Eyes Wide Shut

The concept of men are from Mars and women are from Venus first coined by John Gray in 1992, has been a broad thesis of the sexes pinning unrealistic expectations and understanding on each other since the beginning of time. No matter the religion, or ideology of a higher power being in control of our predestined lives on this spinning shere called Earth, men and women have had a warped understanding, and assanine expectations of one another, often stamping  the entire species mutually as untrustworthy. Lemme break it down in really simplistic terms, Men are PHYSICAL beings, and Women are EMOTIONAL beings, point blank, no questions about it. It's in our makeup as humans,and honestly without the diversity of us, this would be a world of angry mufukas on both sides. Take a look throughout history at any so called righteous man that walked the EARTH, and at some point in time, he made an irrational decision involving a woman, and it usually involved him trying to sleep with many women or some type of fuckery involving his concubines. Now on the flip side of things, women throughout history have taken the same irrational decision making stance, but they mainly were surrounded by her having deep emotional ties to a man and sticking by him even when she knew it wasn't for her well being. The complexity of our differences is what makes finding a soulmate, or life partner such a big deal. The 60% divorce rate in this country does not come by surprise, mainly because unrealistic expectations always leads to failure. Trying to foresee each others thoughts and actions will always be counterproductive. My great grandparents stayed together for over 60 years, not because they were superheroes or some shit, it's because they understood the concept of friendship, which was the catalyst that drew them together . That union which brought them together, never faultered with time, other people, nor circumstance. My great grandad would say, "Boy you better hold out, like you started out", which meant, If yall always went to the movies every Friday night, damnit after five years when the comfort, and the pointless "I Love You" comments die down, you better remain friends.

We may never truly understand each, and our ideals, motivations, and drive may always be miles apart from one another, but we need each other. There is not a such thing as the perfect man, or the perfect wifey, and if you have this backwards ass thinking I can damn near garauntee you a life of loneliness, and Twitter After Dark fantacies. Respect our individuality, and never brush off that approach from him/her because good people still exist amongst us. If you continue to walk around with your walls up, unapproachable, angry, and untrusting, due to someone in your past or a former relationship, you are cheating yourself from happiness and a bond everyone diserves to make it in this crazy ass world. And if your pump fake psychic ability was so keen to start with, you wouldn't be in the situation you found yourself in last time. Independence is cool, but having a partner makes things much better.

Sundiata Acoli

Sundiata Acoli (born in 1939, as Clark Edward Squire), a New Afrikan political prisoner of war, mathematician, and computer analyst, was born January 14, 1937, in Decatur, Texas, and raised in Vernon, Texas. He graduated from Prairie View A & M College of Texas in 1956 with a B.S. in mathematics and for the next 13 years worked for various computer-oriented firms, mostly in the New York area. During the summer of 1964 he did voter registration work in Mississippi. In 1968 he joined the Harlem Black Panther Party and did community work around issues of schools, housing, jobs, child care, drugs, and police brutality. In 1969 he and 13 others were arrested in the Panther 21 conspiracy case. He was held in jail without bail and on trial for two years before being acquitted, along with all other defendants, by a jury deliberating less than two hours. Upon release, FBI intimidation of potential employers shut off all employment possibilities in the computer profession and stepped-up COINTELPRO harassment, surveillance, and provocations soon drove him underground. In May 1973, while driving the New Jersey Turnpike, he and his comrades were ambushed by N.J. state troopers. One companion, Zayd Shakur, was killed, another companion, Assata Shakur, was wounded and captured. One state trooper was killed and another wounded, and Sundiata was captured days later. After a highly sensationalized and prejudicial trial he was convicted of the death of the state trooper and was sentenced to Trenton State Prison (TSP) for life plus 30 years consecutive. Upon entering TSP he was subsequently confined to a new and specially created Management Control Unit (MCU) solely because of his political background. He remained in MCU almost five years, … let out of the cell only ten minutes a day for showers and two hours twice a week for recreation. In September 1979, the International Jurist interviewed Sundiata and subsequently declared him a political prisoner. A few days later prison officials secretly transferred him during the middle of the night to the federal prison system and put him en route to the infamous federal concentration camp at Marion, Illinois, although he had no federal charges or sentences. Marion is one of the highest security prisons in the U.S., also one of the harshest, and there Sundiata was locked down 23 hours a day …. In July 1987 he was transferred to the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. In the fall of 1992, Sundiata became eligible for parole. He was not permitted to attend his own parole hearing and was only allowed to participate via telephone from USP Leavenworth. Despite an excellent prison work, academic and disciplinary record, despite numerous job offers in the computer profession, and despite thousands of letters on his behalf, Sundiata was denied parole. Instead, at the conclusion of a 20 minute telephone hearing, he was given a 20-year hit, the longest hit in New Jersey history, which dictates that he must do at least 12 more years before coming up for parole again. The Parole Board’s stated reason for the 20-year hit was Sundiata’s membership in the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army prior to his arrest, the receipt of hundreds of “Free Sundiata” form letters that characterized him as a New Afrikan Prisoner of War, and the feeling that the punitive aspects of his sentence had not been satisfied and that rehabilitation was not sufficiently achieved. The real reason for the 20-year hit is to attempt to force Sundiata to renounce his political beliefs and to proclaim to the world that he was wrong to struggle for the liberation of his people.



Write Sundiata Acoli:

Sundiata Acoli #39794-066 (Squire)

P.O. Box 1000

FCI Otisville

Otisville, NY 10963-1000

Black Power Defeated by HIPHOP

From the moment Stokley Carmichael (Kwame Ture) grabbed the mic and yelled Black Power! the phrase has struck fear in the heart of white America. Not that they were overly concerned that we posed some sort of military or economic threat, as the white power structure had those two options on "lock" but the possibility that the phrase would galvanize the masses of Black youth to action. Motivating them to do more than get their groove on Saturday night and their praise on Sunday morning sent chills up the spines of those who had a vested interest in holding the Black community down. Something had to be done to destroy this uncompromising desire for FREEDOM, JUSTICE and EQUALITY.

The blackploitation movies of the 70's were a good try as they served as a funkier alternative to the Black Nationalist struggle. However, even the pimps and pushers were Struggling against "the man." AlsoBlack Power, during that period, the blood of the Black Panthers and our other martyrs was still fresh on the pavements of many neighborhoods of Black America.
So the weapon of choice was a movement of young Black teenagers who had developed a system of organization that could do anything from educate children about the historical struggle of African people to turning the deadliest gang rivalry into a break dance competition.
First, the power structure tried to ban rap music altogether by strengthening indecency laws in states where rappers performed and forcing them to place parental guidance stickers on their albums. But the contradiction of having those who have robbed, killed and murdered every culture on the planet serving as morality police was too much to swallow. Also problematic was the fact that to them the members of the 2 Live Crew and Public Enemy were interchangeable. So they fell back on their old standard "if you can't beat them, corrupt them." It was not an overnight, hostile takeover but a slow, cunning infiltration, kind of like the annoying scratchy throat that you ignore until it has you sick in bed for two weeks. By then it is too late.

What arose was a Hip Hop nation that held no allegiance to the Black Nation. The Hip Hop nation became all-inclusive, accepting anyone regardless of race, class, religion or political views. If you had 15 dollars to buy a CD and could imitate the style of dress from glossy magazine covers, you could be down too.
There is a saying in Afrocentric circles that when the European missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land and when they left, we had the Bible and they had the land. In terms of Hip Hop, when the white missionaries in the form of corporate executives came to the `hood they had the 20 inch rims and Courvoisier and we had the music, when they left, we had the rims and Courvoisier and they had the music. We traded our dashikis for Rock-a-Wear, our African medallions for platinum chains and our souls for a moment to shine in front of white America. As it is said, we crossed over and couldn't get black. Black Power became an example of racism in reverse and a term that should have gone out with the Afro pick.
Hip Hop should serve as the background music for the Black Nation and should be heard pumpin' through speakers at every uprising, protest, or demonstration.
However, the forces, which control Hip Hop, have taken measures to make sure that the Hip Hop Nation and the Black Power Nation never unite. While most rappers would swear on their mammas' graves that they are in control of their Hip Hop destinies, I can not help to think that behind the back stage curtain at every rap concert is an old white "Wizard of the `Hood" carefully manipulating the lives of our children.
What we have here is a failure to communicate; a conversation that never happened. A dialogue between the Black Nation and the Hip Hop Nation has been skillfully blocked by the white power structure. While talk shows often pit Harvard educated, middle class journalist, Bob Smith against straight up gangsta, MC Cut Throat, I have yet to see a debate between "MC Cut Throat" and straight up Black militant, revolutionary, "Bro. Shaka Zulu."
We must not be afraid of alienating our children (as many of them cannot become more alienated, anyway) by engaging them to observe Hip Hop against the back drop of the struggle for Black LIBERATION. As many of them pride themselves on being the "realist" and shocking white America with their lyrics that talk loud and say nothing, we must teach them of the ancestors who were really controversial and were rewarded with a bullet in the head or noose around their necks and not heavy rotation on a radio station.
We must not be afraid to use the term "anti-afrikanism" in describing some of the disrespect that white corporate America gives us in the guise of entertainment. While it may be too early to grill Lil Bow Wow on his views on the mental genocide of Afrikan people, it is not only proper, but also our responsibility, to engage 30 something year old Black men on their views on colonialism. If they are able to tell our children about the correct way to sell crack or murder another Black man, the issue of white supremacy should not intimidate them in the least.

Although many would like to write off the age of Black Consciousness as a lost era; if you walk outside on a warm summer night, after the last video has played on BET, if you listen closely you can still hear the voices of the ancestors shouting black power, Black Power, BLACK POWER!

Brother's Keeper

What is it with us? Why do we kill each other at a rate that's disproportionately higher than that of other people? Sure, we've heard the excuses before - that we're prone to crime, violent by nature, and poor and oppressed - but what are the real causes?
Here we are, in 2010, countless articles & news reports later, and our precious communities are still in a state of distress. It appears that the problem of black on black crime doesn't seem to be improving, but rather steadily getting worse by the day. But what's really going on?
It's apparent to this observant eye that more often than not we're acting out the way we're expected to act -- that is, fulfiling a role in society that has been decided upon and encouraged by people other than us. All we need to do is look at the television or listen to the radio to experience the sobering statistics or the self-hating bullshit that now passes as black entertainment on the evidently racist major networks to confirm this fact. Thuggishness and gangsterism, misogyny, brutality and ignorance have become synonymous with black life in the eyes of many, both inside and outside of our communities, as a result of both our actions and of corporate Amerikkka's sanctioning and glorification of negative imagery and behavior. Our worst attributes are always awarded, paraded and celebrated by those whose job it is to keep us in a state of distress. Harsh, you say? Hardly. Fear of non-whites is big business in Amerikkka, and shows like COPS and virtually any news broadcast aid in the manifestation of that fear and the acceptance of its remedies - increased police presence, new prison construction and the passage of tougher laws. Besides, do you think black life really matters to them? That they care if we kill each other off?

Understand that our focus and priorities need to change, and that nobody can be relied upon to care about us but us. This should be obvious to all of us by now. Things that many of us seem too often to be concerned with (game, pimpin', the life, etc.) are of little importance to others. So let me say it for the record - fuck game. Do you think the bank, the phone company or a prospective employer care about game? Care about pimpin'? Life goes on without it. And while game may make you cute in the eyes of shallow folks, nowadays what you know is more important than how you look or act. Contrary to popular belief, nigga-slick is out of fashion. Only through education and hard work will we move beyond simply surviving to success.
But back to the point. While the violence we see and hear on TV, films, and in black music remains a contributing factor that keeps us on our self-destructive path, it is by no means the sole reason. Many of us have a pent-up rage that easily triggers aggression -- aggression that often results from a combustible blend of cultural and racial baggage that many of us carry. What we need to do now is break out of the mold of acting out in ways expected of us. Angry black men without focus aren't a threat to anyone but themselves, and have become the targets of ridicule by those outside of our communities. Again, who cares if we kill each other off? We must care.

It can be argued that black life is viewed by many as being worthless, and it should come as no surprise that many studies have confirmed that the punishment blacks receive when the victims of violent crime are white is far more severe than if the victims are black. Add to this the lack of opportunity, sense of deprivation, powerlessness and alienation that many of us experience since birth and the picture becomes all-too-clear -- that society is not set up for our benefit. We have to make our own way, and in order to get there we must first respect ourselves and each other. Easier said than done, you say? Why? Everything is easier when we get along, especially since it appears that many others don't want us to. The name of the game now is to be focused. Stay focused on not only the present, but on your future too. How many young folks today can't envision themselves older than 25? How many plan for the future at all?
The devaluation of black life by systematic racism and the media has encouraged many of us to have disrespect for life and to act out our aggressions onto others -- often with the victims being women and other black males. When this happens, we all lose.

And what about gangs and drugs? The introduction of crack cocaine by the CIA into our communities during the 1980's made black youth gangs bigger and more dangerous than they had ever been before. The illicit profits of drug trafficking provided, and continues to provide, vicious incentives for those of us without direction, immediate opportunity or hope to murder ourselves. In fact, much of the recent escalation in the murder rates can be directly traced to busted drug deals, competition over markets, disputes over turf and bruised egos. So what must we do? We must take responsibility, first and foremost, for both ourselves as individuals and as a collective. We must understand that our brothers and sisters are not our enemies. Again, we have no one to look out for us but us. When you see wrong, speak on it. Intervene. Reach out to your friends and family if they are at risk, and be receptive to other people's points of view if you are feeling like violence is your only alternative. You might just save your life or the life of someone you know.

THE GAME IS RIGGED

Professor Griff discussing occult rituals in hip hop part 1