It’s been over 40 years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death. In mainstream media and dominant rhetoric, Dr. King is seen as a “black leader” who embodied the civil rights movement. While I’m not going to claim that I know everything about the civil rights movement, I do know that Dr. King was a much more complex individual than the way mainstream media portrays him. One facet of his complexity was his tendency to prophesize. I was listening to an old episode (around October of 2006) of Real Time with Bill Maher and musician/actor/social activist Harry Belafonte commented on the smuttiness of the 2006 mid-term election campaigns by referring to something Dr. King told him before he was assassinated – something that Harry felt was very prophetic and the prophecy that I see occurring today. Read the rest of this entry »
Gitmo Rally Speech (March 6, 2008)
Perhaps the biggest moment that changed my life was the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I was thirteen at the time and I almost remember that day like it was yesterday. Before 9/11, I believed that America was safe and never did I imagine such an attack would occur in my country. That event destroyed my sense of security. What made 9/11 even more personal for me is the fact that my cousin used to work at the World Trade Center – on the 89th floor. Fortunately, he was late for work that day and when he got off the subway, he was told to go back because the first plane had hit. As the events of the day unfolded I, my family and my friends stared at our TV screens in shock, horror and confusion. I realized that my life would never be the same. As I approach the age of twenty, I am more cognizant of the world and the suffering that exists within it. Read the rest of this entry »
Delta Gents Speech (given February 20, 2008)
On December 23, 1776, Thomas Paine wrote in The American Crisis:
“These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”
Obviously, the times Thomas Paine talked about are different from today but his words capture the essence of the emergency this nation is in today. Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, this nation, through fear, has been led down a dangerous path that could erode the most sacred principles on which it was built. Read the rest of this entry »
Anti-Rumsfeld Speech (November 8, 2007)
A great man once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Those words were spoken by John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961. Speaking before a country ready for change, Kennedy’s words were a call to action for the nation. He let the people know that moving the country and the world toward a brighter future would require the participation of the masses. Instead of focusing entirely on their busy lives, the people had to be willing to sacrifice for the greater good of humanity. As evidenced by the social upheaval of the 1960s, people took those words seriously. Such sentiment and willingness to sacrifice, I lament, has disappeared. Read the rest of this entry »
Hello world!
This is my new website/blog. I plan on using this to say how I feel about the world, to educate people about important issues and encourage them to think outside the box. There’s more to come so stay tuned…
Blues African 