#iCantbreathe

So I typically refrain from posting literary reactions to certain situations until I am properly informed.  While I appreciate the immediate emotional reaction of the country to recent current events, as an African American women, who may one day be a mother of an African American male, it frightens me to know that some of us are only down for the cause for now...And the rest of us will never be down for the cause unless it hits us right in the face.  So what do you do?  And that is the question that has been baffling me for days.  Solution unknown...

I have great pain in my heart and tears pour from my spirit for the individuals who have lost and will continue to lose loved ones to senseless acts and abuse of power.  The pain of loss in the families of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin and a host of others not televised is something they will have to endure for a lifetime.  And for them, and potentially for me #icantbreathe.  I ask God to order my steps and give me insight to how I should assist in any way with developing a solution for a remedy for the misconception and misunderstanding of the message, and while it is true there is no peace where there is injustice, the flaws of the legal system are at the fault of the nation for not taking the freedom to vote and educate ourselves seriously.  We are the change that we seek, but we have to be about the change more than just in death situations.  We have to want to build the foundation for justice in our individual goals and dreams.  Too often we get a glimpse of one side of what life is like in the eyes of the celebrities we deem "iconic" and exhaust ourselves modeling our efforts on trying to be at the top and look down.  Inferiority is a state we impose on ourselves.  Inferiority is a state that we have control of eliminating.

I can't breathe
For the lives loss to injustice
For the peril sustained

No peace 

Yet we seek

Uniformity

Protest

When progress 

Is held in the actions of us

The fight for communal growth

Prosperity
We are the key 

We 

Us

You

Me 

And until we understand 

Our actions effect everyone

Or someone 

At given points in time 

We won't 

Get the message 

So for you 

For them 

And for me 

I can't breathe 

Until consciousness dwells

In the hearts and minds 

Of the individuals injustice finds 

And the goal 

Is universal 

People 

Who recognize the power 

To change

Encourages 

Justice

For us 

One day

What happened to the Innocent?... TRUTH SPEAK SERIES

I fear that children are being robbed of their innocence everyday, so I seek to explore explanations that could explain the why and maybe encourage change.

Everyday our children are playing reckless video games, flipping through channels and catching glimpses of or watching light pornography (on commercials and television shows) and/or overhearing adult conversations; yet, we expect that they are "unaware" or "don't know" anything!  Yet, we don't realize that we are implanting questions for children to seek answers to.  So children Goggle searches encompass looking for answers to things that we have shown them, but that we dare not explain because we feel like they are "unaware" or "it isn't time" for them to know.   So the question then becomes why are we so unaware of the fact that we are robbing them of their innocence by assuming we can show them things and not explain?

Is it that we are so disconnected, allowing our children to be raised by television or the internet, that we don't realize that keeping them innocent means moderating what they absorb.  Being aware of what we put in their faces.  Being mindful and open to moderating the answers to the questions in their minds.  Not occupying them with trash so that we can get some "free time"!  Unfortunately we assume that when we give children an iPad, laptop or iPhone that they will not explore it.  These devices come with parental controls for a reason.  We have to stop assuming our children won't find the answers we won't give them.

When something new is brought to our attention most often we seek to gain greater understanding.   As parents, we can not assume that our children will remain innocent even when being presented with  new questions and tools to help research those questions.  Parents seem to be less involved, or unconcerned, meaning children turn to the internet and television for answers.  When they see or hear the word kiss, the children of this generation will naturally "Google" it to figure out what it is.  Just think of how many questions our children encounter each day, with consideration to the total number of hours children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren watch television or surf the web.  Consider the notion that if your not answering those questions, who is?

Times have truly changed.  I remember as a child I spent my time playing games outside, swimming, roller skating, playing tennis or watching movies (approved and purchased by my parents).  I got electronics at the age of 11 or 12 but before that, I was more active than not.  I truly had no questions regarding sex until I was exposed to it.  I had no questions regarding sexuality because I was never confronted with it.  Now I was also an explorer and an inquisitive child.  But most of the time I spent taking things apart, trying to figure out what's inside, or how it works. Surprising that I wasn't an Engineer because that is what intrigued me most.  But I also didn't have the world wide web readily available at that time.  And I'm certain most of these children wouldn't know how to find their way around a library if you held their hand.  Or do any type of "real research" that doesn't involve a computer.

When we know all of this, the question becomes why are we ignoring it.  Why are we allowing ourselves to operate under the notion that we are NOT to blame for the lack of innocence in our children?  We can't place blame on one individual, as it has to be a collective change.  Even though my parents tried hard to preserve my innocence there were certain things I was exposed to, too early that were imposed on me.  As a child I mimicked what I was told or shown; and unfortunately that is a part of my past that I can not erase.  But I have made a decision to accept my circumstances and try to break the chains of miseducation and individuals exposing children to things too soon.

Euphony

Probably hard for me to put it in words....

Euphony
What I hear in absolute silence
Innocent laughs
Free smiles
Harmony
The wind blowing through the trees
Utopia

Hood Love... TRUTH SPEAK SERIES

A little short story to help illustrate the idea behind this post's message.

He stood out on the corner from 4 pm until 6 am everyday.  He attended to his block.  He made sure no one interrupted his business.  He was the man for 14 hours.  The hood feared him for 14 hours.  His feens worshipped him for 14 hours.  His competitors hated him for 14 hours.  He stood on guard for 14 hours.  Minding his business but watching his back, alone.  Had more than he needed, but greed fed his determination.  So day in and day out, he found what he thought was love in a hopeless place.  He found levels to life in a new space.  He lost himself a little bit every day.  Because he didn't know what he was searching for in the first place... 

by: AudriWrites

*****

Hood love is what it implies, love obtained from the hood.  Love itself is such a powerful emotion that it builds bonds that can withstand a lifetime.  Bonds like no other.  When you grow up disadvantaged or lacking love, you tend to flock to whatever makes you feel like it loves you in return.  Even when you don't even know what "love" is.  Without knowledge of what "love is" it is easily misinterpreted and misappropriated.

Men, women and children who live and die for or in the streets of his/her hood, do so because that is the only place they ever felt what they perceived to be love.  But what type of love is it that they think they've gained?  When your naive you think that your "brothers" and "sisters" who understand what you lack, know how to love you.  How could they possibly know how to love you, when they have never been loved and/or don't understand what love is?  One must be able to understand it, in order to recognize it.  If you truly understood what love was, you would know that "hood love" is selfish love.  Hood love looks out for your best interest, only when your best interest coincides with it's own.    So who is really looking out for you?

Love, I have defined several times, but, in short it is an unconditional gesture of faith, adoration, honesty and humility that brings peace.  Anything that requires you to be unsettled (continuously on guard), unsafe or idolized possesses no love.  Love doesn't allow you to play on the weak for personal gain.  If you loved your hood, you wouldn't contribute to its demise.  If you loved your hood you would not place the crack, in the mouths of the people who you "love" or who "love" you.  You wouldn't stifle your community.  If you knew what love was you would not allow yourself to turn the other cheek or to be so gullible.  So blinded by the what's right in front of you.  You wouldn't ignore your moral compass and you would do "right" and seek to understand love.

So, now that you understand that "hood love" is a term that is conveniently used to describe individuals who have lost their way.  Individuals who do not claim ownership of their contribution in the demise of their people.  And individuals who seek personal gain at all costs.   You know now that the hood never loved you.  That is an irrational thought implanted by more of those who misunderstand, misinterpret and misappropriate love.   So, I encourage you to be the change.  Stand for the community.  Learn to love the way love was meant to be, unselfishly.

History Pt. 2 Racism & the "Right Now"

I want to make sure I acknowledge those who take activism seriously.  I always appreciate passionate individuals who live fighting for what they believe the world should be.  I often wonder because most activist focus on things they want to change, if they get caught up in all that is wrong and have a hard time acknowledging how far we have come?  I don't believe acknowledging progress takes away from the cause, but I think acknowledging progress allows you to be able to take pride in the impact of your work.  I see stories every day of people doing great things for other people (regardless of race), but sometimes we get caught in generalizing behavior that it forces us to look at the world in the wrong way.

So ask yourself the following question: Is every "white" person in the US racist?

For me it is all about perception.  We are individuals.  PERIOD.  We generalize behavior but we can not say with extreme certainty that everyone of a certain race is racist.   My ancestors paved the way for forward thinking, acceptance and love in spite of transgression and discrimination and  showed unbreakable strength, courage and determination.  White ancestors proved to be an example of what NOT to believe or how not to treat others in the name of God.   Essentially lessons of what NOT to do.  While my ancestors were an example of who to be in spite of oppression.  I walk proud knowing how far we have come.  I am sure some of my "white" peers do the same.  Those who have no motivation to hate or oppress because of the simple fact that it is morally wrong.  I walk around assuming everyone is good, until they prove otherwise.  Call me naive all day, but I don't believe in assuming the worst of people until they do something to make believe otherwise or discernment kicks in.  I do believe that some people get so focused on their goal and the passion of fighting for injustice, that its quite often all they see.  And unfortunately negative views are often misconstrued.

There have been several incidents in the news publicized to get us focused on the abuse of power of police officers.  And I am one who believes there are definitely issues with officers abuse of power, my concern, however, is that officers' abuse of power has been going on for years, yet we are seeking justice for it now...  What happened to all the other individuals who died at the hands of injustice that were not publicized for us?  What happened to all of those who died at the hands of unjust law/officers right in front of us?  We are active now though...  We are pro CHANGE now, but what's the motivation?  Is it really that we have had enough?  If that is the case shouldn't we have had enough of killing one another?

CHANGE and FIGHT should have started from the beginning.  No one ever deserves to die unjustly.  Had we been actively watching these stories in the media, gathering data by tracking the statistics and taking action by advocating for all families involved and/or using each situations as a foundation of change (one state at a time), we would be more optimistic.  The future wouldn't seem so dim.

While I advocate for the families of those individuals we have loss due to this type of violence and I support the movement of "all lives" matter (which encompasses "black lives"), I can not understand why all of a sudden the news decision to feature repeatedly feature these stories acts as a motivator.  We should have already been motivated to take action/take a stand on this issue.  While it can be argued that the media may have had it's own agenda, I would like to think they were trying to get an organic view of the true frustration of the families and people impacted by injustice.

So when all is said and done and (thinking forward) when action is taken to revamp the assessment of officers and deputies of the law, what next issue will we be presented?  What other "right now" cause will gain our interest?  Will racism still be as prominent?  Nothing is certain, but I do believe that if we gave self-awareness and accountability the same consideration, attention and action as we do these "right now" causes, the world just may be a better place.