giant. ------------------------- A few years ago, I ran into Steve Jobs at the Whole Foods in Palo Alto. I was completely starstruck. You can read about the encounter, and my feelings at the time, here. (if the link is broken http://deepculture.blogspot.com/2005/03/i-met-steve-jobs.html
Now Steve Jobs is very ill and quite possibly close to being not here. I don't even know him, but the thought of Steve Jobs expiring grieves me. The man is a visionary. His thinking about consumer electronics, entertainment, marketing, industrial design, computing, corporate culture and business have changed the world. I have no concept of what the world would look like without Apple. To me, it's that serious. So in a strange, distant kind of way, I have love for Steve Jobs. Strange to see myself write these words. I've heard from people who know him (my grandmother was his maid for a short time) that he is not the nicest guy. I have no illusions about him being some socially compassionate man. But I do stand in admiration of his intellect and abilities to make things happen.
Money can buy a lot of things, but it cannot buy time or life. I wish Mr. Jobs only the best things for the rest of his life, be that 4 months or 40 years. He will always be one of the people who has shaped my thinking and professional vision. I am so grateful for all that he has already shared.

Make Oakland Beautiful

2011-08-20T15:19:00.001-07:00

I saw this today on my way back home from teaching the Job Search workshop. It's 3rd and Broadway in Oakland (Jack London Square). The guys painting are Chase and Bue. I thought it was nice. See Bue the Warriors Flickrstream. here

We all need each other

2011-08-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who I love dearly. We've been friends about 8 years, since before the birth of my daughter. We're not talking right now, and that's a complicated tale. I'm really not even sure why. I'm not always the best friend and this person is sometimes complicated. Suffice it to say that there's no lack of love, but we don't always get along.
I've had a few friendships like this in my life, where we'll fall out and not talk for long periods of time, sometimes even years. Jumoke was a friend like that. I wasn't the best friend to him. I was caught up in a lot of negativity and self destruction. "Too much chaos" he said We fell out, and then I didn't see the brother for years. I ran into him randomly on the street a few years ago, and gave him a huge hug. I think I might have even cried a little. I had missed the brother so much, I didn't even realize it. "I'm better man. Call me. I miss you." He said he would, but the next thing I heard from him wasn't from him at all, it was from our mutual friend Ayize, who called to tell me that J was gone, he had taken his own life. Damn.
I have another friend, Light (real name) who I've known since I was 18 years old. If there is any such thing as love at first sight between heterosexual men, this was it. I have loved this brother, as my brother since the first moment we met. We call each other "covalent"-our bond is like that. Light and I didn't speak for years, because again, I was so damn chaotic, I was incapable of being a good friend. We recently reconciled.
I need these people in my life. We don't come into one another's lives on accident. I don't believe in that. I think we all travel through lifetimes together again and again, leading one another, teaching and loving.
I'm writing this because I'm trying to figure out how to deal with the people in my life who I miss, who may or not miss me, how to reconcile with people I have hurt and how to be a better friend, son, brother, lover, coparent, father and person going forward. If you have some insight, please feel free to share.

Don't call me Nigga(er)

2011-07-30T19:04:00.001-07:00

Today I got into it on twitter (@Malcolm313) with a young lady from Texas over her using #nigga. Her basic point was "its slang, and ima use it however/whenever I want. Get over it, old ass Nigga". Lets go over the facts. She's Colombiana. She's fair skinned. She's young. Young, as in less than 30.
I am Black. As fuck. In complexion and attitude. I love Black people with my whole self and dedicate my life to the upliftment of not just my own people, but of all people.
As of this writing, I am 41 and the father of two Black children. One young man 17, and a 6 year old daughter and I am old enough to remember when there were white people bold enough to call me nigger to my face. There was only one acceptable response.
I have been fighting racists since I was very young. I don't mean to imply that she is a bigot. I dont know a lot about this young lady. She's Latina and so maybe she might have some African blood in her and feel some kind of kinship to Black folks. I don't know, just speculating. She probably loves a lot of things that Black people produce. She probably listens to Hip Hop, she uses our slang, she may even date Brothers. If she loved Black people though at the very least she'd understand that any Nig- word carries a lot of weight for some Black people, especially those of us over the age of 30. If she truly loved Black people, if she felt some kinship with us, like one of us, then maybe she wouldn't have been so dismissing. Maybe. I don't really know. She would have understood that some words are not "just slang". I just want people to understand that words have weight, history and power.
Let me tell you a true story. A few years ago, I was at the San Mateo Caltrain station, fighting these two dudes, one from Guatemala, the other from El Salvador. The only thing I heard from the dude before he hit me in the head with the Corona bottle was "Hey Nigger". Me and those two dudes got down, fighting and bleeding in the middle of the street at the Downtown San Mateo Caltrain Station for eight and a half minutes. The two of them were armed with a broken bottle and padlock swinging on the end of a steel chain. I had a belt, my feet and fists, and a denim jacket. No one helped me. No one. I got my face opened up, stitches, nerve damage to my right eye, and mental trauma. The two of them got internal injuries, my jacket, $89 and two and a half years in prison for felony assault, robbery and some other charges I don't remember. I do remember that my life was in danger. It was the illest and scariest eight minutes and thirty seconds of my life.
My life is full of these stories. Not all life and death, but tinged with racism just the same. There was the boy Johnny, who I fought so many times over him calling me Nigger, the principal stopped suspending us. There were the two skinheads who came into Emi's, the bar where my little community of friends hung out on Thursday nights. They came in starting trouble, verbally and physically assaulting people and got "dealt with". Look, I'm reading this and I don't need or want to detail all the times I got into it over me or someone else being called Nigger. I'm not some person who likes to fight. You get the point. It aint cool. I didn't tell this girl to stop saying the word. Just to acknowledge that it ain't just slang for a lot of us. She told me to sit my old ass down, but if I sit down who is going to stand up?

I killed something

2011-07-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well I had to. It was a rat. And it was dying. I don't believe in suffering. So I "euthanized" it. And I feel terrible.
Let me tell you the story.
This summer, Laila has been going to a summer program at the local community college. She takes the bus with me to work and then I walk her across the street to school. After work, we ride home together with my mom, who is teaching Fashion design there. It's been really great family time for me, having my mom and daughter together and being able to spend whatever time with the two of them everyday. Really great. Well, yesterday as we walked out the back door of my office, I was startled by a HUGE rat, about 17 inches long including the tail, in the rocks beside the sidewalk. It was pulling itself along by the forelegs, struggling. I think it must have been hit by a car or something, in any case the back legs were paralyzed, as was the tail. It was clearly struggling.

My daughter, God Bless her little heart, didn't even bat an eye. Just said "Daddy, what happened to that rat? Why it's not moving?" "I think it got hit by a car Stinker (what I call her), I'm not sure, but I'll take care of it when I get back." "My mom would have been on a chair screaming and so would my sister, but I'm not scared of that rat." I'm thinking ".....damn...I shouldn't let that rat die like that. How am I going to do it? That's a big ass rat....."
I dropped her off and went back to kill the rat. I found it, about two feet from where I spotted it, struggling by a bush. Jesus, this rat was big. I won't go into too many details, but right before I took the rat off the planet, it squeaked to me. "Please don't kill me. I'm strong! I can make it. I can....." It was a strong rat. But it would have died there slowly, painfully. No water. Maybe some kids would have come by and tortured it, stomped or stoned it. I couldn't let that happen.
The legs kicked (they moved) the tail stiffened. There was a little blood, it turned its head to look at me and died. I felt terrible.
What was I supposed to do? Take a paralyzed field rat home and take care of it? Leave it there? Find a cat or a dog to deal with it? My girlfriend said she would have found a hill to leave it on. Maybe that would have been better, a predator would have found it. But I found it. and killed it. I'm so sorry rat, I wish it couldn't have been different.

Re: The Hunger Striking Inmates here in California

2011-07-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

I just got this from a sister in the struggle and promised I'd post it to my blog. Please read and circulate.

Everyone -- Please ask organizations you work with to sign on to this organizational Open Letter to Gov. Brown to grant the demands of the hungerstrikers. We hope to deliver it to Brown as soon as next Monday, July 25. This national letter was written and is being circulated by a number of our sister organizations (Susan Burton signed it for All of Us or None and New Way of Life), at the Soros Fellows gathering in Miami.

CDCR has just issued a press release saying the prisoners have ended their hungerstrike. There has been no independent verification. Even if the men inside have resumed eating, we know the demands have not been resolved. We must remain committed to changing the torture these men live in, with the hungerstrike as an inspiration and wakeup call for activists outside. Please continue to build long-term support for ending torture in California's SHUs.

We are asking you to do two things with this letter:

1) Please circulate widely. We want to get as many organizations as possible to sign-on as quickly as possible.

2) Please get authorization from your organization(s) and sign-on as soon as possible if you have not already. If at all possible, please endorse the letter no later than midnight Friday, July 22.

TO SIGN-ON: Please send an email to molly@criticalresistance.org with the name of the organization, and, if you are a local or state-based organization, your geographic location.

End Torture! Grant the demands of the hungerstrikers!

I've also pasted the text of the letter, and signing organizations into this message, below:

Governor Jerry Brown

State Capitol

Suite 1173

Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Governor Brown:

We, the undersigned civil rights, community, and human rights organizations, urge you to intervene with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to respond immediately to conditions that have lead to a statewide hunger strike in California prisons. As you know, the hunger strike was initiated by prisoners in the Secure Housing Unit at Pelican Bay State Prison on July 1, 2011 to protest conditions that have been characterized by the United Nations as "inhumane and degrading." The hunger strike now has spread to a third of the state’s prisons and has involved at least 6,600 prisoners from all racial groups. The demands made by these prisoners are relatively modest and in keeping with human rights standards adopted by many other jurisdictions with regard to the treatment of prisoners housed in Secure Housing Units.

As organizations from around the country that are committed to reducing the destructive impact of current criminal justice policies on the lives of individuals, families, and communities in the United States, we are concerned both about the immediate well-being of the hunger strikers and the long-term impact of appalling conditions inside prisons, particularly the use of long-term isolation and practices of racial profiling – under the guise of gang affiliation – that often are used to justify such abuses of human rights.

We join with more than 7,500 individuals that have signed petitions in support of the hunger strikers and with community groups and family members of hunger strikers who have coordinated demonstrations in cities across the U.S. and abroad to voice their support. We join these courageous people inside and outside of prison in demanding that the CDCR fully implement the prisoners’ five core demands, which are:

1. End Group Punishment & Administrative Abuse

2. Abolish the Debriefing Policy, and Modify Active/Inactive Gang Status Criteria

3. Comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons 2006 Recommendations Regarding an End to Long-Term Solitary Confinement

4. Provide Adequate and Nutritious Food

5. Expand and Provide Constructive Programming and Privileges for Indefinite SHU Status Inmates.

Despite the fact that federal courts, mental health professionals, and international human rights monitors repeatedly have pointed out the devastating impact of isolation on human beings, the State of California continues to consign hundreds of prisoners, sometimes for decades, to torturous conditions that federal judge Thelton E. Henderson concluded “may well hover on the edge of what is humanly tolerable.” Tragically, because they feel their efforts to challenge these conditions through administrative and legal channels have failed, hundreds of prisoners have put their bodies and their lives on the line.

Throughout your political career you have publicly supported progressive human rights issues. We know that you will share our desire to avoid the kind of outcome that resulted from the H Block Hunger Strike in Northern Ireland in 1981. We believe that you will be responsive to the efforts of these prisoners to seek more just and humane conditions of confinement, and we encourage you to treat these prisoners with the respect and consideration they deserve. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to intervene in this matter immediately and to find a just and honorable resolution.

Thank you for your consideration.

Signed by:

A Better Way Foundation

A New Way of Life Reentry Project, Los Angeles, CA

All of Us or None

Arkansas Voice for the Children Left Behind

Breakout!, New Orleans, LA

Cante Wanjila Native American Reentry and Support Project, South Dakota

Critical Resistance

Detention Watch Network

Justice for Families

Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA

Kemba Smith Foundation

Labor/Community Strategy Center, Los Angeles, CA

Law Office of Rebecca Young, East Boston, MA

Milk Not Jails, New York

National Policy Partnership for Children of the Incarcerated

Resurrection After Exoneration, New Orleans, LA

Safe Streets/Strong Communities, New Orleans, LA

TalkBLACK, Atlanta, GA

Texas Families of Incarcerated Youth

Visions to Peace Project, Washington, D.C

The 5th of July

2011-07-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

First Part
One of my fondest childhood memories is being in Philadelphia during the Bicentennial celebrations in Philadelphia. It was beautiful. Being at the Bicentennial Parade in Philly, the birthplace of the Constitution of the United States was amazing. I don't remember a lot of details, but I do remember just being in awe of the paegantry of it all. There were massive Clydesdale horses, people in costumes, music, hot dogs and of course fireworks. I had never seen so many flags, or Red, White and Blue in my life. It was the first time I had ever really considered myself an American. I remember feeling like I was part of something great and wonderful and amazing. I think I must have looked at my Dad and said "Daddy isn't this great?" and my Pop, being the real person that he is said "Fuck this. Black people weren't free."
I understood that and I still understand that. So it was also that day that I began my lifelong pursuit of telling it as I see it. If I were alive in 1776, I most likely would have been present as a slave or bonded servant. There were free Africans living in the US at that time, but of course they were few and far between. The Haitian revolution wouldn't happen for 15 more years, and the abolition of slavery was still 89 years away, several generations of captive Africans would be sold, traded, born into and die in, slavery.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
This sentence is the cornerstone of all that America is, yet from the very beginning, America didn't hold itself accountable to it's own founding ideology. Women, Blacks, Irish, Italians, Turks and certainly not the indigenous "Indians"-None of these people were considered "equal" to those men who led the rebellion of the colonies to form these United States of America.

Yesterday, at Trader Joes Rockridge, Oakland California
I'll tell you the truth. I am tired of being "The Angry Black Guy" It's a cliche that I have long outgrown. I would love to not be so frustrated at the social conditions I have to live in. I wasn't raised that way though. There is something in my consciousness that becomes restless when I am not actively working to make things better for not just my little group, but for everyone. I want this country to be who we say we are. That's all. I don't like being the person in the room who is always going to be the malcontent, but there are things that need to be said and even more importantly, done. So yesterday I was at Trader Joes buying food and beer, and one of the employees wishes me a "Happy Fourth" "Oh yeah, thanks man. I don't celebrate that though" "Really!?" he says, "Why not?" "Are you serious?" I say, looking at him. This guy must know me better than that. We've talked enough that he knows I'm a pretty disgruntled person in general. I'm not into flag waving, we've talked enough so that this dude should be able to anticipate me not being all Gung Ho and happy about the Fourth of July. This is my silent dialogue. "Yeah, I'm serious. I'm curious to hear your reasons"
Okay. Simple. Black people were not free, and we would have to wait almost another hundred years before we would know freedom again. I don't celebrate because my people were still slaves. America didn't free us when it freed itself." I saw his little smile, a smirk really and realized that he just wanted to get me riled up to see what would happen. Clearly, I was speaking a little louder than the other patrons, scrambling for steaks and hot dogs. This was an inconvenient time to have Black History Minute. I could almost hear people thinking, "God, why do they always have to be so political/serious/angry?" "God, isn't this his country too?" "They are better off here than in Africa....."
"Yeah well, those are my reasons, but I'll take the day off." I walked away, starting to really just get upset all over again at the celebration of this bullshit....
Another customer walked up to me..."That was really interesting....what do you do? Are you a student?"
"No, I work for the people, helping them find work." The conversation quickly turned to Obama..."Are you as disappointed as I am with Obama?" "Maybe more. But I am disappointed with the entire political process. I'm disappointed that these politicians have sold out the American people, and I'm even more disappointed that the wealthy have completely and utterly sold out the poor and working class people in this country. They've taken all the jobs out of the economy. They don't give a damn about us. We'll see what happens with the President in his second term."
"Yeah...if he gets a second term" "He will.The Republicans have no one to beat him. Even with the job he's done, what did we expect? He got a bad hand, and I think he did the best he could with what he had. He can't do anything alone"
Some people love to hear a Black person hate on Obama. Let me tell you something. I expect a lot more from Black Prez, but I am also a realist. He is not a revolutionary. At best, he is a well meaning moderate. I think he is open to radical change, but the rest of us are not open to it. So it probably won't happen. I'm not going to hate on Obama, because he isn't walking around with his right fist in the air. Do I wish he would do more for the proletarian masses? Yes? But I'm pretty sure that he is not entirely his own man and that whatever machine is behind him and his campaign have a lot to do with what is said. I think he's one of the best politicians we've ever had. I look forward to the second term and his life, post presidency. I hope he does a Jimmy Carter and starts really doing some thangs for the po'. I'm not going to hate on the brother. I reserve that for buffoons like Clarence Thomas and this other coon running as a Republican for president, the pizza guy, what's his name? Herman Cain. Thank God for Google.
What finally burned the conversation for me is what he said, in response to my citation of Black slavery...check this out....this fool gon' say "Well these people in cubicles, working in corporate America, living from check to check. That's as bad, that's like slavery right there." You know.....I think so fast, I stammer sometimes, I have a speech impediment that I've really had to work on to manage. Most people don't know because I am usually very deliberate in my speech. I really try to use good diction and proper grammar. I almost lost all of that. This dude's wife saw the look in my eye. So now, working in Corporate America, and earning a wage, being able to quit, to come and go, to make a life outside of work, to have freedom of movement.....Now working is like SLAVERY?! Oo. I won't even go into it. You can imagine what I said to this zip dam fool. This guy ended up getting an earful, but it wasn't dialogue, it wasn't my best. I don't think either one of us left that conversation with anything useful. It was just my angry diatribe, peppered with his inane comments. I am burned out from being that guy. Really, I am.

Back to the purpose of this post...
It was on the day after the US declared independence, on 7/5 that it became clear that, those high ideals that were used to frame the constitution", didn't apply to us. On July 5th the framers should have been actively working to make sure that they were building a country to house us all, to make sure that we all had an equal chance to pursue our human satisfaction.
It is on this July 5th, that I am saying we, every American citizen should honestly and industriously work to make America what it says it is. We have to fight for equal opportunity for every American child, not just the ones who live in Rockridge. We must tell every American story, not just the ones where the people with the blue eyes win.

damn....Gil Scott Heron died.

2011-05-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

I met Gil Scott Heron a few times. I have his autograph somewhere, I got it when I was 12. My teacher Linda Goss, took me backstage to an event in Philadelphia. That dude, Gene Anthony Ray, that played Leroy on Fame was there. People were so excited to see him, all I wanted to do was meet Gil. My dad had all his records.
I kept thinking "This is the guy that made Whitey on the Moon" I remember Linda introducing me to him-"Gil, this is a young poet I'd like you to meet, Malcolm" "Malcolm, huh? You got a good name little brother. You like to write, huh?" Yeah, I like you and Nikki Giovanni, the Last Poets..." "Well you keep writing little brother..." He looked distracted, my two minutes were up. "Mr. Gil, can you sign this for me please?"

I think I saw him next in Santa Cruz, while I was in college. It wasn't very memorable, except that it wasn't a great performance. I knew he was capable of much more and he didn't look good at all.

The next time I saw Gil was the most powerful. I was on the subway somewhere in New York, it was probably 1994. I was sitting on the train, people watching and I saw this ragged man, with Gils face, on a serious nod. "Couldn't be. Naw. Not like that. Not him, not like this". There was some kind of problem with the train, the conductor announced "Everybody is going to have to get off" The train pulled into a station and everyone got off. I kept looking over to see if he was alright enough to get himself off the train. He wasn't. I couldn't stand it. Most of the people were off when I walked over to the man who was a ghost of my idol "Come on Gil, everyone has to get off the train. We gotta go" He looked up. It was him. I was happy and terribly disappointed at the same time. He had fallen so far. It was horrible. He was a genius, responsible for so much of what made me, our griot, our truth teller. Well, this was also a truth. He was living a truth, and there was no poetry in him being in his addiction. None. This was all real, and I wouldn't leave our poet on the train like that.
I pulled him up and guided him off the train. We sat in the station and waited. He seemed to sober up. "You know me, man?" "Yeah, Gil. I met you a few times"...I dropped some names I knew he would know "and I grew up on you. I think I have like 12 or 13 albums of yours" "Yeah?" "Yeah and I write. You inspired me to become a poet" I told him about our meeting in '82. "Oh yeah, I remember that, not meeting you, but being there." I hadn't expected him to remember the me that I was then, little starstruck, big headed black boy that I was.
He could tell that I was hurt. It was all over me. "I'm fucked up, I know I'm fucked up, but this is what it is right now."
"Yeah, I see that" I told him about my Dad, who he really reminded me of at that moment. My Pop got clean and sober when he was 41. At the time of that conversation, 17 years ago, Gil would have been about 45, not too late. It's never too late. He didn't need to hear me giving him shit. I didn't know shit anyway, and he was old enough to be my Dad.
We talked about 45 minutes, I just wanted to keep him there long enough to see him straighten up enough not to get robbed or worse. It wasn't an upbeat conversation, but I'm glad we had it. It is one of my most prized memories. Before I got on my train, I said "Gil, please get it together. A lot of people love you and we need you. We really, really need you. Please" "This shit ain't easy...keep writin'. Come see me at a show sometime....I got some things coming up" He heard me, but my time was up.
I went to see him with my family, a couple of years back. It was a masterful performance. He sang, he joked with the audience. He did some new stuff, didn't do some pieces that I wanted to hear, but it was worth the expensive tickets. We all agreed that he looked good, and my father who had seen him several times, said that it was the best show he had ever seen him do.
I just heard that Gil died. I don't know how, I suspect it was drug related, but who knows. I'm so sad. It could have been anything. He was a brilliant and beautiful and tortured. Incredibly tortured. He is my favorite artist. Musician, poet, author, teacher. Man. Just a man.
He was in a lot of pain always. Some of us see the world all too clearly. It is an ugly ass place to be and we will do whatever we can to escape it. Gil was one of those people. I will miss him, his music, his brilliant struggle. I hope he is at peace, somewhere laughing, playing his piano and free of the pain that was so much a part of his life.

The Cosmic Formula for Success

2011-05-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

I'm fond of telling the people who come to my workshops that there is a formula for success that I follow. It has worked for me as long as I can remember and I’d like to share it with you. I haven't always used it, there are plenty of times that I've been too hard headed to use these steps, but I know that "a hard head makes a weary body" so now I do what works and I don't do what doesn't work.

1.Ask
2.Wait
3.Notice
4.Thank
5.Act
6.Repeat

1. Ask. Many of us find ourselves wanting some kind of different life for ourselves. We see a different living situation, career maybe even people. We need to know that what we want is available to us. Our dreams, if pursued will become reality. They do not get that way through dreaming, but through positive action. Usually we don’t know what that action will look like. We don’t know how to proceed. That is where the Ask part comes in. Ask. Ask the Universe, Allah, The Creator, Jesus. Ask whatever power you acknowledge, the who or what is not as important as the act of asking. This is not necessarily praying. I believe that even if you are skeptical, you will receive some kind of sign.

2.Wait. This is the most difficult part. A year ago, I emerged from a period of stagnancy that had lasted ten years. For ten years, I had the same issues again and again. I refused to move forward, and in fact I could not see how to move forward. I had asked and asked, but I did not yet know how to wait, expectantly, that I was going to receive. This is not to say, “Do not take any action” By advising you to wait, I mean that a way will be opened. Cultivate patience. This is the time to be vigilant and look for the opening. It will appear.

3.Notice. Noticing that your ask has been answered. Acknowledging that you have the opportunity to move ahead in a direction that is good for you is a good thing. An opportunity may present itself, but if you are not aware that your request has been granted, it will be wasted. You asked and waited for something. Now a way to that thing has been granted. Acknowledge that.

4.Thank. Being grateful is a marvelous tool that we have. Our ability to express gratitude, to be humble in the face of great generosity, is a tool that we as human beings can develop. Being grateful keeps us in a state of acceptance, of openness. We have asked for it, waited patiently for it and noticed that it has been granted. Now we have to express our deep thankfulness, absolute gratitude for this amazing gift. Being thankful is so important. Maintaining thankfulness has maintained balance in my life. Being thankful keeps me grounded and reminds me of how far I have come.

5.Act. You must Act on your request. This is the crucial element of the formula. Action is key to further opening the way to your own success. You cannot be timid at this stage. Even if it is something completely new and terrifying, you asked for this. No one else. You got what you asked for, now Act on it!

6.Repeat. No explanation necessary. Return to Step One.

All my love people. Keep on Pushing Forward.

Telling Our Own Stories

2011-05-25T16:39:00.001-07:00

Folks, the power of witnessing is remarkable. The simple act of telling the truth about yourself, is in itself an affirming and revolutionary act. All at once, anyone can go from being nothing more than someone poor and struggling with their children in homelessness, or someone with a beautiful story about the nature of freedom and the power of family love and unity. It can be the same story, same facts. The power is in the telling of the truth and sharing that story with others.

Some of you know my story of how I was homeless for a time, my family history and my struggles to move forward. Many more of you know the Malcolm that says “If you woke up today then you have a purpose. We live in a mathematically precise universe that does not produce anything extra. There are no leftovers. Every single thing returns back to the source from which it came.” We are no different, if we woke up, then there is a purpose for us to be up and walking around that day. Our role is to find that purpose and then to be about the business of fulfilling it. I said all that to say this-“You are in charge of telling your story, of picking your place in it, of setting the stage and ultimately of determining the outcome.” Those of us who have encountered abuse in our lives can choose to emphasize the pain of that abuse, the damaging patterns we developed to cope with those experiences, to relive daily those horrors or we can choose to see the reality of our emergence from those circumstances, the power of our resilience and the incredibly bright futures we have before us now. We get to choose our role. We do. No one else.

Okay Malcolm, what does that have to do with Job Search? My question to you is this: What story are you telling on your application materials? Who is that person in the resume? Were you a mere low level clerical functionary, or were you a customer serving, organizational supporting genius? Were you a delivery person or someone whose vital role was to keep the shut ins connected to the rest of this world? You tell the story. The facts can not be changed, but your role in that business may depending on how much power you claim for yourself there. In interviews, do you talk about yourself as a down and out person who just needs a chance, or as a bright and vibrant, quick learner who is eager to not just learn new things, but to bring your whole self to this exciting new opportunity? The story is yours to tell. I suggest you create the best version of the story, practice it as much as you can and start telling it.

America is on the ropes, what is the upper crust doing to help?

2011-04-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Beautiful people,
America is in serious trouble. All the things that I would look for that indicate a society in distress are present. We are at war in Iraq, Libya and Afhanistan while at the same time we are cutting social services domestically and laying off teachers. Unemployment is at the highest level it's been in 60 years. The hate groups are experiencing unparalleled growth. We are in trouble America.
I'm doing what I can, helping Americans get back to work, going to church and sharing my faith and testimony where ever I can. I'm doing my best to raise my children to be self sufficient and industrious people and I volunteer my time to the community when I can. I'm sure I could be doing more, I know that I can and I will. I encourage everyone to do their part to add to our collective well being. The only way we will emerge from this dark place is if pull and stick together.
I had originally starting writing this entry as a reaction to something I read in the Eastbay Express about the rich not paying taxes. I'm pissed that the most privileged people in this society continue to suck the lifeblood out of this economy and then go flaunting their extravagant, wasteful lifestyles around to the rest of us. But, that's Americans. We damn near deify the wealthy.
We have to hold our lawmakers accountable to us, the masses of people, not the wealthy elite. We need bailouts and relief, and our government, regardless of the administration seems to not understand that it is the common man and woman in America that keeps America afloat, not the wealthy elite who use their tax breaks to fatten their own bank accounts. Nothing trickles down.
But in the meantime and in between time, we have to help one another. Racism is on the rise. There has been no better time to reach out to your neighbor who has a different background than yours and see what you can learn from one another. Violence against immigrants is high. We as Americans, as people, cannot let the wackos on the right (or left) scapegoat the immigrants in this nation for taking jobs away or being violent.
Americas first terrorist group was the Klan, and it is the multinational corporations that offshore all the jobs that have destroyed the viability of the working class in America, not Mexicans or South Indians. It is the Klan and other white supremacist groups masquerading as Christians that spit on Jesus' message that do more harm to us than any radical Muslim could ever do. Remember "Love thy Neighbor?" Who would Jesus kill? No one. Right.
Now is the time for us to practice mutual unconditional love and support more than ever. It's hard out here, no doubt, but going to our own respective corners and pointing the finger at one another is not helping. We need to be looking at the corporations, our elected representatives that compromise the mutual good of the American people, for who knows what, and ourselves. What are we doing as citizens to make this world better?
Okay beautiful people that's enough for today. Keep your head down and your faith up.
Bless,
M

Our way out of the Darkness is through our own selves.

2011-04-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.theroot.com/views/when-unemployment-runs-out-meet-99ers

Below is the (edited) content of an email I wrote to my clients today. It's a tough time in America and the world, for the unemployed. It's time that we really look DEEP inside and pull out what we have hidden there. Not only do we need it, that's what it was put there for in the first place. Our gifts are our salvation, our way out of this darkness. I send you love in this time of trials. Have faith. Every thing has an ending.

Hi folks, I found the above article today and thought I’d share.
I know you all hear me say “If you woke up, you are supposed to be here” a million times, but today let me expand on that a little. Everything that we’ve ever gone through prepares us for the next thing in life. I didn’t know years ago that working on an assembly line for 12 hours a day, soldering the power lines for Doppler radar was the preparation for later in life, when I would be at work today, helping folks find work, who are very different (at least on the surface) from myself, but it did. It means something that I can say “I’ve done that work, or something like it” It means something to me and I’ve come to see that it means something to you too. Yesterday, I went to a conference for workforce professionals here in the Bay Area. The outlook is not sunny, but what I did learn is that now is the time when those of us who come from generations of overcomers, this is our time to shine. We know how to do this. The Nation can learn from our example. This is the time for us to work even more closely together to help one another. What are your talents? Are you a gardener? Grow produce, sell or share it. You know how to bake? You should be making your own bread and baked goods? Maybe you are a master of stews and soups. Maybe you know how to sew or build computers or irrigation lines or who knows what. Whatever we need to make it through this hard time, it is right in front of us right now, it is within us, we have only to look for it and bring it forward. This is also a value to employers, what more can you bring to a workplace other than just what you put down on paper? You are a valuable human being, an asset to all who know you and where ever you go, who ever you touch in life is richer for the experience. Identify what you can do and do it. Watch what happens.

My final piece of advice to you is this; if you have not done so already, start assessing your talents and skills and those of your friends. What are your assets? Share these in your network. We will all make it through this rough time, because we have to.

Not even original<----(Click here)

2011-03-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

This is a bootleg post from a sister I know in Oakland. I love her whole clan. Her dad is one of my role models, a shining star here in Oakland. I wish he had been the mayor instead of R.D. Her stepmom is a pistol..on the school board and generally tearing ish up around the city. Chinaka also saved me from homelessness by subletting her apartment to me when I had no other place to go. I love she.
I will also say that she has one of the finest minds I have known. To be in conversation with Chinaka is to be in conversation with a Queen, a young woman who is about her business and absolutely living in her purpose.
Anyway, having said all that, she's a writer. A real writer, not one of these "listen to this poem I wrote on the back of this napkin five minutes ago" poets. These Haikus she wrote for Biggie are among the best things ever written about the fallen King of Brooklyn.

Click Here and read some real writing

Ochun

2011-03-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

There's a lady who has come into my job 3 or 4 times now. She is Oshun. What I mean by this is Oshun is coming through her. She wears a lot of yellow and blue, she has blond hair and blue eyes, she speaks with a strong Puerto Rican/Dominican accent and she's very sweet.

I went to the Botanica across the street to tell them that I've seen her, not to seek any advice or anything, just to tell them that she's come to me a few times.

This kind of thing happens to me enough that I know to not be surprised, just acknowledge it and thank the powers that be for their loving guidance.
I just wanted to share that with you all. Life is sometimes challenging, but we have to keep pushing forward with our hearts and eyes wide open to what's around us.
Love
M

It's been a long time

2011-01-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

My boy Eric Arnold took this photo.

Anyway, I haven't written in quite some time. The world continued to turn, babies are still being born and things are happening everywhere.

I hope that all of you are well and living your dreams. If you are experiencing challenges as many of us are, endure. Take on one thing at a time. Deal with that and move on to the next thing, one at a time. Have patience with yourself, love yourself and know that you are not alone in struggling, no matter the nature of the struggle itself. Struggle is a universal thing. We all struggle, it's a part of being a human being.
Love

Love poem for Dana

2010-12-21T21:39:00.001-08:00

I killed my Facebook a while back

2010-12-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

Well, I deactivated it. It was getting to be too big for my ego to handle. I have no claim to fame, I am just some black dude in Oakland. There were a lot of people on my FB commenting, carrying on conversations, flirting and adding their energy to my life. I actually in real life, have just a few close, close friends and I am related to most of them. I have a lot of associates, acquaintances and folks that I've known for many years. But not a lot of real friends.
So...it was just getting to be too much for me. I was on Facebook all the time and not really tending to the real life business in my real life. I need to get a new job, stat. I have bills that will not go away and my kids...always my kids.
If I had a book to push, or a show that you could watch or anything really that was making me money or spreading my "brand" as opposed to just making me an internet celeb.
Anyway. I killed it. Once I have something substantive that I can point people to, I'll reactivate it.
Plus, I'm incredibly easy to find. If anyone really wants to link with me, I'm here.

Rap is Black

2010-12-02T17:11:00.000-08:00

Today's post was inspired by a post I read today on Youtube.

Someone wrote:

.....it's everybody, rap was invented by whites and rock by blacks, but the cultural acceptance of each has been largley reversed lol. Anyone is a trend setter and anyone can be a nigger, being black doesn't make you a nigger

I wrote that white people had nothing to do with the creation of
Rap.

No. White people had *NOTHING* to do with the creation of rap as an artform. Hip Hop as a culture, yes. I take nothing away from my white brothers and sisters who were there in the early days and who have made positive contributions to this culture, and the arts that comprise it. Graffiti, in particular has had many people of all backgrounds. Taki 187, one of the first to do graff, was white.
As a bboy for 30 years, I will not let you or anyone else distort truth.

My good friend Eric Arnold disagreed. He tried to say Bob Dylan had songs where his cadence was rap like, and had a definite Blues sensibility. I disagree. There have always been white artists who perform Black music, or whose art is informed and shaped by what Black people do. Who doesn't love Jon B? Louis Prima? Or Kenny G? or Everlast? Or Teena Marie? I mean come on....there are some bad white people making music. I'm sure there was some white dude back in the day hanging out and spitting jive, rhyming, etc. This is America.
My point is that rap music, the whole art of rap-as we know it, comes from the oral tradition of Black America. Rap was born at a particular time, of a particular experience. It was born out of Lightning Rod, Jocko, Gil Scott Heron, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Scatman Caruthers, and every jive talking, Dozens playing brother on the block.
Rap is born out of the Black experience. It's Black.

Louis Prima

Al Jolson

Jay Z with Eminem

Teena Marie (Dope)

Everlast Black Jesus

Classic 3rd Bass Stepping to the AM

Even with all these excellent artists-It's still Black music.
Peace