7/20/2011
Life is precious, epic in its triumphs and its let downs.
The smiles, they turn to frowns, back to smiles, such a sad clown.
Desperately needed cycles, for depth, richness, and self-progress,
A cry so we can laugh and dance, the tears are paying homage.
And through the through, the fluctuations, friends are allies through it.
Energy between connected, though sometimes we never knew it.
Brothers and sisters, walking, stumble, help you up, keep movement.
Witness the growth, the pain, the love, away for years, yet fluent.
And times some fall, too soon for sure, the knife it strikes, it kicks us all,
And time it creeps into our hearts, nostalgia soaked, with feelings stark.
Confusion swirls, the weeds un-kept,
And sweet songs find their needs unmet.
We lose our beat, a lonely sleep,
Potential gone, no food, no eat.
Then flowers come, or scattered wind,
With soulful words, we'll hear again.
A sadness with a hint of cheer,
For passed on greatness, drinks are dear.
There's celebration for the time,
We had before the Great Unwind.
Yet missing from reunion's gladness,
A Member of our summer's madness.
Truly the dance is different now,
As we soak in our peaceful pal.
I'll take a piece and one for you,
To honor spirits that we knew.
That we know, and be better for it,
Reminded of the winter forecast,
That life is full of fluctuations,
Robust today, then shriveled raisins.
Still hurtful as this transition is,
I'll live my life like it was mine, and his.
In memory of Sam McNulty... One dope dude.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
An Uncle Tom, a Fab Five and a Sports Writer Walk Into a Bar...
Was Grant Hill an "Uncle Tom?" Was Jalen Rose the poster-boy for what is wrong in Black America? Is Chris Broussard the "Black Ambassador?" Perhaps, and perhaps not...
On ESPN's 1st and Ten yesterday, NBA columnist, Chris Broussard responded to a two decade old comment made by Former NBA player and analyst Jalen Rose about his one time adversary Grant Hill. The comment, in which Rose called Hill an "Uncle Tom," for deciding to play at Duke University, has resurfaced in a new documentary about Rose's time playing in college at Michigan. Broussard used this opportunity exclaim his own interpretation of the situation and its reflection of larger Black American issues.
Broussard was a little "tiradical" in the clip. Sure, some of his points were right on, but he does not touch base on the whole truths. The debate over what is Black is an old one. My answer was always congruent with De La Soul's: "Black is Black."
A huge and complicated issue indeed, Broussard seems to get lost in his passion. Is he attacking the history and institutions that enslaved and oppressed Black people and planted the seeds of doubt in self worth? Is he attacking Black people? Is he attacking white people? He attacks rappers... Rappers that he usually gives dap to in the public forum as setting poor examples, but he doesn't attack the record companies that create and sign off on the image and message of these rappers. Why is that? Is Broussard an... "UNCLE TOM?"
I'm joking of course, and some of his examples do support his analysis, but not as thoroughly when you look at their entire circumstances. For instance, Broussard mentions the Cosby show and people's criticism of it not representing "Real" Black people. While the landmark television show may have represented some Black Americans, and certainly what we are all capable of, which created a positive image, it did not represent the life of most Black Americans. When one takes into consideration the status that the show went on to achieve in reaching people on a massive scale, world-wide, it is also viable to conclude that it helped many White Americans and foreigners develop an idea that we indeed did live in a "post-racial society" where Blacks were doing great. This of course was completely untrue for 90 percent of Black people in the early and mid 1980's.
I'm not knocking Broussard's effort to enlighten his viewers to his passion for the need of Black people to move past their identity and self-esteem problems, however, he doesn't talk about the exterior forces that perpetuate these problems. In addition, he goes on to comment about how brothas' who go to prison or who aren't there for their kids are the "real" race traitors, because they perpetuate negative stereotypes about the race...
Again, Broussard forgets to discuss the ramifications of living in a society whose institutions and basic socio-economic model have prevented universal upward mobility for its former slaves. With no other options, "Black" market economies become necessary to survival... Not to mention the fact that many Black men who receive prison sentences do so at far higher and more severe rate than their white counterparts. I could run down the statistics of Black economic power in America, or lack thereof, but most educated and integrated people recognize that American diversity concerning economic success is still "token" based. The rest of you feel free to make some more some minority friendships for more info (and that includes with women).
Personally, I understand why Rose made these comments... It was a period of great racial anxiety and division in America (not that we are ever two feet out of that door). He came from the inner city having nothing and watched these very select Black kids being let into what he considered to be the "all white club." Duke is a historical wealthy and racist institution.. It's hard to imagine these players at Michigan not having some real thoughts about Black kids choosing to play at Duke. Does this make Grant Hill an Uncle Tom? No. Was Jalen Rose wrong to say it? No. Don't the poor and under-privileged have an innate right to criticize the wealthy in any society that accepts extreme inequality? Isn't the price of being one of "The Haves" to deal with it?
Regardless, Broussard was not careful. When you have a soap box from which to reach a great many people, especially when acting as a spokesperson for your race, it is important to think about how your words (and the ones you omit) with impact others, not just how you hope they will. Broussard speaks from his heart and I respect that, but he is far more dangerous that Jalen Rose, because his diagnosis and his conclusions are half developed, whereas Jalen's were simply immature.
And that's how you know Chris Broussard is a sports writer talking about race and not a social scientist writing about sports.
Original video link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6224395
Monday, January 17, 2011
Martin Luther King Cries For Us
MLK DAY
Martin Luther King Cries for Us
"I woke up this morning with my mind set on freedom..." Today is Martin Luther King Day, how could I have not? My first urge of the day was to get online and check my email. I'm not sure what drove me to do so before my eyes had even had the chance to adjust to what seemed to be a beautifully sunny day, but generally I like to read my emails before Google has sent them to the government.
A former colleague of mine must have awoken in a similar condition, because my "in-box" contained an email familiarly titled "Remembering Martin Luther King Jr." I groaned, wondering if this would be a recycled urge of remembrance many of us have no doubt endured each year from our parents, teachers, and network television stations. But, then I remembered who had sent me the email and opened it with a renewed sense of curiosity. I'm glad I did.
I'm glad I did, because every now and then I forget... I don't forget the changes in compassion and responsibility that MLK helped inspire in the Americans who listened to his words and the truths they represented, but rather, all that we chose not to listen to, all of the changes we chose not to enact, and all of the responsibilities we still do not fulfill to the detriment of all.
The email contained a link and the link contained a web page with both an audio file and a transcript of a speech that Dr. King delivered on April 4th, 1967, at Riverside Church, right here in New York City.
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html
The speech was not about the little Black and White children of the south holding hands in peace and harmony, but far more reaching and dangerous. The speech was about all of the children of the world, and their parents, and everyone else holding hands in peace and harmony. It was against the war in Vietnam. It was against poverty. It was against imperialism. It was for peace and the love that makes peace possible.
If only I could have awoken on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a stretch and a yawn, and a glass of orange juice which I would lift to the sky in a toast to a world with less sorrow. A world with less mindless violence (even if it meant no "Rambo" part... whatever), with less hunger (even if it meant I was forced to eat my dinner leftovers each day for lunch), and more care for all life (I know, I know the U.S. GNP might suffer). What a day that would be...
As I read this speech, the parallels between the 1960's that Dr. King spokes of and our own time were almost too obvious... shockingly obvious. Poor Americans are still being sent to other countries to kill other poor people. Billions of dollars are being borrowed and spent on war under the guise of democracy creation. Simultaneously, millions still live in poverty here in the U.S., without health care, jobs, some even homes, and our own democratic rights are being stifled. All that's missing are some assassinations (good luck Obama) and a presidential impeachment (The Republicans once again control the house…). How can this be? How can the similarities be so clear and yet the people who were alive at that time and are still living have allowed it to continue? How did they allow us to get back to this place? Or perhaps we never moved past it?
My parents, and others from their generation, always talk about the 1960's like it was a moment of breath in a drowning world. They had so much hope back then... back before most of them got complacent, or acceptant. The youth of that time honestly believed that the world was changing for the better and many of them fought hard for that world and me, their future who would inherit it.
It seemed like a magical time even for those who gave their lives for this future. Hell, I actually grew up in a post-civil rights era in which the nostalgia for the 60's and their icons like King, and X, and Kennedy x2, convinced me that being a "Martyr" was a worthy career ambition.
But then again, watching the parallels of today moves me to wonder what they actually accomplished, these fighters of freedom and their murdered iconic leaders? We celebrate MLK day each year as if equality arrived and became as interwoven into the fabric of America as the racism and oppression that preceded it.
The Black people know better (except for maybe Justice Thomas and Bill Cosby), so do the Latinos, and the poor, and the "Gays" (the happy people? I don't get it... ), and the women, and don't forget the people who began their lives and cultural history on this land thousands of years before the first Africans and Europeans disembarked from their ships. And I haven't even begun on how the U.S. treats the rest of the world.
For many people, their first response to this line of thought seems to usually be something like the following: "But things are so much different and better now compared to what it was like before, don't you see that?" If this is your first response I have the following questions: Are you white? Are you wealthy? Are you male? I could go on. The farther you exist from the power norm the less likely you are to look at U.S. progress as "the glass is half full."
There is that old saying, "The time for justice is always now" (or maybe I just heard that in Denzel's, last movie, but either way it sounds good). For a man like MLK, the American glass of justice, of equality, compassion, love, and freedom, is not just half empty, it's almost been drunk dry! Where are we? How long will we wait?
The power of America has always been its people, if this was not true how could MLK even have a national day dedicated to his work? But the people like our parents, even if they still fight, are far less hopeful than they used to be, and our fellow "citizens" are less educated as to what that title means now than they were fifty years ago, a clear sign that all of our progress has not be progressive enough!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s true greatness came from his ability to remind "the people" that they had the power to create whatever world they would; all that was needed to change the world is courage. Not money, but courage. The truth is that what are really needed are visionaries with enough charm to gain followers. Isn't it sad how the ones who actually seem to care about everyone are the ones who usually die young? What a coincidence no one wants to take up the reigns...
How we could use a man like MLK today. He understood so clearly the idea that underlies all of the largest religions of the world; the true test of character of any person or nation continues to be in not how we treat our own, but how we treat others, whether they be enemies or simply a different shade of color from ourselves.
On this day of remembrance, I search within myself for the courage that King would ask of me. Courage, the only thing that I can see changing the wrong of the world into right, easing the suffering of billions of brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers of mine. Of yours.
Today is a day to honor not just one man, but what he stood for. It is the same thing that Mrs. Tubman stood for and that Gandhi stood for. It is the same thing that Buddha stood for, the same thing that Jesus stood for and all of the great leaders of women and men since we began this thing we call "civilization." Peace, love, unity, and freedom are all obtainable now. It only depends on how much courage each of us has...
On how much courage each of us is willing to have to give up a possession or two, in standing up and saying "NO" to oppression even when we benefit from it. Courage to stop wasting food and water, and the courage to pay higher taxes and vote on substance and not looks. Courage to hold onto the responsibility to never stop fighting for the struggle, and of course, the courage to forget that which could divide us in favor of what binds us together, without the fear that we will lose that which makes us unique and special; Courage not to feel we are better than others.
On this day Martin Luther King cries for us, his family. Let us honor him and all those who came before us and attempted to pave the way towards progress. Let us have the courage to make it so that there is no "glass is half empty/ glass is half full" discussion. Let us fill this glass, not with the tears of sorrow of our honored, but tears of joy.
Happy MLK day... let's try stretching it out a bit longer this year.
Daisun Cohn-Williams
Human
A former colleague of mine must have awoken in a similar condition, because my "in-box" contained an email familiarly titled "Remembering Martin Luther King Jr." I groaned, wondering if this would be a recycled urge of remembrance many of us have no doubt endured each year from our parents, teachers, and network television stations. But, then I remembered who had sent me the email and opened it with a renewed sense of curiosity. I'm glad I did.
I'm glad I did, because every now and then I forget... I don't forget the changes in compassion and responsibility that MLK helped inspire in the Americans who listened to his words and the truths they represented, but rather, all that we chose not to listen to, all of the changes we chose not to enact, and all of the responsibilities we still do not fulfill to the detriment of all.
The email contained a link and the link contained a web page with both an audio file and a transcript of a speech that Dr. King delivered on April 4th, 1967, at Riverside Church, right here in New York City.
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html
The speech was not about the little Black and White children of the south holding hands in peace and harmony, but far more reaching and dangerous. The speech was about all of the children of the world, and their parents, and everyone else holding hands in peace and harmony. It was against the war in Vietnam. It was against poverty. It was against imperialism. It was for peace and the love that makes peace possible.
If only I could have awoken on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a stretch and a yawn, and a glass of orange juice which I would lift to the sky in a toast to a world with less sorrow. A world with less mindless violence (even if it meant no "Rambo" part... whatever), with less hunger (even if it meant I was forced to eat my dinner leftovers each day for lunch), and more care for all life (I know, I know the U.S. GNP might suffer). What a day that would be...
As I read this speech, the parallels between the 1960's that Dr. King spokes of and our own time were almost too obvious... shockingly obvious. Poor Americans are still being sent to other countries to kill other poor people. Billions of dollars are being borrowed and spent on war under the guise of democracy creation. Simultaneously, millions still live in poverty here in the U.S., without health care, jobs, some even homes, and our own democratic rights are being stifled. All that's missing are some assassinations (good luck Obama) and a presidential impeachment (The Republicans once again control the house…). How can this be? How can the similarities be so clear and yet the people who were alive at that time and are still living have allowed it to continue? How did they allow us to get back to this place? Or perhaps we never moved past it?
My parents, and others from their generation, always talk about the 1960's like it was a moment of breath in a drowning world. They had so much hope back then... back before most of them got complacent, or acceptant. The youth of that time honestly believed that the world was changing for the better and many of them fought hard for that world and me, their future who would inherit it.
It seemed like a magical time even for those who gave their lives for this future. Hell, I actually grew up in a post-civil rights era in which the nostalgia for the 60's and their icons like King, and X, and Kennedy x2, convinced me that being a "Martyr" was a worthy career ambition.
But then again, watching the parallels of today moves me to wonder what they actually accomplished, these fighters of freedom and their murdered iconic leaders? We celebrate MLK day each year as if equality arrived and became as interwoven into the fabric of America as the racism and oppression that preceded it.
The Black people know better (except for maybe Justice Thomas and Bill Cosby), so do the Latinos, and the poor, and the "Gays" (the happy people? I don't get it... ), and the women, and don't forget the people who began their lives and cultural history on this land thousands of years before the first Africans and Europeans disembarked from their ships. And I haven't even begun on how the U.S. treats the rest of the world.
For many people, their first response to this line of thought seems to usually be something like the following: "But things are so much different and better now compared to what it was like before, don't you see that?" If this is your first response I have the following questions: Are you white? Are you wealthy? Are you male? I could go on. The farther you exist from the power norm the less likely you are to look at U.S. progress as "the glass is half full."
There is that old saying, "The time for justice is always now" (or maybe I just heard that in Denzel's, last movie, but either way it sounds good). For a man like MLK, the American glass of justice, of equality, compassion, love, and freedom, is not just half empty, it's almost been drunk dry! Where are we? How long will we wait?
The power of America has always been its people, if this was not true how could MLK even have a national day dedicated to his work? But the people like our parents, even if they still fight, are far less hopeful than they used to be, and our fellow "citizens" are less educated as to what that title means now than they were fifty years ago, a clear sign that all of our progress has not be progressive enough!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s true greatness came from his ability to remind "the people" that they had the power to create whatever world they would; all that was needed to change the world is courage. Not money, but courage. The truth is that what are really needed are visionaries with enough charm to gain followers. Isn't it sad how the ones who actually seem to care about everyone are the ones who usually die young? What a coincidence no one wants to take up the reigns...
How we could use a man like MLK today. He understood so clearly the idea that underlies all of the largest religions of the world; the true test of character of any person or nation continues to be in not how we treat our own, but how we treat others, whether they be enemies or simply a different shade of color from ourselves.
On this day of remembrance, I search within myself for the courage that King would ask of me. Courage, the only thing that I can see changing the wrong of the world into right, easing the suffering of billions of brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers of mine. Of yours.
Today is a day to honor not just one man, but what he stood for. It is the same thing that Mrs. Tubman stood for and that Gandhi stood for. It is the same thing that Buddha stood for, the same thing that Jesus stood for and all of the great leaders of women and men since we began this thing we call "civilization." Peace, love, unity, and freedom are all obtainable now. It only depends on how much courage each of us has...
On how much courage each of us is willing to have to give up a possession or two, in standing up and saying "NO" to oppression even when we benefit from it. Courage to stop wasting food and water, and the courage to pay higher taxes and vote on substance and not looks. Courage to hold onto the responsibility to never stop fighting for the struggle, and of course, the courage to forget that which could divide us in favor of what binds us together, without the fear that we will lose that which makes us unique and special; Courage not to feel we are better than others.
On this day Martin Luther King cries for us, his family. Let us honor him and all those who came before us and attempted to pave the way towards progress. Let us have the courage to make it so that there is no "glass is half empty/ glass is half full" discussion. Let us fill this glass, not with the tears of sorrow of our honored, but tears of joy.
Happy MLK day... let's try stretching it out a bit longer this year.
Daisun Cohn-Williams
Human
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