Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Hold Them, Marcus

A few days ago some celebrated the birthday of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a central figure in Rastafari ideology, a Jamaican national hero, a pioneer and spokesperson for Black pride and Black identity. As a high school history teacher I have had opportunities to ask students if they knew who Marcus Garvey was, all kinds of students, some from Jamaica even. From what I've experienced, I've found that very few know about Garvey, and even those who do, know little about his impact. I imagine that this is both bitter and sweet. Bitter in the sense that "no one remembers old Marcus Garvey" as Burning Spear once sang. Sweet in the sense that maybe we have reached a point where the African Diaspora is not in as crucial a state of affairs and thus has allowed many black people to live comfortably in the West. Needless to say, it is my belief that Marcus should always be remembered and I take a quote from the man himself, "a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." Still, as another reggae song goes, "dem never love poor Marcus!"

Marcus Garvey was a man in a different period of time, he personally experienced and struggled against racial hatred and prejudice along with other Africans in the West, and any shadow of Civil Rights was still decades away into the future. It was a time when black people were still being lynched on trees in the American South. Yet, Marcus Garvey stood firm against all this injustice and made no reservations on his mission to liberate the minds, bodies and souls of the African Diaspora. Garvey strongly advocated education, empowerment, racial pride and racial unity. He restored the dignity of black people and called for them to be self-sufficient and take leadership roles in their communities. He inspired Africans at home and abroad with his gift for expression, passionately proclaiming words that still resonate today such as, "Up, up, you mighty race! You can accomplish what you will." He urged black people to see God through "black spectacles" to know that they were beautifully and wonderfully made in God's own image, giving them a spiritual sense of equality and godliness long withheld from them by white people. He founded the UNIA with a constitution clearly declaring the necessary rights due to all black men and women. His ideas on repatriation and his Black Star Liner company inspired the Rastafari movement and African consciousness and his pronouncement of the coming of a great black king in Africa turned their heads toward the coronation of H.I.M. Selassie I in Ethiopia. Marcus Garvey was clearly way ahead of his time and nobody could ever doubt his greatness. He had a very strong character and with this also came a very strong opinion.

However, Marcus's strong persona rubbed some people the wrong way. While both were proponents of Pan-Africanism, Garvey didn't have many kind words for American civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois and they were bitter rivals with different ideas on how to help black people, somewhat like a much more pronounced MLK and Malcolm X disagreement. Garvey didn't have kind words for H.I.M. Haile Selassie I either, which some people find odd considering the two are almost tied together as one in Rastafari philosophy. In fact, they both make up part of the Bobo Shanti concept of the holy trinity. Marcus even had gone to the belly of the beast and met with leaders of the KKK to discuss the separation of the races, needless to say this was extremely controversial. He considered their open hatred of black people to be honest whereas he held every other white person as a potential Klansman... sad, but perhaps true. Finally, everywhere he went, the government despised Marcus. He was not beloved in Jamaica, and when he went to the United States he was eventually put in prison over some supposed charges of fraud... almost surely a racist tactic. Certainly Marcus had his flaws, as does any man or woman upon this earth. Not everyone was fond of him, including other black activists. However, time will judge him as a progressive man, a courageous man and someone who awakened the consciousness of black people and shook the rest of the world into realizing that times had to change. The wonderful things that Marcus Garvey did far outweigh any mistakes he made or criticism he received.

As a Rastaman and a firm believer in racial equality and justice I consider Marcus Garvey a hero of mine. It is not always an easy fit, because some of my ideologies as a historian do not match his own, and I am a white male, far from the experiences that drove Marcus' philosophies and opinions. He was a separatist, I believe in cooperation of the races and integration. He abhorred any interracial relationships, I could not agree with that as a general statement. Some of his judgments seem more problematic than helpful as if he occasionally lacked faith in the general goodness of human beings. So, I can't say I agree with everything Marcus Garvey advocated, some of it seemed very unreasonable and eccentric, but maybe it was necessary at the time, maybe it was the right way. That of course is my personal take on Marcus, for it is necessary that I approach him different than a black man or woman. I could never separate Garvey from Rastafari nor could I deny him. Ultimately, the key to overstanding Marcus is to know that he lived in a world quite different from mine today, after all he passed on in 1940 in an age where any national or worldwide progress for people of African decent was still at a relative standstill.

Yes it can be rough, it can be harsh... but I love Marcus Garvey for what he taught me, for what he did for the betterment of my black brothers and sisters, and for the way in which he made the world listen to his message. I don't think Garvey gets enough respect outside of the Rastafari culture. In fact the last popular reference to him was seeing his face on rapper Ludacris' t-shirt in his music video "Pimpin' All Over The World". I'm not too sure Marcus would appreciate going along for that ride and he certainly would never allow the use of the n-word in his presence. Rather, I think ones should read his speeches, his poems, and his collected writings in his Philosophies and Opinions. His memory should be honored and his ideas should be learned and discussed for the sake of education and progress. The struggle will never be over until there are equal rights and justice for all people throughout the world and Africa is restored to its proper glory as the cradle of humanity. Happy Earthstrong to the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey! Hold them, Marcus! Teach them, Marcus!

Love & Respect,
JAHsh Concurz

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Eye-cons

Eye-cons

Babylon keeps using them eye-cons
They are trying to keep the I conned
No I could never bow to no icon
Manipulation to make my mind gone

How could the Savior resemble a master of plantation
Lord of the Ku Klux Klan and the Rise of a Nation
Jesus hangs on their walls, but I see no imitation
No love at all, they would lynch without hesitation
They have the wrong history, the wrong application
Used a picture to lead oppressed people into frustration
This savior of the slaver didn't share their skin complexion
The preacher man never told them it was just a fabrication
Freedom for every heart and soul was never their intention
So tell me, how come people fail to see the real connection

They're all sighting up an eye-con
Using religion as their weapon
They show me the painting of their icon
No they will never keep the I conned

All this running for public office is a really big sham
Political games with wicked aims to take over the land
Money raised in campaigns for some rich, rich man
He goes here and there to talk and shake somebody's hand
Accumulating more funds, yes he's the real Uncle Sam
His smiling face appears on every newspaper stand
Everybody cheers and claims that they're his greatest fan
This publicity hides the truth behind his little plan
To take back all he said when he assumes his command
But how intelligent people get fooled, I can't overstand

They're all sighting up an eye-con
Using politics as their weapon
They show me the photo of their icon
No they will never keep the I conned

An image is one thing if it's applied in innocence
Otherwise it's like a noose tied around our necks
Worship JAH in spirit and truth and not fabric nor flesh
We are all equal, never big one man up over the next
Like the warlords in the street carrying around portraits
Shooting off machine guns and firing shoulder rockets
We would do well to avoid all this religion and politics
Too much bloodshed and too many dirty tricks
If we keep worshiping all of the idols and the pics
Then we will always have warfare and big conflicts

Stop sighting up an eye-con
Religion and politics have got it all wrong
They rally people all around their icon
But we have all got to sing the same song

Babylon keeps using them eye-cons
They trying to keep the I conned
No I could never bow to no icon
Manipulation to make my mind gone

JMC
8/14/07
(c) 2007

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Steps In Concrete

Steps In Concrete

I see your steps in concrete
Down every avenue and street
So be careful of where you walk
Better be wise, got to be discreet

There are imprints left behind
Like from a Jurassic kind of time
They take so long to fade away
Better strengthen up your mind

Young lady, where are you going so late at night?
With whom are you meeting, do you think its right?
Does your family know? I bet they worry about you
Why do you still need to meet in secret with this dude
Do you know where he comes from? Or what he does?
Do you know what he's passing on when he wears no glove?
Oh Lord! Girl you better stop and go see
Before your steps become solid in that wet concrete
Oh yeeah...

Mr. Necktie Man, loving husband and father of four
Who is this strange woman knocking at the door?
Of this motel room, on the side of a dimly lit road
In the corner of the city that fails the health code
Is she stroking your ego, or stroking something else?
Where's your family, don't you feel ashamed of yourself?
Oh God! Man, watch where you place your feet
Before your steps become solid in that wet concrete
Oh yeeah...

I see your steps in concrete
Down every avenue and street
So be careful of where you walk
Better be wise, got to be discreet

There are imprints left behind
Like from a Jurassic kind of time
They take so long to fade away
Better strengthen up your mind

Hey young man, tell me where did you get that gun?
You think carrying around some heat is really so much fun?
Why are you pushing dope, while your Mom works the nightshift?
So she can put food on the table and help pay for your whip
Now a deal goes bad, angry words exchanged and a fire is shot
People staring, sirens blaring, and you're running from some cop
Oh JAH! Boy, you brought more violence to the street
Your feet are getting stuck in that wet concrete
Oh yeeah...

Lonely woman, it's been awhile and I know you feel so fine
But this man you're dealing with, what do you expect to find?
He will use up your body and throw you off to the side
To him you're just another one-night-stand and a midnight ride
Is this the way to fill up that hole that grows in your heart?
What happens to all the dirt when you want a brand new start?
Oh, God! Lady, take the broom and start to sweep
Your feet are getting stuck in that wet concrete
Oh yeeah...

I see your steps in concrete
Down every avenue and street
So be careful of where you walk
Better be wise, got to be discreet

There are imprints left behind
Like from a Jurassic kind of time
They take so long to fade away
Better strengthen up your mind

JMC
8/7/07
(c) 2007