Accessories to Murder

I killed Troy Davis. You killed Troy Davis. Jim, John, Paul, Molly, Susie, and Lisa killed Troy Davis. Anyone who wanted him to be freed played a role in killing him. Honestly, the politicians did their jobs. I'm sure they all did their research. I'm sure they've known about this situation for the past 22 years. This story is almost as old as me. So why did I only hear about it within recent months. And why did it just hit twitter this week? Because the media, which is run first by people with money and secondly by people who don't look like Troy, doesn't care to give us a chance to help him. Let it be someone who will increase their ratings or the amount of newspapers they sell and I guarantee you will see it hit the front page. But too often the poor and/or the black don't keep up with the news. Why didn't politicians run on the promise, "I will make sure Troy Davis is freed?" Because we didn't press the issue. Don't rely on anyone but yourself to inform you of the issues that you should be concerned with. That's like me telling a grown man, "You need to eat your vegetables." Why should I have to do that? If you want to die, die. If you want to be taken for granted as a citizen who doesn't care about his future, don't read. Don't write your politicians. Don't vote. I called up to D.C. when I heard about this. But what else could I have done? I could have posted a blog post before today. I could have written a letter. I could have marched. I didn't. You didn't. None of us did.

One of my brothers said today, "Blacks from the 60's run circles around us... Us, with our degrees, Internet and black president." It is too true. We have all of these resources at our disposal but what do we do with them? Make horrible music, expect everything for free, and complain when people don't get freed from prison at will. Stuff takes work. It takes time. It takes dedication and, most of all, it takes sacrifice. We work so hard to make sure our kids have a comfortable future without realizing that money alone can't buy comfort in a political system that will still see them as second class citizens. So, yes, let's work our jobs like the yuppies that we are (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yuppie). But let's also keep the fight that our activist ancestors had. And that's for everyone, regardless of race. White people, your ancestors were activists too. Revolutionary war? Revolt. Confederate States of America? Fighting against a system you didn't believe in. Native Americans, activism can be silent and it is not always victorious. The Trail of Tears is a result of your activism. Japanese Americans, you all made America apologize for your internment during WWII. We were a nation of activist... so what the hell happened? We became a nation of involuntary accessories to murder.

Now watch most of you read this and not repost it. That's cool. That's why this cycle will continue. Are you a part of the solution or apart of the problem?

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

If Troy Davis Dies Tonight

The struggle of the masses
Is not race but class is
The truest issue facing those under God
Race is surface level... a facade
They blind us so we don't examine the true problems
Because then we would definitely be able to solve them
I can't and I won't act like race isn't a factor
But in comparison to wealth, race just doesn't matter
See, if I can pay for a good defense, I can pull an OJ
And if I can't, I'll be sitting where Troy Dave
Is, awaiting an execution with no foreseeable solution
But all this mental pollution
Has us thinking it's really about the color of his skin
When it's really about the skin that holds his money
Is it pleather or cowhide... This is so sad yet so funny.
From cow tail whips in Africa to cowhide leather that makes wallets to buy whips
Either way, if you're rich, the taste of death won't touch your lips
You cannot say that I am naive. No, I've thought this through
Race is an issue, but money is too
No, money is one and race is two
So if you're a rich black man, you're doing better than a slew
Of whites whose grandparents slaughtered our people
Because now, money, not race, is what makes you regal
Funny thing is, the love of money is the root of evil
So to wear a crown you must rock with d'evils
Social d-evols... Social devolution
And that is where I come to my conclusion
The white man is not the devil. Sorry to those who believe it
The rich man who lets money replace love, though you can't see it,
He is the devil... or at least a demon in service
So, ask yourself, when you make love to your money with your time, was it worth it?

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

The Content of my Character

I hate when people lock their cars when I walk by. Whether I have a suit on or a black sweat shoes, it always happens. Sometimes it makes me really self-conscious about my ability to succeed in America. I am a well-dressed man without any visible tattoos or indications that I would be a robber. I really want to walk up to a car and ask the driver what made them feel unsafe at that time but I feel like they'll take my approach as hostility. So I guess for the rest of my life I will be the well-dressed car jacker. Take a walk in my shoes.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Tell 'em Why You Mad Son!!!

Disclaimer: I know I am not racist. I have a lot of white friends who I know I can lean on and who are great people. I do not hate any race.

However I do have an immense hate for the system which has been put in place to perpetuate this white supremacist ideology. I hate the fact that my people, not only black but also those who are less well-off or impoverished, have such a hard road to travel. I need a change to come because I really want to have unconditional love for this nation, but right now it is far from where it needs to be.

Racism is no longer blatant but instead is institutionalized in the form of the SAT, ACT, and GRE which are culturally biased, the welfare system which cripples our people instead of providing is with assistance and instruction, the no child left behind legislation which rewards schools which perform at a high level and punishes those who really need the help, the legal system that targets young black men, and so on and so forth. We are no longer being lynched by men in white robes who burn crosses. Instead it is being done by those in black robes who hold gavels. And this lynching is not physical but instead systematic and cultural. This system is not working for me or mine but it is keeping the rich whites in power and that is why I hate it. I don't want a hand out (even though, America, you do owe me reparations). I just want the playing field to be even. I don't want to have to be better than the whites who I am competing with. But I do. So I will.

In short, I hate the system. But I will work it and I will change it, even if it is only a minor change. I am better than the stereotype and guess what? I'm going to show the stereotype that he is too. End of story.


Litera scripta manet. - Unknown

Equal Representation Under the Media

"'Cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight" ~ Tupac Shakur

Long time, no write. I’ve been so busy lately and have really neglected my blog. But here I am!

The other night, I was hanging out with my fraternity brothers and we were discussing the fact that we, as young black (for the most part) men, try to hold up a light in this nation through our scholarship, service, and chivalry. We are far from perfect, but we are on a daily quest toward perfection. I feel like, both in and outside of my fraternity, most young black men are positive people who want to lead successful lives and provide for our families. We are not all the deadbeat dads, wannabe rappers/hoopers (no offense to those who aspire to be artists or athletes), or criminals that this mainstream (white) culture paints us to be.

But anyway, I have digressed. As my brothers and I were discussing being a light on campus, we received a text from UNCG campus alerts saying “2 armed robberies occurred off campus. 2 B/M driving a red Nissan pkup. 1 wearing plaid shirt, short dreadlocks, armed with a silver handgun.” I was kind of frustrated when I saw this. Me and a few of the bruhs talked about it for a while. I expressed the sentiment that I am sick of the fact that we are constantly singled out by the system for criminal acts. So often, the picture is painted that we are savages who have to be tamed by whites. Those of us who are in college have been “well-trained” and are the exception to the rule, whereas those of us who continue to commit crimes are just expressing natural criminal-mindedness. I beg to differ. If we want to take that route, I would have to say that white people are naturally exploitive and lazy because they enslaved and raped the resources of numerous nations. But I try to stay away from thinking that the word “all” is expressive of any group because there are always exceptions to every “rule.” So why is my nation, the one that drafted my uncles into one war and my grandfather into another, continuing to paint a picture of me that says “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” If there are angry black men, it is because YOU made us this way. You is anyone in this nation, from me to Barack to George Bush to a member of the Klan. It is anyone who subscribes to any degree to the theory that blacks are inferior to whites. It is not possible to not subscribe to it at all because it has been beaten into our subconscious. All you can try to do is fight it now.

Now, the other side of this argument was given by my Dean; true, we’re not all like this, but we still have people who do the same thing time and time again. And I can’t deny that, even though we are disproportionately represented via the media and disproportionately targeted by the police, these crimes very often do happen. So now I must ask, are those of us who are black and privileged doing enough? I must say “No!” We are in the community, but we aren’t there enough. We are giving money, but we’re not giving enough. We are serving as mentors but we’re not serving enough. We have to give up more of a percentage of what we have because, aside from time, we as a whole have fewer resources than whites and we need more help. So, in the case where whites give 5% of their free time to serve at a soup kitchen or as a mentor, we have to give 20% because our need is that great. When they give 10% of their money to the Jack & Jill, we have to give 18% to UNCF because our need is that great. For every 2 times they invite their son’s underprivileged friend over for a play date, we have to invite our son’s underprivileged friend over 6 times so they know what it’s like to have that strong male influence. We have to get these crime rates and single parent rates and infant mortality rates and high school dropout rates down. I am appreciative of any person, regardless of race, who helps a needy person, but we have to hold our own people accountable too. Yesterday, my brother Isaac Brennan Horton said “The Bible says ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,’ so what are a few dollars.” Let’s keep that mentality when we’re giving back to others. Give more than you planned to, even if it’s only by 50 cents or 15 minutes. You never know how much help that could be.

Litera scripta manet. - Unknown