Post-Racial Rhapsody

I have a story for you, one that you may be familiar with. Most Americans had high praise for the 2009 feel-good movie “The Blind Side” based on the true story of an African-American football player named Michael Oher. In case you haven’t seen it, Oher, aka “Big Mike” starts off as a homeless and distressed teenage boy who is a product of the housing projects, broken family, and then foster homes that he has emerged from.  He is a large young man, hence “Big Mike”, but also a quiet person despite all the trauma of his youth. Eventually, he is discovered for being favorably-sized by a private school’s football team and because of his circumstances Michael is adopted by Sandra Bullock’s character (Leigh Anne Tuohy) and her family. The rest is a great story about overcoming the odds and being included on a team and in a family that would otherwise be alien to him. It is also true as far as I know, since Michael Oher is a real person who is now an NFL offensive left tackle and he has told his own story in an autobiography. Who can show contempt for this true story of showing love and compassion to a kid that many would have just forsaken? Fortunately it all worked out for “Big Mike” and he came across some really cool people that became his adoptive family. Yet, the movie at least, avoided some of the real ugliness that can come from confronting prejudices and blatant racism in society. Perhaps it’s just because it was a PG-13 movie, or perhaps the real ugly possibilities were avoided.

Now, let’s take this story and play with it a bit. What if it didn’t take place in Memphis, Tennessee, but instead, Ferguson Missouri? What if the physically imposing black teenager was not Michael Oher, but instead, Michael Brown? What if “Big Mike” Oher, or Brown, or whatever, was not a gentle giant, but an angry youth with a bad attitude and a propensity for petty theft (like many teenagers)? What if instead of wandering the streets and being found by Sandra Bullock, Michael instead is confronted by a police officer? What if “Big Mike” had a bad day and that bad day turned into bad fortune when an officer probably acting more out of fear than civic responsibility, shot him multiple times? How does that sound for a feel-good movie of the year? Not too good I imagine. The kind rather, that makes you feel rather uncomfortable and disgusted. It’s not the sugary stereotypical, “white savior meets magical negro” one that more people in mainstream America would like to watch. (In saying this, I mean no disrespect toward Mr. Oher or the Tuohy family.) Why do I bring up this alternative story? Because this story is not only in the headlines every minute of the day, but it is also rooted in the unfortunate reality for many black teenagers in America. 

Of course, people have so many things to say about this issue and the Michael Brown case in particular. It is sure to inspire some very confrontational Thanksgiving dinners. In fact, the topic probably cannot be avoided unless it is immediately classified as “too hot for TG” (TG, Thanksgiving… yes, I made it up). One only needs to read statuses on social media or read comments following online news articles to be immersed in a tide of controversy. Some of these comments fall along the lines of “he deserved it”, “he acted like a thug, troublemaker, punk”, “don’t talk back to, or confront cops”, “he was a thief”, and now lately I’ve seen speculations that his parents are affiliated with the Bloods gang. Even if all of the above was true, even if Michael Brown does not deserve the impromptu canonization that he has seemed to receive by many people in the Ferguson community, does that make the police response any less impetuous and the outcome any less tragic? In the end, an unarmed, surly, but probably scared, young black man was gunned down by law enforcement. The particulars right now are unknown, there is much speculation, and other people are more qualified to ask questions and find answers. However, the excuses that are being made for why an officer could shoot this young black teenager are ignorant in the least, and then insensitive and even hateful at their worst. 

I have another story, very brief… it is my own. There was a period of time when I was an acrimonious adolescent male. I was sullen and petulant. Sometimes the slightest thing would put me in a rage. I even had a temper so horrible that my grandmother had warned me with a sincere concern that this behavior could lead me to a path ending in jail. Yes, these are the years before my Rastafari trod! I was self-destructive and I engaged in criminal activities that if I had been caught, I may still be locked in a prison cell. I even had encounters with law enforcement. The difference is that I did not come from a broken family, in fact my family cared for me very much. The difference is that I had education and I did not come from a disenfranchised community. The difference is that if I did things to adjust my behavior or appearance, I could avoid having a target on my back. The difference is… I am white. With a roll of fate’s dice, a change of skin color and circumstances, I too could have been Michael Brown, or Trayvon Martin, or Eric Garner, and it goes on and on. I know all too well the benefit of white privilege in certain situations that I may have shared with these men, or that I did indeed share with friends and acquaintances of mine in my younger days. Whether I liked it or not, that’s how it was. Whether we like it or not, acts of prejudice and even discrimination are practiced by officers of the law, because they are human, and we are often bias creatures. 

There are a few things I just want to set straight before continuing. I know that without police protecting citizens there would be anarchy and chaos in our towns and cities. I know that there are some excellent officers who do all the right things for the right reasons and risk their lives with simple acts of heroism every day.  I applaud these men and women, I thank them, and we should be careful not to paint all police officers or the institution with a broad brush. However, not every person who puts on a uniform, wears a badge, and carries a gun is a fair and tolerant person. There are good cops and there are bad cops. Looking beyond the person, there are cops who do a good job and there are cops who do a poor job. This is plain and simple, and irrefutable. Also, on the other end of the spectrum, the burning and looting of Ferguson and the antagonizing of police is disgraceful. Violence and rioting only perpetuate stereotypes, take attention away from the real issue, and mostly hurt people within the same community. Although the outrage is understandable, the actions are senseless, and adverse to any progress. I condemn this behavior as would most rational people of any background.  It should be noted though that most people protesting in Ferguson and other cities around America are not violent and erratic, they are just practicing their civic right to speak against an injustice. 

So why is all of this still happening in this post-racial America? Why does it seem like we have been “blind-sided” by these heavy racial issues when we thought it was “all good”? Why are the 2010’s looking more and more like the 1960’s? Aren’t we past that? Didn’t we have the Civil Rights Movement, and hey, don’t we have a black president? The problem is that we like to pretend that we are color-blind. It is because we are saturated with pop-culture, television shows and McDonald’s commercials where everyone is mingling and doing just fine and we view it as people just being people; people being treated like they should be, as a good person or a bad person. All the prejudices went out the window a generation ago, all the racialism was “so yesterday”. Yet, even if it is subconscious, or parodied, we still have black men portrayed as the archetypes of strong, super athletic, oversexed, crude, beastly negros and black women as loud, angry and bitchy, and both as ignorant, lazy, and generally unintelligent. It’s there; you just have to a look with a third-eye because it may not be as obvious.

As a Rastaman and as a teacher I am one of the first to tell my students and the people I meet that we are all one and that there is only one human race (a beautiful truth). On the other hand, as a Rastaman and a teacher I am also one of the first to tell them that the social and historical construct of “race” is very real, very complicated, and that injustices, intolerance and preconceptions are still alive and well. In fact, the very reason why so much emphasis is put on “black and white” and not the myriad of other ethnicities and cultures in this country is because of our tumultuous past. Ignoring these facts help no one. There is a more insidious racism in existence now. Old-school bigotry is no longer chic or in many cases even tolerated. To borrow a term from radio talk show host Joe Madison, we no longer have “Jim Crow” but his more sophisticated grandson, “James Crow, Esq.” You can’t just go around saying certain things, but you can absolutely feel them, and you can codify them. For example, President Obama has been one of the most castigated presidents in modern history. Some critics call him everything but the N-Word, and yet they would defend themselves by saying they are simply ideologically opposed to him and don’t think that he is a good leader. What other president has had his birth and American citizenship questioned? What other president has had his religious belief scrutinized as if he was a threat to the American public because he could be a menacing anti-American black nationalist? These examples are not coming from real political concerns or disagreements, they come from irrational fear and mindless rhetoric, aka prejudice. They come from that same little dark place where many Americans have tucked away all of their ugly thoughts… in a vacuum of ignorance where the issue of race has not had to be confronted. Until now… 

That dark place is where, I presume, Officer Wilson went to when Michael Brown confronted him in anger. That dark place is where George Zimmerman went when he killed Trayvon Martin. That dark place is where the team of officers went when they choked the life from Eric Garner, that dark place manifests every time someone crosses the street to avoid a dark person on a dark street in the dark night. That dark place could God forbid one day affect my children if they are perceived a certain way, or my wife, or her siblings and cousins. The dark place instills fear in the hearts of men, on both sides of the color-line. People will say it has nothing to do with color, but it has everything to do with color.

Here we have the repercussion of living in our so-called post-racial America. It is a scary place that looks like something from our history books. We need to have a serious talk and educate ourselves, because history repeats itself. We need to learn from another, we need to take a walk in each other’s shoes; we need to recognize that although we are many colors, we are all one people. This dark place of ignorance, confusion, prejudice, brutality and racial profiling is what we Rastafari people call the Babylon System. It is a system that keeps both black and white, all humanity, in bondage. It needs to be confronted, and turning a color-blind eye to it will not help us. Knowledge is power, Truth is the light… shine it in all of those dark, dark places.

I close with this quote from Dr. King which although spoken in the 1960’s still rings true today: "The majority of white Americans consider themselves sincerely committed to justice for the Negro. They believe that American society is essentially hospitable to fair play and to steady growth torward a middle-class Utopia embodying racial harmony. But unfortunately this is a fantasy of self-deception and comfortable vanity. Overwhelmingly America is still struggling with irresolution and contradictions. It has been sincere and even ardent and welcoming some change. But too quickly apathy and disinterest rise to the surface when the next logical steps are to be taken. Laws are passed in a crisis mood after a Birmingham or Selma, but no substantial fervor survives the formal signing of legislation. The recording of the law in itself is treated as the reality of the reform." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Without Doubt or Apology, 
With Love and Sincerity,
JAHsh

Boko Haram

Boko Haram

Boko Haram, stop planting di bomb
JAH gonna whip down yuh organization
Boko Haram, me seh what a bam bam
Stop antagonizing all of the Nigerian

Boko Haram set upon Goodluck Jonathan
Putting the whole nation inna state of alarm
Boko Haram deh in the northern region
Making the Muslim fight all the Christian

Boko Haram must put down the weapon
Kalashnikovs inna Kano keep firing on
Boko Haram killing men like chicken
See the blood run like oil from the palm

Boko Haram, stop all the terrorism
Africans murdering more African
Boko Haram, setting off detonation
All in the name of your false religion

Boko Haram, you better take caution
And Abubakar Shekau, your wicked imam
Boko Haram, promoting pure confusion
Just wait 'til the day when Selassie I come

Boko Haram, yuh must practice salaam
Allah never tell yuh fi kidnap the children
Boko Haram, stop all the violent action
All of this wrong is only serving Satan

JMC
1/28/12
(c) 2012

Boko Haram is a radical Islamic sect which is responsible for attacking communities in northern Nigeria. They threaten to make war on the people and the government until the whole country converts to their brand of Islam, even though Nigeria is almost half Muslim and half Christian. This is one of the many conflicts taking place in Africa that barely gets any coverage in the western world. Rastafari say to stop the war and Africa, unite!

Look Upon

Look Upon

Look upon Mother Earth, releasing her frustration
Earthquakes are the cause of massive devastation
People of the world are enduring great tribulation
Still suffering after news-media left them forsaken
It could be the end times, or they might be mistaken
A living nightmare from which they wish to awaken

Look upon The Most High
Set your eyes upon Zion
No matter the problem size
Nothing can trample the Lion

Look upon the youths, who are only half your size
Babylon grow them to be caught-up and victimized
They’ve been fattened on a diet of nonsense and lies
Now their tripping over the unlacing of their family ties
Proud nations are becoming so weak and uncivilized
If this is our future, then we’re in for a big surprise

Look upon The Most High
Set your eyes upon Zion
No matter the problem size
Nothing can trample the Lion

Look upon the gap, between the rich and the poor
All the trouble still ah bubble like a festering sore
No food for the hungry, while the wealthy want more
Yet the cries of injustice are much too loud to ignore
As the people turn to war so they can settle the score
And blood runs like a river from the hills to the shore

Look upon The Most High
Set your eyes upon Zion
No matter the problem size
Nothing can trample the Lion

Look upon the leaders who always break their own rules
The clergy in the churches, even teachers in the schools
They’re switching the game and making us into the fools
Wrapped around their fingers, as thread to their spools
They all clamor for control, but they’re only Satan’s tools
Used for destroying the earth down to its very molecules

Look upon The Most High
Set your eyes upon Zion
No matter the problem size
Nothing can trample the Lion

Look upon H.I.M., Oh Jehovah
Set your eyes upon Zion
Even when it seems to be over
Here comes the Conquering Lion

JMC
4/12/10
(c) 2010

Flee From The City

Flee From The City

Babylon gettin’ busy
Must flee from the city
Too much wickedness
Too much iniquity
Not even safe for
Doggie or kitty
Betta run fast
It nah look pretty

Take a look around on the streets
People wear the mark of the beast
Trouble run from west to the east
Vampires dem all come out to feast

Women getting raped and violated
Whole life ruined and desecrated
Reminded by their belly inflated
Baby having baby, its understated

Alcohol and coke get out of control
Hard drugs circulate like blood flow
Gun fire cuts short all potential
Sending another youth to a burial

Population overrun by sheer poverty
Not enough food for the little pickney
Mommy and Daddy have no job security
Families get destroyed by infidelity

Politricksters wait to steal the elections
Winning with their criminal interventions
Using the church to take up collections
Hiring police to fight insurrections

Not enough money to fund good education
All the youths just learn from imitation
Ignorance and folly make bad combination
Nobody to raise-up the next generation

Must flee from the city
And run to the hills
Where the green grass grow
And the blood nah spill
JAH children behave
And act civil
Cause the fyah ah go bun
And wipe out all evil

JMC
12/31/09
(c) 2009

Precious Life

A week ago today, an old friend of mine was shot and killed. I heard his name on the radio news just before I had planned on going to sleep. It's funny how you can hear various statistics and strange names on the news every day and you grow numb to it, but when you hear of somebody familiar it strikes you with a sudden and harsh reality, the reality that everything can change within a short moment in time. The people and things that we value the most could be a gone in an instant. Life is very precious indeed, and it distresses me that so many youths are out on the streets wielding guns and knives with the intention to rob people of the most precious thing that they have. The most troubling thing of all is that weapons and the fools behind them have gone beyond the streets and warzones and into homes, public areas, and schools. Everyday people could have their last day by receiving a gunshot wound to the head, such as my friend, having nothing to do with any kind of those wicked behaviors. The road of life sure has its twists and turns.

During this week I had to grapple with a series of thoughts and emotions. For instance, how do you confront the family of a friend who was the innocent victim of random and senseless violence? How do you even confront the notion of the whole event? Something that I had gone over and over in my mind was the fact that we need to appreciate and value our lives. First, we must value our own. This could mean different things for different people... but for myself, I know I wish to refrain from negative and destructive things. Everything I do should be worthwhile, it should be upful. And in knowing and loving myself it allows me to fully appreciate others, which brings me to the next step forward, putting a value on other peoples' lives. Everyone has a right to live free and to live happily. Each person on this earth shares a common journey, just like you and me, but their journey is unique and it is their own. We must love one another and respect one another. This does not always mean agreeing with somebody, or aiding and abetting their faults... but it means to accept and respect their human dignity. Who is man to play God? How can we who do not create life, take it? The two greatest commandments given to humanity were to love JAH, and to love one another. It is time to follow these basic instructions and stay far from hatred and violence.

The sad and unfortunate passing of my friend also led me to think of how much time we sometimes waste on petty fussing and fighting. People can hold grudges and bad feelings against others for a lifetime and then try to make peace when it is convenient or when the end approaches. Yet, life doesn't always take a predictable course. What happens when the end is swift and unexpected? What happens to the intentions, the words, and the actions that are left in limbo? Family members and friends should be appreciated in all ways possible. Don't put off until tomorrow what could be done today. Tomorrow is not promised, so we must do our best to live positively and peacefully with each other.

I think of my friend during this time. I think of his family, particularly his wife and his children. I see their grief and their pain. I see the ruins of the confused and misguided youth who killed my friend. I pray for all. I understand the suffering now behind each name on the eleven o'clock news or in the morning paper... and I wish so many more would see what I see also. Mankind, put away the guns, put away the knives. These things were designed only to maim and kill. Leave all the foolishness behind... learn, listen, love, and live. Life is precious, and everyone is entitled to live life to the fullest. It starts with us, but may it never end with us.

Blessed Love,
JAHsh

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

HartBeat Flatline

Yes people, this is livicated to the youths of Hartford, CT aka The HartBeat. Violence is still a problem there and so many do not have the guidance to find a way out. The same is going on in many other cities and towns all across Babylon. So I&I must teach the youths dem and show them a positive livity... Rastafari! - JAHsh

--------

HartBeat Flatline

This is the sad story of the HartBeat flatline
So many things go on beneath the city's skyline
They call it the Rising Star, but the star no shine
When I hear the news its only violence and crime

Too many youths dying, man it's so dangerous
Carjack, gun chat, another drug deal gone buss
People too nervous, they don't know who to trust
Strong leaders, strong teachers and families are a must

Look at the problems going on its so damn absurd
Trading crack and cocaine for guns from the suburbs
Same ones go to church and don't hear preacher man words
They think a tattoo of a cross has their life insured

The blood keep flowing and the war don't stop
Massive hart-attack on another North End block
Young man on the run, shoots his best friend, then a cop
Same thing go on tomorrow, a sad thing that nobody shocked

Another father locked up for acting like some kind of fool
Little son with his gun, please tell me what will he do
Little daughter want some fun, what will she go through
A mother working three jobs and the children cut school

Tell the radio station to stop playing all the wickedness
Perverted minds a waste of time, it's a real sickness
Fights break out in a club over a woman's thickness
Then they violate her body after ordering her a cocktail mix

Armed robbery, homicide and rape they all still remain
Most boys think they are men before their voices change
Confused girls think it's sexy to let them all run a train
So they might catch AIDS or get off with just a big belly pain

They need the proper people to lift them out from distortion
To stop the killing by the gun, and the killing by abortion
All the ghetto youths need to live, they need their fair portion
Untwist them out of all the lies that keep them in a contortion

Increase the education, it is the key just like Selassie I say
No more vacation, Marcus know self-reliance is the only way
Give them something useful that they all can do today
More love, more guidance, so the youths don't go astray

This is the sad story of the HartBeat flatline
So many things go on beneath the city's skyline
They call it the Rising Star, but the star no shine
When I hear the news its only violence and crime

JMC
1/5/07
(c) 2007

Youths of Today

Youths of Today

The youths of today have all gone astray
Too much Tell-Lie-Vision and video games to play
Too much violence, too much sex and drugs
Now they all want to go behave like thugs

They pay no attention, they can barely read
They all want to reap but never plant seed
Enslaved by material things, motivated by greed
They never grow up, no way to succeed

There's no appreciation for hard work and sacrifice
They don't respect their elders or listen to advice
Never care to learn they just want to be the boss
Yet they pretend to love JAH, flossing that iced cross

They jam to the radio, and they swear by 50 Cent
But him worth less than the bootleg, and the dollar they spent
They don't have no role model, not even a parent
So they roam about the streets and stay ignorant

Can never be serious, everything is taken for a joke
Then they turn around and blame the system cause they broke
Children having children, they don't practice safe sex
So much disease and worries, how can they be so careless

The media and the music get them sexually confused
They want the boy or the girl, or both, they can't choose
Vanity they chase, with painted faces and tattoos
Prostituting themselves and walking around half-nude

No future, no hope, none of them have the ambition
Want to be a ghetto superstar selling guns and ammunition
Trading their earnings for supplies of crack cocaine
Drinking fifths of liquor and indulging in champagne

It's an epidemic from the inner cities even to the suburbs
So much pollution in their heads, they're mentally disturbed
Causing teachers frustration, don't know their nouns from the verbs
Cutting school and mocking education, it's all so absurd

The youths have no concern, they don't know what life's about
Pregnant girls go have abortions and take the easy way out
Run up in the club looking for a one-night stand thrill
Wake up in the morning, clean up, and pop the pill

So who is responsible, who is the one to blame?
It's Babylon the bandit who washout all their brains
Promoting mental slavery, and tightening the chains
Rastafari free the children, only love can make a change

JMC
2/25/06
(c) 2006