Judas and The Black Messiah: What Can Happen After The Movie
I wanted to delay watching Judas and the Black Messiah for as long as I could because this portion of our history makes me particularly furious. However, some anti-racist book club students brought it up as something to watch and discuss, so I committed to watching it. Of course, it was a powerful and incendiary movie, but how can the learning continue for us after we watch it? Here are my suggestions.
THREE THINGS WE CAN READ (POSSIBLY ORDERED THROUGH BLACK BOOKSTORES):
The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders by John Potash
Black Panthers For Beginners by Herb Boyd
Racial Matters: The FBI's Secret File on Black America by Kenneth O'Reilly
THREE THINGS WE CAN WATCH:
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Available on Prime)
The Black Power Mixtape (Available on Prime)
Eyes on The Prize Part 2 (YouTube)
THREE THINGS WE CAN DO:
Donate to the "Save the Hampton House" Initiative. (GoFundMe)
Write to Current Political Prisoners.
Investigate potential modern-day "Judases."
Let’s honor the movie and the heroes in it by growing what we know and what we do. Peace and Progress!
Why do so many of us have such a complex relationship with reading?
I have some certificates that mean more to me than my degrees do.
Let me explain.
Neither of the degree programs I went through for Education and Library Science taught me the science of reading.
Let that sink.
Reading well is about the marriage between knowing the technical code of the language and knowing the meaning that is being conveyed through it. But unfortunately too often only one partner in the marriage is present in instruction and teacher training.
We grew up clowning folks who needed “hooked on phonics,” but the research shows we all needed to be strategically taught that science in the early ages. As a result, some of the literacy needs my students had were not met with best practices and opportunities for them to become less stressed, resentful, and fearful towards reading.
Reading is a skill necessary for intellectual, spiritual, and economic development. This course I recently completed (courtesy of the job) gave me clearer pathways to help elementary and secondary students access the foundations of reading in ways that promote lifelong learning. Thank you, CORE!
Today’s Release: “Mister Doubt Fire”/ “How U MAGA???”
I decided Thursday, January 21st would be the release date of Maya Claude Creativity’s first single Mister Doubt Fire/ How U Maga??? because it is a week with two events relevant to the songs.
EVENT ONE:
This past Monday was MLK Day. This was a man, who (quiet as kept) had to constantly engage in spiritual warfare to overcome his doubts, and to become what he was meant to be. This is what Mister Doubt Fire (Glitched Huxtable) is about. “What I tell myself is what I sell myself…”
EVENT TWO:
Yesterday a transfer of power took place: Inauguration Day. While I am glad that 45 is out, I know that 45 represented the least sophisticated and most obnoxious form of white supremacy, and now other low-key forms of it get a chance to resume schedule. Sadly, MAGA takes many forms and can attach itself to any identity host, like Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Liberal, Evangelist…the list goes on. This is what both How U MAGA??? (A Reflection) and How U MAGA??? (It’s Not Over) are about.
All songs are now available on all streaming platforms and are available for free download as well. Thank you, early supporters! I look forward to having some rich conversations with you all.
Peace and Progress!
Pursuing The Complete MLK
Today I have the honor of doing a virtual presentation for the University of Rochester about King’s legacy.
My stance is simple:
King’s legacy has been photoshopped to the benefit of the United State’s reputation.
Let’s remember (or discover) on this day some things about King.
KING’S SPIRITUAL LIFE FUELED HIS SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADERSHIP
“Great theologians when they've talked about God, have usually gotten around to the point of saying that even God works towards integration… Whenever we think of God, we think of a being working to bring the disconnected aspects of reality into a harmonious whole.”
Remaining Awake Through A Great Revolution Speech, 1968
KING’S WALK AS A CHRISTIAN DIDNT PREVENT HIM FROM FINDING COMMON GROUND WITH OTHER RELIGIONS
“Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door, that leads to ultimate reality. This Hindu, Moslem, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist belief about ultimate reality is beautifully summed up in the first Epistle of John: ‘Let us love one another, for God is love.’”
Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam, Speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church
KING PROPHESIZED AMERICA’S SICK DEPENDENCY ON TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIAL THINGS
“We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism (economic exploitation), and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”
The Three Evils of Society Speech, 1967
KING WAS DESPISED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
“What is that goddamned nigger preacher doing to me? We gave him the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we gave him the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we gave him the war on poverty. What more does he want?”
President Lyndon Baines Johnson, in response to King’s anti-Vietnam War speech, 1967
HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO KNOW KINGS TRUE LEGACY?
Read King’s Own Words
Why We Can’t Wait
Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?
Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story
Strength to Love
The Radical King (Edited by Cornel West)
Check Out The Documentary “Citizen King”
Check Out This Teaching Tolerance’s “Teaching Hard History” Podcast Episode: Teaching the Movement’s Most Iconic Figure
May we learn from the man who sacrificed everything.
PEACE AND PROGRESS!
Why I Wrote It: “Mister Doubt Fire”
There can be a deep-seated, self-maintained glass ceiling on what I believe my capacities are.
There are technologies and people that take advantage of that, feeding their own dreams by feeding off our own vulnerabilities.
There is a God that can free us from this loop should we stay un-distracted.
It was hard to write this joint because (you guessed it), I feared it would be wack. Bryan (the engineer) and Ashton blessed me with a beat that I knew would push me a bit out of my boom bap templates. Hearing the joint “Rise” I did, they earnestly and thoughtfully reached out, and I sat on the beat forever. I was grateful that work was so crazy because that provided the perfect veil over the things that had me stuck.
Watching Netflix, scrolling through Facebook, and losing my concepts of time and purpose by binging Youtube became my medicine, and the algorithms for those services couldn’t have been happier. They were fulfilling their purpose, which was distracting me from mine.
I don’t see this situation being named a lot, but it’s made plenty visible by other folks I know. But these walks were isolated ones, ones in which we wear paper-thin masks.
The anxiety was becoming too pressurized. I committed to memory that God doesnt provide the Spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind, so I pushed the pen, and low and behold, the song was done in one sitting (rare for me).
For me, this song encourages me to stay out of that toxic loop. I hope it resonates with you in whatever toxic loops you face or have encountered.