Category: Culture

How to Overcome Racism in America

We are in dark times. The coronavirus pandemic. Police brutality. Riots. The Trump Presidency. We have stay at home orders. Unemployment is at an all time high. There are a lot of reasons to feel scared. The future feels uncertain. I want to look at this from a different angle. I want to offer reasons for hope.

The riots are a good sign. It means people are upset at a system that was already failing. It’s been long overdue for America’s racist institutions to revolutionize. That was a good step.

Now is the time for every American to recognize his or her own power. It’s one person, one vote. As terrible as his presidency has been, every American should be voting Trump out of office in November. That won’t happen. We won’t get everyone, but we can still win.

Also, we need to participate more in local elections. That is where a lot of the legislative and judicial battles are won. That’s where we can win the fight against police brutality and racist institutions as a whole.

As Blacks, we need to take our culture back. A lot of our music, movies and TV are stereotypical, offensive and harmful, especially mainstream rap music. That is not entirely our doing. A lot of times, the powers that be force entertainers to make a certain type of film, show or music out of their own racist agenda, which cannot be separate from the larger mechanism as a whole. But, we’ve got our own movie studios and record labels now. Artists have more freedom. We just need to recognize it and stop supporting trashy entertainment.

We need to improve education. Schools in the inner city are a travesty. We can fix that. Either we can give them more state funding or we can rezone schooling districts to distribute wealth more fairly or come up with a more even way to distribute money to schools than through property taxes. And curriculums have to change. We can no longer teach Black students their history starts as slaves. Don’t leave out the part where we were kings and queens in Africa. Again, a lot of this depends on voting. We need to support candidates with these platforms. A lot of independent charter schools are popping up. Let’s keep that up.

And, finally, we need to get wealthy. Studies have shown that the biggest factor which determines someone’s wealth in life is the wealth of their parents. White people got a major head start, no doubt. We weren’t even allowed to own anything. In fact, we were considered property. But, it’s 2020 now. There are wealthy Blacks out here who aren’t celebrities and they walk among us, hiding in plain sight. We should learn from them. Google is our friend. A lot of wealthy Blacks have blogs and YouTube channels teaching us how to do what they did. We should network within our community and take care of our own. Black Wall Street happened because O.W. Gurley bought the land in Tulsa and would only sell it to Black people. He was a free thinker, enterprising and proactive. In 2020, that’s the type of attitude we need. And, we need to stay strapped, in case racist Whites want to bomb us again.

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Remember Humanity

He was yet another brother gone too soon. What some people are forgetting is his humanity. By his family’s account, he was a man who meant so much to so many people. He was somebody’s father, son, brother and friend, etc. His death leaves a gaping hole in their lives. And what about his own dreams and goals? He will never achieve them.

Do not let the media desensitize you. Do not let America normalize murder for you. Black lives truly matter. Every innocent black man murdered by the police is a tragedy of monumental proportions. George Floyd could easily still be here. That officer had over 9 mins to take his knee off his neck.

Kaepernick tried kneeling. It’s time for all of us to take a stand whether we’re black, white, yellow or brown, etc. This is not just a black issue. It’s a human rights issue. The killing of innocent black men must stop because when it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us, no matter who we are. RIP George Floyd. You will be dearly missed. I pray your death doesn’t go in vain.

I Have a Dream that Black People Would Care about More than a Chicken Sandwich

It’s the 56th anniversary of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I know a lot of us may have forgotten amongst this chicken sandwich craze.

Dr. King’s life is truly evidence that one man can make a difference. Think about how different the world would be if MLK had chosen to fold and not take a stand. We might still be in segregation or worse. Who knows? The great thing is we will never know and us blacks can appreciate our closer to equal rights, nice cars, flat screen TVs, WiFi and iPhones just like our white brethren. And, of course, we can’t forget those chicken sandwiches.

On this anniversary, I challenge you to think about what differences you are making in your own life and then in your family’s and then in your community’s and then in your city’s and then in your state’s and then in your country’s and then in the world’s.

Our reach may not be as long as Dr. King’s but no man or woman is an island and we can all touch someone. We can smile at someone. We can give someone a kind word. We can give someone a meal. We can give someone a shirt. We can give someone shelter. There is so much we can do. I was taught the true measure of a Christian is not how much money or women he has but how many people he has helped.

Let’s imagine for a moment how scared Dr. King must have felt when he embarked on his Civil Rights journey. When he shared his vision, he faced a lot of rejection, initially. Most of the churches rejected his revolutionizing from the pulpit. But, slowly, they came around. Eventually, he captivated then nation, then the world.

His story gives me courage because I have faced a lot of rejection in my career. I have thrown events where nobody showed up. I have texted a bunch of promoters about DJing their parties and I still haven’t even gotten a text back. I’ve been through personal battles, struggles and death threats but I’m still here. I’m still spreading love and positivity because that is who I am and who I will always be. And, God willing, I will reach the mountain top of my desires. And, if I don’t, at least I can say I didn’t give up. Can you?

Either way, it’s all good, at least you had a chicken sandwich.

Die Hard

I’m a diehard Redskins fan, or at least I was. I don’t watch the NFL any more. I was so disgusted by the NFL owners’ response to Kaepernick’s kneeling protest that I couldn’t stomach watching any more games.

Let’s make this clear: Kaepernick was protesting police murdering black men with no just punishment. This should be an issue with no disagreement, yet somehow some people and the media turned it into an issue about the flag, the anthem and the military, when it was a military vet who told Kaepernick it would a respectful way to make a protest by taking a knee. Now, Kaepernick has been black listed and cannot play for an NFL team just for taking a stand to protect his life and lives like his, including my own.

Make no mistake, if you support the NFL owners, you are saying you don’t care if black men die. That is deplorable. You should be ashamed of yourself for your lack of compassion and human decency.

And don’t say it’s about the flag or the military. You probably passed by some homeless vets some time this week and didn’t even give them spare change. You probably haven’t written one email to your congressman about how terribly this country treats its vets. You don’t care about the military or its vets.

The fact is, you probably think some rich black NFL players should stop complaining about racism because it’s not a big deal any more. Well, genius, it is. Read a book or an article if you don’t believe me. There’s plenty. In case you forgot, black lives matter.

Treat people as individuals

Kids don’t see race when they play with each other. Racism is taught. It is programmed.

Whether they were white, Black, Latino, Asian or whatever, my interaction with people has been largely positive on this earth. My observation is people are mostly good and are just trying their best to be successful at this thing we call “life.”

I love all people. Jesus Christ said the greatest commandments are to love God with your whole heart, mind and soul and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. So, I do.

My last blogpost was too divisive. So, I deleted it. It was a reaction to that precious girl Nia Wilson being stabbed to death and not receiving timely justice. I don’t want people to get confused about my views on humanity, so I’ll state them here clearly:

I love all people of all races. I love my neighbor as I love myself. I believe most people of all races are good and kind-hearted people. I don’t believe in prejudice. I’ll give anyone a chance. People are not perfect, including myself. Everyone makes mistakes. But, most people are doing their best to be good. We should all do our best to share our blessings with each other and make the world a better place. We are all in this together.

I figured out a long time ago, if we all have a ripple effect on the world, we might as well affect things positively. So, that’s what I plan to keep doing and keep influencing others to do as well.

Just Do It

There is no “try.” There are only “do” and “do not.” In life, you can either have results or excuses. Live a “no excuses” lifestyle and get results. It can be tempting to fall into a pattern of “I should have,” “I would have,” “I could have,” “but…” mentality, but that’s all you would have; shoulda, coulda, woulda’s.

To achieve success, you must go through the fire. Success comes through sacrifice, pain and hard work. Growth happens when you push yourself outside your comfort zone.

Don’t be afraid to fail. With nothing ventured, there is nothing gained. No risk, no reward. You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take. If you don’t approach that pretty girl at the mall and talk to her, you can’t get her phone number. You can’t get the job if you don’t fill out the application. You can’t even win the lottery unless you buy the ticket.

Remember, there is no such thing as failure, only lessons. Also, it can be dreadfully painful living a life you didn’t want not knowing what your life would have been if you had gone for it. And even if you don’t get the results you want, you will be happy that you at least made the attempt.

So the moral of this piece can be summed up in three words:

Just do it.

Dear Black Diamond, Dear Black Gold

We were robbed of the most precious thing of all: the knowledge of who we are, which is kings and queens of the continent with the most natural resources of all, Africa, the Motherland, and as its people we are its greatest resource. Our value could never be quantified on a slave auction block, although they tried. We hail from Africa. Each African is worth more than the most precious Sierra Leone diamond and the purest gold from Ghana.

The African soul stretches back to the beginning of time to the depths of the universe. Everything is contained within us and nothing exists without us.

The power intrinsic to our being is that of the mighty lion or a deity. The hips, thighs, breasts and womb of our women give life to us all and nurtured civilization. We are the original Hebrews of the Bible, the chosen people, with Bronze skin and hair like wool like the God, Jesus Christ. Perhaps that’s why they hated us. They hated him too. And they hate us still.

Yet, still…

We live, laugh, love.

That is Black. That is beautiful.

We overcome every obstacle. From the first black US president Barack Obama to the drug dealer on the corner, from Oprah Winfrey to ladies of the night walking the street, we were fearfully and wonderfully made. The only difference between those two living legends and the people on the street is that they recognized their own power and acted on it.

My dear black human being reading this right now I challenge you to recognize your own power, which is infinite. You are a child of God. Your inheritance is the kingdom. Love God, love yourself and love your neighbor and watch your blessings flow. They might try to put us down and deny our reality as royalty but I’m reminded of an old African proverb:

“The tale of the hunt will glorify the hunter until the lion can tell its tale.”

And better still…

“The mighty lion is still a lion by any other name.”

So, to close this piece I have a just few more requests:

Stay strong.
Stay beautiful.
Stay royal.
Stay black.

And, thank you for being wonderfully, fearfully, you.

M.O.B.

I recently had a friend complain to me that all women are gold diggers. He’s partly right. But, why are you mad, bro?

But, for real, being mad at women for liking money is like being mad at men for liking a pretty girl with a nice rack and a booty. It’s not fair to be mad at that, right? It’s just how we’re all wired. It’s human nature. How are you going to be mad at a girl for being a girl? They just like the safety, security and luxury that money provides for the most part.

Men with money and beautiful women go hand in hand. They say prostitution was the first profession. Ever heard of a trophy wife?

Let me spoil the suspense for some of you. There is no such thing as unconditional love. EVERY relationship is a mutually beneficial arrangement. When people’s needs aren’t being met, they seek fulfillment elsewhere. Fellas, if you really want a bad chick, stop chasing women, get your money up and you won’t have any problems.

M.O.B. (Money Over Bitches) is a mantra for a reason. I don’t mean to objectify women by saying that, but I’m definitely not going to put them on a pedestal because even they wouldn’t like that.

On the flip side of that coin, a woman needs to do something to inspire her man to provide for her. Is she fulfilling her role as a helper, the proverbial rib, per sei, and taking care of her man’s needs, i.e. giving good spiritual, emotional and moral support, cooking, cleaning, putting it down in the bedroom, taking care of the kids if you have them, etc? Remember, I said mutually beneficial. Men and women both have needs. If you’re not fulfilling his needs, why should he fulfill yours?

I should be selling this game and not giving it away for free!

God’s Children

Can you spot God’s child?

Hint: They’re raising their hands!

Let us rejoice in the fact that, as human beings, we are all God’s children!

“3 The Father has loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children. The reason the people in the world do not know us is that they have not known him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is. 3 Christ is pure, and all who have this hope in Christ keep themselves pure like Christ.”
– 1 John 3:1-3

Man, Woman, Transgender, Black, Latino, Asian, White, straight, gay, etc, we are all people. We are all God’s children. Unfortunately, we live in a society that tries to devalue us. This society sometimes tells us we are things that we are not and does not call us by our true name, God’s children.

Society sometimes tells us blacks that we are subhuman. It sometimes tells women they are inferior or objects. It sometimes tells gays they are condemned. It sometimes tells Muslims they will not be saved, and so on and so forth.

My message today is that we are loved, all of us. I talk a lot about race on this blog because that is something I personally deal with and have studied, so I feel a sense of authority in speaking on that topic. But, to not address the issue that we are all human beings and that we are all in this together would miss the point entirely.

I don’t know how it is in the rest of the world, but the media attack people’s self-esteem on a regular basis in the USA. Magazines can make women feel ugly. The news can make blacks feel like criminals. Movies can make all of us feel uncool by comparison to Hollywood actors. The list goes on.

My goal in this post is to help you, the reader, realize who you really are or offer a gentle reminder of your priceless value: You are God’s child.

“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
– John 3:16

I don’t know anyone else’s life. The fact is I’ve never even walked a mile in anyone else’s shoes. All I can speak on is my life and what I know and the truth is I found grace in my life through accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. I didn’t do anything to deserve grace. It was completely unearned. But, once I opened my heart to accept God’s love, I felt the Holy Spirit and it changed me. All praise and glory go to God.