Video: Tim Wise, the Pathology of White Privilege
M.D. Turner
So, just found out about this guy and spent several hours watching all the videos of him I could find. I like this guy because he’s not professing to be a “good” white person trying to “help” Black people. What “good” white people need to do is get their own people in line. White folk that think race doesn’t matter anymore, or think people of color are the cause of all their problems (e.g. immigration, welfare, crime, etc), need to be educated since they obviously don’t listen to the countless Black people who tell them otherwise, so other white people, like Tim, are better suited for this. When some racist white person in the media says something stupid, which is pretty much all the time, there should be a “good” white person there to counter it with the proper argument that doesn’t shy away from the racial issues. Everyone expects the Black guy to be there on the other side of the argument and pull the race card, but very few expect the privileged white guy to do it, so folks’ ears perk up when the white guy does it. Well, this white guy is doing it, watch and please comment below:
Top 5 Dead or Alive
Ever since Pac and Big died, we’ve heard emcees constantly attempt to include themselves on the “Top 5 Dead or Alive” rapper list. Hip Hop fans have compared their personal Top 5 lists with those of their peers, debating about the merits and flaws on each others’ bill. While it’s definitely been fun to participate in the Great Hip Hop debate, I’ve found it more exciting to broaden the “Top 5 Dead or Alive” discussion to encompass history’s most revolutionary figures.
Before I go any further let me define what I mean by “revolutionary.” To me, a revolutionary is someone who has effectively changed the course of human existence. With that said, I’ve compiled a list of 5 people who have permanently altered the direction of civilization; these are the 5 people I most wish I could sit down with to have an engaged conversation. So without further ado I present to you…. [drum roll please]…. my Top 5 Dead or Alive revolutionaries – Mitochondrial Eve, Imhotep, Jesus, Einstein, and Malcolm X.
Imagine for a second that you could ask each of these figures any burning question that comes to mind. What would you ask? Given the opportunity to discard your What Would Jesus Do bracelet, (in exchange for talking to the man in the flesh), would you keep it real? Would you ask Him if partaking in His Father’s “herbal” relaxation remedies are really more morally corrupt than drinking the fermented grapes that were the preference of His homies? Would you ask Malcolm if he still has beef with the Nation of Islam and the modern day Louis Farrakhan? Would you ask Einstein what he imagined was on the other side of a worm hole or question Imhotep on what motivated him to build the first pyramid? Was there anything that stressed Mitochondrial Eve out? So many questions could be asked…
Interviewing these folks would be so exciting because each of one them permanently changed the course of history as we know it. For example, you, and every person you know, is a descendant of Mitochondrial Eve. Holding the crown as everyone’s ancient African grandmother, we can all find traces of her mitochondrial DNA in our cells. If I could travel back 170,000 years ago to meet this fine Ethiopian sister, I would be curious to know what she did to have such a strong influence on how we define human existence today. Undoubtedly she was a head-turner, but there must have been something even more special about Eve that allowed her genetic stamp to be found in all present day people. I have a hunch that she was more Michelle Obama than Nicki Minaj.
When it comes to Imhotep, the real question is what didn’t this brother revolutionize? He was the world’s first noted architect, doctor, and astrologer. I’m inclined to believe he was also the world’s first West Indian because [In Living Color “Hey Mon” voice] him had like 10 job: “chancellor of the king of lower Egypt”, the “first one under the king”, the “administrator of the great mansion”, the “hereditary Noble”, the “high priest of Heliopolis“, the “chief sculptor”, and finally the “chief carpenter”. Imhotep is the definition of human ambition.
No need for me to go into detail about Jesus, He’s only the foundation for Christianity as we know it. I would venture to say that Christianity has had ummm…. quite a significant impact on World events for the past 2010 years. To say major disagreements between billions of people have occurred through the interpretations (and misinterpretations) of this man’s teachings would be a gross understatement.
As for Albert Einstein, how could he not be your hero? This dude died 55 years ago and most of his theories still form the basis for significant scientific discoveries. As a matter of fact, Einstein was so ahead of his time that physics is still trying to catch up to the things he postulated almost 100 years ago. I don’t know about you, but quantum teleportation, shifting space time, and black holes are some ill concepts! 
This dude left us clues about how to get off this tiny rock called Earth so we can visit the great wonders of the universe one day. Even more, when considering the non-scientific books he wrote about the irrationality of war and the detriments of capitalism, I could go on for days about the dopeness of Einstein.
While he was no scientist in the vein of Albert Einstein, Malcolm X found the formula for Black self confidence. His eloquence, intelligence, and charisma elevated him to the platform of true dangerousNEGRO status. This self educated brother scared the ish 
out of America’s white patriarchal society. No one could defeat Malcolm X in a debate except Malcolm X; truly unprecedented. Malcolm gave the Black community pride on a level that has yet to be duplicated. He empowered us to fight the power, start our own businesses, and improve the moral fabric of our community. I wonder how Malcolm would grade Barack’s presidency thus far…
So there you have my Top 5 Dead or Alive revolutionaries and my reasons for picking them. Who do you have in your Top 5?
Why The N-Word, Saggy Pants, and Ignorant Rappers Won’t Die
If you’re a member of the Hip Hop Generation, three relentless fires have burned in your debate circle for the past two decades: the n-word, saggy pants, and ignorant ass rappers. For sure, you’ve been unable to escape the controversies surrounding these topics. Hours have been spent in heated arguments defending or deriding the virtues of each; verbal fisticuffs have led to intellectual brawls and oral shellackings. Chances are, if you’re reading this blog you’re sick and tired of having these discussions. Despite your mental exhaustion over these matters, they seem to make for persistent conversation with no end game in sight. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that these fires are only increasing in size, as the wrong tools to extinguish them are being employed.
Old heads and elitists have gone to great lengths to stifle the burn they feel when nigga(er) is verbalized. Recently I got into a social networking spat with CNN’s Roland Martin about the issue on Twitter. Check the exchange (read from bottom to top):
Clearly Mr. Martin does not see the damage he’s causing by attacking the issue in this fashion. Remember when the NAACP made a futile attempt to kill Massa’s favorite noun with their N-word funeral in 2007? Their attempt to crucify the term and render it lifeless backfired, as it arose more powerful than ever with Hip Hop’s abhorrence of this stunt. Indeed, Hip Hop culture read the headlines and scoffed “Nigga Please!” Thus, the Baby Boomers’ public disdain for the word has only reinforced its significance in America’s most fundamentally rebellious culture. Even more dangerous is the fact that making such a spectacle over how much pain remains at the root of the term empowers it in the eyes of true racists. Anybody that wants to push a Black person’s crazy button is merely reminded that “nigger” remains the champion of getting under a Negro’s skin.
Sadly, frustrated zealots approach the pants sagging “issue” in the same exacerbating fashion as the n-word. Let them see a Negroe’s underwear exposed and oh boy… watch out… some preaching is finna go down! While I agree that showing your funky ass draws is not what’s up, I know that seniors condescendingly ordering the Hip Hop community to cease and desist only add gasoline to the blaze.
Yet folks just don’t get it. While browsing the NY Times the other day I came across an article titled “NY Politician Takes Up Cause – Sagging Pants.” New York State Senator Eric Adams has decided to waste his time (and his constituents’ tax dollars) by creating anti-sag billboards. [Ed Lover voice] Senator Adams, c’mon son… do you really think your efforts will do anything to combat the Hip Hop generation’s right to freedom of expression? Do you think they’ll find your crafty billboards cool and refreshing? Senator Adams… Senator Adams… GTFOH with that BS son! Everyone thank Senator Adams for another 4 years of stankin ass boxer observance.
On to the auto-coons. You wanna know why hot ignorance is seething through your airwaves? Remember when Hip Hop was in its Golden Age during the 90s? Well at the peak of the genre’s most creative period, C. Delores Tucker, a band of Black preachers, and a host of politicians decided to pick a fight with the lyrics. They staged large scale CD demolitions and other outrageous stunts. The result: even more violent, misogynistic, and inflammatory rhymes were born to counteract the assault launched by the disillusioned elders. Now, the snowball is so large that ignorance has trumped intelligence and activism in rap music sales.
Older generations HAVE to stop waging war with Hip Hop culture. Like the crusade against terrorism, this is a fight that cannot be won by continuing to insult the Hip Hop resistance. Every publicity stunt and disapproving lecture will only be countered by a more extreme offensive. Instead of trying to battle youth in the trenches, preceding generations should use their wisdom to outsmart energetic, unruly insurgents in the Black community. Rather than heaping hot coals on the heads of heretics, they should pour support into the peers of the offenders who have the power to infiltrate the culture from within. dangerousNEGRO is one of many companies that come to mind in that regard… (and we’re taking on investors folks)… 🙂 So think before you join your next n-word eradication committee, anti-sag coalition, or rap boycott. Don’t provoke the behavior, promote the savior.
Between Martin, Malcolm, and Modern
by Oftentimes I find myself pondering who I would have faithfully followed during the turbulent Civil Rights Era. Would I have been a loyal supporter of Dr. King’s nonviolent resistance? Or would I have sided with brother Malcolm X in his militant approach to Black Nationalism?
I’ve never been much of a fighter or instigator, yet I cannot imagine sitting idle while racist policemen clubbed my dome, flushed me with fire hoses, and set angry German Shepherds on my tail. In this regard, I may have clung to Malcolm’s intimidating messages that struck fear in the hearts of the ruling majority. Still I’m conflicted when considering the religions of these Civil Rights heroes. Being a lifelong Christian, would I have felt obligated to stand behind the good Reverend Doctor? Or would I have converted to the mainstream, color-blind, Islam Malcolm discovered shortly before he was assassinated? Looking at my Arabic solar plexus tattoo in the mirror, I cannot be certain. Furthermore, as a college educated Black man, would I have been more inclined to listen to King, an Alpha Phi Alpha man like myself, or X who self educated himself in prison? My inclinations say MLK when considering this aspect, although I have a great appreciation for unconventional learning. Then, when I consider my New York upbringing, might I have adulated “Harlem’s Lion”, or would I have revered the preacher from the South where I’ve resided for the past decade? These are just a slither of the questions that come to mind when I analyze the lives of Dr. King and Malcolm X.
In any regard, the only relevant question to ask today is how do we take what we learned from Malcolm and Martin, enhance their agendas, and make their messages applicable in modern society? Well the first thing that comes to mind is political strength. With the endorsement of Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy was able to garner the votes he needed to gain a narrow victory in the 1960 election. Malcolm X, while distrustful of the political “foxes and wolves” that comprise the Democratic and Republican parties, also referenced in his autobiography the power that 22 million voting African Americans possessed. He felt that if Black Americans all voted and lobbied as a cohesive unit in the same vein as farmers, union workers, etc then we would possess the strength to sway the political process in our favor. One of my favorite Malcolm X quotes is “we, the Black masses, don’t want these leaders who seek our support coming to us representing a certain political party. They must come to us today as Black Leaders representing the welfare of Black people.”
Us Negroes did a great job of turning out to vote for Barack Obama in November of 2008… No secret there. But imagine if we formed a coalition of voters that specifically lobbied for issues pertaining to the Black agenda; we would truly be able to sway the political pendulum in our favor. We outnumber the tobacco enthusiasts, the gun rights fanatics, the healthcare conspirators. Our combined spending power (projected to top 1.1 Trillion Dollars by 2012) also greatly surpasses those of all special interest groups. There is no reason that Black people should not have the most respected and influential voting block in American politics. We must come together, identify the top priority issues we would like to see addressed in our community, and fight like hell for the Federal Government to bend to our demands. The Black Lobby – that is how we can make Martin and Malcolm’s work relevant in the modern era.
Revolutionary Daily Thoughts (2/28 – 3/6)
- “When the oppressed, for whatever reason, begin to feel too weak to fight their real enemy, the oppressor himself, they turn upon themselves, squabbling over this or that theory while leaving the oppressor free to do anything he chooses.” -Nathan Hare
- “If one examines the earliest history of a race, one can draw insightful parallels between how they developed and how they currently function in society.” -The Irritated Genie of Soufeese
- “I claim that our incarcerations occur not because of criminality or accidents of injustices but due to the structural design of this nation.” -Charshee C.L. McIntyre
- “I work like a slave to become a master.” -Big Daddy Kane
Revolutionary Daily Thoughts (2/21 thru 2/27)
From the Revolutionary Daily Thoughts posted every day on our facebook page:
- RDT: “Who’ll pay reparations on my soul.” -Gil Scott Heron
- RDT: “Don’t integrate…infiltrate. Similar means, different end.” -Malcolm D. Turner
- RDT: “Critical consciousness is not “banned,” it is simply smothered behind an ever-growing avalanche of shit. What that means is that, if the density of the stuff doesn’t blind you, the stink will surely knock you out.” -Kiarri T.H. Cheatwood
- RDT: “Now is the time for us to come together with one another, to organize, to speak out and to speak up on behalf of each other. There is no time to waste, while we debate, define, and discuss; the enemy continues his genocidal plan.” -Mutulu Shakur
- RDT: “Stand on your own two black feet and fight like hell for your place in the world.” -Amy Jacques Garvey
- RDT: “A child or a nation which is carried too long will never learn to walk.” -Sam Greenlee
Our Perspective in Haiti
(click to purchase fundraiser shirt)
Fam, if you’re fine with Anderson Cooper or someone else from CNN being the only voice you hear with news from Haiti, that’s fine, but if you’re interested in an African-centered perspective and you want to hear from real Haitians and let them tell their own story (unfiltered by mainstream media) then help us send our brothers from blackpowermedia to Haiti right now! They’re also taking a nurse with them and much needed supplies (toothpaste, soap, powdered milk, underwear, etc.). These are our people and we need to hear from them directly, not through the lens of mainstream media.
Two options:
1)Donate directly using the PayPal button below
OR
2) Buy our Haiti United fundraiser shirt and we’ll donate 100% of the proceeds directly to BPM for any sales that happen between now and Jan. 30th, 2010)
Thieving French & Haitian Reparations
by Tre B.
I’ve been meaning to get around to learning about the history of Haiti for a good minute since it was the first independent African/Black republic in the Western hemisphere. I also want to predict what will happen to Haiti, from an international relations standpoint, due to the recent earthquake. The best way to figure that out is to examine the past. It’s a shame it took a tragedy for me to finally get around to it.
I still haven’t learned enough to make a prediction about Haiti’s future. Although, my knowledge about other African countries leads me to believe that the US and Europe will figure a way to kick her while she’s down while disguising themselves as generous benefactors.
Anyway, this is about some knowledge I stumbled upon in my research about Haiti…and it so happens to be a great case for reparations. This knowledge sounded so stupid I had to check several other sources to see if it was true Apparently, Haiti had to pay France for recognition as a legitimate country and “reparations” for lost future wealth due to the Haitian Revolution, which ended in 1804. Basically, Haiti’s independence caused France to lose on of it’s major sources of wealth, so they made Haiti pay France for its freedom AFTER it had already won its freedom. No, you didn’t read that backwards. Former slaves paid their masters reparations after gaining independence, which took them until 1947 to pay off. The winners of the war paid the losers. That would be like the US paying Britain after Britain LOST the American Revolution, or Castro paying Batista after the Cuban Revolution. Don’t believe it? Look it up yourself. I’ll be damned if I paid someone for putting me into slavery and torturing me mentally and physically. The only thing they may get from me is a dime’s worth of lead delivered at high velocity through the barrel of a 50 cal. Desert Eagle.
There are several causes for Haiti’s chronic poverty and under-development that may or may not be attributable to the Amero-peans, but this is one we can definitely pin on them: a massive and unjustified debt burden. I happen to be reading a book on economic development in the so-called Third World, and a common problem seems to be ridiculous debt burdens that the countries can’t expect to ever be able to pay. Unlike most reparations proposals, we can put a fairly accurate dollar amount on this one. Just take the amount that Haiti paid to France (in principal and interest) and add interest to that, compounded annually since 1825 (when the first payments were demanded by France) and in give it to Haiti in the form of Silver and Gold bars at current exchange rates. Of course, this is not all that’s owed and France isn’t the only culprit, but it’s a definitive number we can work towards for now.
So Haiti is getting all this emergency aid right now, but all that is peanuts compared to what France owes them. We need to be talking about this on our blogs, in our media and getting our so-called Black representatives in politics to turn this into policy, economic sanctions, whatever it takes, and get the UN to pressure France into doing the right thing (because thieves usually don’t return stolen items out of the goodness of their greedy hearts). Let’s deal with the immediate emergency for now, but when the dust clears, we need to start focusing on getting these reparations for the long-term development of Haiti and to set a precedent in the international African reparations movement. France, you know what this is…the Haitian Robin Hood in this b****, get out the car, throw me the wallet and lay down!
Haiti and Apocalyptic Politics
Yesterday I prayed feverishly for my friends, as they sought confirmation that their family members survived the massive 7.0 earthquake that leveled Haiti. My only frame of reference for their hearts’ panic was the day the Twin Towers fell; a day in which my mother watched them crumble out of her 30th Floor window in Midtown, while frantically asking me what to expect next over the phone. I’ll never forget sitting in my Vanderbilt dorm room, watching that declaration of war, and not knowing whether my mother would make it home to the Bronx. Truly an unsettling experience. So my heart goes out to those still waiting to hear from their kin, disconnected by fallen phone towers and cataclysmic chaos.
Watching the current rally calls and pledges of aid to Haiti as a result of this unfathomable natural disaster, I can’t help but to feel proud that citizens across the world feel compassion for our wounded brothers and sisters. This makes me smile, only not too bright.
Truthfully, I feel a great sense of disappointment in the fact that it has taken this large scale catastrophe to force the United States and others to donate millions in aid and support to the people of Haiti. Had we cared about Haiti’s humanitarian disaster that predated January 12th’s earthquake, hundreds of thousands of lives may have been spared. As the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country lingered in our backyard, we turned a cold shoulder to the 3rd World penury that stared us in the face just 90 minutes away from Miami. Before the Richter scale even tipped yesterday, Haiti had been operating as a post-apocalyptic society for well over 5 centuries. Our fellow Negroes have lived in abject poverty with crumbling physical and political infrastructure ever since I can remember. Yet no one (outside of a few philanthropic groups) lifted a finger to assist the Haitians with getting on their feet. Why has there not been around the clock news coverage of the despair in Haiti until now?
Somehow I believe there would have been a different story in Haiti if there was an abundance of Texas Tea found in and around the country. But that’s neither here nor there when considering that Black America has never been substantially active in supporting our people across the Caribbean Sea. We’ve flown over the country to party it up in the Virgin Islands and Trinidad & Tobago, yet we’ve never rallied to contribute to the financial uplift of our brethren in Haiti. (I must note that many of us have visited Haiti’s neighbor Jamaica, but have still however ignored the true plight of our people there as well).
As the World mobilizes to assist Haiti, it is my sincere hope that we learn to be proactive in averting crises of this scale. If Katrina destroying New Orleans, the Tsunami destroying southern coastal Asia, and this earthquake leveling Haiti teaches us anything, it is to NOT neglect the poor until natural disasters strike. We must not take the pompous attitude of imbeciles like Pat Robertson when considering the misfortunes of our fellow human beings. So let’s go forth and assist Haiti any way we can TODAY, and let’s not forget to continue pouring out love and assistance constantly across the globe to make Earth a better place throughout the year, inch by inch. Ready? Break.
African Centered Education
by Jacob H. Carruthers
The African centered curriculum has emerged as the leading thrust in the movement to reform education in the United States. The western civilization cultural monopoly of modern education is undergoing revision and moving toward more balanced multicultural content in the wake of the momentum caused by the African centered education project and its predecessor, the Black Studies movement.
According to recent MyTEFL reviews, the African centered education campaign is related to the chronic failure of the education system to provide equal educational results and opportunities for African Americans. This campaign also focuses on providing study material, like clep study guides, to the underprivileged so that they do not face a difficulty when facing competitive exams. But even if African American students were equally successful in terms of education achievements, the African centered curriculum would still be necessary. Indeed African American students who excel in school are as deprived of cultural equality as are those who fail. Thus self-esteem as conventionally understood is not a central issue because many African Americans including most high achievers have positive self-concepts. What many African Americans including high achievers suffer from is the pervading negative image of African peoples of whom they are descendants. One would expect that improving the image of one’s social or ethnic group would have a positive effect on one’s self image.
Indeed all students suffer from these negative images of Africa and its people. Such deprivation is criminal in view of the fact that the negative images are the product of intellectual fabrications that were designed to justify racial exploitation and injustice especially slavery, colonialism, segregation and the denial of economic, social and political equality to persons of African descent. The problem of teaching about Africa is thus deeply embedded in the curriculum philosophy which is the turn based upon modern European philosophy.
The lowest point of modern western philosophy was the inclusion of arguments for white supremacy and “Negro” inferiority in philosophical writings during the 18th and 19th centuries. The prestige of some of the thinkers compounds the evil. David Hume (On National Character), Charles Montesquieu (The Spirit of the Laws), and Georg Hegel (The Philosophy of History) were the forerunners for writers like Thomas Carlyle (The Nigger Question) and Joseph Gobineau (The Inequality of the Human Races) who were in turn forerunners of Adolph Hitler.
The modern fabricators of the doctrine of white supremacy firmly attached the insidious argument to the concept of western civilization. The result was the creation of the idea that the white race had performed a cultural miracle and broken with the superstitious cultures of remote antiquity. According to this, the ancient Greek pioneers had provided a mighty foundation for the development of the highest culture known to humankind. Thus civilization in is true form started among Europeans while the other continental cultures were still retarded in barbarism of savagery. The evolutionary cultural hierarchy that emerged placed African culture firmly on the bottom and European or western civilization at the top. Thus while all cultures other than the western European one were degraded, Africa occupied a unique position. Africans were removed from history through this worldview. Africa as Hegel put it “is no historical part of the world” (Hegel, p.99). Indeed the differences between the civilizations originating on the Eurasian continent and Africa are mostly depicted as qualitative and not merely attributed to a stage of development.
In view of the western philosophical project of historical and cultural genocide against African peoples, the African centered curriculum is essential. The first and most important reason is to restore the truth to the curriculum. The falsification of the role of Africa in world history and civilization results not only in a deformation of African history but the history of the world, especially since Africa has played such a decisive part in the events that comprise world history. The correction of this mutilation is surely in the interest of humanity, if the truth is at all relevant to human development.
A second reason is the necessity of developing a framework for cultural equality as we move into the 21st century. The next century which marks the beginning of a new millennium will doubtless witness the transition of world power from one center of gravity (the western one ) to another (the eastern one). Such a transition is perhaps destined to be even more dramatic than that of the 16th century which witnessed the reverse. The children now in school will live their lives in the 21st century which will be characterized by multicultural challenges not faced in previous centuries. Even today the multicultural world is exploding as long suppressed cultures are now demanding dignity and power in the world arena. The road to multicultural equality and respect cannot even begin until Africa is restored to its proper historical and cultural position.
A third reason for the necessity of the African centered curriculum is the fact that any culture (especially one which has been suppressed) needs its own apparatus for its restoration, maintenance and development. The main reason western culture has been dominant is because Europeans have controlled political, economic and social power including educational policy for the last several centuries. Even so some cultures have fared better in this regard because the west was not able to gain complete educational hegemony. Japan is a good example.
A fourth reason for the African centered curriculum is the peculiar capability of the African centered education movement to provide the leadership in educational reform. The African centered education project and its predecessor, the Black Studies movement, have developed the open ended critique of western education which is a necessary aspect of the reform of education. These movements have also spawned the organizational bases to effectively work toward the implementation of the changes. Without this critique and the organizational pressure multiculturalism would remain an abstraction capable of being used to perpetuate the Eurocentric and anti-African curriculum. Indeed many so called proponents of multiculturalism are demonstrating such contradictions today. Dianne Ravitch is a prime example of the problem.
A final reason for the African centered curriculum is the nature of the population composition in the United States. This country is composed of a variety of ethnic and racial groups. As such the country should properly be conceived of as the United States of various ethnic, national and racial groups. The Eurocentric curriculum, more or less, serves the cultural interest of most European ethnic groups. It does not serve the cultural interest of most people of African descent. Since population patterns are such that most African Americans live in predominantly African American communities and attend predominantly African American schools, it is logical that they should be taught from an African perspective if they so choose.
The African Foundations programs of the Kemetic Institute are designed to provide assistance to communities, schools, and teachers who opt to move in the direction of African centered education. Our programs will also assist those who are attempting to teach correctly about Africa. When the African foundation is firmly in place, the teaching about the African American experience will be successful.
(Winter 1995)
Knowledge Drop
Dr. Asa Hilliard (RIU) drops knowledge bombs all over this one. There are 5 other interesting videos in this series that you may want to watch, but this is by far the most powerful.
Knowledge Drop brought to you by: http://www.dangerousnegro.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DPKMSS
Knowledge Drop: The most powerful force in finance
Most people don’t know what compound interest is, and even fewer know about the Rule of 72. This is why saving your money is critical to your financial future and why, as compulsive/conspicuous consumers, Black people in America have made no significant economic progress relative to other ethnic groups since Reconstruction. Compound interest is your friend and next to significant liquidity events (e.g. selling an internet start up for millions) the most powerful economic force to build wealth in our community.
Daily Knowledge Drop: Were Ancient Egyptians Black?
Cheikh Anta Diop
Daily Knowledge Drop brought to you by: http://www.dangerousnegro.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=DPKMSS
The controversy regarding the race of the residents of ancient Kemet (Egypt) aka the “pyramid builders” still exists, but only in the minds of those who are uninformed or whose racial prejudices prevent them from accepting the truth. Another failing of our educational systems. Racism has played, and still plays, a major role in how people of color are portrayed in world history.
The scientific proof that ancient Egyptians were Black was presented in 1978 by Cheikh Anta Diop at the Cairo Symposium. Diop developed the “melanin dosage test,” which was a simple test that could determine the phenotype of the Egyptian royal mummies by examining the melanin content present in their skin. Diop states, “…show a melanin level which is nonexistent in the white skinned races. Let us simply say that the evaluation of melanin level by microscopic examination is a laboratory method which enables us to classify the ancient Egyptians unquestionably among the black races.”
Anthony T. Browder sums up the continuing debate quite nicely:
Despite the research of Drs. Diop and Obenga, numerous issues concerning the ethnicity of the ancient Egyptians and the Egyptian contributions to civilization continue to be discussed and debated. Some scholars will never accept the fact that Africans (blacks) had anything to do with the development if Nile Valley civilizations and the culture that emerged in the northern most region of the Nile Valley, Egypt.
If this doesn’t convince you, more evidence can be found written in heiroglyphs by the Egyptians themselves. According to Browder:
Carvings from the tomb of Rameses III (1200 BCE) portray the Nubians and Kemites as identical and Indo-Europeans and Semites as profoundly different in physical appearance and dress.
It is as foolhardy to suggest that the people of Kemet were phenotypically different from their Nubian, Sudanese or Ethiopian neighbors, as it is to suggest that the people of France, Switzerland, and Germany are phenotypically different from one another.
Why does any of this matter? The reasons are many and explanations are lengthy, but a knowledge of Black/African history is an important baseline to establish cultural pride, the will to continue certain cultural traditions, and protect against cultural attacks from outsiders and those that would downplay our importance on the world stage. Ancient Nile Valley Civilization was unequivocally the most advanced civilization in recorded history until modern times. We still can’t replicate some of the structures they built or systems they produced. There has been an attempt to take this history away from Black people (and Africa by claiming that Egypt is apart of the Middle East) and attribute it to Caucasians, Arabs, or Semites. But this is Black history and we must learn it and teach it as such.
For hundreds of year Europeans have controlled and manipulated history and how it is recorded and perceived with the aid of so-called objective scientists and historians. This affects how we think about the past and possibilities for the future as well as serves to enhance the belief (by white and non-white people alike) in the superiority of European/Western civilization and that it is the originator of modern civilization itself (science, math, philosophy, religion, etc). Nothing could be further from the truth. This is a struggle against attempted cultural assassination and mentacide.
Browder puts it this way when paraphrasing George Orwell, “Whoever controls the image and information of the past will determine what and how future generations will think; and, whoever controls the information and images of the present, will also determine how those same people will view the past.”
Source: Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization by Anthony T. Browder, Introduction by Dr. John Henrik Clarke
Finding Progression in Assimilation Nation
Growing up in the United States, it is impossible to escape the implicit and explicit tenets of White Supremacy that embed themselves in the subconscious of every American. While the engine of this domineering machine is not as robust as it was in its heyday of slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow, it now drives on autopilot through the daily thoughts and interactions of all citizens. Many Black people subtly conform to White Supremacist doctrines, and even frown upon those Negroes that make the conscious decision not to support its continuation. Though well-intentioned, these folks confuse Black progression with assimilation into “mainstream” society; as a race we need to understand the difference in order to advance.
It breaks my heart when I hear educated Sisters and Brothers argue for the eradication of certain cultural practices simply because they feel it makes the Black race look bad to other races (more specifically White folks). In a constant effort to impress our Caucasian counterparts, the Black bourgeois have named any action that could be perceived as inferior to traditional White way of life, cancerous to Black society. Black people who think with this type of mind have succumbed to White Supremacy, as it is painfully apparent that they’ve adopted a “What would White man do?” mentality. For instance, the main criticism I heard when I stood up to support Brother Tyler Perry’s work was that it portrays an image, we as Black people, should suppress and hide from White people. Eh you know, God forbid some Anglos come across a Tyler Perry movie and shake their heads in disapproval or perhaps laugh at Madea. Us Negroes need to impress these White folks with dry wit and conventional humor if we ever plan to be on their level some day, right? Riiight.
It is impossible to progress beyond White Supremacy if we employ it’s very tactics to police our own race. Uproar from supposed members of the Black intelligentsia upon the theatrical release of Precious was asinine. There were Negroes concerned that telling the unfortunate story of an obese Black woman would give “others” the image that all African Americans fit the overweight, welfare stereotype many ignorant citizens cite to belittle Black achievement. Look people… you know damn well there are those among us who battle obesity and several other socio-economic constraints of perpetual poverty. Trying to sweep our fellow people under the rug to make our house look all tidy when “others” visit will not eliminate the problems we face as a race.
Progression in Black America will only occur when we begin to impress ourselves and push our brethren to be more powerful, prudent, and prideful. The question should not be “how does this look to White people,” but instead “how does this look to our people?” Only when Black art or media systematically fails to empower, enlighten, and entertain its own constituents has a disservice been performed. So Brothers and Sisters, I urge you to consider the subconscious effects that thousands of years of White Supremacy have implanted in your psyche before you revere or reject ethnic communications. Do it for Hip Hop. Do it for Your People. Do it for YOU. Peace!
