Monthly Archives: March 2012

Dawn Richard

Ever since Danity Kane, she’s been my favorite, and Terrance said it best, it’s like we’ve been on this great journey with her. From Danity Kane, to Diddy Dirty Money, and finally she get to her own. Today her EP ‘Armor On’ is released. her complete album ‘Golden Heart’ will be soon coming. But I’m SOOOOO excited for her. Can’t wait to see what’s ahead of her.

[untitled]

I’m a better writer than I am a speaker

So my thoughts will hit the paper

Before they come out of a speaker

As of late, my thoughts have been jumbled.

I don’t know whether to cry

Be angry and yell

Try to explain who and what I am to protect myself

Or just sit and observe this world wind of tragic events

That seem to sum this wondrous place we call America

To be Brown in America isn’t dangerous for you

But it’s a fatal for my little brother.

He has not a safe place to go.

We thought it was safe enough to send our children to school

But the dorm turns into the morgue after while.

They mistake our wallets for firearms,

So they bare arms against us, and take our lives.

Celebrating taking that next step,

Seems to be frowned upon in this establishment.

So we never make it to the next day to say ‘For better or for worse’.

But they say ‘Til death do us part’ for us…..

We’re not allowed to celebrate the dawn of a new year

January 1st means handcuffs and a hollow tip to the back.

The land of the free, and the home of the slave

The scent of death wafts just like grandmas peach cobbler

Scary to think that a killer can live a free life,

But those of us who work hard to live right

Can’t live at all.

I’m afraid for my nephews.

All four of them.

They have brown skin,

Which one of the most beautiful things God created.

But those who are afraid of that creation and the intelligence that accompanies it

Will automatically assume they are a stone cold, hard hitting monsters.

Like the men in the mirror.

We carried this country on our backs

And built it with our hands

But our children aren’t even good enough to walk it’s streets.

They’re such menaces to our societies

That they will see the coroner before they see commencement.

And that is a shame.

We have to do better.

And I mean EVERYBODY we.

Not just us Brown people

I mean we the people who put these other people in these big houses that ‘brown’ people weren’t allowed at one point.

We need to pick up books

Instead of letting what we need to know stay hidden

We need to build better relationships

With each other, and with the one who gave us this beautiful brown skin…

 

Please excuse my randomness….

But my thoughts sound better on paper than they do coming out of speaker.

Do I Look Suspicious?

Filmmakers from Newark,NJ gathered 30 males to lend their voice to speak out on the Trayvon Martin case and the way Black males are perceived in the media and society.

Written and Directed by Pierre M. Coleman @PierreMColeman
Director of Photography and Editor Dubois Ashong @DuboisAshong
Sound Design/Engineer Melvin Jones, Jr @MelloMel_PNF

I Am Him

I am 17

I have cocoa brown skin

I am your son, brother, cousin, friend

I was just on the phone with my girlfriend

There’s this man following me

I don’t know why

I only went to get some candy and an iced tea

It’s raining, so I have on a hoodie

Is he really that scared of me, that he has to stalk me?

This doesn’t seem right to me….

I’m just gonna keep moving, maybe he’ll just leave me be

Cause he can obviously see I’m not hurting anybody

Help! Can somebody please HELP!

Momma!! HELP!!!

Ma’am, can you tell me what’s going on?

I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t want to go out there

But you guys need to get here quick

BOOM!!

Silence…….

There goes my life

Now I’m a statistic

Now I’m a number on a chart

But I wasn’t even doing anything wrong

I was just visiting my father

I might have done kid stuff

But did you really need to kill me?

Face down, on the ground

There goes my life

And you could probably care less.

They told you to leave me alone

But you hunted me down anyway

There goes my next birthday

There goes my prom

There goes my graduation

There goes the dreams I will never realize

Thank you Mr Neighborhood watchman

thank you for protecting me

Thank you for making sure

That I would make it home safe

Thank you for making sure

That no one would hurt me

Thank….*exhale*

Do You Have Hoodie? #RIPTrayvonMartin

A few weeks ago, the social movement of the days was KONY 2012, and I will say that participated in it myself. But while that was full speed ahead, there was another tragedy going on at home. A 17 year old young man was sent to the store, but he never returned home. It was a rainy night, so he had on a hoodie. While he walked about to his destination, there was a volunteer neighborhood watchmen, by the name of George Zimmerman, who by this date had called the police 46 times about ‘suspicious’ characters in his gated community. While he spoke to the 911 operator, they told him, DO NOT follow Trayvon, but he followed him anyway. While George’s exchange with the operator, remarks were made like ‘these assholes always get away’ and names were called like ‘fucking coon’… After this conversation was had with the operator, Trayvon was shot. George said it was self defense, but the people who live in the area heard no such fighting or struggle. They did however hear a gunshot, then the crying of young man who was clearly in pain and crying for help.

 

 

At this moment, George Zimmerman IS NOT in custody. Is walking free just like the rest of us, which doesn’t make any sense to anyone else, outside of the Sanford Police Department. The case is being ‘investigated’ and the Police chief ‘temporarily stepped down’ because he felt like he was a ‘distraction in the case’.

 

This picture is a Facebook. A white family and neighbors wearing their hoodies in tribute. Underneath is the message they wrote Trayvon’s parents.

‘Dear parents of Trayvon Martin,
As a white mother of a white son, I do not pretend to know what you must be going through right now. I respect and honor our differences. My neighbors and I have taken these pictures because we want you to know that you are not alone. We have all wept for your son. We dress our children in hoodies because we want them to grow up to share the burden we feel. We want them to know that if a child or a group of children are not safe in this world then we are all responsible. We want them to know that today, at this moment, we are all Trayvon.
May God bless you and bring you comfort.’

It is so unfortunate that it takes the loss of an innocent child for people to realize the truth of the world we live in. Young black men will always be suspects. Even if they are only armed with an Arizona Iced Tea and Skittles. And you have some, like Geraldo Rivera, who have the nerve to blame Trayvon’s parents and his wardrobe choice for making his a suspect. The last time I checked, I have a countless amount of hoodies, and they were purchased to be worn. And that I will do. We, as a community are wearing them in solidarity and tribute to the memory of Trayvon. And at the same time making a statement and asking a question, ‘DO I LOOK SUSPICIOUS?’

 

 Muhammah Ali paying Tribute

‘Pretend It’s Obama’

So at a time when this country sees more racial tension than it cares to, Rick Santorum (One of this Elections best jokes) is on the campaign trail at a gun range practicing his shooting. A woman who is around, but a little far off from Santorum utters a comment that would make people really wonder. The woman says ‘Pretend it’s Obama’… Later on when the Santorum was informed of the woman’s comment, he said that he was glad that he didn’t hear her, and that he would never do so.

Later on he goes on to talk how he intends to be out GOP opponent Mitt Romney, who he calls ‘Obama-lite’. He says that his campaign is ‘exciting the nation’… All I can say is I’ve never been so offended and laughed so hard at a candidate at the same time. Santorum is said to easily win tomorrow’s primary in Louisiana. We shall see what happens….