Sunday, February 23, 2014

Black In the Box: Mr. Mandela: his life his legacy (prison to presidency to pillar)


He raiseth up the poor out of the earth and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s and he hath set the world upon them. 
1 Samuel 2:8



In South Africa culture, rain is seen as a blessing, symbolizing major events.  Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy president of South Africa, opening the memorial for Nelson Mandela reminded, “if it rains when you are buried, it means the gods are welcoming you and the gates of heaven are opening.” 

The memorial was held in the 95,000-seat soccer stadium in Soweto Township, as leaders and dignitaries from over 100 countries came to pay their respects.  Mourners from every corner of the globe shed tears and wept, but also sang songs, danced and paid tribute in celebration of the man President Barack Obama eulogized as a ‘giant of history.’

Nelson Mandela, the man the world came to know as the leader of the movement to stop South Africa’s apartheid system of racial discrimination, died December 5, 2013, after an extended bout with pneumonia contracted early in June of the year.  The former first elected black president had battled recurrent lung infections since becoming ill during his 27 years of imprisonment.  His work in unventilated conditions in limestone and rock quarry labor camps contributed to his having come down with a new infection shortly before he died. 

After a week of obituaries often showing Mandela – president of South Africa from 1994 – 1999 – with a saintly, iconic status, President Obama rejected that view of him as “smiling and serene.” “Madiba himself strongly resisted such lifeless portraits of himself.  Instead, he insisted on sharing with us his doubts and fears his miscalculations along with his victories. 

“I’m not a saint, he said, ‘unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.’ “It was precisely because he could admit imperfection – because he could be so full of good humor, even mischief, despite the heavy burdens he carried – that we loved him so.  He was not a bust made of marble; his was a man of flesh and blood – a son and husband, a father and a friend.”

In the immortal words of the late great Madiba:
“When I walked out of prison, that was my mission, to liberate the oppressed and the oppressor both.  Some say that has now been achieved, but I know that is not the case.  The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed.  We have not taken the final step of our journey, but the first step on a longer and more difficult road.  For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.  The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning.

I have walked that long road to freedom.  I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way, but I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.  I have taken a moment have to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have came.  But I can rest for only a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my walk is not yet ended.”


Coach Cam
Copyright © 2014 by Terrance Campbell

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Black In the Box: Motherland



M 
Monumental spirit. Umbilicus link to every black soul ever to exist.

O
Overflowing with magnificent beauty, rich culture, august history – the Fulani, Tswana, Zulu… the many royal clans.  Pure bloodlines.  Greatness personified.

T
Tethered to the most high.  Your children – great, wise and civilized.  The world’s desired prize.

H
Humbly you suffered in silence the multifarious violence perpetrated against your flesh.  You were raped.  Your children were torn from your breast bereft of your warm embrace.  With quiet dignity you wept as they were placed in chains enslaved, disgraced, misplaced in a foreign place.

E
Enduring this tragedy of your family with unmatched resilience.  Despite the pain your strength remains.  On mother of slaves, forsaken and betrayed, neglected and disrespected.  You became the devil’s concubine.  His wicked children occupied your sacred body, their ungodly hands clawing at your fruits, destruction with every grasp.  But, this will pass.

R
Redemption cometh.  They will be punished surely.  Your people will be restored to glory.

L
Legacy reclaimed, destiny fulfilled, due honor and respect given once they have risen.

A
Africa, home of the great, land of kings and queens, the matrix of all human beings.

N
Nation of gods and earths, symbolic reflections of they universe – sun, moon, and star; man, woman and child.  United, the universal family will stand.

D
Destiny fulfilled, returned to the motherland.


By Rodney Taylor
Copyright © 2014 by Rodney Taylor

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Black In the Box: Sincerity


“I do not pretend to be a divine man, but I do believe in divine guidance, divine power, and in the fulfillment of divine prophecy.  I am not educated, nor am I an expert in any particular field – but I am sincere, and my sincerity is my credentials.”
Malcolm X

The late Malcolm X said these words in a statement on March 12, 1964, when he proclaimed his independence from the Nation of Islam.  I love to hear, read and recite these words and to apply them to myself.  And as we’ve been told, no one truly loves others until they want for others what they want for themselves.  So I want these words to inspire and empower my brothers and sisters just the same or similarly as they do me.

The most important message of those words is about sincerity.  Being sincere in the cause of this uprising and forward progress of my people – African descendants, no matter where they are living.  We are often discouraged and deflated by leaders who appear but are actually insincere to our cause.  These persons are politicians, clergy, social and economic activists, entertainers, etc. 

When they are exposed for who or what they are, we develop distrust of our leadership, but more so of ourselves also, because we don’t know who to trust.  This type of attitude causes us to be divided on one hand and on the other, inactive.  I feel that the latter is the worst because when we do not put forth work to change our common conditions, things only get worst, never better.

We learn and study history not just to know what happened and why, but to learn from mistakes so that we’ll be sure (or at least more conscious) not to repeat them.  Often we find ourselves repeating the same errors as our predecessors because we either didn’t learn from them or we just didn’t know.  One major mistake that we repeat is that we give up on ourselves because of crimes and deceptions that our leaders and others have perpetuated against us, because they were insincere; they either sold out or were selling us out. 

We become our own worst enemy; we assist in our own oppression.  One common attitude is that some say that there is no need to try to change because we can’t trust this or that, or this man or woman.  We believe that everybody is out to hood wink and misguide us with lies and deceit, trying to rob us.

I know from history that this is bound to happen, that is, to be faced with insincerity in one form or another.  I also know this; I am going to be sincere regardless, I don’t care if I’m the only one out of one thousand.  Just because almost everyone else is not serious that doesn’t mean that I will not be serious about helping my people and myself.  I’m not going to let that deter me in any way.  I also know that history has proven that the minority can exact change.  So if I’m a member of the minuscule group of the sincere, so be it.  These are my credentials.

By Muhammad Sulayman

Abdul Majeed
Copyright © 2014 by Elrico Fowler

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Black In the Box: Wearing the Cause


“Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo – obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other.”
Scholar and activist, Dr. Angela Davis

Hotep,

At this point, I’m sure you’ve already experienced Monday’s display of, “A Mann Striving 4 Blind Justice.” Some would say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, in this case, I hope that proves to be true.

The artwork of Cerron T. Hooks isn’t just a drawing, it’s a distinctive display of two brothers bound together in a single garment of destiny.  The red jumpsuits we wear are simply the state’s interpretation of how society should view the men wearing it.  But, the garment of destiny that bounds this brotherhood of creativity, is removing the state’s blinders from society’s view, as I write this.  Feel me?

Checkout Blood on my Sleeves (http://word2themasses.blogspot.com/2013/12/blood-on-my-sleeves-shade-of-reproof.html) to understand my view of this notorious garment’s impact.

These next three weeks, I welcome you to try on this garment of destiny.  My man Elrico Fowler, a.k.a. 
“Concrete,” will set the literary tone with his expression of “Sincerity.” The following week will showcase the acrostic expression uplifting the fruitful womb of the “Motherland,” written by my literary twin, Rodney Taylor, a.k.a. “Bucktown.”

The final week of this historical month will feature the head of the class, (http://word2themasses.blogspot.com/2013/12/head-of-class.html) Terrance Campbell, a.k.a. “Coach Cam,” paying homage to the late, great Madiba, “Mr. Mandela: his legacy (prison, to presidency, to pillar).”

Drape yourself within this garment of destiny, Blogosphere.  I guarantee it will be custom-fitted to the humanity within you.  Take pride in wearing the cause for justice.

Keepin it 100,

MannofStat

Copyright © 2014 by Leroy Elwood Mann

Monday, February 3, 2014

Welcome to Black In the Box (BIB) 2014





Hotep,

Two things:
First and foremost, I gotta thank my man, Cerron T. Hooks for transforming my thoughts into this visual masterpiece.  Asante Dunn.  Once again, we’ve made another historical collabo.

Secondly, through my eyes, the world will now see my perception of ‘a jury of my peers.’ It takes Black In the Box to a much higher plateau.  Right?  Check back here on Wednesday for 'Wearing the Cause.'


Jury Box
  • Top Row: Tupac, Rakim, Mr. Scarface, Beanie Siegel, Allen Iverson and Nasty Nas.
  • Bottom Row:  Fat Joe, Aaliya, KRS-ONE, Left Eye, Eminem, and Queen Latifah.
  • Defense Team: Jay-Z and Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G.
  • Residing Judge: Guru
  • Defendant: MannofStat


Nuff said,

MannofStat

Copyright © 2014 by Leroy Elwood Mann