Wait, have you been looking for me over here? Oh no, you didn't catch the move. I'm over here! Update your bookmarks to WWW.UPTOWNNOTES.COM. Then when you get there you can subscribe to the new RSS feed. If you liked what you saw here, you'll love what we've got going on over there. My old posts from BlackatMichigan, DumiSays, and UptownNotes are even over there!
Since my last post, I've been very busy. For the first time in a while, I've been making good progress on my academic scholarship. Looking forward to getting a couple of things out there real soon. Also, my classes have started to take a really good turn and I'm excited about their potential. Okay, now to a short yet important post.
This past weekend, aside from battling a cold, I got a chance to go check out the African American Day Parade. There were so many beautiful Black folks out in Harlem it was site to behold. I was only at the Parade for a short time, but it was great to see Red Black and Green flying everywhere. While I was excited to see the UNIA flag, I was quickly brought back to reality by the sight of a brotha with the flag in one hand and a handful of passing strangers buttocks in the other. Can we truly be thinking about Black Liberation if we continue to oppress and degrade women? As we as people strive for greater power, a greater community, we as Black men, must interrogate our position in society. Recently brother Jewel Woods put out a Black Male Privileges Checklist.
What do you find yourself answering yes to? Do you think as a Black man in America you have privilege? What are you willing to do to change your privilege?
On a separate but related note, when traveling home post parade and post movie, I saw cops everywhere in Harlem. This may be some of the explanation.
The Daily Show recently did a great segment on GOP/RNC double speak. Some pretty amazing footage in here. Who knew that Harvey Dent was a Republican Strategist!
If you aren't accustomed to clicking links on the side of this page, I hope this will help. This is a videoblog by Jay Smooth, long time Hip-Hop head and host on his blog illdoctrine.com. Jay in mid August posted a guide to "no homo", he really comes with it... [not gonna say it Jay!]
1) "The Pta","Hockey Moms 4 Palin" and "small town" are those the parts I'm supposed to connect to?
2) Did Palin really spend the first 5 minutes explaining that she has a family ... how does that mesh with the GOPs insistence on leaving her family out of it?
3) Ugh, could someone check on her baby, cause the kid didn't look well?
4) Am I supposed to think being mayor matters?
5) Can you claim that you aren't a part of the power structure when you're on the ticket of the Grand Old Party?
6) Are we supposed to think that "Drill, baby, Drill!" is a real energy plan?
7) Am I to believe Palin will put Air Force One on Ebay?
8) What the hell was that powerpoint slide show in the background?
9) How many times did she say "man" when she could have said person, president, or something gender neutral?
10) And now that she talked about Obama and McCain ad naseum, can you tell me what she stands for!?!
"I don't fuck with politics, I don't even follow it." -Talib Kweli on the Beautiful Struggle 2004
I love Hip-Hop, no for real, I love Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop has been one of the cultural forms that I gravitated towards since I was small. Hip-Hop has been more than beats and rhymes, it helped build my ideology. It provided me access to different perspectives on the social world. I'll never forget when I heard NWA yell "Fuck Da Police." Hip-Hop spoke for me when my voice trembled. Hip-Hop hasn't been perfect, but it it's been full of perfect imperfections. While some will say it's all about the Beat, Hip-Hop WAS more than that to me. It's moments like this that make me really miss Hip-Hop. Correction, it's moments like this that I miss political Hip-Hop... or at least MY political Hip-Hop.
Now don't get it twisted, Hip-Hop is political, arguably more political than at any other point in its history. The quote above by Talib Kweli in 2004 is the type of political Hip-Hop that I'm talking about. Kweli wasn't advocating apolitical behavior, he was acknowledging the inadequecies of politics. But always, things change. I doubt Talib Kweli could even back that quote anymore, especially since he made a song about Hillary Clinton "falling back" during the primary season. With Luda freestyling for Obama, Big Boi sitting in the Oval office, and Daddy Yankee championing McCain we're seeing so much political discussion it should be cause for celebration. Hip-Hop is finally coming of age and is forming a union with Politics. Unfortunately, like most weddings, there is always someone who is disturbed by the union. That someone is me! The marriage between Hip-Hop and mainstream politics is beginning to worry me.
Now I'm not someone who has a myopia or nostalgia about Hip-Hop that romanticizes Hip-Hop. I know Hip-Hop was a party before it was political. But as a Black man in America, the personal is political. I remember sitting in high school listening to The Goats as they railed on politicians like Bill Clinton. It was an odd moment because most people I knew, including progressive Black folks, were in support of Clinton and at first I was confused. I wondered, "How can they be against Clinton? Isn't he a "good" president?" Their lyrics challenged me to see beyond a saxophone performance on Arsenio Hall and made me dig deeper to understand real politics: welfare reform, immigration, crime policy, and even the limits of politics. And yes, I began to dig into these questions in part due to Hip-Hop's critical perspective. Now, I don't think this occurred for most folks who listened to Hip-Hop (hell most of you reading this probably have never heard of the Goats) but for me, the questions that began to percolate in those years continue to power my critical thoughts today. As I got older and became more involved in social change, I realized that mainstream politics have more often than not been the enemy of social change, not the the ally. The placations that politicians offered people traditionally have come in response to serious pressures from folks outside of Capitol Hill.
I believe in grassroots activism. I believe in political participation. But I'll fight for politics that are pushed to accountability by the grassroots. I vote, I have organized people to vote, and even admonish those who don't participate in the electoral process, but I know a ballot will never be enough. I learned that from Hip-Hop. As I dug my feet into grassroots work in New Haven, Atlanta, Michigan, and New York Hip-Hop provided a soundtrack. A soundtrack that pressed me to think critically and act critically. But for some reason, right now, I feel like I'm missing that soundtrack. To be honest I don't think I noticed it was playing for years, until it went silent.
For months, I've been waiting for a song that expresses an unease, disappointment, or at least concern that the election of a single political official is not enough. An artist that challenges us to think outside of a two party system. A joint that pushes us to see peace as not just as an idealized alternative, but a livable reality. A crew that knows we have to make politics work for the people. In the past, I was able to find that in the voices of Hip-Hop. My old Hip-Hop provided the perfect soundtrack to my struggle for social justice. I could pop in a tape or CD and know someone else felt my frustration with the state of the world, that someone shared my concern for change, that someone wasn't afraid to question the status quo. These type of songs, questions, and challenges probably made Chuck D nearly 20 years ago call rap "CNN for Black people."
Hmmm, maybe that's just it. Maybe he was right. Maybe he predicted it. Maybe Rap/Hip-Hop has become CNN for Black people. No really feel me, the parallels are scary. It features the same stories, same shallow analysis, same three minute clips, and runs on a loop. Maybe I don't need Rap to be Black CNN anymore.
Have I given up on Hip-Hop? Have I outgrown Hip-Hop? Am I living in the past? I think the answer to all of those is no, I'm still waiting. I still want more from Hip-Hop, I still demand more from Hip-Hop, I still believe in my Hip-Hop. Right now, the soundtrack to my struggle is silent. But I'll wait patiently, because as Greg Tate once said, "the only known alternative to hiphop is dead silence." And I'm not ready to do the work without my beloved soundtrack.
I'm outside of NYC right now, but been running around and getting work done. In the meantime check out this brief interview on DailyKos. The interview was done virtually with David Boyle who has developed a the site called Obamaism.org. Check it out and leave a comment.
Yesterday, the NYTimes ran a story on the mural being painted in Sunset Park by young women about military recruitment. In particular they're tackling the provision under NCLB that allows Military recruiters equal access to schools as post-secondary institutions (e.g. colleges) and access to private family information (e.g. phone numbers, etc.). In my eyes, the increased targeting of poor students (both economically disadvantaged and low performing on academic indicators) is a dangerous and discriminatory practice. While the military should be an option for people, it should not be the only one or the one forced on a segment of the population. Okay, back to the mural!
The mural, being coordinated and supervised by Katie Yamasaki via the Groundswell Mural program, is the type of work that many of our children need to be involved in. While many of our children spend summer hopping from place to place engaging in makeshift activities. The work that these young women have participated in has helped to elevate their voices, challenge their minds, and hone their aesthetic talents. Make sure you head over to the article listed above and comment, given there is an "interesting" commentary unfolding in the comments sections.
And when the mural is dedicated, make sure your voice is her'd!!!
No I don't mean are you mad, I meant do you have a lot of salt in your body. Last week CNN's Black in America allowed Roland Fryer to open up the "salt sensitivity theory" of Black health again (see 31 minutes in on the first video below). If you followed my previous link to Blacksmythe's blog on Black in America you probably got a sense of why folks are so cynical of this theory and Fryer's fame for unsubstantiated or non-peer reviewed theories, but the responses below really speak to the power of popular perception. (If you have two hours (that you'll never get back), here is Pt 1 of Black in America - The Black Woman & Family ... don't get me started on how Black women didn't get a full program)
First a press release from Dr. Thomas LaViest at John Hopkins.
MEDIA RELEASE July 28, 2008
Johns Hopkins Health Disparities Expert Criticizes CNN Report
Baltimore – Promoting unproven theories as a key cause of the enormous health gap between African Americans and other ethnic groups will likely widen the gap further, said a leading researcher working to close the gap.
Thomas A. LaVeist, PhD, Director of the Center for Health Disparities Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was alarmed when he saw the health care segment of CNN's "Black In America" series and heard the salt-sensitivity theory being promoted as a key reason to explain why blacks are unhealthy compared to whites and other groups.
"I commend CNN and Soledad O'Brien for tackling this very important topic, but to expose an audience to this theory is very troubling and disappointing," LaVeist said.
During the segment, O'Brien interviewed Harvard economist Roland Fryer who said he believes the salt-sensitive theory may be key to unlocking why blacks on average have poor health. The salt- sensitivity theory claims that during the transatlantic slave trade, African slaves whose bodies held higher levels of salt were better able to survive the long brutal voyage to the Americas. Their descendants are now genetically disposed to hypertension and other diseases that are tied to salt.
"This bogus theory just won't seem to die," LaVeist said. "Even though public health researchers have discredited the theory it continues to be promoted by people who are not knowledgeable about the field. THE AVERAGE HEALTH CONSUMER WATCHING CNN COULD TAKE THIS AS THE GOSPEL AND RUN WITH IT TO THEIR OWN DETRIMENT."
Most research scientists who work on this public health problem would agree that some of the key health disparity causes are:
• Blacks are exposed to more environmental toxins because of residential segregation • Blacks have less access to quality healthcare • Higher levels of poverty among African Americans • Higher levels of use of harmful products such as cigarettes • Less healthy diets • Less healthy foods in African American communities • Residing in more stressful environments
"To suggest that health disparities are caused by a gene that exists in African Americans and does not exist in others is ridiculous. There are no genes found in only one race group," LaVeist said. "Hypertension and all other major causes of death are caused by a complex set of factors. They are not single gene diseases. If race disparities were primarily caused by a gene, that gene would have to cause hypertension and cancer and diabetes and glaucoma, and Crohn's disease and asthma and HIV-AIDS and every other condition that is more prevalent in blacks and we know no one gene does that."
"I respect professor Fryer, but quoting an economist as an expert on health disparities is like interviewing me for a story about why gas prices have spiked," LaVeist said. "Not only are researchers at Hopkins working on this problem, but people are working on this issue right there in Atlanta where CNN is headquartered. The problem of health disparities is complex. By trying to reduce it to a simplistic explanation we risk having health care providers, policymakers and patients feel there is nothing they can do to address the issue."
About Thomas LaVeist: As the William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy, and Director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. LaVeist has studied the major healthcare gaps in America, the trends causing them and the problems they create. His work is enabling healthcare organizations and individuals to prepare for a new America—a minority majority.
Second, an editorial by Osagie Obasogie penned a little over a year ago in response to Oprah's show advancing the same bogus salty theory.
Both commentaries I received via the Spirit of 1848 listserv, thanks for sharing Shak-G.
so I could give CNN Black in America four thumbs down!!! Really too disgusted to comment on it, but if you want a decent flavor of what was running through my mind, check out BlackSmythe's live blog post on it!
Tonight, Monday July 21st, I'll be featured as a panelist on Lynn Doyle's It's your call. We'll be continuing the conversation about Jesse Jackson, Black political leadership, and the controversies surrounding both. The show airs regionally on Comcast's Cn8 or can be streamed live from here if you're outside one of the designated regions. We'll be taping live and it has a call-in format, so drop us a line.
Sunday morning I will be appearing on Jesse Jackson's radio show Keep Hope Alive Radio which is syndicated nationally. This week Marc Lamont Hill will be filling in for Rev. Jackson. We will be discussing Civil Rights leadership and contemporary politics. Find out where and when you can hear the show locally here. Tune in and give us your perspective.
And yes I know this is some late notice...
UPDATE: The show is now available online here!!! After Sunday it will be available in the Audio Archive.
I am linking to a post by Jafari Sinclaire Allen about Morehouse, sexuality, and community. Jafari was before my time at Morehouse, but he lays out some heavy, powerful, and challenging issues in his post about his time at Morehouse, Atlanta, and beyond. Please, please, please ... did I mention please, give it a read. It eloquently displays many of the questions that plagued me about the brotherhood at Morehouse, the larger Black community and the greater potential for social change. Brother Jafari, thank you for caring enough to share.
For those who don't know, Morehouse is my alma mater and I hold her near and dear to my heart. I have always wished that Morehouse offered a freshman year course like Spelman College's African Diaspora and the World, but one that focused on issues of gender privilege, sexuality, and leadership. Maybe we will get there someday... hopefully soon.
At about 1 in the morning I strolled along the main artery of Harlem, 125th street. As I walked from East to West I got to thinking about the transformation that Harlem is undergoing. Some call it gentrification, revitalization, land grab, urban pioneering, no matter what you call it, things are changing. When we talk about gentrification, we talk about those who have homes, but we forget those who go without consistent shelter.
As I passed the State building, I watched homeless citizens hover on concrete benches. As they lay resting, it almost looked like they were at perfect peace. Like the stone that was their pallet was made by Sealy mattresses, but that's likely not true. As they lay huddled beneath Adam Clayton Powell with his top coat flapping in the wind, I began to wonder what he would have thought? Did he think about these Harlemites? I began to wonder, do today's heroes of Harlem think about them?
The juxtaposition of the consummate Black political figure to the Black homeless was more than a sight. A sight would be too transient, too dissimive, too temporary. No, for the folks seeking refuge under ACP's cape, poverty was not temporary or passing, it was their long term reality. As Harlem undergoes yet another Renaissance I wonder what is to come of the folks who never saw the booms of prosperity? The folks that didn't have leases to be tricked out of. Are the stares that folks shoot them on 125th tonight the same as the stares that newcomers to Harlem will shoot them in 10 years? Or will they even be there?
No, you won't see this on BET, you won't see this on CNN, you won't see this... pretty much anywhere but you're computer. But this is why I still love Hip-Hop. This is why I still have hope, this is why I know that Detroit is in good hands. Check this video beneath of Invincible, Finale, and a host of Detroit activists dropping science on the D.
True I'm no longer BlackatMichigan but lord knows the Mitten always has a place in my heart. And make sure to cop Invincible's full length album, she's a beast!!!!!!! And because I know most of ya'll won't click the link, you better recognize she's even co-signed by Jean Grae. Don't take my word for it, take hers,
Invincible is a problem, always has been. Wonderfully humble, a humanitarian, an amazing and caring person just in general. All that and she'll rip your mic to shreds and then set it on fire. I don't even think she fully understands how dope she is. She's a true lyricist. She's been here for a long time going extra hard at this, no new jack here at all. She has an amazing fighter's spirit... Cause let's all be real about how the world perceives her based on appearance alone is a ridiculously large cross to bear. That woman is a beast and I have no idea how she manages to keep getting better with her art while saving the entire world. People complain about not having any role models or rappers not taking responsibility for their communities...well then respect this woman right here and give her her credit for her fight and everything she's accomplished thus far.
8. Is it okay for me to be proud of Barack's nomination but completely dissatisfied with blind allegiance?
