Quote from ``The Tycoons'' and the Common Sense Reality

From Chapter 9 of  ``The Tycoons,'' by Charles R. Morris. Page 271; the first paragraph and the second paragraph onto page 272 . `` Natty Rothschild, the head of the family's London branch, and grandson of old Nathan, the London House's founder, was close to Cecil Rhodes, and was the primary financier of Rhodes's DeBeeers Diamond Co. True to the family tradition, he abhorred Rhodes's provocative military free-lancing against the Boers and local tribes, and devoted much of his energies through the 1890's trying to avert a South African war. When the Boer War finally broke out in 1899, however, he fully expected his government to honor the second leg of family tradition and place its war financing through the Rothschild bank. He was therefore less than pleased to discover that the Exchequer planned to grant half the financing mandate to an American syndicate led by Morgan. Recriminations by Rothschild and other City leaders forced the government to restrict the Morgan bank to a very minor role during the first tranche of fund-raising. But as drawn-out war pressured British gold reserves, the Exchequer had no choice but to give Morgan an equal role. Perhaps out of pique at the government's dithering on the first round of financing, Morgan insisted on, and got, a commission twice as high as the British consortium's. It had been more than a century since Great Britain had to borrow from a foreign power to finance a war within its own empire. The historian of Rothschild family, Niall Ferguson, writes, ``It was an easy sign of that shift in the centre of financial gravity across the Atlantic that would be such a decisive -- and for the Rothschild fateful--feature of the new century.''






     ``The raw numbers tell the story: well before the end of the nineteenth century a tidal surge of American growth carried it soaring past the older industrial powers. in 1800, the output of American factories and mines was only a sixth that of Great Britain; by 1860, it was a third, and by 1880, two-thirds. America pulled ahead of Great Britain sometime in the 1880's; by 1900, its industrial output was a quarter larger, and by the eve of the World War, 2.3 times larger. In 1860, Great Britain accounted for about 20 percent of world industrial output, and the United States only 7 percent; by 1913, the American share was 32 percent, while Great Britain's had slid to 14 percent.''




Common Sense Points


The main point missing in the above statement from The Tycoons'' is the fact that they have totally missed the existence of slavery of Black and Brown People [Africans] by White Europeans as a basis for world European power and European influence. Black and Brown Africans get left out of this book, at least in this section I looked at, as if they had made no contribution to the world's economy. In fact, slavery is the basis for much of what the Europeans like to think of as ``their progress.''  This is why I, after reading a book by Suze Orman called ``The Money Class'' I insisted to my Loving and highly intelligent sister that when Suze Orman talks about ``standing in your truth'' as she talks about money, for none of us is such a statement correct because she is not standing in any truth at all because How money was generated -- off the backs of slaves-- is calibrated correctly, accurately or fairly.  This is part of the Big Lie that is the underpinning of our Nation -- The United States of America, soon to be the United States of Native America in 2016!! 

Black Bisexuality is examined in a web series called Bi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDyuMMh66d0


I found the acting very steady and effective in showing the frustrations and confusion often inherent in this lifestyle.  There are some men and women who really need to be with both men and women. Maybe we should respect this and get over trying to fit people in boxes they don't want to fit into.

military waste cut the military budget by 10 % for three years.

Cutting Back on the Bloated, Wasteful U.S. Military Budget… Who Says We Can’t?

 Our Nation spends $1 Billion Dollars of our hard earned tax dollars on the military budget each year.  We as Americans have been brain washed and lulled into believing that this money is spoken for, untouchable, off limits and not to be discussed.  Some reliable sources have suggested and even proven that one quarter of every dollar in military spending in the U.S. is unaccounted for, wasted or misspent.  And we are not supposed to question this—just accept it and go on to something else.  That is what CNN, MSNBC (which is supposed to be progressive), ABC, and even PBS & the BBC (for the most part) have proclaimed more than once right over the air ways on National TV & radio!!  Who Says we can’t cut the massive waste out of the military budget and bring the military spending into a more sustainable, realistic mode and make such spending work towards peace instead of the proliferation of war, armaments and destruction!!

The people who would question this position are NEVER asked to come on major TV or major radio programs or to be interviewed by the major publications with any kind of consistency. Many true progressives like me often question why we have to spend so much on the military in our quest to be the world’s policemen and policewomen; prop up White Supremacy; and dictate to foreign countries & foreign peoples how they should live…. {To me, this is really what the military intervention is all about.}  We have lost much of what the essence and temperament of what true democracy { within our own borders & around the world} is about.  We have a very violent, destructive and misguided culture and even celebrities like Danny Glover, Denzel Washington, Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Will Smith & Jada Picket-Smith  and Cicely Tyson are beginning to speak up and speak out..  If we could cut the military budget by ten % a year for three years, we would have enough savings to get the homeless off the streets and provide health care for every American. We could stop the insane process of fining North Americans for not having health care!!

France and Germany don’t have the kind of exorbitant military budget that the United States has. Neither does England, Sweden, Portugal or Spain.  Why is it that the United States has to take up the mantel and provide military cover for the entire world in our endless quest to spread our version of so-call democracy around the planet? Why is it our mission as American tax payers to sustain and expand U.S. Empire? Our own democracy becomes weaker and weaker as our tax base is stretched to the brink of breaking while we spend more and more on military, national security (as we defend against the underhanded misdeed we carry out in foreign lands) and the so-called intelligence network. Do you feel any more secure with all that money going to defense and the intelligence network? Do you support the military exploits of our troops around the world? Do you even really know what they are doing? Do you REALLY feel we are getting our money’s worth? People are slowly seeing the light that this just isn’t working.

It has been proven by leading psychologist, sociologist & psychiatrists that raw & blatant shows of force and power, such as the U.S. military has exemplified in various parts of the world over the years find the response to that military force to be hostility, anti-social behavior such as looting, resentment, hatred, internal terrorism & retaliatory sacrifice bombings. Often such military occupation and Empire building & expansion also divides neighborhoods into supports of the occupation and those who oppose it—dividing families and creating deep-seated hatreds, resentments and animosities.  

In the U.S., our schools are falling apart. Our students are getting dumber. Our small businesses go without the needed Capital to expand, hire new people and grow. Our infrastructure (roads, bridges and city, state and federal buildings) is crumbling and weakening. Our job base is turning into a prison-industrial base. Millions have no health care. There is a growing homeless & Home-Challenged {People who are victimized by foreclosures,  not being able to afford homes & other such housing problems}  problem. Yet our military continues to fly the flag, suck up our money and no one who is extended much media clout or stature makes any consistent challenges to the basic status quo & Established Order rule that the military budget cannot be cut, tampered with or made more adherent to basic competent spending rules & budgets. Thank GOD this picture is changing. I strongly disagree with this hands-off contention as regards to the U.S. military budget. I suggest that the cuts I described above be made and I think it is high time we stopped our military expansion and occupation around the world (there are over 100 U.S. military basis around the globe). It is time we bring our troops home to be retrained as to how to rebuild OUR nation, not someone else’s.

Solution: Cut the military budget 10 percent for three years in a row and use the savings to help Americans in and on our land. Feed the homeless, create jobs, give desperately needed Capital to our small businesses, support small towns, cities and municipalities with needed money for infrastructure, better schools and qualified teachers and stop over taxing the middle class and the poor to pay for the foreign folly of a few crabby generals, international war criminals and Established Order henchmen who head up the Pentagon and who dominate the Republican Party…..

a celebration of Sean Peretta -- never to be forgotten

The Light Behind the Throne – Sean Peretta

 

By Anonymous

 

Sean Peretta was one of, if not the kindest, sweetest, smartest Black men I eve met. While He attended Law School at Villanova University He worked at TV Guide Magazine, where I was also employed. We both worked as editorial assistants in the National Programming Department.

 

Sean Peretta had a smile that GOD depended on to help Him light up the world each and every morning.  He was Black and Italian, but He knew of racial hatred & discrimination. He NEVER , EVER, however, let these evil forces make Him hateful, angry or bitter. I, an angry Black man at the time, never understood this—especially coming from a younger Black man.

 

To say Sean Peretta was a beautiful Black man would be like calling the lush, robust African Baobab tree a little sprout or like calling the Hope Diamond a little gem –the understatement is deeply apparent. Sean was one of the most physically beautiful men of any race I had ever known or seen.  He LOVed humanity and had a female friend named Randy who was of European extraction. Sean never made any excuses about Randy being His friend. They made it through thick & thin. I don’t think they were intimate partners, but frankly, that is none of my bees wax. All I know s Randy would have given the world for Sean and Vice Versa.

 

The job as an Editorial Assistant at TV Guide didn’t look hard on the surface, but it did require some detailed work, concentration & punctuality.  TV Guide’s Human Resources Office was literally littered with a good many pink slips from People who didn’t make the grade.

 

Sean LOVed Basketball. He was a fish out of water without it. He was very tall & thin like most basketball stars & basketball players are. But there was something very special about Sean that I didn’t get a chance to reflect on until now – some 15 to 20 years after His tragic death.

 

I never knew a man of any race – known or unknown – rich or income-challenged, who had a brighter, more authentic smile and a total honesty about His deepest persona. The secret to Sean was that it was all there. There was really nothing much very deep or secret about Him. This is the deep part—humanity& the Universe really embraced Him with all its’ might. This was a delightful man with a good joke or two who didn’t understand the concept of greed, deceit, hatefulness or resentment. My own parents didn’t represent the type of honesty of personality represented in Sean Peretta. He sat directly in front of me, across a table where we had our work.  The sun light shined from behind Him through a large window.  It created the impact of Sean looking like a vision in light – an angel, a beautiful Black male angel. I was so very, very honored to have met & known Sean, but it took years for me to come to terms with How much I LOVed & missed Him.  Sean was straight and I Am Gay, but this made no never – mind to Him. I knew full well not to step over certain boundaries with Sean in our daily work & brief encounters that happened as part of our working in the same office. 

 

Maybe Sean had that early Obama charm that comes with being bi-racial. He was brown. He identified as being Black. But People didn’t talk much about race around Him, although He was known to support liberal causes like, perhaps the American Civil Liberties Union or the Human Rights Campaign in the early days of their work.  He also supported a few liberal Democrats in His day. 

 

When I heard Sean died playing basketball one hot summer day and that He had had a fatal heart attack, I was more than shocked and saddened because His LOVe for humanity and People were just beginning to rub off on me.  I was changing from a bitter Black radical into a more refined man with great taste in other men and fine foods.  Sean was a stellar man who a lot of People at The Guide LOVed.  I rarely go to funerals, but not to be at this gentleman’s funeral would not be proper at all.  I remember one of His nephews or a niece [Sean had no children] saying How much they would miss their uncle.  It was all very sad that Day at White Rock Baptist Church at 53^rd and Chestnut Street.

 

Know this Sean. Please in heaven or in limbo or with the Ancient, Black African Ancestors, even from antiquity, please work to make this earth a Heaven like you may be in right now. Help me and so many other Black, Asian, Latin, Arab and White progressives make this planet a haven for Peace, prosperity for ALL, LOVe, decency, non-judgment, equality, abundance, Joy, Freedom, sharing, non-violence, non-discrimination, wealth-sharing, non-drug dependency,& sustainability. Help us save or planet’s water, air and other natural resources so they will be here for the children.  Help us all come full circle in ending war and destruction and helping the rich share with all of us. And help us all make what we need to make economically to make this word a much, much better place. Protect us from the evil manipulation of others who are geared towards the destruction of this planet, its’ People and who have greed and hatred as a base of their motivations.  I will never forget you and that smile. I know you can help us in this time of need.  I know you Will.

helping our Black children by positive thinking and visualization.

There is a gruesome statistic running about the media lately. It says that for every Black child in the Third Grade who cannot read to proficiency level, the state of Pennsylvania or whatever state they were talkin about, provides an actual space for the child in the future in prison. I find the development of such statistics grotesque and disconcerting. What I’ve done, in my own mind, is when I see a Black child I say to myself ``I’m providing, by whatever means available, a space for that child in the future in one of our Black colleges and Black universities. ‘’ I have actually told some Black parents this and I hope the idea spreads so that we can actually save seats and pay for these seats into the future for Black students in Black colleges. This is the kind of individual activism that Martin Luther King Junior stood for and what warmed the hearts of People like Rosa Parks and James Baldwin. 

eating correctly when dining out. A trip to Axis. at 36th and Chestnut in Philly.

Axis Pizza Café & Salad Bar

20 South 36^th Street; near 36^th & Chestnut); Open 24 hours; 1 215 382 2199

Free delivery; www.axispizza.com

ATM on premises for American Express; Master Card; Visa & Discover Card

(Cash is accepted & preferred by Progressives. If you don’t have cash, perhaps you should do without until you do have cash.)

Things to Order that are healthier than many of the other menu items.

Always order small items. Order items with wheat, Rye or Pumpernickel bread, or if they don’t have this alternative, throw at least part of the White bead away (not good for health).

Vegetarian Pizza  [$10.75]

Vegetarian Stromboli   [$11.00]

Veggie Burger   [$5.05]

Turkey Club sandwich with no bacon [$7.95]

Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap [all wraps are $7.95]

Tune Wrap

Chicken Finger Wrap

Cole slaw [$2.45]

Onion Rings [$5.45]

Jalapeno Poppers $6.00]

Eggplant Parmesan [$8.25]

Veggie Quesadilla [$7.45]

Chicken Quesadilla [$7.45]

Grilled Chicken Spinach sandwich (no feta cheese) [$7.50]

Grilled Chicken & Broccoli [$7.00]

Chicken & Portabella Mushroom [$7.00]

Buffalo Wings (10) $8.50

Get the celery & eat that if you wish, but tell them you do not want the Blue Cheese.

You can ask the Kind Ladies & Kind Gentlemen at Axis Pizza to make you a salad. Avoid Blue Cheese dressing (high in salt); avoid pepperoni; avoid cheese (high in fat content); avoid croutons (White bread is not good for you); avoid Caesar dressing(it is loaded with salt)   ; Try instead; Honey Mustard dressing; Plain Vinegar; Balsamic Vinaigrette; Olive oil;

Things to Avoid with meats: avoid bacon; avoid ham; avoid roast beef;  Try Tuna (there are now verities that have been made with less mercury) ; Try Grilled chicken (ask if they use free range chicken. If they don’t you might want to try something else).  Skip the dinner rolls & skip the White Pita Bread. Avoid White Bread (for health reasons).

Instead of a Milk Shake Try Spring Water or Pomegranate juice with no added sugar’ or Cranberry juice with no added sugar; Try an Axis Club with no bacon; have a tomato omelet or a Spinach omelet or a mushroom omelet with no cheese.

Avoid traditional foods for breakfast like pancakes; French Toast; bacon; & sausage. Try a fruit salad; turkey bacon or turkey sausage. Try a Broccoli omelet (varying prices).

Avoid soda all together & try Spring Water.

 

a letter to bank regulators

Dear Bank Regulators:

 

Good afternoon. I was recently a victim of a pay roll problem that ended up costing me & my company hundreds of dollars I could not afford. My small pay roll company kept getting the dates wrong for when pay roll was to be taken out of my personal checking account and purposely by ``mistake’’ trying to take funds that were not there.  This caused great havoc with some automatic payments I had set up for several payments. Bank fines of $37.50 were leveled at me for many of the insufficient fund marks on my bank statement. One thing that would help financially challenged people like me, wealthy people like I aim to be, & the middle income People as well would be if corporations & banks who have set up pre-arranged payments were only allowed one attempt to get their money & were barred from that more than one attempt at getting their money. This Way the $250.00 worth of ``non-refundable’’ bank fees & detriments leveled at People like me would not be able to add up causing harm to bank accounts that are hard to recover from on a limited income such as the $1,324.00 a month I make in disability payments each month. If there is anything at all you as a political representative or a bank regulator  or an advocate for consumers can do about repeat and loaded bank fines that makes it illegal for banks and businesses to keep repeating and double and triple pounding fines & for debt assessments to keep piling up, please do so at once. Please STOP the Banks & large businesses especially from taking and or trying to take debt agreements & make hundreds of dollars from these transactions.  When they take funds out more than once positive accounts are quickly drained to the red and the negative. Let’s move just as quickly to make such double and triple fining illegal in our Blessed country—let’s make this a reality. This will not only help income-challenged Black People like myself, it will also help wealthy people like I fully expect to be very soon, & middle income People as well.

 

Peace & Blessings,

 

Tracy Charles Gibson,

Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer,

Brother Tracy Gibson & Associates, Inc.

An international Firm dedicated to helping Black families maintain wealth, grown wealth & stabilize.     

a whole new level of activism.

A Whole New Level of Activism: Using the Purchase of Stocks & Bonds to Make A Black Radical & Progressive Point About Black Business Development & The Need for Our Black Children to be Taught & Supported Properly

When you buy stock(s) in the following companies, please don’t just sit on your stocks and Bonds. Call the companies and ask How to get a copy of their annual reports; call and ask when and How you can attend their Boards Meetings; & Ask who is the President, CEO or Founder; Or even Vice President and How you can get them a hand written or typed and signed letter stating your gripes and complaints about the company and How they can improve on corporate policy. (This concept of activism was written up in the progressive magazine ``In These Times’’ recently. I strongly urge you to get a copy of ``In These Times’’ by writing ``In These Times’’ at: 2040 Milwaukee Avenue; Chicago, Illinois  60647 – 9942. Beloved & Celebrated Progressive Author Kurt Vonnegut ``Slaughter House Five’’ (1922-2007) was the Senior Editor of ``In These Times’’ for Quite some time.

We suggest buying stock in the following companies (There are a few non-profits and progressive companies scattered throughout this list): 8 Brothers; The Businesses of Bro. Tracy Gibson & Assoc., Inc. (Brother Tracy Gibson & Associates, Incorporated); American Express; The Businesses of Brother- Doctor Keith Hunter; Chase Manhattan Bank; The Colours Organization; Citizen’s Bank; AT&T; Comcast; ABC; CBS; Hill & Knowlton Public Relations; NBC; Shell Oil; Citgo Oil; Getty Oil; Nestles Company; Municipal Bonds from The City of Philadelphia; Municipal Bonds from the City of Chicago; Municipal Bonds from the City of Los Angeles; Municipal Bonds from the City of Atlanta; Exxon / Mobil Oil Corporation; Monsanto Company; Hershey’s Company; Wal-Mart; Wall-Greens; Waste Management; HOW Realty Company; Rite Aid; Coca Cola; Pepsi Cola; McDonalds Corporation; Fresh Grocer; MGM Films; Warner Cable; Whole Foods; Time / Warner Publishing ; OWN Network; Socks & Jocks; Victoria’s Secret; Oprah Magazine; Playboy Magazine & Publishing Company; Halliburton Corporation; Verizon Corporation; The Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Areal Investments; The New York Times; The Washington Post; The Philadelphia Tribune Company; Sony Pictures; The Kimmel Center; Kentucky Fried Chicken; Yahoo; Popeye’s Chicken, Incorporated; www.Google.Com;   Burger King; Wendy’s Hamburgers;  Temple University; Dow Chemical; General Electric; The  Bowing Corporation.; (1) Lockheed Martin  (USA); (5) Northrop Grumman (USA); (8) United Technologies (USA) These companies (Above) are among the 10 largest arms-producing and military services companies in the world excluding China, for 2013.

If you need help writing the letter(s) you want to send to the companies you have invested in, please call my corporation --  Bro. Tracy Gibson & Assoc., Inc. (Brother Tracy Gibson & Associates, Incorporated) at 1 215 823 9985. Leave a message. Each letter cost $30.00 to send. Fifty % discounts are available to Community activists, the poor, The Homeless (or Home Challenged), deeply concerned citizens & Black youth. All you have to do is ask.  Do not just buy products without knowing something about the companies you are buying from, even if you take your own time yourself and just look them up on www.Google.com or in www.Wickapedia.Com & do your own research & write your own letters. There is one of our outlines for a letter to the United Negro College Fund at the end of this statement.

*Special Note to some existing supporters such as: Mr. Tracy Charles Gibson (Our President & Chief researcher; Ms Eve Clark-Thornton; Doctor & Mrs. Keith Hunter; The Estate of Mr. Charles Saint Clair Gibson & Mrs. Jessie Mae Gibson-Thornton; Mr. Kamau S. Gibson Hunter; Mr. Muata Gibson Hunter; Ms Thandiwa Gibson Hunter; Anoa Gibson Hunter Dridzienyo  & Her Husband Yofe Dridzienyo; Ms Carla Harris, Mr. Bruce H. Harvey; Mr. Raymond Haywood; Mr. Eddie Frank; Ms Charlotte Harris & Mr. Arnett Woodall; Mr. Cleo Manago: I will write two letter for you (The People listed Above) because we already have an existing business relationship and because you have good standing in the Black community --  I will write two letters for you at no charge or cost to you. This is a $60.00 value as each letter cost $30.00 for research and for writing, consulting with our clients & sending the letters by certified mail.   You can also write letters if you have not invested in any corporate stock as yet. (Ariel Investments is a major Black investment House in Chicago I Strongly suggest we all utilize them & ask about no-load investing.) . The goal is for these corporations to make plenty of money but only as they adhere to much more environmentally-friendly, People friendly, much less racist, much more Humane, much less exploitative policies in their daily running or daily operations. This activism concept is being included in our arsenal of Peace & non-violence weaponry because we believe that as we grow and change into a fully fledged democracy with total economic inclusion and great opportunities for Black People, Red People & Yellow People, & other non-Whites in the United States of Native America, we must be about such non-violent, progressive change and make that change lasting and permanent.  We must put appropriate pressure on the corporate structure to change in a positive Way even as we grow and develop our own Black businesses, make inroads politically in other Ways, support our Back community groups (that may be non-profit) & make positive & effective changes for Black People in other Ways. Remember, buying Municipal Bonds helps inner cities. Some of the other goals for this type of stock-buying activism include: building a Peace-Time economy; Building and supporting sustainability; Building Our Nation’s infrastructure; winding down the military industrial complex; humanizing and fully exposing the prison industrial complex;  Supporting efforts to include non-White races, especially Latin & Black races in the Nation’s and the World’s economy; Building up the environment as clean and safe—especially water and air; expanding opportunities to the poor, the homeless (or Home-Challenged), the disabled, women, sexual minorities, People of Colour, transgendered People, The Underdog & The Hopeless. (You can use some of your money from stock and bond investing to support the United Negro College Fund and other Progressive causes).

Sample:

 Outline for the letter to The United Negro College Fund. Important Points!!. By Brother Tracy Gibson

1] We as Black People  need to support our Black students by providing pay for them to go to college, & full scholarships not $ for us to buy Big expensive Houses with movie studios in the basement . We should be ashamed of having so much for ourselves when many of our Black students have so little and not much of a chance to learn.

2]  We need to groom and pre-groom students for success, not see them as pawns for us as educators to make money off of. Ultimately there will be some students who have the wherewithal to become diplomats, major thinkers, major doers, inventors, scientists, statesmen (Not just politicians),  educators in their own right, scholars, business People, movers & shakers, leaders, strategists,  philanthropists, doctors, lawyers & world leaders,

3] We need to respect the illustrious traditions of Black educators. People like Professor Francis Cress Welsling; Bill Cosby; Cornell West; Carter G. Woodson; Alvin Puissant; Professor Ben; Huey P. Newton; Professor Smith from The Ohio State University;  Angela Davis; Mumia Abu Jamal; Denzel Washington; Malcolm X; Martin Luther King, Jr. ; Professor John Henrick Clark;  O. J. Smith; Reverend Lion Sullivan; Reverend Paul Washington; Reverend John Anderson; Reverend Miller (formerly of the Church of the Advocate);   Richard Pryor; Kaream Abu Jabar; Usef Latif; Queen Latif; Will Smith & Jada Pinket Smith; Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee;  Doctor J; Danny GloveR; Jill Scott; Gil Scott Heron;  (Look up Black educators). Female & Male.

4] Give them your list of important books to read.  Some 300 books in all.

5] We have to let our Black youths know we are about more than their survival, we are working for a better world for them and we want them to thrive, even in the face of racism, injustice, discrimination, hatred and White and Black stupidity, greed & indifference. They must not suffer, they must prosper.

6} We have to ask our Black parents to Stop using the idiot box {TV} as a baby sitter – far too easy. Our children must be taken out of the day care centers to museums, zoos, libraries, parks, social events, family get-togethers & family reunions, political events, church, yes church, and other appropriate social events & cultural events to rub elbows with the more intelligent and knowing of our Black race.

7] Use the Special school on Broad Street with school administrator Ms. Joyner The Charter School for Math and Science;  (Look in your personal phone book for proper name and look it up and get address. Mention that you once spoke with Her on the phone. 

8]  Mention actors like Kadeem Henderson {``Different World’’} & Lavar Burton (``Reading Rainbow’’ on Public Television) who have helped support and inspire Black students . Maya Angelou, movie director, actress -  poet [ She was great, but was she a ``safe’’ person to like. Even if She was ``safe’’ to LOVe, that doesn’t make Her unimportant – even though She once married a White man...  

9] Mention the short comings, ambitions, and life works and successes of People like Tyler Perry, &  Oprah & Spike Lee. Mention also People like Harry Belafonte & Lena Horn as educators.

10] Look up Basketball players who are Progressive & Black. (Kareem Abu Jabar, others still playing).

11] Mention that you are a Black Gay or Same Gender Loving Black man and How you have not allowed this to interfere with your work as a Black activist and human rights leader.

12] Mention your trips to Cuba & South Africa and your stent as a President of the World Affairs club to Canada, while in High School & your trip to Puerto Rico {While in High School}.

13 Some local Black males who inspired me include: Joseph Beam; Joe Bunch (now deceased); Brother Joe Dennis;  Revered Jeffrey Haskins; Reverend Brian Robinson; Carlos Carter; Phil Hughes ; Carl Jackson; Reverend B.J.; Raymond Haywood who sings at church; Richard & Gregory & Brother Ralph (Be-Love-Now) – with the Black Nationalist Tee-Shirts and Brother Ron McCoy of the Blacks in Antiquity Study Group; & Attorney Michael Coard; and Bishop Carl Bean & Senator Cory Booker {Of New Jersey}; & Brother Bruce H. Harvey.

14] Mention How thankful you are for your church and Spiritual and Religious life—How it saved your life.

15] Mention other ethnic groups like the Native Americans, the Asians & The Muslims / Arabs; and Latin People. (Mention Cuba again and Brazil) also Japan being bombed by the U.S. and How many of them seem to have forgiven North Americans.

16] Mention The Museum Project you have proposed to the incoming Mayor of Philadelphia and being on a team of People to raise money for this project. [Major museums in Philadelphia for Arab / Muslim People; a refurbishing of the Black Museum here; and money for a major Asian Museum[ if they are going to take our money, and we should not allow this, we must learn who these People are and How they have also suffered under the rule of racism, which must be broken into a billion pieces and burned and destroyed without destroying and burning real people].

17] We must include Black People in the leadership of Mother Africa out of an age of oppression and into a light of great abundance, wealth, success, sharing and hope. We need planners to plan this and all kinds of professional People and tradesmen and common workers as well.  From AD 20 in the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt & the auxiliary Great Library of my bedroom office. Signing, Brother Tracy Gibson.

 

choose five things.

Choose FIVE things to get on the correct and righteous path.

Choose FIVE things from this list to Brighten your Day, Uplift your heart, feel more enthusiastic about being The Black Person you are and repeat those five things about five times a day.  You can choose five new things for the next day or you can stay with the original things you selected. The most important thing about this is you can also choose things to say about yourself & How you feel about yourself that brighten your day and keep a smile on your face – as long as they are positive things and as long as you don’t use curse words.  What I say about myself is I Am Black; I Am LOVe; I Am Powerful; I Am Peace; I Am Whole!!!  Here is a list of 100 things to say that you can choose five things from:

1} I Am Black

2} I Am African

3} I Am Proud

4} I Am Gay

5} I Am Straight

6} I Am GOD-like {But I KNOW there is One God Above all}

7} I Am Needed

8} I AM Skilled

9} I Am Loved

10} I Am a Father

11} I AM an Earth Father [Look at the end of this document to see what an Earth Father is)

12} I Am An Earth Mother [Look at the end of this document to see what an Earth Mother is}

13} I Am one who loves being me

14} I AM self determined

15} I AM a woman

16} I AM a Man

17} I AM a Proud Trans-sexual

18} I AM A proud Black man with Native blood & Native Ancestry

19} I AM A Proud Black Man with European blood and European ancestry

20} I Am a Great Person

21} I Am Proud of My African roots

22} I AM Proud of being the best Person I can be

23} I Am a Great leader

24} I Am a Woman of the future

25} I AM a Man of the future

26} I AM proud of the man I LOVe

27} I AM proud of the woman I LOVe

28} I AM never letting go of GOD

29} I Want to earn nice things

30} I want to earn a BMW

31} I want to own an American-made factory

32} I want to own a large apartment building in my name only, because I earned it!!!

33} I LOVe to support Black Businesses

34} I Am never alone because GOD walks with me

35} I Know Earth is Eden!!

36} I Am POWERFUL!!

37} I Am Oriented Towards Justice!!

38} I LOVe FREEDOM!!

39} I LOVe My People, especially the ones with faults

40} I LOVe ALL AFRICAN COUNTRIES!!!

41} I LOVe the Positive Gibson Principles about Africa!!!

42} I Don’t deny myself gifts, LOVe & Pleasures!!!

42} I Am NOT greedy

43} I LOVe Our Ancient Black African Ancestors

44} I LOVe the President of the United States of Native America

45} I LOVe Peaceful, strategic thinking

46} I LOVe My Father & His Memory

47} I Am a courageous Freedom Fighter—NOT A TERRORIST!!

48} I LOVe Cuba & The Cuban Revolution

49} I LOVe clarity & TRUTH

50} I LOVe Being who I AM

51} I LOVe Malcolm X & MARTIN Luther King Junior & FANNY LOU HAMER!!!

52} I LOVe Nelson Mandela; Patrice Lamumb{CHECK SPELLING}a & Coretta Scott King!!!

53} I LOVe The Actress Vanessa Williams & Activist Angela Davis & James Baldwin!!!

54} I deplore violence

55} I Like a Smile, lettuce & tomatoes with my Turkey Burgers – not cheese—It’s healthier!!!

56} I Like Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches – especially when I’m saving money to invest in my Multi-National ``S’’ Corporation – sure beats a blank!!

57} I’ll Always LOVe my Mama – She’s my Favorite Girl!!

58} I LOVe making it to another birthday, because GOD doesn’t have to do this for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

59} I LOVe the work and Memory of Harold Washington, the late Mayor of Chicago who rocked the boat and got elected despite the strong-armed machine politics of the Windy City!!!

60} I LOVe the memory of my ole high school teacher Mrs. Brodie who taught we to appreciate the Written word for the very first time. She Will live in my memory FOREVER!!!!

61} I Love Black People who LOVe other Black People and just don’t get caught up into jealousy. I Am like this sometimes, but sometimes I still have some work to do on this one.

62} I still Love ole James Bond movies even thought I think His character was used to placate the public concerning  the British Secret Service, which is most likely much more ruthless than portrayed in movies like 007

63} I Am About Truth, Justice & The African Way!!!

64} I Am a Jazz aficionado and like to listen & study about jazz.

65} Like the Black Muslims say: ``Do For Self!!!’’

66} I LOVe the Bible.

67} No matter what there is still a powerful BLACK GOD protecting Black People – even though we suffer from time to time

68} Always stop & Smell the flowers – no matter what

69} LOVe yourself first

70} If I live to 85 I will let my guard down and if GOD wants me, I guess there will be nothing else I can do

71} I don’t hate countries or People. I am dismayed and astounded by corruption, greed and the advent of the market in silliness in our North American culture.

72} I LOVe pizza but only if it has plenty of veggies on it a just a little cheese!!!

73} I LOVe the movie Madame X!!

74} I LOVe the movie Lady Sings the Blues and I still haven’t been able to forgive the Academy Awards people for skipping over Diana Ross and the Director Barry Gordy (Check Spelling) for the major award that year {1974} the year I graduated from High School.

75} I LOVe true friends no matter what color they are, or any other physical, mental, emotional, or other characteristic

76} I LOVe People who are honest

77} I LOVe a good teacher, instructor, listener & Giant Intellect

78} Denzel Washington is one of the greatest Black men to ever put on shoes

79} I LOVe Diana Washington

80} I LOVe Billy Eckstein

81} I LOVe Joe Williams

82} I LOVe Billy Holiday – Good Lord they put Her through a lot!!!!

83} I LOVe Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis – the best entertainment couple in the entire world

84} I LOVe being stable of mind & body

85} I LOVe myself and am Able-Minded

86} Therapy is a gift from God, Yourself & Your Doctor

87} Jesus or GOD may be at the Casino, but He decides who wins through a criteria other than one we as humans understand. So, even if you are a GOOD Christian, you still might NOT do well at the Casino.

88} Invest your money. Don’t buy lottery tickets.

89} Good Child-support-paying Dad’s are great!!

90} Hard-working Mom’s are Great also!!!

91} I LOVe nature, the environment & animals.

92} Jannie L. Blackwell needs to resign Her commission and leave Philadelphia’s City Council as does Mr. Ho. They are NOT about decency and being honest with Black People.

93} We need to and must use solar power over fossil fuels and crud oil and gas or our planet is at risk. Do you know where to whip up another planet earth fully equipped with clean oxygen, clean water, and human & animal habitation…I didn’t think so!!

94} Stop wasting People like they are paper dolls. They take thousands of years to evolve and get here on planet earth—ACT LIKE IT!!!!!!! 

95} Some People say eat the rich, I say tame them and teach them decency & humanity!!!

96} How you treat others is a mirror reflecting your true self

97} The Banking system is a shambles. I put my $10.00 under my mattress!!!

98] I LOVe Black Nationalism.

99] I LOVe Pumpernickel Bread

100} I Am a Person Protected by GOD so I Don’t exploit People, & I don’t worry about profits, copyrights, banking, money, wealth, wheeling and dealing, ripping People off and hating over money. I LOVe GOD first and foremost. Money is the last thing on my mind. I LOVe People more than profits!!!

wise people.

Wise People… By Anonymous

Wise People don’t eat a lot of cheese.

Wise People are more concerned with economics than voting & have a questioning mind.

Wise People never get Mad & Angry much because they have money in the bank.

Wise People have an account at United Bank if they live in Philadelphia and are Black.

Wise People are not scared to go outside of their race to find a special LOVer if Black People are

shunning them for some strange, unfounded or unknown reason (s).

Wise People don’t live in fear of anything.

Wise People believe strongly in GOD, but don’t think they are above anyone because they do.

Wise People are not scared to try Gay churches because Gays & Lesbians may well

be a Blessing from GOD not a curse (research populations trends for the future & the potential of the earth’s survival).

Wise People work to save our Planet earth and our Children each and every day --  if they have children or not.

Wise People are not scared to learn about economics and new things each and every day.

Wise People often express their opinions, but know when to shut up and say nothing as well.

Wise People don’t eat potato chips hardly at all – even WISE Potato chips.

Wise People go to church almost every week, but are not afraid to write the Pastors and say

``sorry, I don’t believe this or that or I disagree with this or that.’’

Wise People don’t allow themselves to feel guilty because they hardly ever in life do something to feel guilty for (This is one I’m still working on. While I do very little to harm others, I feel guilty sometimes

and evil people sometimes use this against me).

Wise People stand up with pride for themselves almost all the time.

Wise People come in every shape, size, sexual orientation, color & sex.

Wise People LOVe our Black children and want to save the future of our precious earth for the children.

Wise People don’t just go with the flow, but have their own ability to formulate their own opinions.

Wise People read instead of watch tv (This is not easy) and LOVe themselves & GOD.

Wise People work each & every day, even if they are told they are ``worthless’’ as an employee by the state & federal government. We also listen to Jazz!!!!!!

Wise People LOVe Black People, education, children, our precious earth, & maybe even sports, if it is NOT too violent.

Wise People want to see women paid properly, not victimized anywhere or any time, not even in movies.

Wise People want to see a woman become President, but the one everyone is choosing may well NOT be the right one AT ALL!!!

Wise People are not fearful of being called an old head because they listen to old Black music.

Wise People don’t allow people to make them feel victimized at all.

Wise Black People stay away from the police unless they really need an officer for an emergency.

Wise People know How to be polite and speak properly.

Wise People don’t get involved in other people’s family squabbles.

Wise People don’t dress in plaids and polka-a-dots at the same time.

Wise People don’t listen to Polka music, but prefer Black music instead.

Wise People don’t commit crimes knowingly or repeatedly and expect not to get caught.

Wise People can find attractiveness in anyone.

Wise People stopped eating too much fat, pork, white bread, white rice, & fattening oils, a long time ago and started eating whole grains, wheat breads, healthy foods like fresh fish, fresh fruits, tofu, & fresh vegetables a long time ago. Wise People also eat more turkey & chicken instead of red meats for health reasons.

Wise People may be overweight, but are always trying to find Ways to lose a few pounds and stay slimmer. Wise People exercise regularly & walk more.

Wise People are friendly  & are NOT afraid to speak to People who live on their block.

Wise People find time to say hello; go to church or Mosque; be friendly; & report oddities & illegal behaviors to authorities in their neighborhoods..

Wise People listen to and want to help Black youth, who are being victimized by themselves and our society.

Wise People don’t call other People fat, sloppy and stupid, but work very hard to set a visual & reality standard for themselves and act as a good role model for others.

Wise People are not scared to enlist support for an issue they feel strongly about, no matter How much flack they get or How many times they are told they are taking a futile position.

what my company does on a daily basis

As of December 17, 2015 Thursday

What my Corporation – Brother Tracy Gibson & Associates, Incorporated – does on a daily basis.

1] We determine what tax and management issues need to be dealt with and, with a very small sum of money, do our best to deal with such issues. This included tax issues; Corporate Board issues; & issues relating to my having to make it with such a small amount of income.

2] We strategize as to what is the best route to take concerning helping those most in need within the Black community and How to effectively help me and others overcome poverty, a lack of hope, and a lack of financial resources.

3] As an individual, I also have to survive in a neighborhood that has a ``community post office’’ in a pawn shop where street knives and knock-off watches are also openly sold. I’m not kidding.

4] I work to get restitution for the loss of a house that was worth some $333,000.00 when I first purchased it in Delaware in November of 2006. I recently wrote a letter to Chase Manhattan Bank asking for restitution of the $80,000.00 I had invested in the house over the five years I lived there {my equity}, but was denied that sum of money even after I told them this was my life’s savings. The house at 214 Southwyk Road in New Castle, Delaware zip 19702, was foreclosed on in November of 2010. When I bought the house my income was projected by the mortgage holder, but my income – even thought I Am a skilled writer, skilled organizer & skilled & experienced property-owner and property manager—never materialized. This-- in my estimation --  was due to a lack of opportunity and also due to my skin color and race. I am Black. There were plenty of White folk making money in Delaware during the time I lived there.

5] I take care of my personal health and nutrition regiment which includes frequent trips to the gym {Planet Fitness}; eating very healthy foods; not eating at night; listening to Jazz and progressive music I get free at the library; and watching movies, some of which I review for my blog. Blog Access: http://thepoliticsofReal.blogspot.com.

6] I write several articles and bits and bites of information that I send to friends and colleagues to move forward our walk towards liberation, freedom, financial restitution, financial solvency, Reparations, and hope as Black People.

7] I contact several People of great merit  -- such as yourself – to advance my business and my career. I have attended the Temple Small Business Development Center and a free community program at The Wharton School to gather skills utilized in the business ventures I promote and work on.

a booklet for Black youth

A Booklet Dedicated to Black Youth

 

By Brother Tracy Gibson

 

 

 

 

[This book was culled from copyrighted source material written by Mr. Tracy Charles Gibson.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black youth have been written about, poked and prodded, pinned to the ground and beaten. This book is written to lift them up and tell them they are somebody in the true sense that  those words were said by Famed Civil Rights leader and Humanitarian Doc Martin Luther King, Jr. The White man has been and is playing a game on us, but we are playing a equally lethal game on ourselves by not pinpointing our issues as Black People and dealing with them as honestly and forthrightly as possible in an ongoing, consistent & holistically  African manner. This book is written in the hope that it will help Black youth the world over take themselves and their issues more seriously and turn off the tv; listen to Black intellectuals on You Tube through lectures at Howard University and Lincoln University (People like Professor Francis Welsling; Doc John Clark & Doc Ben ; check out movies like ``The Great Debaters’’ and watch the section that shows How the movie was made;  read books (Write me and I’ll send you a list of pertinent books to read; and selectively rent movies and videos from the library for free until our Black churches & Black community can provide the proper private schools for Black youth and stop pussyfooting with the Jews and others, including Black scholars and Black Academicians, who really just want a paycheck and don’t care about Black achievement, Blacks thriving, and Black People prevailing over what issues we have that have streamed on for years.  If you are between the ages of 12 to 36 and Black please read this book and share How to get a copy with other Black youth. I didn’t just get on the bandwagon of helping Black People a few years ago. I was doing this long ago and have dedicated my life to helping our People. Read on. 

 

WHAT IS MONEY FOR………???

 

 

``When money is used properly it is used to employ & free people, save lives, solve problems, correct mistakes, purchase necessities, build progressive societies, help others, & to avert difficulties or help out during catastrophes. It was not created, in GOD’s mind, I believe, to hoard, exploit others, enslave, oppress, or corrupt; nor to expand ruthless Dynasties & Empires (We are living in one), create or trade weaponry, or to hurt and kill people or for violence. ‘’

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Power of Being Black…..And Loving It……

 

                Not enough of us, as Black people, really enjoy or understand the power and glee of being Black and really relishing in that fact.  The fact of Blackness that cannot be changed… Not enough of us understand that politically, one of the best things in the world to be is a Black person, and specifically, a Black American.

                Why do I say this? It has to do with moral and ethical leverage. We are a people who have historically suffered, but overcome.  Who knew, for example, that when The Reverend Doc Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4th in 1968 that He would become an international—if not an intergalactic moral and ethical star—a compass from which other moral and ethical leaders the world over would be compared to and that King would be LOVed and studied by school children all over the world.  April 4th, 1968 was a sad day and at the time it looked as if we would never survive the day and get past the riots, let alone flourish and become some of the most imitated, people on the planet. You might think that other people, especially some White people really hate us, and some of them do. The haters are a small minority. Most Whites just don’t understand us and will never see the importance of understanding… But some of them have tried for generations to do away with us through starvation, unemployment, lack of economic opportunities for our small and moderate sized businesses and by putting us on the front lines of their wars. Yet we have survived and flourished as a people and our numbers have remained steady.   Much of our strengths has come from what Doctor King has taught us along with hundreds and thousands of other community leaders and activist, teachers, civic and community leaders, just plane parents, pastors, doctors, patriots, human rights leaders, writers, historians, visionaries and others in our community who have dedicated themselves to the community and our children & youth.  Our strengths and resilience has also come from our sheer ability to read and teach ourselves and each other about the problems we face and the truth about the insidiousness of the system we work and live under.

                I say we have leverage because we are able to take our place as we exist in the world today-- including our significant historic place in history--and pry open the minds of other people—Latin people, Asian people, curious Whites, Muslims, Arabs and others, and allow them to understand what importance our existence plays on the world stage.  We have ethical leverage that many other people don’t have.  Our past and present suffering gives Way to us holding the keys to this leverage. It also has to do with self-love…

                What I really wanted to briefly discuss today is Black love and how we gain so much from loving ourselves and our Black people.  When we are proud of another Black person’s achievements we have a real gift right there in our lap... When we are jealous we have something deep inside that needs to be dealt with… Chills go up & down my spine as I write this because this is such a powerful thing that is right under our noses, and many of us don’t understand the depth and magnitude of what I’m describing here.  There is so much power in Black love—of one’s self and one’s people.  It is a secret weapon that allows us to create a beautiful colorful prism through which life is seen anew, discovered a new and lived with new meaning, depth and girth.  Being in love with your people, and I mean just about ALL of your people, is a gift that you can really only give yourself if you were raised with love in the household, or have read and appreciate Black people through your own personal experiences.  Or like me, you can be filled with so much self-hatred, anger and self-pity that you experience a series of emotional upsets & setbacks that require therapy over an extended period.  That is largely how I came upon feeling this love for my people and myself and truly loving what we have achieved and our great, massive potential as a people.

                So, helping build self-love, a love for our people and respect for other Black people and our achievements is a gift you can give your children & grandchildren and it is a gift that will last and they will reap a bountiful harvest  from that gift for generations to come… I hope you will understand the basic importance of this short article and begin a healing process if you have been deeply hurt by another Black person. [I was, but I healed from it and learned from it with the vital help of a therapist over an extended period. I never thought I would get the benefits I have gotten and they keep coming..] You might need to do some healing yourself.  It may have even been a parent, an intimate partner, a stranger, a friend, another relative such as an uncle, aunt, step-parent or grandparent or a brother or sister who hurt, mistreated and / or abused you.  To really experience life to the fullest you must heal from that pain and move on. It doesn’t matter if the person who did the abuse is alive or dead.  You have to find ways to heal, forgive and move on… Otherwise you will find it hard to re-direct your life and move your life in the directions you want to go in.  You will find yourself addicted to food, drugs, money, sex, alcohol or something else and / or your pain will come out in another way.  The gift of healing is a great one and more of us as Black people need to understand this gift and share it with other Black people... When you have started on this healing path, you will find yourself able to talk more frankly and honestly with other Black people and tell them how you really feel.  You will not mask your feelings with too much marijuana or drink, blow, crack or cocaine—you will be able to have more open and honest relationships with your family members, loved ones and that someone special will appear or reappear in your life and you will have that long term relationship you have always wanted, but never understood why you couldn’t have. You will have it. I don’t care if you are five or fifty five; ten or one hundred and ten; it is never too late to start the healing process.  If you don’t have the money for therapy or have bought into the silly prejudgments and stigma about therapy, don’t let that stop you.  You can also just find your way to the self-help section of the library or the book store and let yourself go with abandon. This is a fine way to begin the healing process.  That thing that is like a 900 pound bear in your life that you don’t understand or can’t talk about—start right there. You know what it is. If you can’t put your finger on it try talking to someone you trust and love like a trusted aunt of uncle or pastor.  You will be giving yourself the gift of love, purpose, wholeness, solitude, peace, self-worth and more stabile thinking for the rest of your life.  The decisions you make will be clearer, more forthright and more level headed.  You will also think in reality and not fantasy like so many of us do.  You will find yourself becoming a leader instead of a follower. Your opinions will be sought after and you will insist on living in a cleaner environment and you will enjoy surrounding yourself with people who are about something positive and forward moving instead of people who will be unnecessarily critical, unconstructive in their criticism, negative and who want to hold you back. You will burn new paths in life instead of follow others like a lost sheep. Just start by selecting one of the books from my booklist about healing and helping the world to be a better place.  In no time you will find yourself turning off the TV and reading book after book after book. Remember I love you and I want to help. I want the best for my valued Brothers and Sisters.  Write me at: BrotherTracy11@Gmail.Com and I’ll send you the book list. You can even call me at 1 215 921 2065 and I will get right back to you.  I will show you a whole new world of healing, growth and financial prosperity that you never knew was just around the corner, just across the street or just around the bend in life….  I want you to love yourself and our people.  It is a gift that keeps on giving forever…..

 

Visit Africa…

 

                Take a journey to the Mother Land. Go with some familiar friends or a tour group or a study group.  Whatever makes you feel comfortable?  When you come back and have seen her beauty you may not want to dress and act like a White woman any longer and straighten your hair or shop at Bergdorf Goodman’s any longer. If you are a Black male, you might begin to see the shallowness of NFL Football and your desire to buy that BMW or that Mercedes Benz. . .You will look at Africa in a whole new Way… You will look at yourself in a whole new Way…

 

 I’ve only been there once, but I plan to go again.  I went to attend the U.N. sponsored World Conference Against Racism in 2001 in Durbin, South Africa. Next time I want to visit Cape Town and Western Africa.   After studying Black studies in college and reading extensively about Black people and Africa I was NOT prepared for the trip.  I still expected to find elephants walking through villages of ``primitive’’ people--not tall buildings, modern settings, highways & modern automobiles.  I had let the stereotypes fill my head and my reality—blocking out the truth before I ever experienced it in the flesh.

 

                I have to admit that Durbin and South Africa in general are not necessarily typical of the rest of Africa.  There is more Western influence and more development in South Africa.  But much of the so-called Dark Continent IS full of development, western oriented development due to the vast and imperfect influence of the colonization & enslavement process and the struggles of African people surrounding colonization and the impact of slavery. There is also African influenced housing and people dressed in shirts and ties and other Western dress. (Many people also wear African clothing on the continent.)  Africa is, however, also full of dance, love, laughter, HISTORY and joy, and achievers, doers, believers, builders, scholars, leaders, progressive thinkers—and African people with a darker hue than we are used to in North America’s Black communities.  Even our Blackest communities here in North America do not have so many dark people as over there. . .  Africa is a celebration in the beauty of darkness & dark achievement!! If you go there, go to be endarkened, not just to be enlightened about the scars of Africa so often portrayed on TV. So let me endarken you a little bit further!!

 

                I spoke with a cab driver from the Ivory Cost of West Africa recently and he said Africa is ``NOT ready’’ for any real unity at this point.  He went on to say that the influence of the ``White man’’ is too great and that Blacks are still pitted against each other and will never achieve a united front and real unity because of this.

 

                There are some events in the world that would refute what this good Brother said. There is an organization called the African Union (Check out www.African-Union.org and you will discover their works, goals and their mission) that is pressing for more and more unity among African nations and African peoples and more respect and assistance for the African continent & its’ people.  There are many, many African Americans who love being African and having African roots, natural hair, dark skin, wide noses, thick lips and who want to or have traveled to the Mother Land many times to discover Her beauty and to help the people of Africa in what ever Way they can. They travel for business & pleasure, to build roads and wells, but always come away with a greater, more defined sense of themselves and their history as African people.

 

                My trip in 2001 lasted about 10 to 14 days and was filled with excitement, joy and discovery.  I not only learned about the deep impact that real & lasting racism has had on African people, but that it has also had a very bad and regressive impact on the rest of the world as well.  One thing I learned was to not fear or feel controlled by White people.  This is important because part of the mantra of most White institutions is to instill fear and make people feel they are controlled so economic plunder, social devastation and war must continue. It will not continue.  When people feel there is no hope—when they see Africans acting corruptly; when they see Civil Wars that never seem to end; when they see AIDS and HIV out of control; when they see starving babies with flies on them and swollen bellies; when they see other people turning their backs and a blind eye on Africa and African issues—they lose hope and embrace fear, repugnance and their own oppression.  That is how we remain a down trodden people. But Marcus Garvey, a Native Jamaican said, ``Lift ye Up You Mighty Race.’’  As you may have noticed, these are exactly the images of Africa we see on major TV in North America. (All the negative ones I mentioned here).  There are many other images of what is African.  How come the cameras miss our achievements and the great things in Africa? There is great achievement every day.

 

                I ask you to take time and money to discover or re-discover Africa for yourself.  Discover that there are women in Nigeria fighting against the Big Oil companies like Texaco which takes all the oil wealth and gives the people nothing. Discover that there are people like Winnie Mandela and Nelson Mandela (of South Africa) all throughout Africa who want to see a brighter decency for Africans.  There are people all over Africa, in every country,  who have struggled and spent their entire lives working towards peace, love, economic prosperity & economic parity, real justice, real freedom (not the fake American brand), and the general betterment of African people and all people concerned with the Mother Land.  Discover that there are African artists such as Yinka Shonibare, of British-Nigerian extraction, who are getting recognized around the world for their ingenuity, talent, intellect, spirit, and craftsmanship and who have contributed greatly to the entire school of thought of World Artistry and who have made a great impact on the art world...   Discover the great, vibrant and buoyant music and dance of Africa through doing a little research:  Google ``African Musicians Profiles’’ and look under profiles.  There are quite a few African Musicians there and I guarantee their music will give you a different flavor and a different stride in your step…. Discover the dance of the Youssouf Koumbassa Dance Company and you will find that in much of Sub-Sarah Africa, music and dance are part and parcel of the cultures—people don’t just go to a dance concert or a music concert for entertainment—it is a part of almost everything that happens.  Music and dance are in the cultural ceremonies, the everyday life and everything in between....  Discover that there are people in the U.S. who have gone to Africa to actually build wells and homes and schools and that you too can help them do this.  Discover the exquisite beauty & flavor of Lake Victoria & Madagascar,  (The real beauty not the Disney film fantasy). Discover the vistas of the countryside & the bustling cities and the wonderful, vibrant, intelligent, & sometimes struggling people of Accra, Ghana; Cape Town, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; Cairo, Egypt and Bamako, Mali. Discover that getting off one’s duff and actually traveling to a place can bring about a drastically different outlook that reflects the gritty reality not the media version. This can never be stolen from you once you have stumbled upon it. Discover Africa in ALL its majesty, greatness, grace & mystery!! And by the way, don’t forget to discover the foods of Africa!!..  You will see how limited our thinking in the West is about food and how different is sometimes better and more healthy!! A visit will blow real life into the myths and flesh out what you have heard with what is the reality!!

 

                You never know who you will meet or almost meet in Africa.  When I was in Durban, South Africa, I almost met activist Angela Davis, the Black Activist from California who went through such turmoil in the 1970’s.  She was about a block away from me and I was about to go up and meet Her when someone distracted me and wanted something and before I knew it she was gone. I also missed out on hearing and meeting Jesse Jackson and Fidel Castro—but I know of these great men’s work and dedication to the cause of real justice and freedom for the world’s oppressed peoples. So, when you go to Africa you can look for the stars in the sky (They seems to shine brighter in Africa) and on the ground (there are African celebrities & stars you know—such as Djimon Hounsou who was born in Cotonou, Benin and who went on to star in American films such as ``Amistad’’ (1997); and ``Beauty Shop’’ (2005) also.  You never know who you might meet or not meet, but you will never know--unless you go!!!

 

                In the Meantime, if you can’t go to Africa for financial reasons or because of time constraints, there are probably African-centered cultural events in or near your neighborhood that can give you some of the spice, feeling and flavor of Africa right in your own backyard.  One such event was that put on by Crossroads Music of West Philadelphia. The event was held in March of 2010 and was put on at the Calvary United Methodist Church at 48th and Baltimore Avenue.  The church has long been a stronghold for progressive causes and movements in Philadelphia.  This night in March found Crossroads Music featuring Liberian Music, Dance & Storytelling to a lively crowd of onlookers and supporters.  Among the featured guest artist was storyteller and program host Gbahtuo Comgbaye who told a tail of a young boy who got in trouble with slave dealers. Some of the singers included Fatu Gayflor and Zaye Tete.  The evening included male African drummers vibrantly dressed in Black & White costumes and much dancing and merriment.  Short of a trip to Africa to see the real thing, this program, supported by grants from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund and the Samuel S. Fels Fund, was wonderful fit for children and adults alike who were seeking something different and ethnically cultural for the evening…

 

Solution: Go to Africa and see for yourself not only the people struggling, but the majestic beauty of the countries; the ethnic dance; the fantastic food; the sky scrapers; and the movement, everyday, towards a more free and democratic continent. There are tour groups such as www.africangenesis2.org  (A Black Youth-Travel Organization) &  www.GlobalExchange.org  (A racially mixed, but very progressive organization).  They will take you to the parts of Africa that have historically worked towards liberation or have other cultural, historical and or aesthetic and ethnic traditions & significance & events that you will find interesting & informative. (There are also many other Black tour groups and touring agencies that travel to Africa quite frequently. Or who can construct a special tour for you personally or for your group. One such agency is Palace Travel at 53rd and Chestnut in West Philadelphia). Another is Umoja Tours at (215) 849.5957.   There are the parts of Africa and the history of Africa that the stories of swollen stomachs on African babies and the stories of famine DON’T begin to tell.  There is another side to the whole story you might be missing if you haven’t gone to see for yourself. ..  I have to be honest and also say that there are parts of Africa that are unsafe to travel in like the Congo because these parts of the Continent are under Civil strife, war and such.  Much of this strife can be traced back to colonialism, slavery, White Supremacy and other White-led degradations....

 

Hatred & Homophobia Hurts Us ALL!!!

By Brother Tracy Gibson…

                I just wanted to weigh in on the horrible comments that the gentleman from Arkansas—a School Board Vice President—made about the sad cases of teen & youth suicide, as a result of homophobic bullying, we have all read & heard about lately.

                I know how hard it is, but I think and feel the Father of one of the youths who took his own life had the right idea and attitude.  He forgave the man & hoped that one day he would know what it’s like to be a true, loving, forgiving and faithful Christian and have a heart full of love & peace—not a heart full of hatred, resentment & demoralizing anguish concerning the gay community and gay & lesbian people.

                All the youths that died have shown us that there is a real problem in America.  A problem with facing the truth about the hatred, discrimination & second-class citizenship that faces our gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgendered citizens—including youth.

                The President of our country was courageous & intelligent enough to make it clear that he considers being a homosexual a natural proclivity—not a choice people make. He made his comments on a youth program sponsored by MTV and BET. This is something that homophobic people like many of the Tea Party members will never realize and face with honesty.  When we all realize this, we will be better off.  We all need to understand how hatred happens & we need to understand that the root of the swing to the right our country is experiencing right now is based on hatred, racism, fear, homophobia, xenophobia and unwarranted & extremely negative  feelings about the changes that need to take place in our country.  We must successfully bring move into the 21st Century.  Holding our heads in the sands of fear and intolerance will no longer do. Very little of the Tea Party’s agenda and banner is based on reaching out with love, kindness and understanding.

                The Tea Party needs to be soundly defeated on November 3rd in the spirit of all those deceased children and all gay & lesbian people who have to live through hatred, fear, retribution, discrimination and negativity just to make their way every day in our country.

                Let’s all have an open heart and an open mind as we start a New Year in just a few months and start with forgiveness towards the confused and angry gentleman who made the terrible comments & statements on Face Book recently.  Let’s all Pray that if he does lose his job, that he find a new one, even in a job market--such as it is--in North America today.  Forgiveness is a very healing emotion, but to truly forgive sometimes is not easy. The country needs a healing.

There is Something Sad About Being Gay…

                I know about all the efforts at building self-esteem, creating gay pride and trying to build self-respect from within the Gay and Black gay community. Still, however, there is something sad about being the other, the left out one, the different one, the castigated one, the odd one, the queer and the kook who likes to make love to the same sex.

                People who are heterosexual and White have very little idea, generally speaking, about what it’s like to be the other.  No matter how hard we fight it, or deny it, or live on the down low or drown the agony in wine, beer, hard liquor or prescription medicines or illegal drugs—there is something deeply sad about being a homosexual.  Even as we try to make other people understand or feel empathy or ``relate’’ or feel our pain—it is pain non-the-less.  I think being a good human and trying to help others is one way of cooling and easing the pain.  That is one reason why I have dedicated myself to social justice work.  It is not as easy as just standing up and saying I’m no longer going to be this one day.  That is like saying I’m no longer going to be male or Black.  It is clothing that doesn’t just come off…

 

Liberty vs. Liberation…

      By Brother Tracy Gibson

      Most White folk love & believe in Liberty.  It represents, in their minds, the sustained & established order of White power; it represents what the so-called ``founding fathers’’ (Who were just about all wealthy, White slave owners & land owners) wanted; it is what they fight for when they go off to war to kill the ``Japs’’ ``Gooks’’ & the ``Sand Niggers’’ or ``Rag Heads’’; it is their White women & their White TV & their White movie culture; it is what exists now--``Their’’ Liberty. It is NOT what most Black people are after…

      Most Black people don’t relate to such a concept. Black people want ``Liberation.’’ We want positive, progressive change; we want the Established Order (of Liberty) to move the Hell out of the way and we want to establish a new order of progressive, positive and proactive thinkers and doers that includes plenty of people of color & Black people in leadership positions. There are some Whites who understand this and want to be a part of what we want also.  They are our allies and should not be discounted or ignored, but enlisted in this struggle for Liberation.  Black people also want full employment so no one has to go year after year without a well-paying job with benefits. We want to pursue the American vision and make this a reality. We also want an end to putting people in jail for minor crimes, including minor drug violations.  We insist on alternative sentencing such as community service instead.  We want an end to war and an end to the concept of war being considered a state of normalcy.  War is a state of abnormality and is unsustainable over the long duration.  It defeated the Roman Empire and it will eventually defeat the American Empire as well. (Unless we quickly change course, but we are NOT doing that).  We want Liberation from war.  When we as a people wake up, we will realize this. We can’t expect White people to tell us this.  We have to tell ourselves this truth & this reality. I am just one voice of many. We also want our politicians to be active & more responsive to the people’s needs—especially their economic needs. We want more information and more proactive & less frivolous use of media, especially TV and Movies. But most of all Black people want self determination, economic control of our own communities and access to the halls & offices of Power. We are tired of the Established White Order forcing us to live in poverty & we are tired of being considered human only long enough for them to take our money—if that long.  

      We want Capital to create our own power bases & our own economic clout.  (This time we will not let your burn it down like you did the Black Wall Street decades ago).  We want to have the right and freedom to assemble, but not so much to be assembled by the White elite Power structure in the U.S. prison system.  We want to freely assemble and determine our own destiny. We want successful Black businesses & the Capital to make them have sustained longevity over the duration.  We want something to leave our children & our grandchildren far into the future so they won’t have to start from scratch like so many of us have had to do…. 

      This may sound like what White people want, but most White people already have some or most of these things, but at a Big Cost to us as Black people.  There is the rub—the place where their Liberty rubs up against our Liberation. This is where the real friction (& fireworks) starts—the real action. Sometimes this means one race against the other.  The friction is only going to get wore as the economy gets worse and we can’t find work.  Some Whites can’t find work either, but the jobs are going to and have always gone to the Whites first.  In some ways, because of this rub, liberty is totally different from Liberation. Whites crave to maintain this ``LIBERTY’’ over us as we seek ``LIBERATION’’ from their tutelage & domination.  Liberation sometimes flies in the face of White Liberty & the ``Founding Father’s’’ often useless & outdated conceptions of what the country should be.  Many Black intellectuals & Black thinkers feel that the Founding Father’s ideas were NEVER put fully into play because Blacks were NOT even considered fully human in the U.S. during the 1770’s --  when our Nation was founded. (Reportedly, Samuel Adams—also a Founding Father--was against slavery and lived the life of a pulpier until he was financially helped by his fellow compatriots.) If this is true, he is the exception, not the rule… 

      The two concepts—which are different parts of the same root word Liberty—are as different as night & day & Black & White. But they are related and similar also. I know that sounds confusing, but read on…

      Liberation means a deep-rooted & long lasting change in the Established Order & the established system of liberty. It may mean throwing off a great deal of what we have come to think of as LIBERTY!! Liberty means the retention and continued reign of the Established Order of White Supremacy; hegemony; CIA & other covert funding for corrupt governments in Third World & developing Nations around the world; expansion of U.S. mercenary activities; free reign of the corrupting influences of Right Wing & Established Order money & its’ power within the existing corporate structure. All that is ``implied’’ in the word Liberty.. It also means retention of other structured and existing modalities that take away from Black Liberation such as Right Wing think tanks & Right Wing lobbying organizations which interject their concepts & ideas into the Main Stream of American political thought & discourse.  There are few such modalities among progressives, liberals and people who talk about Liberation—but there will be more in the future. This is why you see many, many more conservative talk show hosts on TV on Sunday and on the radio than you see people like Dr. Cornell West or Dr. Charles Ogaltree or Dr. Claud Anderson or writer/lecturer bell hooks or Professor Lynn Washington on TV or on the radio in dominate positions espousing their views about the liberation of Black people or talking about what they see as solutions for the world....... 

      Our proposed ``LIBERATION’’ often flies in the face of their ``Liberty’’.  Something is wrong here.  We should all be fighting for the same thing, but we are not. This needs to be made clear by our teachers and our educational systems and the media.  That clarity will be forthcoming, but ``they’’ will come to these conclusions kicking and screaming while we, as progressive-thinking Black people, will welcome such truth.

      It is my hope that this proves that there is a vast & different concept involved in the way most White People & most Black people think and deal with reality.  We long for Liberation while they, Whites,--for the most part--continue to crush those hopes & dreams with their concept of Liberty.  This is a basic conflict that reaches back throughout the beginning of the country of the United States and is at the crux of the Civil War and the Civil Rights struggles also. It is also at the crux of Black and other people of color’s struggle for economic rights, human rights, human dignity and some reasonable sort of economic parity… Can the continuation of their Liberty deal with the introduction of our Liberation?  This is an age-old question. Perhaps only time will tell.  One thing is for sure.  Our Liberation is a growing, living and forward moving phenomenon that is gathering momentum and picking up support every day, even as they put smoke screens such as President Obama & much of what he is doing in the way temporally.  Their Liberty (regardless of the outdated and racist loud mouthing of the Tea Baggers) is regressive, assertive, backwards-moving, hate-filled, stagnant and certainly not keeping pace with the positive flow of the world right now... Obama not withstanding… No matter how elections go, you will find this true if you really think about it….  The concept of Liberation is also international in scope and always on the minds of our progressive-thinking people.  As I said, maybe only GOD really knows how this basic conflict in nature spins out, but this struggle is at the crux of the so-called paradigm shift we hear so much about.            

Solutions: Read some of the books suggested at the end of this book and keep thinking about Liberation vs. Liberty while doing so.  The picture gets clearer….

Forgiveness…

Forgiveness is vital & important. Put the negativity behind you and start fresh every day. Even those who continuously plot against everything you &  I want to achieve must be forgiven each and every day. So I forgive my enemies  as I forgive myself:

All the Hate-Filled South Africans who want a return to Apartheid; All the Hate-filled White and Black and other ethnic groups—I forgive you; All the homophobes & Haters Including: Former President Herbert Walker Bush and his son, Former President George Bush; Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld;  Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; the Late Former President of These United States & Millionaire Ronald Reagan; The Former Governor of Alaska,  & Millionaire Sarah Palin; Republican Presidential Candidate, Former Governor of Arkansas & Millionaire Mike Huckabee; Republican Presidential Candidate, Former Speaker of the House & Millionaire Newt Gingrich;  Republican Presidential Candidate, Former Governor of Massachusetts & Millionaire Mitt Romney; & All the other Republican Presidential Candidates who would unravel and do away with all the progressive changes I and many others have fought for over the years—I FORGIVE YOU!!!  I even forgive Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court. [Holding the hatred in only hurt me.] All the Republican strategists, Republican thinkers, Republican voters, false flag wavers and false patriots—I forgive you also…  All the Tea Baggers, Republicans, KKK, Skin heads, Haters and Tea Partiers—I forgive you as well.. Even though Black men, women and babies have swung from trees in the South and have had powerful hoses aimed at them; and been bitten by attack dogs. Even though we have been discriminated against, hurt, cheated,  blasted, fired, beaten whipped and chained—I forgive you… Especially if you are filed with hate & resentment for Black & Latin & Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual  & Transgendered People, & poor people & disabled people, Labor Movement Groups & Progressive Men & Women of every color, race, creed, sexual orientation, and religion who I have fought for, for decades.  My heart is no longer filled with hate and distain for you because I understand you and I know that even as you fight against Labor Rights and Labor Unions—you are no longer an enemy, but just people I will continue to find disfavor with and work against….Thinking any other way only eats away at the progressive change I can effectively make for the groups of people I’m concerned about… I can no longer waste the energy & time it takes to hate you… The resentment in my heart is slowly melting away, even as you continue to work against what I want to see for the world… To be truthful, it will take time for me to truly forgive, but I no longer hate you as I work towards a brighter and better Africa, a brighter & better America and a brighter and better World that includes opportunity for the people you usually leave out.  I want to see an inclusive Africa, America and World that includes opportunity, hope, truth, justice, trust, freedom and love for everyone. That brings strong and loving arms around everyone—not hatred, distain, jealousy and resentment as one group is pitted against and dominates the other.  There is hope for the world, but we have to be about & breathe that hope!!!

With Love,

Brother Tracy Gibson…..

 

 

Dealing Positively with Your Anger, Frustration, Rage, Hatred & Jealousy --  in a Positive Way -- Could Save Your Life…..and Someone Else’s!!

 

 

                All The Above… are contributing factors to the destruction of the Black mind. I don’t need to remind you of what the United Nero College Fund says about the mind…..

 

                Most of our rage is reserved for ourselves and must be turned into positive energy that propels us and our issues as Black People ahead -- forward.…

 

                While we are taking care of all our basic needs for things such as food, shelter, intimate relations, spiritual renewal and good friendships, we also need to feed our minds.  If we are suffering from an inordinate amount of rage and anger it is very hard, very difficult to feed the mind the positive things it needs to flourish properly.  If you are a Black male, especially, you may have a tremendous amount of anger and rage at the political system of oppression and exploitation we are living under as Black people.  One thing I have found helpful, especially when I was younger, was to read about how other Black men dealt with their own personal rage and anger.  I read ``Revolutionary Suicide’’ by Huey P. Newton when I was very young. Huey was one of the founders of the Black Panther Party.  The Black Panther Party was started on October 15, 1966 in Oakland, California to confront the oppression the people were feeling and experiencing on a community level and later during the Richard Nixon era of the Viet Nam war and Watergate. It was devised to deal with all levels of racism including that experienced in the job market, on the streets and in all other places and formations. The Black Panthers came up with a 10 Point Program that they felt addressed all aspects of our oppression as Black people. I will mention Point 10 here: ``We Want Land, Bread, Housing, education, clothing, Justice, Peace & People’s Community Control of Modern Technology.’’ (Please Google The Black Panther Party for a full disclosure of all ten points and further descriptions of each point.) There was a lot of turmoil at home and the Civil Rights movement was being transformed into a Black Power Movement by a younger set of Black activists such as Huey, H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael (who later changed his name to Kwame Ture and moved to Ghana, West Africa) and Brother Bobby Seale who was the Co-Founder of the Black Panther Party. 

 

                If you read ``Revolutionary Suicide’’ you will discover a terrifically calm voice and a tempered demeanor in the writer. This I found incredible considering what the writer was going through.  He did not have rage and anger as he went about the daily business of liberating his people and setting them free from the bondage of mental and economic slavery.

 

                I read Huey’s book during college at Ohio State University. No, it is not about suicide, it is about his life and times as a revolutionary and why he loved his people so deeply and dedicated so much of his life to their liberation.  The book is an incredible journey and one I strongly suggest you take if you are young, frustrated, angry and feeling rage at the machine of hatred and economic plunder you see and feel in the United States. If you are in other parts of the world where the economic rape of Black people continues to take place, you may also want to read this book….  If you are a young female, you may also find it helpful.

 

                After I read ``Revolutionary Suicide’’ I was much more ready and able to plug into some of the networks that helped me flourish and survive as a student at Ohio State. OSU in itself was very racist in how it dealt with Black students and faculty at the time. (I can guarantee they are still having racial conflicts on campus even though I haven’t been to Columbus in 30 years.) What the reading of that book did was help me plug into the ``Our Chocking Times’’ newspaper and the Black Studies department in a more effective and productive manner.  The ``Our Chocking Times’’ was a small Black paper on campus that served as a radical Black alternative to the run- of-the-mill news and hum-drumness one got from the campus paper, ``The Lantern.’’

 

                I was a journalism student and needed press clips and experience in the field so I took up my pen and pad and went to the ``Our Chocking Times’’ meetings and met some of the nicest, kindest and sweetest, most radical and caring Black people I have ever met in my entire life. I did articles on Black artists, Black college professors, the struggles of Black people on campus including students, faculty and other campus workers and I learned a great deal about journalism and being Black in the process.  The ``Our Chocking Times’’ newspaper was a God-sent.  I will never be able to re-pay the staff who I worked with.  Nor will I ever be able to really express the great value the experience was to me as a budding journalist and evolving revolutionary.

 

                I received an Outstanding Journalist of the Year award for my hard work and dedication to the paper. To this day I am very proud of having received that honor.

 

                What I’m getting at is no matter what school, college or university you are or will be attending; your experience will be greatly enhanced if you read about the experiences of others who went before you.  There is an extensive bibliography included at the end of this book which will give you some ideas and suggestions of other writers, activists and other Black people who have valuable experiences to relay to young people about being Black in America and other parts of the world.  There are also books about Black concepts and thought on our liberation that you will find invaluable and helpful in your studies.  

 

                I know what you are saying: ``That’s all fine and good but I want some Mother Fucking money to pay my bills, take care of my family and get me a new rod.  I ain’t got no time for reading any damned books.!!’’

 

                If you have about $12.99 left over from your monthly bills I strongly suggest you get a copy of a very worthy CD.  It is of the sound of the ocean’s crashing waves against stones and such sounds as that.  Listen to it about three times and get in touch with your inner self. Nature and Naturalness always help one in getting in touch with who and what we really are… You will begin to feel the anger and rage dissipate.  It could be the best $12.99 you ever spent. It could save your life and help make you understand and see that you are the off spring of generations of evolution among Black people.  You are not just the person that you see everyday in the mirror.  You are the living and breathing embodiment of all the years of your people’s existence on this planet—wherever and whenever that is or was.  You are really not just an individual as the Power Elite would have you believe.  You are someone different, you are the Other, but you don’t have to feel the ravages of oppression even as you come to realize more and more each day, through your reading, that you are almost perfectly oppressed by the Powers that Be and the Established Order in the United States, Africa the Caribbean or elsewhere,… Even such almost perfect oppression can be crushed & destroyed just as Nazi Germany was crushed & destroyed. I’m not saying we will have to destroy our country—we just have to think better and harder at finding solutions to cope with it and or find & build alternative structures that embellish OUR existence within it.  If you look back at our history as Black people, we have always found  a Way.

 

                When one has terrific and perfect rage one needs to seek & find terrific and perfect solutions to conquer that rage. Ultimately you will need to transform that rage into something more readily useful such as hard productive work towards your betterment and financial reward. These can then be invested in you and your community for even greater rewards in the future. I’m talkin’ about  a nice home, peace of mind, a job, security and a good family with strong values and ethics... First the processes of life needs to be slowed down. You will need to pull apart your life and get away from it all in some way.  The CD of the ocean helped me to a level I can’t even describe to you here. I can guarantee it will help you also.  What is also needed is to think clearly. Listen to some of the basic CD’s and DVD’s of Minister Louis Farrakhan and other progressive thinkers in our community as they pull apart the tricks, lies, deceptions and deceit that have been used by the Established Order  and their henchmen to keep us encased in hatred, anger and self-destruction for decades.  Be easy on yourself as a Black person.  You may also want to go to a progressive church or Mosque—even if you are not religious—to get a better understanding of what you are going through and to find solutions for the next days you will be living.  This will also help you network with others who are going through similar problems and situations.  The new days ahead will have to be walked through with a new zest for living, without rage and with a new innate ability to cope with the problems you are facing.  Even if you are dependent on illegal drugs; in jail; a frustrated, self-persecuting homosexual in denial; HIV positive; a Baby Daddy; an alcoholic; or a pregnant young Black girl--there is hope for you. But you have to start by believing in yourself, and most probably, GOD.  But the first thing you have to do is relax and believe there is such hope.  Then you will be able to reach out for the help and hope you will need.

 

                Lastly, I want to say something about jealousy.  I know full well that when you turn on the TV and see the Rap Stars making millions of dollars as they parade their hateful and vicious lyrics around with their think gold chains and gyrating half-naked women in tow you think you want that lifestyle.  Believe me, most of them are punks who are being profited from and used by the established order to create a culture of chaos and negativity that only helps keep our community & people oppressed and down.  You are attracted to the Bling, Bling, quick riches, girls, flashy cars and Big expensive houses….  You don’t need those things to be happy.  Most big rap stars are not really happy at all, believe me, and they have family, legal and marital problems up the wazoo.  But the Established media plays these gangster types as having it all and loving it.  Many of them are frustrated and unhappy.  They have little inner peace and solace and are ever more angry and frustrated than you are. They are often motivated by greed and often end up in jail or in the graveyard much too early.  You don’t want to follow in their path.

 

                If you have to be jealous of someone look at the career of an Arthur Ashe and be jealous of him.  He was able to win all kinds of trophies & get paid Big Time for his tennis playing along with Wimbledon honors and such, but he also took time to help many, many Black young people.  He is the type of person you want to emulate.  He was also very proud of his Black skin, Black nappy hair & other Black features and Black heritage and dedicated much of his life and time to promoting his people and dealing in a positive and proactive way with finding solutions to our problems.    

 

                But the best way to be is not to have a jealous bone in your body.  If you begin to find positive Black people to emulate such as Ida B. Wells for our young girls or Richard Wright for our young boys, be proud of yourself and your achievements—no matter how small they are—and know that you will make more and bigger and better achievements in the future. Because you are our future!!!

 

Solution: Reading the Above is in itself, a solution!!! 

 

Sports & The Black Man…From Terrell Pryor  & LeBron James to Michael Vick and Don’t Look Back

 

When I went away to Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio to college I hated sports and I hated Ohio State football.  I took no pride whatsoever in any of the many, many victories the outstanding football team under then coach Woody Hayes had at the time.  I saw the players as exploited and I thought the young men should have been paid something because the school made millions of dollars off the team.  The players were barely given a fresh drink of water for their troubles.  The players may have gotten scholarships, but in my eyes then, that wasn’t nearly enough.  The issue of whether college sports players should be paid something for the four years they play while in undergraduate school had been debated by many. But I had come to hate exploitation and I just saw the players --  even though some of them went on to get millions of dollars to play for professional football teams –I saw them as exploited people.

 

All I can say right now is that I’m very happy for Terrell Pryor and the Ohio State team for winning THE Rose Bowl today, Friday, 1-1-2010—the first day of the year.  They won the game soundly 27 to 17.  This is a sea change for me.  Usually I could care less about the Ohio State game, but recently I joined the Ohio State Alumni Association and I’m hoping on working with them on some powerful,  positive, proactive projects to help poor veterans in our community in Delaware (now Philadelphia) very soon.  This victory gives me the heads up that things will work out for me in the coming years.  It makes me feel proud as a Black man because there were so many great Black players on the team including their talented Quarter Back, Terrell Pryor and so many others.  There is also a sense of pride because it was Ohio State—the school I graduated from in 1978—a long, long time ago—regardless of the color of the team’s players…. 

 

                I don’t know any of the other players and I don’t even know who the current head coach is, but I am proud of this win.  I just wanted to tell you this to let you know that people can change.  It may take several years, but opinions can change and people can change for the better.  They CAN get their heads out of the sand and listen to different viewpoints and can even be won over.  Like my USANA coach Anne Reid says, you have to keep dripping on them.  Never give up on presenting me with an idea or your opinion… I am always willing to listen.  You don’t have to agree with me all the time.  That is the great thing about all the new technology and the electronic networking—everybody wants to share their opinion.  As long as we can all act like civil human being, this is a great thing.  Remember we can agree to disagree.  Life is too short to fight over a difference of opinion.  The important thing is to keep informed and to listen to more than one source for your information…

 

                Again, my CONGRATULATIONS go out to Ohio State, their Coaches, ALL the players and fans, and their Quarter Back Terrell Pryor for their BIG VICTORY today!!    Go Bucks!!!

 

               

Michael Vick

 

I have come to love football.  The physical attributes of the men who play is one attraction, I have to admit that right off the bat, but there are other reasons I like the game.  One is the glee at seeing a team that represents the City of New Orleans win the SuperBowl in 2010!!  I think everybody was happy except the opposing team and a few of their fans.  The reason was obvious.  To see the team that represented the most left out of the left out—New Orleans—where a terrible storm had destroyed so much a few years back and now see the team representing those people come back and make it really, really big—that was the BEST. I can’t think of another city that deserved it more than New Orleans and to be represented by a team called the ``Saints’’ well, you know GOD must have had a hand in all of this.  There is a saying in the Black community that GOD don’t like ugly and what George Bush and Dick Cheney didn’t do for New Orleans when Katrina struck was a crime.  But God used them to make an example of how the underdog comes back.  Unfortunately, many people are still to this day without homes and jobs in the area hit by Katrina.  The businesses have come back, but some of the children still are not getting schooled properly and are having to do without housing, shelter, food and jobs for their parents.  This is a national sin and a shame as we send troops gallivanting off to foreign soil to intervene in something that is none of our business at astronomical costs in both money and American and foreign lives.  One day we will learn…..

 

But there is another gentleman who taught us another lesson that cannot go unmentioned.  One of my football heroes is Michael Vick. He was the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons when in 2007 he lost everything when it was discovered that he was involved in a vicious dog fighting ring.  His Million Dollar plus NFL contract and all the money, power and prestige that went with it quickly went down the toilet and he eventually did time in jail for the crimes.  It was discovered that several dogs were hurt, wounded and some were even killed because of Vick’s activities.  Plus such betting that took place during the fights is itself illegal in the United States.  Vick was down, but not out.  What people don’t understand about Dog Fighting down south is that it is a very common thing—even an institution.  Vick was doing what came natural.  He did us all a big favor by exposing it and when he paid the price of losing so much, he also helped us heal from such illegal institutions as Dog Fighting that needed to be exposed and ended in our country.

 

I saw a White woman on TV saying she would never go see another Eagles football game when Vick, after serving his time, was picked up by the Eagles of Philadelphia… He got a contract for less than a tenth of what he was making at the Falcons, but she was still hanging onto his image as a dog fighter and couldn’t give the brother a break.  Vick has a lovely family and wife and has cared for his mother for years, but none of that was taken into consideration.  I have to take my hat off to the Eagles Franchise for accepting and forgiving Vick and giving him another chance.  This country gave Richard Nixon another chance and he proved not to deserve it.  It is my deepest hope that Vick will not disappoint and will continue touring high schools and community centers to talk about what he did and ask for forgiveness while serving as a positive role model for the mistakes we DON’T NEED to MAKE as young people.  Vick seems up to the job and I think he will come back and succeed.

 

                But I have a special message to that White woman who so coldly gave Vick the cold shoulder.  She just doesn’t understand what his genetic make up has been through.  She is a White woman with all the prestige and privilege of being White in this still very racist country and she ``can’t accept’’ Vick who carries around with him the ``curse’’ of very dark skin. Of course I don’t consider it a curse, but try to buy a house or get an apartment in an exclusive neighborhood and you will discover that the first thing they see is the color of your skin—right now in the year 2010!!  Vick is a very handsome man and a very dark man.  He will, I hope and pray, go on to better and greater things.  Maybe he will lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win in 2011 or 2012.  Maybe GOD will make an example of him also.  But we can all learn from Vick’s experience. 

 

Recently BET is airing a TV program called ``The Michael Vick Project’’.  It follows his college experience; his rise to football super-stardom; his family & community roots; & the root causes of his obsession with Dog Fighting that earned him jail time, shame and ethical defeat off the football field. The program, which could be described as a reality show, is excellent, telling, descriptive, vibrant, vivid and dramatic as it draws in color to the Michael Vick story.  I strongly suggest that you watch it to learn from this talented brother who had a tremendous career and an equally tremendous downfall.  It really makes you route for Vick off the field as well as on the field because you know he has a chance of making a fantastic comeback and is taking every opportunity to surround himself with the right kind of people to ensure such a comeback.  He is a brother who can once again make us proud as Black people and I wish him well.

    

Solution: Black sportsmen have a tradition of doing well in our nation, but also of having tragic stories with bad endings.  I am hopeful that more of our players will do well and stay healthy for years and years to enjoy their hard work and get past the injuries & hardships they suffer. 

On Black Fatherhood…

               

 

It amazes me that people, young and even older Black men, are still becoming fathers because they forgot to put a rubber raincoat on their penises BEFORE they have sex.  Yes. It is happening right today, in 2010 all across America--in Black communities in small towns and Big Cities alike. From Toledo to Manchester and from Chicago to Los Angeles—it is happening.  When the newly appointed Fathers are too irresponsible to take charge of the new little ones they bring into the world and want to disappear before they get caught by the court system for child support (but after they had all the fun)—we all lose out.  This scenario has helped what was to some degree a stable Black community in the 1990’s become overridden with too many unwanted children and no way to feed, clothe, care for and raise them.  It is a scenario that is all too familiar to Black women.  But let’s face it.  It takes two to tango and the women, more often than not, get coaxed into putting their legs up for a fast talking slick brother who has no intention of sticking around nine months after conception.  But some of these women are thrilled just to have a child at all.   This represents low self esteem on the part of the woman and a lack of clear thinking about the future for themselves as Black women and for their babies. It also doesn’t offer much hope and stable longevity for the child coming into the world.  This pretty little picture happens to younger and older women alike.   Where do they think the $700.00 to $1,000.00 a month it takes to care for a child is coming from when this happens?  The woman’s mother is often left with this burden.  This is part of the reason why we cannot pull ourselves up from poverty.  This burdens each and every one of us as Black people, if we live in the Black community or not and if we are politically, socially and economically well off, aware or could care less.  How you ask?  Each of those mouths has to be fed and someone has to do the feeding.  If it is the state that has to do the feeding, then that is tax money that we all have to pay.  If it is grand mom who has to pay for the rearing of another child, that is less money she will often have to funnel into getting her own situation together (more & better education for herself, a nice house, a new car, a better job, a new career, the feeding and clothing of other already existing children and grand children etc.).  Some grand moms, of many races including the Black race, are saying no to this picture and putting the blame and the responsibility back on their daughters and the men their daughters are shacking up with who made the baby in the first place. Grandparents are demanding more responsibility from their grandchildren and children.. This is a growing & noteworthy trend and an encouraging sign.  Now if I was a Republican and went on National TV and said this, my political career would be short lived in this era of political correctness and polite platitudes.  But I’m not a Black Republican. I generally vote Democratic, but am increasingly disappointed with the Democratic Party not taking this baby factory mentality by the horns and being clear and truthful about it in fear of losing Black votes and ruffling some Black feathers politically. Our community is teaming with Black youth who don’t know who the heck their fathers are.  Some of you brothers were around in 1996 when Minister Louis Farrakhan asked you take a pledge--to step up and make sure this doesn’t happen on your watch.  And to really make sure that you treat Black women and Black families (and other Brothers and Black children as well) with respect, honor and dignity.  Makin a dozen Black babies from half a dozen different Black women is not respect, dignity and honor.  Maybe we all, as Black men and potential fathers, uncles, nephews and role models (regardless of sexual proclivities) need to readdress that Million Man March Pledge given originally by Minister Farrakhan himself on October 16, 1996 in Washington, D.C. and get real with that little captain of the ship in our pants—the Black penis—and make sure it only gets to enjoy life with the vagina when proper plans and money are in place and, hopefully after wedding bells ring and raw rice is thrown.  Maybe I’m not the one to be telling young, middle aged and older Black men this, but I certainly don’t hear it enough from other Black leaders—including our pastors, ministers, Bill Cosby and even foolish Republicans like Clarence Thomas (The Supreme Court Justice) & Michael Steele (Head of the Republican Party as of January 30, 2009).  The silence is very loud and costly for our Black community. So, I have said it and I am hoping I have your attention and your ears Brothers.  No penile excitement without a condom (rubber raincoat), unless you are planning to take on life as a real responsible father.  You are blowing a hole in an already sinking ship called the Black community if you do anything else...

 

                Fatherhood HAS to be about something more than a few moments of joy and pleasure.  It has to be about taking responsibility for a life, paying for a dentist and piano lessons, food, shelter and a college education.  It HAS to be about taking your children to the library, the ball game, seeing about report cards, and did I say tuition for college or university?  How do we expect our children to amount to anything when these basic ingredients for a better life are missing?   The state and the grand mom network is already overburdened.  Do I have your attention yet BROTHERS?  

 

                Some of our community’s preachers and ministers need to take this issue on more instead of railing against homosexuals & prostitutes and talking about the damnation of people by GOD and other things they seem to find in the Bible or the Holy Koran. Some Christian pastors would rather talk about money for their churches instead of telling young men how to live a more ethical, goal-oriented, courageous life and working towards better education and reasonable achievements for themselves as young Black men.  We all have to stop avoiding this 700 pound gorilla in the living room because he has started picking up furniture and making a mess of things. Take it a bit at a time.  Don’t lay a huge guilt trip on Brothers all at once, but ask them to take responsibility a step at a time.  Let’s catch more Brothers before they discover sex and get all excited and things get out of hand, if you will.  Just take a step at a time.  It is not rocket science.  Our community rewards men who stand up and try, even in small ways, to make things better for us all as Black people.  President Barack Obama and ALL Black politicians, especially the Black males, need to address this problem and speak directly to young Black men more often IN THE PROCESS also.     

 

Are You Just Gaming the System, or Working your Way A Loose  from Poverty?

By Brother Tracy Gibson

 

Living in poverty, as we have for the last several years is NOT an easy thing.  Poverty has a specific set of stigmas attached to it. People, who probably work no harder than we do, have a tendency to think we poor people or temporarily poor people are lazy and never worked a day in our lives. I for one have worked an average of 8 hours a day, even though I am unemployed officially and on disability.  I have my own company that does promotional work to advance Black business, and other work related to education, advocacy, research, and Public Relations. I put in several hours a day, but don’t get paid much for my work because I’m temporarily stuck on disability for depression and some aspects I have of schizophrenia, even though I’m very, very functional.  In fact, I’m more aware of how our political and financial system works to undermine our dedicated work as Progressive people, probably more than most poor people and more than most Black people—generally speaking.

 

My friend and roommate Mr. Bill Cody also works quite hard at Starbucks and selling the One Step Away newspaper, but has very little to show for it after he pays His bills and puts a little away for food and medicine.  Actually, the system we live under—Capitalism—is really gaming us!! {If you don’t think this is true please get the film ``Capitalism: A LOVe story,’’ by Filmmaker Michael Moore at the Free Library and view it and you Will see what I mean.

 

My friend Bill Cody has a child on the Way and I worry how on earth that child will grow up with diminishing returns and cut backs economically and such active disregard for people’s rights; the environment; our Civil Liberties; creating an effective education system; and creating a society that is sustainable, peaceful, LOVing and open to fresh, new, and Progressive ideas. 

 

We, as Black People and Black youth, male and female, should be either working or in school. We need to learn how to stuff money away at the Black bank; live under our means; & disconnect from media and focus on a goal and achieve a goal one after another until we reach our goals. These things take direction, organization, drive, focus, and time. Will Smith has a movie that came out some time in 2014 that features a person who needs to focus, but He has a White girlfriend, which I believe, is taking him off focus.  If you want to achieve something big you will probably want to learn how to stay focused for years and keep your eyes on the prize for years. It is doable. Even if you have to leave your vision to yur children or grandchildren or nieces and nephews, you can get what you want to get done come into reality. To be patient is a virtue and a blessing. Don’t take your focus off of what you want to do and be willing to learn a tremendous amount about how to achieve this goal or that goal before you really start planning.  It took years for the Williams Sisters in tennis to achieve what they achieved and their father set their success in motion long before they picked up a tennis racket. Remember not to give up and focus.

END

Addendum to Black Youth Booklet

 

Dealing with your crush on little girls your age is important. When I was a young boy I had a crush on a little girl named Neecie. I liked Her so much, we spent hours and hours together. I was only about eight and Neecie was about seven. One day coming down the steps in Lea Elementary School at 47^th and  Locust Street my junior cousin Leslie told Neecie I said I liked Her.  Both Neecie and I knew this already like really like gangbusters, you know . But my whole world came crumbling apart because I felt exposed and revealed and I was only eight and I really didn’t know How to deal with this emotional exposure. My Dad was a great provider, but He had never had that talk with me, His son, about the birds and the bees and girls. He was afraid to talk with me about girls and the Birds and the Bees, you know, like sex and intimacy and stuff like that. Those things were not talked about so much like they are now and they were not so much on TV like they are now. I think this is part of the reason I had, probably a large part of the reason I had so much anger and resentment around or centered on my Father. Now I know I cannot blame Him. It took me turning almost 59 to realize these things and it took 35 years of therapy to get to this—the roots of what People think is a mental illness. I Am an OK dude who was screwed over by circumstances. Those circumstances were the same things that screw over a lot of Black men and Black little boys. The lack of a responsible Father who was fearless enough to talk about intimacy, the proper treatment of girls and women, being emotionally there for your children.  This stuff was lost on me and I’m just getting to this root now. I want you to be able to ask your Father, if He is present in your household, I want you to be able to ask your Father all the questions you want about girls and if you have a crush on a little boy, you should be able to ask about that also. If your Father is not present in your life for whatever reason, you must be able to talk to another significant male or a mentor—a Black man who has shown that He cares about you and who you have build a stable friendship with. You must be able to ask the questions you need answers to. I don’t care if it is an older responsible Brother, Imam, Pastor, Preacher, Reverend or a Scout Master, teacher, uncle, grandfather or your actual Father==  or other significant male in your life like a mentor who is a man, who is responsible or older. It is important that you choose a man and that you choose someone to confide in who understands the importance of your being able to be honest and get answers to your questions.    You will, if you are a little Black boy, you will be able to save yourself years of therapy—talking to a mental health expert—you will be able to possibly save yourself talking to a mental health expert and the hundreds of dollars it cost to get this help.  Often, your Mom, Bless Her heart for trying, but often your Mom will not do. You need to talk to an older Black and responsible man.  If you have a health teacher at school who you can talk to it is important to be able to talk to them about this also.  Then you will not be afraid of women’s vagina’s and private parts and intimacy with women like I Am still to this day, having grown up a homosexual. I want our Black boys, frankly, to grow up to be heterosexual (straight) and have a chance to have children and procreate like I was not able to do. This is nothing against homosexuals, but I feel to just give up without giving your sons or yourself a chance is not good. Our Black Brothers  are important to us. Now if you have a good relationship with your Mom, Grandmother, Aunt or something like that, you can talk about this thing also this sex and Birds and Bees, also. But it will not, in my opinion, be the same.  It has taken me years to absolve , my Father and forgive Him fully, when it really is a problem of our social structure our society that doesn’t allow men to talk about such important intimacies as these.  Maybe this is why I’m such a social critic and a social activist and so dedicated to building good health and good mental health in our youth. Because I was lost and was denied these things. I was especially denied these things when I was molested by an older man who was the shop-keeper at a store I worked at. This was my first serious sexual experience and it really twisted my life around – the being molested. Again it took years for me to be able to talk about these things and my Father was really too busy providing for our family to be much of a listening ear. He was never much for building a stable interpersonal relationships with me as His Son. I was a disappointment because I was more of a intellectual – a reader and a writer --  than a person who like to build things with my hands like my Dad liked to do.  He was a pretty good landlord, but I have learned that honesty at the foundation of a LOVing relationship between a man and His wife and honesty with the children (and especially the Sons) is very, very important. That honesty helps stabilize the Black family. Not having that honesty & that ability to talk about anything at all pulls the rug out from the foundation of the Black family. We need stability in Black families. We don’t need to go around calling Black boys who are effeminate and might grow up liking men or who are masculine and like to have sex with other men—we do our entire Black community a disservice by calling such men faggots and being hateful and bitter towards them. We are actually hating on something deep inside ourselves when we call People such names.  For some men, homosexuality is a very natural thing and we should not try to stamp it out or turn it back. For me it has been a rough road to go. I know many Black gay men who have children from their relationships with women earlier in their lives. If you want children and want to get married to a man, if you are really sure this is what you want, in our North American society today these things are being allowed because the government and governmental officials and even judges have realized that determining sexual preferences or sexual proclivities is not a joking matter and that all People must be respected. I don’t like to see our men, if they are Gay, get dressed in women’s clothing. It is a Pet Peeve of mine – meaning it is something I really don’t like. I want to see Black men, if they are straight of gay, I want them  to be   stand up men and be unafraid to be men. This is where I am and it reflects my own prejudice and point of view. Others, even People from the medical community, and the mental health community might disagree with me.  So now you see why it is so important to be there for those little girls and little boys you bringing into the world. You are possibly putting ``broken’’ sign on a child when you are not a responsible man having those children. A responsible man who is able to be there for His Sons and Daughters and have honest conversations and is old enough to be in touch with these issues I have discussed here.  Otherwise it may, if you are not there, you are probably dooming the child – your child-- to be like the broken eggs at the supermarket that nobody wants. It is a fact that I am almost 59 and single because I’m quite a handful emotionally for my partner to deal with.    I still think it would be a mistake at this late age, for me to be with a woman. I LOVe our Black women, don’t get me wrong.  I regret not having children. It is one of the biggest regrets I have in life. As you know a regret is something you wish could have gone another Way. But perhaps I was put here in my predicament to make things easier for you. God often has a funny Way of working like that.

 

Reach the Author of this book, Brother Tracy Gibson, by calling, 1 215 823 9985 or write him at BrotherTracy11@GMail.Com.  For Business proposals write me at BlackExecutive46@GMail.Com. Mr. Gibson is a writer by trade and a lover of humanity, peace, kindness, a positive spirit & an Earth Father. He will have other books out soon. To write him a regular mail letter you may do so at Brother Tracy Gibson; Post Office Box 42878; Philadelphia, Common Wealth of Pennsylvania 19101-2878. This book is on sail as an e-mail book for $7.00. I, as the author, ask that you send in $7.00 and let me send you a copy. (Don’t forget to send me your return name & address & e-mail address). Some of the money will go to write other books; feed the hungry Black People in Philadelphia’s Black community; and for other social programs. I have been a political activist for 35 years and incorporated my company in 2006. I Am not coming likely or just a few weeks ago to the knowledge that something big and good needs to happen for Black young people in North America. My corporation, which has taken nine years to get to where it is, was founded on helping Black youth and making their stay here on earth a bright and meaningful solution to many of the world’s problems, not profiting on their being a problem.  I hope you enjoyed this short book and will tell your friends about it. Call me to get on my mailing list because there will be other books later. I can also send you the list of suggested books mentioned in this book if you wish. GOD Bless you forever.