#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

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.

The Miseducation of America

Million dollar question:  Why is it that most schools are ranking students abilities by assessment tests that are composed with one particular ideal student (for a particular grade) in mind, when children in schools learn on different levels?  I find it incredibly odd that the same schools that I once learned in, are now not so focused on the education of its students, but more so the student's ability to test.

I remember when I was a student (and this was as early as Kindergarten for me) that I was identified as a "Gifted and Talented" student (not sure what they are calling it now a days).  Because teachers were able to identify me as a student, who was quite frankly learning at a faster level than most students, they were similarly able to identify students learning a level below average.  At that time teachers had children learning at three different levels.  I remember as a child that I had taken two tests, one the same as the test all students took, and another to identify the scholastic aptitude of students learning at a higher level.  It seemed fair in my opinion.  Although I did meet and exceed the expectations of learning, I did not feel that my education was stifled nor was that of any of my classmates.  I say that because teachers then managed to teach students on varying levels and help them achieve or exceed the scholastic goal of the school they attended.

Fast forward to present day...I believe (and based on first hand testimonies from educators I know) that schools are currently teaching students a test and it has no true educational value.  I believe this to be true because one of the first things I learned in my Masters of Psychology program is that there is a great difference between memorization and learning.  Learning is the ability to take information and regurgitate it in a way that is applicable to his/her own life, or make it relatable; that which signifies understanding.  Memorizing is simply that, relying on the function of one's memory to recall information...not actually learning the information.  Unfortunately we are forcing our children to memorize instead of learn.

Something else to note is the lack of parent involvement in his/her child's education, and the teachers lack of passion for teaching.  There are several reasons I could provide that would explain the lack of moral amongst teachers, but quite frankly not too much I can say regarding lack of parent involvement in his/her child's educational success.   The more you see things like this happening, the more you wish we stopped arguing about women's right to choose (regarding abortion).  Totally different subject for another time, but I say that to get you to think about how important it is for a parent to desire and love his/her child.  And most of our children in schools lack that love.  Our students are mistreated, not loved and miseducated.  And the more I live, the more I see their education is not being valued.

There once was a point at which educaction was your resume, now I understand why employers are seeking more "hands on experience" to signify learning.  The amount of technology consumed by the current generation far outweighs the number of library cards or physical research encountered at any level prior to a collegiate level.  Middle & high school instructors are allowing students to research on computers before teaching them to research in a library, like it once was.  The library is now a "backup" or a go to for those students who do not have the capacity to access the internet.

Unfortunately I could be on this soap box for months, but I will leave you with this...the perception of education has ultimately been reduced.   Consider where education stood and what education has evolved to...Until it is valued in the eyes of the STATE, we will remain, and the future of our children's education will ultimately be in our hands.

History Pt.1 -Racism & the "Right Now"

I spent my early years trying to find my purpose as most.  I wanted to know what my place was on this earth.  I wanted to determine how I would impact the individuals I came in contract with.  I wanted to know how I could make the world better.  As a child my world view was distorted.  My perception of life was what was provided to me via cultural norms, history lessons and the state of the current economy.  And although as a student I had no interest in history, that never meant I didn't pay attention to it.  How I wanted to view the world never depended on what was, for me it was always about what is and what will be.  I hoped to impact what will be.

As an adult I shifted my view, not only was my perception formed by my cultural norms, religious beliefs, moral, values, etc., but my perception of the world is too heavily impacted by how others see it.  Because I believe in order for me to impact change appropriately I have to understand how and why the world is viewed as it is.  After spending sometime in another country I came to find that the world is as great or as miserable as we see it.  While living overseas I spent time in a country which is not as  "racially specific/classified" as the US.  The first thing I appreciated was that I was labeled an American, not African-American.  For as long as I can remember I was born in America, with decent of African heritage but so far removed (well over 6 generations) that I saw myself as more of an American than anything.  Now that is not to say that I did not want to learn about or disown my roots, that is not what I am saying at all, but I am an American right?  I always questioned why classification had to be further specified in the US. I found that in the US we subcategorize ourselves until we cannot anymore.  Whether race, socioeconomic class, religion etc.  While I understand the statistical need for this, I do believe that this further perpetuates the idea of racism.

As a child I learned of racism, as an African American youth I watched Roots (and other movies amongst reading and researching the history of slavery and injustice), and I understood the severity of how it was to live during that time.  I admire my ancestors and predecessors for their courage and strength during those times.  As difficult as it was to exist in those times, I like to think (as an adult), that I would not allow all of those instances to taint my view of the world as I know it today.  Never to forget how far the world or African-American people have come as a whole, but to view the world for its progress and to hope to impact more positive change.  I saw it possible when I lived overseas.  People loving one another and coexisting as one race.  Not only had I never experienced it, but before I had experienced it I never considered it could be possible.

What is most prevalent now is how we see the world and what we want to make of it.  I believe we are right now people (generally speaking).  We are people who act on, fight for, get emotionally involved in issues of "right now".  What do I consider a "right now" cause?  Well when I speak of a "right now" cause I am referring to those issues, occurrences and/or ideals that have been publicized to evoke a mass emotional response.  The media provides every source of current events and news in the world.  Yet we somehow do not see the contradiction.  The media informs the people of the news, but unless you are conscious of the manipulative nature of the press/news you may not consider the idea that the news shapes your perception/or view of said news.  The media plays on the response of the people watching it (to provoke an emotional response), to yield to more ratings to signify "news worthy" press.  Before the cause was presented via media outlets, did you know what was happening?  Did it concern you what injustice was occurring around the world?  Odds are you had no idea, because it was something that did not interrupt your everyday routine or impact you personally.  But now that you know you feel emotionally empowered to provoke change.  But what happens when it is no longer newsworthy?  We forget and go on to the next "right now" cause.  Its a never ending cycle.

Unfortunately we are not proactive people.  We address things as they are presented to us.  We do not go out and make the difference we want to seek because before it became newsworthy it was not an issue for us.  We assume everything is ok until we believe there is "proof" that it is not.  Or we assume the absolute worst, until there is proof it is not.  I despise the bandwagon causes.  But hey we are in a very free country.  A country we fail to understand how to live in.  A country we fail to exist in peacefully.  While I do believe that injustice and racism is prevalent today, I too believe that how we view the world contributes to the extent of how we view injustice and/or racism.

In efforts to not make this post one million words, I will take a pause and come back to this topic.  I will discuss the views of African Americans and other world leaders whose causes were to fight for justice for all, regardless to race, creed, color, religion, etc.  I can only hope that one day their ideals will be actualized and not just misinterpreted and/or misused to support "right now" causes.  

UNIT-Y

For some reason
We identify more with UNIT
Than UNIT-Y
We are making exceptions for goals
To be seen
When the UNIT is to support
Selfish ideology
But
We need
UNIT-Y

Missing the message
Allowing the idea of perfection
To provide misdirection
Where are you headed?

As a UNIT
You seek
Yet do not find
Because ignorance defines
Said goal
To be clueless
To lack understanding
Of the notion of mass control
You allow yourself to be manipulated
As a UNIT
In the absence of UNIT-Y

No hope for the future
We are not where we should be
Fighting one another for the same dream
Same goal
Geed feen
Money
Power
Yields
Chaos
Monstrosity
I hope you see
The UNIT supports
Selfish ideology
But
We
Are in desperate need
Of
UNIT-Y