So, tomorrow I am going to present my Power Point presentation for my music and Propaganda class. It is called "80s&90s Hip Hop and Anti-Racism." I will show videos such as the famous "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy, Sister Souljah's "The Hate that Hate Produced," and "Slavery is Black in Effect," "Erase Racism" by Cool G Rap and DJ Polo, etc. It's funny I look at all the projects I have done within the last year and all of them seem to correlate somehow with black folks. I did a Rhetorical Analysis for English calls on an Ebony article called "Apology for Slavery." I did not Synthesis paper on court rulings and socioeconomic statuses, looking @ Troy Davis, Casey Anthony, O.J. Simpson, and Lionel Tate. For Propaganda Music Class, I am looking @ black folks and propaganda music. Now I am giving my opinion for a poll conducted in DC about African American women. I would have the nerve to call myself something like an advocate. haha. It's just funny to me and I promise all of this is not on purpose, it just kinda happens, but maybe it's not a bad thing. Well, what do I mean?
Basic things. If someone doesn't know me on campus, they may approach me rolling their neck and eyes saying phrases like "ummm huuummm guuurrlll!" trying to "relate" when little do they know that "Educated Black folks do not talk in such a manner:). In fact even many uneducated ones don't." But can they help it when that is all they see of tv with shows like "Love and Hip Hop," "I Love New York," and "Housewives of Atlanta"? Even today, the media is still caricaturizing us, just not with Black face or weird looking characters, but using their power, influence and social media tools. I am not saying it is my duty to "teach," but isnt that why we are in college in the first place...to "expand our horizons" and become "culturally aware" and all that yaddi yadda yadda?
What the point of going to Italy or Costa Rica, getting to know and understand the people and cultures 1,000 of miles away, when they do not know anything about their dark skinned neighbors that sit in class everyday right beside them? I mean, many have never even heard of Kunta Kinte. Every black person back home at least knew the name! Why are they not being taught where we [Blacks and Whites] came from? Do they know what "Night Riders" were? What the confederate flag REALLY meant (@ one point and time)? Maybe I am getting too heavy, but please teach your children where we came from so that our babies and children's children will not make the same mistakes.
Aside from all of this, I went to Elevation Church's Code Orange revival this weekend and man oh man, you are talking about a spiritual transformation. I do not want to give it all away, because I want you to research it. Elevation Church is a mega church in N.C. that is revamping what has become a stale church environment for so many and for so long. Unfortunately, many people dread church now and feel that it is all about pastors stealing your money, condemnation, and judgmental people, etc, but that is not how it is supposed to be and @ churches like Elevation, the Bridge (Silver Spring), Pineridge and many others across the nation, are changing the way we think of church!
PS: They had bishop T.D. Jakes speak on Friday and I wish I had been able to see him, but I will one day...I will be sitting in the pulpit with him!
Teachers: Parents and Teachers, teach your children and students. Don't let TV teach them everything, because TV everything is 9/10 a bunch of nothing.
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