fimlu e of

THE RASTAFARIAN COMMUNITY z
WELCOMES YOU T0 CELEBRATE
THE B1ST CORONATION OF
H.I.M. "EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE 1"
SATURDAY NOVENBER STH, 2011

PROGRAM_AGENDA

TUEME: CONSPIRACY TO DESTROY OUR YOUTH

HASTER OF CERENONT - RAS BABATUNDE

12:30-1 MUSICAL PRESENTATION

OPENING: ETHIOPIAN ROYAL PRAYER

BY RAS BABATUNDE

RASTAMAN CHANT: BY THE RIVERS OF

BABYLON

GREETING AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF

VARIOUS SPEAKERS

SCRIPTURE READING: RAS JAH LAW

PRESENTATION: BRO. CAL (IFA)

PRESENTATION: LATIN COMMUNITY DY

BRO. MIKE

PERFORMANCE: MERCENARY KARTY &

CREW

PRESENTATION: NATION OF GODS AND

EARTHS BY BRO. UNDERSTANDING

2:05-2:15pm PRESENTATION: MOORISH SCIENCE
TENPLE OF AMERICA BY BRO.WILKENS EL

2:15-2:25pm PERFORMAVCE: MERCENARY MARTY &
oW

2:25-2:35pm PRESENTATION: BRO. CIEN (100)
UNIVERSAL KNOWLEDGE

2:35-2:45pm PRESENTATION: NATION OF GODS AND
EARTHS BY BRO. SUPRENE

2:45-2:55pm PRESENTATION: RASTAFARIAN COMMUNITY
BY RAS SHAWN BLACK

2:55-1:00pm CLOSING REMARKS: RASTAEARIAN
COMMUNITY BY RAS JAH LAW

2:00- ACKNOWLEDGENENT AND ETHIOPIAN ROYAL
PRAYER BY RAS BABATUNDE

1:55-2:

PAMPLET DESIGN BY RAS V. KING
PROCRAM COORDINATOR: RAS JAH Law

WE THE RASTAFARIAN COMMINITY DO WISH T THANK
EACH AND EVERYONE FOR THEIR ATTENDANCE

THANK YoU
JRH-RASTAFART

ONE Gop ONE AT ONE DESTINY
Choosing right over wrong, ethics o niencs,
and trth over populariy... these are the choices that measure
your I, Travel the path of integrity wi king bac)
there is never a wrong time to do the rig

months before we are born, the same umbilical cord that gives us

I,, order for a man to truly five, & part of him has o dic. In the

nally born, the same umbilical cord that fed s in the worm
M cut or ticd off. I is time for that part of us to dic. If that ne
we never mature.
As we grow, lfe follows the same processes at cvery stsg
points where we must let go of old ideas, old habit
When we shed those sk allow new ones to gt
is not ceady to lose her old self, she never becomes a butterfly. Having
alance is an important thing, but th ominate the
d for your life to mean anything. In order tong,
meaningful, worthy human beings, we have to eliminate what is weak
within us. Many times, that process is hell, but any m
trong once it hs been through fire. The fire purifies an
the metal, as struggle, sacrifice, and strife do for us. After grc
weak followers to strong leaders, we e required to work for t
Of others. Again, it akes 2 man
man 10 truly win

5 UR'STRENG H“s]

Desuruciive Black Male Behavior

THE SUPER SLAVES
Lick males accupying high posicions of authority
yecare so infected by white supremacy that they
work against frecing others from racial oppression.
They are defined by whites s being “scceprable’
and in the not todistant past may have been sccn as a eredic
o their race”. They define success a the degee o which they
are disconnected rather than attached to African American
culure, and find reinforcement for this by a nation that
insiss on blacks deracinating themselves in order to be
“accepeable as American:

Hir Hor HustLens

Black males who rationalize violence and self-destructive
behavior under the guise of “keeping it real”. They see no
connection between living the “thug life” and eheir obligarions'
© black communities

Lack of Consciousness

One of the tmgedics of Black life in America is that 100 many Black
people never acquirs insight into their own existence, They just do not
know who they are. And, tis confusion about identity and souwrce isatthe:
aro of our ignorance, The Afrikans have a saying: °If you don't know
Who youare, any history will do." Welcome o America, Thisis the land
‘where genocide was committed against nations of indigenous people;
where Now York was purchased with beads; where the abnormal defines
nommality;and where young people live and breathe on the wordsof bumi.-
ouLrock stars with their noses cut off,

Afrikan Aserican peaple have lte knowledge of themselves, Ve are
products of a slave history, a Eurocentric worldview, hat by, definition
cannot be developmenta or inspirational. This histocy, for the most part,
has ien writen, disseminated and taught by the sons and daughiers of
the people whoraped Afrkaofits people and wealihand lteraly sprinkled
Afrikans asound the world. They, while doing this, developed (created)
in their poltics, scicnce, arts, ccanomics, education and religion a ration-
alefor Black destruction, This Burocentric rationale provided the "intel-

lectual and moral" basis for their taking of the world, Thereafter the world
was divided into colors — Black, white and others.

Because slavery has left a legacy where moncy and power
are generally white, and poverty and powerlessness are gen-
1 crally black, the head that bows and smiles ingratiatingly to
et a job, 1o keep a job, o 1o get a loan or a grant is also
usually black. Survival equals conformity to the white value
system. Those are the ever present dynamics of power that

ensure a continuation of the slavery mentality.
e —rrte

are taught. We are taught that racism just means the dislke of another
group, and therefore anybody can be a racist. That's simply not how i
s

There ace two forms of discrimination: Institutional discrimination and
Individual discrimination. Institutional discrimination is the systematic
practice of maintaining an unfair power structure ik the onc we have in
America. In a nusshell, institutional racism is white supremacy, the
global idcology that whites should be in a position of power over all
people of color. Aftet all, everywhere whites have cver been, they -and
their values - are THE supreme authority on everything.

On the other hand, anybody can be 2 victim o perpetrator of individual
discrimination. A white person can treat a Black person like dirt, but a
Black person can do the same thing to 2 white person, and after all these
centurics of racism and suffering, many frustrated Black people are
quick 0 do so when given the opportunity. But individual
discrimination perpetrated by a Black person is not representative of 2
system of actual power.

Think about: A Black principal may run a school and think she’s the
HNLC. But if she treats a white student badly, that bigger system of
institutional discrimination s going to come down on her head, and
shelll be replaced in o time. A Black CEO can run a billion dollar
company and think he's Supeman. But if he tries to onf hire Black
peopl, o - even worse - he starts giving money to Black organizations
ke the Nation of Islam, pretty soon he's going to come under firc and
his company will start losing al that white money that helped make him
tich. On the other hand, everything white people do is reinforced by
the system, excep fighting on the side of Black people.

Knowing who you are Is key in knowing who you'll be.
Start by taking pride in your Blackness.
g
The Importance
of Beliefs

the huge amount of lost lives to the grave-
I yards and prison shows what can happen
when energy and dedication are applied to
flawed beliefs or, philosophics. A few of the main
Savied beliefs responsible for thé aforesaid are that
‘gangsterism, gangbanging, or being thugged out
its within the framework of being a real man or
woman. These concepts, 5o philosophically
unsound, have gained so much atiention from our
‘people inthis day and age. Beliefs that seein to be
Tooted in a lack of knowledge of self and of the
‘world today; many of our ideas, theories, doctrine,
dogmas, and cherished beliefs have merely been
borrowed from others, who consciously or sub-
‘consciously passed them on to us. Often we listen
blindly to those whio are considered authorities or
0/G's. So some of our cherishe beliefs could very
‘el be predicated on a flawed premise,or just out-
dated; what we think and beljeve, determines what
‘we experience and perceive, A Targe amonint of
flawed belicfs scem to pervade and permeate in
poor and less educated communities where people
do not have a strong mental barometer to filter
msound betiefs from sound anes. Most of the peo-
ple who subscribe to such faulty philosophies
would be shocked and amazed (G lesm that many
things seem true, only begause they believe them
10 be true;

It ot your reasonifg mind that controls your
‘medtal power; it's what you believe. You sec every-
thing i about belief Whatever we belicve rules exis.
tence. The belief system we create is the léns that we
view life through and reasofi from. So pften people

Building Brotherhood
Be aware of your influences. Like anything else, you can be
polsoned by constant exposure.

beleve in a philosophy, because a lot ot e people
axound them belevo i this is knowanin paychology
s social poof. When we beleve someihing, e 0
longer bother o questionit. It eritcal that wé qiéss
tion and analyze but beliefs peipetualy, aid their
consequences 1 make sire thatthey're empovering
us. A g0od way to see if your beliefs afe empover.
ing is 3 see if they are producing the results ‘you
wantin yourlife. Unfortunately a lot of gaod peaple
Subscribe: o tad'philosophis;. where: upon ‘what
consttutes a good or bad philosophy is not ouly in
the truth of them (because truth is relative), but in the
results iy produce; the comulative evidence, the
overflow of ur prisons and graveyards with he péos-
ple who live by such beliefs s the point of refeicio
that something is wrong ad eeds to chenge.

The wost fitful approach is o maintain an open
mind. Whereas, anytime you're not willing to cven
look or cansider the possibility. that your philoso-
‘phies or beliefs are tnsound. No mates. what Your
eyes and ears reveal th you, then yod o longer havie
@ healthy relationship with reality, arid could Guis
possibly be wedding yourelf 1o a lfe of failure, If
You have trouble believing fhe percepts that-Fhave
parlayed; pay aitention to this quofc by the fimed
philosopher Friedrich Nietzche (you do not achiye
Whit you believe o be right by doing whiat ygu
know 1o be wrong).

BY éroam hampton
espiteyearsofbeingtold, Gil Scott-
DHemn the sef-described "bluesol-
ogist.” sl seemed bewidered that
rappers he'd infiuenced had ordained him
the godfather of hip-hop.

The poet-snger-songuiter and some- !
tmesnovelstwes bestinown forthesonghe
woteat19,in 1970, The Revolution Willhot
Be Telvised, Influenced by peformance of
spoken-word protest artsts The Last Poets
ot Lincon University when he ws a stu-
dent, Scott-Heron committed himsel toa
etime of actvsm thiough music

founded in 1999, serves
students 13-10 and urges:
teens to express theirviews. “We want them to become

~ InOur

Hearts

(Gil Scott-Heron 19402011

Empowering
wreess Words

where they areif be more empowered and

youweant them to becom: xqipped to explre the
“producersof knowledg.”rest ofthe word,” explains
That's the mission of

program assaciate Jamia

Utban Word Lyjscott."We went them
NYC.aliteracy toknow averything,
progamthat Urbon Word promotes
useship-hop, fteracy tioughits free
spokenand workshops for ten poats
wittenword and witers and won last
tohelpyouth years Brave New Voices
thinkcrtically National Teen Poetry Slem
aboutissues It eaches 20,000 young
andvalve people annually by visiting
education. schaols and pesenting
The spaken-word events
oganization, throughout the ity “We

teach them that education
s amazing,” says Lyiscott.

“If we reach the youth producers of knowledge
andvalidate them whete and ralize that they have
they arethenthey wil the rght to become that."

ON "THAT ‘BLACK SH*T"

1ain't never heard a dopeboy say to another dopeboy, “There you go, on that
hustle sht again. 1 ain't never heard one mother say to another, “Damn, you stay
on that mom sht, don't yout” But if | had a nickel for every time I heard a Black

person say, “Aw, you on that Black sh

* I'dbe ickel-rich

O that Black sh't What els should Black person be ont Some white sh*t Some
homo sh't! Some Captain Caveman sh't! Or how bout some nigga sh't! If
anybody Black tells you to get off “that Black sht” do one of two things: (1) Say,
“What the ek else kinda sh't should 1 be on?” or if that doesn't work, then (2)
Punch them in the face. After all, anybody who got the nerve to say some sh't
like that ain't bright enough for you to debate history and politcswith.
A5

Ersh

!

1 BELIEVE passiciately

and irmiy inbuying Black.

Igosutof myway tomake

surb that ag much of my.
dacrtorarysponcirgas

pbssible gods o Afroan-

Americans, and " ovan

% when not buying Black, m soeking out Afr-
can-Americans in majority companies to got
my\money to. From hofma maintenance and

1 managamenttobrokorego oppavtnitin o
‘countants, bookkeepers, barikers, car doal-

.7 ers and others, | make tha conéeious ohaice |

todo business with African- Amerioans.
jo| Anderson, the-cofouhdar of 4
forTomerravoom), whose. faily, bough,

ntgcommunitystrengthlslrispiingand om-,

poyering. Whie my schecula dosat alcw
molotravel mies outof my way for s
tie. s adrirtheircommiment
ingBlack can be challanging. both bocauas
it dotimes dficul tofind the vandors,
comatime becausa Black businesass are
mofo exponsiv than other bushessen, and
sortimes because Black busnaseos do
ot offer the same leval of excellence that
othors do 4 rardy the case it koap:
ingit o).
fm willing to pay a “Black tax'” or a higher
i er, espepially when her. presence Is empow-
i toho communty and o per ameiy-
003 Yoarsagocalultad that d pay a
51 of Up t025 percen, 0r $500, fo somathing
| for whiéh another business might chargs
8400, The reason? Sl fotsn
o ikay o aroy th scale sporom
249 larger hl'j:\mm and the higher bost oan.
11 ba vowed a0 an Invstment i Black bis-
14} ness ant ndrcotl,nthe Afcdn-Amerioan

+ owned bisinasa san
torm nvstmantn o
Wy is 4 50 important 1 me? Afran
Americara had moro than 3304 e
S bower 02000 To b v gy |
havaour i share o arm s 0 ot |
avo approxmatry 1

Stil o have ansugh

usles, enough o

b viewed as long- |

more ofund our movements, encugh o i

astrongbusiness olass,
With 16 percent unemployment rate in'

our communiy, and with hal of Bsoy. oy ©
utof work n soma urban aroae wo naga sy 5

5o ablato genarate some o to ompjoy oy

people. Bt wa won' gonarata the obs e ||

snossns cant ganarsi mory ||
iran 375 Bln oo ram Sofse £

2007, according to the latast Gansug daty.

\ihichlags by abou e yeare). Blaok-owne |
businesses employed 821032 paople lsey
than 1 percent of those mploya, I A

et by ovn 60 parcan 13 o, o |
ol redics tho Black mampioymars e
Fonly by malamo.

Onoof my motsating Bk isss |
imaloma s i my Wsinaon ber |
et Mok e o s
o a ol and carpe g
030 mary o th oty nr | e o §
clothainthehadsofmapyeic .
1am an insomniao surfer of ‘neimanmatous, i
oom, but when | find something | really: lia,
e uicn oo ot s
for me?” It tiokles My creative juloes to have |
e of et ool o e e

| fies my. economio inclinations to have my. U
Sothng reciced by a i Bk a1
THesame e vhn! erce i |
o oarArorcans i whom areesors 1
dobukiness Wo o ke ndd prcp

he sama path i with tha same goan1o .
strngthen ourcommunly . apu . K
Cultivatin
' Gemeratlm

NEW LEADERSHIP C/

IN A SOCIETY WHe
EXPLOITATION A
INJUSTICE AND
NECESSITY.0RE

<t people around. Use it wisely.
f ocrcivercs and ind
e mos Alcan menshinking o
Tanhood. In many sesd i prevnss
ern from connecting piialy o che
Afican Woman. Too many men impig
4 s womcn and wall sy, o o they
have ight o hit” s woman becauseof Ml
B) v -emotionsl crines.” We necd 0 U8
2 ol 2 o
B Adica incur cllors ofecliming ur
dentiy Theeeis o,

“cdora e orhery spiicin what we do
inpreaing o, oue e, nd
hidren yet o b bornfor 2 diffenc
B indof v v e pecce

.

€

1y

W define ourselves and our reaity.

THUG VS. SOLDIER
The thug, like the soldier, is both respected and fearcd. What's the
difference between a thug and a soldier (or warrio)?

4 A soldiet fights for the people. A thug fights aga

A soldier docs whatever is necessary to protect his people. A thyg
does whatever is necessary 1o
protect himself oaly.

4 A soldier takes care of his woman
and children. A thog avoids his
woman and children,

4 A soldier plans for tomorrow. A
thug lives for today.

4 A soldier respects those who have
more wisdom and experience. A thug only respects those whom he
feass.

4 A thugis a threat to the community. A soldier removes threats to the
community.

4 A soldier doesn't relax during a fime of war. A thug takes more
breaks than anyone else.

4 A thog loves matecial chings and the pleasures they bring, A soldier
loves the people and the values he holds dear.

4 The powers that be are scared of soldiers rising up in the Black
community. The powers that be are happy about thugs destroying
the Black community.

4 A soldier fights for a reason, and is not motivated by his emotions. A
thug has o idea who he should be fighting or why, 50 he is usually
driven by emotion alone.

Finally,

4 A soldier nee. guidance from higher authorites, and wil fight ac
directed. A warrior has the fight within him, and will continue
segardless tn whom or what. A thug does't listen to anybody, and
his actions show it

— When you fight, ight for a reason.

st the people,

et

£ 1S pOWer,
The Clown 1 POV le

‘Another popular character which hasits origin in slavery isthe
African-American clown.

One of the primary forms of remaining in favor with the slave
‘master by the slave was to provide entertainment for the master and his
household. Itis easy to observe that man exults in his superiority over
lower animals by teaching them to do tricks and to be entertained by
those tricks. In much the same way, the slave owner prided himselfin
his superiority by being entertained by the slave. Wiriters have long
pointed to the jester, the clown, or the fool, a the inferior one who was
responsiblé for maling his superior laugh. Using a person for your
clown hasalways been one of the major ways o assert your dominance
over a person. Mockery s one of the more sophisticated forms of
humiliation.

Great favors of leniency and special rewards were given to the
clowning slave. He enjoyed a special status above the other slaves

“The legacy of such experience with property and materials, has
made these objects powerfully influential i the lives of many African.
Americans. Large sums of money are thrown away yearly on expen
sive flashy clothes and cars. Uncomfortable, impractical and showy
items of fumniture drain our budgets and fal to satisfy our longings
because of this persistent wish to look like the slave master. Many of
our judgments sbout people and their worth are disproportionately
determined by what those people own or wear. We spend great energy
and wealth acaquiring these objects associated with power rather than
real human, social, political and economic power. There s frequent
tendency to confuse tokens of power with genuine power, based upon
the slavery experience.

Itis not unusual for concerned efforts o obtain “real” politcal
and economic power to be prematurely aborted by astraregic dispensa-
tion of tokens. Realistically assertive efforts to alter social structures to
equitably accommodate America's former slaves have frequently been
terminated by offering limited material goods to the major trategist and
the movement dies.

“The major thinkers and scholars (potentially our most power-
ful agents of change) in Alfrican-American communities are ofen
neutralized by a pirtance of material goods. This socially destructive

henomen has ts roots deep in the slavery experience. Too often the
ders in our communitics have equated a smalltrnket of material gain
with *having arrived.” Thas leadership is so0n lost to the African.
American community. It i a recurrence of the old image of wearing

“Massah's” discarded hat and thinking that you are "Massah.”

“There a other sets oflaws tha ac 15 gidelines for lfe. nd not les ¥
on what someone is not “allowed” to do. By observing these guidelines, | 1
you avoid problems for yourself and others. Tn the streets, many speak
of 2 “G Code” but few can tel you wht it involves, besides “nox
snitching” Afie all,principles ke “no harm to women and kids” and
“family first” are considered old and oudated by those who have no
dea what the game is really eve about,in the first place. Unforunatel,
i's these same idiots who set most of the trends that our people aze
following now. This is why something like an RBG Code is essentil
Black man up againsta system tha s set o destroy you. For tha reason,
this code belongs to everyone in that struggle. Here ace the five basic
principles of the code, as Sic.man, of the rap group dead prez, explains:

1 No sniching.

Sl exphanatony: Ity 30d honor i the oundstion. Wihoot it we

e out own worst eneic.

2. Protect yourself, family, and commanity a sl imes.

Study maria s, sccurity, amed selfdeens, ardcpate i ans polce

ity watches and campags, upport poiical prisoner, sty up

and pracicethe best helcy fesyc you cn. Love your body, proceer

it and feed it good things. Feed yoor chidren th beot heady things

you cn. Use wisdom befre vilence. But definicly hanll yous when

hsoutly pecessny. Preventing harm i beter han escin (o .

3. Each one, teach one.

Siay humble Leam consatdy Alays e-caluate what you ik you

know. Don' forc your idess on others You Ie them and be the

cxample. People ain'sstpid i thy see it workin for you, they have

the sty o follow your exsmple, f hey choose o Lesrn sills ot are

useul o your real e and goal. Read. Wrte. Spe. Have monthly

goss for new skl you want o acquie. Shase wha ou e with

those who want o lerm what you have

4B organied.

Tom detas nto lns,and plans ot reales, by oganisin the steps

(e them down, and sayin foused and discipined el you each

your goal. Dox'tdo nothing withou thinking it trough sl e wy 10

Victory, step b tep. Pln,gind,resssess the plan. Grind = Sacece,

SBe productive.

Make money moves Make powee moves. Dor'e e anoshee day g0 by

without usin allyourenergy (0 et youe ln in moton. Dot bt e

Get up, g out, and hust, Prof 3 in the. podding, Respect comes

from showing and proving, What you wanna see appen i the world

up 0 who? You,

Memorize, internlize, and lve his sht. Thes i fust codes coming

from the seets,fiom th people. No marer what hood,th sirapge b

llthe same

Some faws are guldelines for the bost e,
not s for what vou can't do.

he disenfranchisement of Black men is the sin-
gle-most devastating condition within the Black
community. Excessive rates of incarceration
have removed fathers from their fumilies, hus-
bands from thei wives, next generation poten-

alfrom the succoss equation. For three arcas in
paticular—scntencing disparities, employment and education—
the fx s in. The good nows s, egisators, social advocates and
community organizations are (aking innovative, solutions-based
approaches to stopping Uhe wholesale loss of the human capital
‘we are currenty losiug at an appalling rte.

SENTENCING DISPARITIES

Fortune Society foundor David Rothenberg says prison s an nst
tation of futlty. Never has that statement boen truer than when
applied to the overwh x of Black men currently
sorving time behind burs. Experts poi to drug sentencing and
‘mandatory minimums as the principal culprits, though racial
profiling plays an equally large role in bringing Black defendants
up before tho courts. Tho 2010 judicial decision to increase the
quantities of cocaine nccessary (o trigger a minimum five-year
sentence (28 grams, up from fve) is expected to have significant

upuct on the nusber of younss men incarcerated.

DID YOU KNOW:
> Former prisoners can bo birred (rom low-income housing,
public aid, food stamps wnd accoss Lo drug and mental-health
treatment. ~PROSPKCT.0UG

>In some states, pisoners accrue child-support debt while in
prison and have most of Uheir wages garnished (up (o 66 per-
cent) when they get out —a policy that drives many ex-prisoners
1o reoffend. ~ PROSPECT.OKG

fachiba 3y ——— i it N et

‘THE CITY OF BIG SHOULDERS ciminie t show st with
£ weghy isue, In 2009, 458 homicides wee recorded in liage

Now York it ith a popuion thee times e, had 471 munders.
Whie poiice reports sy thatin 2009 the homiide rre in Chicg
was o 11 percen fom the previos e, compared with oher
msor s, Chiao has a elevated e ol

“One reason that Chicago has 5o many homicides is duc to 3

40-plus-year history of gangs,” says Tio Hardiman, dircctor of

oot llinois
o €15 important that

ideas that we remember these
determines our behavior.
American society's prese

caution (e reader i conser g (hese
factors are only one aspect of what
The desiructiveness and violence in the

ot mentality fosters vandalism. The material
ism which has overrun the Western mind certainly has had its effect on

the Afican-American mind. We simply want to be aware of the
predispositions which operate from within s and
influence s in ways we do nor real

ack - (1 £ 308 ] Bhis and Black Panver
A [Movements],” says Lee

om our past which

“The stret gangs wsed 1o run the drug
dealers out of the neighborhoods. Then in the *705, many of the
Bang leaders were lacked wp. There was hierarchy 1o the sirct

‘gangs. The young guys today, thee i no structugnb accountabily
When T ran as the chicf of a certain group, 1 couldn’t do what |

wanted 1o do. There was accountabilty to the older Vi Lords.
Now, that s

ctde bas been destroyed. The euliure has changed,
Cr—

‘THERE IS APROBLEM IN OUR VILLAGE: Youth vilence s escalating
in communities around the country and the result has been an
increasing death ol among our chiren, Last year i Chicago, the
videotaped fata beating of 16-year-old honors student Derrion
Albert thrust the issue of youth violence into the face of
America, Derrion was an innocent bystander, like many of the
children who are nadvertently caught in the crossfire of urban
violence. The reasons we have been given are many: an
increased poverty rate~as high as 42 percent~for children
fiving in sngle farily homes; easy access to guns; lack of male

role models and counseling programs; and gang conficts.
Now, s time for solutions.

{Deyen the playing eld. Pnireniintied
‘oftheld dity“IFyoure Whle, ]
Il vight if youre Brown, stick drddnd
butfyoure Black, get back.” More
recently,'ve heard coriplints abéxt:
" oursocietybeing plagued by ABB tieot
der—Anything But Black. It manifests}
incodelanguage ke, Multiculturalis |
. beter, o She’s mixed, o myall-imo
¢ favorite, Shel darkeskinned but 1o
pretty,asif the two realitied e Hok
supposed o ocetipy the sitne pace
Our prenceupation it sin
“color was likely fostered by ther.
divideand-conquer tacticsof -1
Western slavery, and yet it extend
1o places tiatdon't share Uit hskorss
InNigeria, fornstance, dangerous
skin-Hleaching creams ate preva)
T uncéver he cotple Foots o
e, fimmaker Bil Dukes mlmfihh
nna,mmusm;murwmnumen J

vmlnry;-mvmu-llnlmmduep!wmany ofbeing mdde el thah becss
fitus and even now enains unirsofved. - ofther ich, dark complexiors, O
2+ But while Lunderstand that wewould . wotiat even recalled washing withsso
£ Tather not itk to talk bout cblor the * < “Hllrch in an effort o lighterthier o
(et s, we cannot afford ot o, - Some argue that it's asutbival(f 5
Wecome nallshadés it ot Mechahism towant toenulato
% familles, and many of us have seer ‘dorninant group. Indeed,a fecent
. Wurkeskinried ehildren put dowh and " study showe that n thé ud
Jeruslied fo nateasor dtee than their - systern, darkcskinned Bldcwoni
24 complecion. Butight-Sined kidd . Tace harshar peidtis for the farie
now pain too,as they; oo, have been . crimes than the
discounted oftenina twisted attempt

v ¢ .l ¥ but we don't have to leave it solelyth_
Lunderstand s -y vefortieoleneiioliys, .

that we would enyattervictoryweeschintdlh
et ot pprapsciotmaGA
12 L rather HOEHAVE.L0 T 7wk mutvepitsspescontpoe et

) ‘and didlogue openly abaut thér
talkabotit skin | - e i
Colof DULWE LMol . oo Mt'i
‘ dfl’Ol d not: to, | ‘swanlflmllesnnau};\abme il

e 0 o DYSet on cl-scrvig mouves. Looking 2t
To 3 €

Tdher person, o relationship, as an “investment” s not loving them i

oo 22
1 | e prst, T loved raly, but when conditions were right, 1 raced full

pced ahead. OF course that led (0 a lot of dissatsfacton and gricf. As

P eligent men, we often strive {0 change our women by “teaching

f je.” Given, an intelligent man will want to teach everybody, but we
e ofen especially demanding and insensitive when ic comes to the

sasformation of our women. People only truly change and grow on
H icic own. I you want a woman o come into the knowledge of self,
supply the demand. Don't demand and supply.
B 1 sdiion, T've never cnjoyed the rolle coaster of emotions involved
bl ich being in love. I've realized though, upon accepting and “loving”
8] /ou own (our people as a whold), we suffec less from the whims of
Hadividual, personal love. T am a lot more understanding and accepting
M of the unique strengths and shortcomings of the women 1 meet these
days. T have actually begun getting to know women without sizing them
up for wifey or Earth material. 1 haven't even taken the opportunities
T've encountered for sex because I'm already aware of the impending
disappointment of empty scx.
Sce, in my previous relationship, 1 learmed to love someone who wasa't
my physical type. Not to say she was ugly, but she did nothing for me in
purely physical terms, ie, no “lust factor.” The gratfication of sex was
Solely in the bond we shared and the emotions involved. Tt was sex 45 2
byproduct of love, not love as a byproduct of sex.
So now, 1 won't get much out of casual sex. I'm less enthusiastic about
the gils who ar my “type” body-wise and more keen on the
compatibilty of our personalites, This is somethin 1 didn't consider
| cnough in the past. Looks aren't enough, brains aren't enough, what
matets is whether y'all smile at the same things or not, or whether y'al
will work for the same things.

)
{

23

Walk The Tak

MANIFESTATION AND PRESENTATION

“Your trie characer i rveald by the oty of our
comitions, the caitsyou make, and he promissyou e,
Hold strongy o your principles and refse 1o flow she
rrens of convenience 1 hat yo sq and. o defnes oy
are, and who you are...you ave forever.”

hen's the lat time somcone told you something that tuned
-\ " / out t be a lie? Depending on how serous it v, i probably

changed how you fecl about that person, right? Afte somy
s masbe you forgot about the lie and you moved on. What if you
found out they led again? Now, they'rc a e as far you're concened, ight?
Some of us ar lving les. Some of us ace so full of falschoods that we
don't know where the real part of us ends and the fake prrt begins.
here ae others of us who atcn't livng for ourselves, or who gt
{iving up t0 ou fullpotential,so we're being untrue in other ways.
Alot this s o do with what other peopie think of yov, People i and
e Crin way €0 alfect how people sce them, People halfsicp
because they don't expect a5 much from themsclves 26 other people
expect from them. Either way, we'ee not stupid. We're doing it for 5
eason, whether we are aware of it or not. The question i
Are you getting what you wane Your words, your ways, your
actons...are they bringing about the results you desirch
We're going to look at what we say, what we do, how we carry
curslvcs, and how it affects our outcomes in lfe. As you row, youll
raduallycliminate the behaviors that do you no good

Iesounds easy, but usully, the liar docsn'teven know he's ls,
e b |

Now 1t s their

i i Inroitination on

|1 he seldom-heard voicesi
WOl ntir voune peonple i