Dr King Is Smiling

Enjoy
The photo is from "The Nation"
If you need help identifying everyone -let a brother know. I would be happy to do so
Today is for the past, present future, ancestors,slaves/slaveholders,Oppressed/oppressors , children/adults ,civil rights workers, human rights workers, people of all cultures in America/world citizens ,the witnesses to the past , and those yet to make their mark.The sky is not the limit. Yes we can!
Today the walls of my cynicism have holes that you can see hope through

If Its Magic, then why can't it be everlasting? If? If If Part 2

This is my if , hmm (?), never thought about that, I wonder as I wander, endless possibilities, keeping it unreal, smoking maybes , choices and consequences riff on if. After contemplating, shaking your head in disgust, nodding in agreement , or just bugging out on the flavor of what you just savored-please feel free to answer the following questions-or post your own ode to the twilight zone tone of this post (your own magic ifs).

*Denotes Lyrics from the song" If It's Magic?" by The Maestro Stevie Wonder


* If It's magic, then why can't we make it everlasting-like the sun that always shines? Like the poet's endless rhymes? Like the galaxies in time?*


1 If we were all blind, what would be our standard of attractiveness in another person?
Would their intelligence, voices (vocal tone),conversation , energy,or feel to the touch ( and what would be the etiquette of that?) become the ways in which we would determine who's hot?

2 If you could go back in time to observe any single event in history , what would it be?

3 If you could only own one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

4 If you were a master musician and could choose 3 other musicians to work with you to create a masterpiece , who would they be?

5 If you could have one wish come true, what would it be?



* If it's pleasing, then why can't it be never leaving? Like the day that never
fails? Like on seashores there are shells? Like the time that always tells?*



6 If Obama had lost, what would you have done?
7 If you could spend 30 minutes uninterrupted with any living person -who would it be?

8 If you had a superpower-what would it be?

9 If you could throw a shoe at a world leader -who? why?

10 . If you could breath underwater or travel through space without needing air-which one would you want?


* If it's special, then with it why aren't we as careful as making sure we dress in style? Posing pictures with a smile? Keeping danger from a child?*



11 If you had a television spot that gave you 5 minutes to broadcast your message to billions of people all over the world, what would you say?

12 If Love is the answer, what is the question?



* If it's magic, then why can't we make it everlasting-like the lifetime of the sun. It will leave no heart undone. For there's enough for everyone?*



Bonus quote: De La Soul - You're smoking maybe's and ifs. And if if was was a splif -we'd all be hiiiiigh!

If If If IF? part 1

I remember a question posed to me at some point during my teens. The question was " If we had a Black President would that mean that we were free at last" I actually never gave much thought to that because -That would never happen in America. Well clearly and thankfully I was wrong. "Free at last?"-I think that we need to do a little more work in that department. We have traveled much further than my 85 year old stepfather would have ever thought possible. He was an airplane mechanic during WWII who had to teach the White kids under him everything that he knew -knowing that they would be his superiors in no time flat, He loves to talk about how proud he was of The Tuskegee Airmen and their superhero status for men like him. He sat on the backs of those buses in the South, averted his eyes to avoid eye contact, worked hard and watched less capable Whites get all the money and the glory. He raised a family to productive adulthood years before he met and married my mother (He is 20 something years older than her). He helped my mother and my sisters with my nieces without a complaint. I think about this question of "free at last" as it relates to all of the ancestors, older relatives, friends, and strangers who actually survived and accomplished a life during heavy Jim Crow and de facto Northern segregation - never mind slavery , reconstruction, and the great migration. If there is a question to be asked by those who both survived and triumphed in my opinion it would be" Have we overcome?" "Are we post racial?" If we are, where do we go from here? We have what was once thought impossible as our new reality If our child of the dream president doesn't live up to the expectations of so many, does it mean that we have all failed? If he triumphs is that a triumph for us all?

[IF]

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Was The Night Before Christmas ( and all through the hood) A Daniel Carlton Joint

Harlem Christmas

By Daniel Carlton

It was the night before Christmas

All through the hood

Things were type quiet

You could say all good

The crack fiends were chilling

The weed heads and alkies too

It was so chill

Like the whole block took medicine for the flu

Windows were blinging

With colorful lights

It was like being in Times Square at midnight

The kids sleeping hard

But keeping their cool

On none of their mouths could you see any drool.

Dreaming about X boxes, dolls, and play stations too

Don’t Dreaming make the world feel brand new?

My shorty who is as fine as can be

Was looking flavalicious delicious

Hanging lights on the tree

I was about to give a hug you know, get me some love

When I heard this sound on the fire escape above

I grabbed my bat and ran to the window

Somebody is trying to get hurt messing with my flow

I looked up and saw this dude who was big like fat Joe

Or was it a pimp?

I kept hearing ho, ho,ho

Below on the street was a raggedy ride

I must of been tripping

It looked like it could fly

It was tagged up with some crazy names

Like dancer and prancer and does that say Rick James?

I needed a closer look to see what was up with this dude

But my Grandma would pop me if she saw me being rude

Then he looked at me with bight shiny eyes

I could tell that it wasn’t because he was high

He had on a red suit that looked real nice

His white belt was so big -on me- it would wrap around twice

His beard game was smooth

His sideburns were tight

Something about him was chill

Not looking for a fight

Then it hit me

I swear that it did

I hadn’t thought about him since I was a kid

He said “I see that you recognize who I am”

Then he rubbed his big belly full of mac and cheeses, fried chicken and ham

“ It’s good to be back in Harlem

This much is true”

“The Schomberg, Apollo, and Lenox Avenue too.

I,ve got to get over to Slyvia’s and get some soul food for my boo.”

“But first it ‘s time to pass out these gifts”

“The folks of Harlem need things that uplift”

“I can’t give out apartments that people can afford.

Somebody better get it together before they become null and void”

“I can’t teach the children how to read

Recognize that in your house video games aren’t a need”

“A book is the way to travel real cheap

You don’t even have to leave your couch and the stars you can reach”

“Everybody in life wants to have fun

How does that work if you have a gun?”

“Parents when they take time with young ones

Become the youth’s connection to the sun”

“Kids need to be kids

They’ll grow up soon enough

They’ll find out that without love

Life can be rough”

“Love has to work like a two way’s though

Or you’ll find yourself in a hole face down and covered with snow”

With that said I have to bounce-you know time to go”

“Ho, Ho , Ho”

He was gone like a ghost.

Without leaving toys his presents were still the most

The gift of knowledge was what he dropped

If we use them and share them

Harlem can’t be stopped.

Brother can you paradigm?: Revaluating my relationship with"White" America

I need to qualify what I am saying in this blog dear reader before I make one single point about the title of this post . When I say "White America" I mean the historical force that created Jim Crow to dismiss the humanity of my ancestors, the need for a civil rights movement, and conditions that in many cases require almost super human abilities to rise above. My paradigm for so long needed fortification obtained through knowledge of the struggle and achievements of my people so that i could learn and teach others about the conditions of being black in America. Langston Hughes, Malcom X, DR. King, The Black Panther Party, Richard Wright, Maya Angeleou , Chester Himes, Lonne Bennett Jr, W.E.B Dubois, Mary Mcloud Bethune, and many other writers of color helped me in trying to make sense of a country that in many cases "Bell Curved" and rejected us simply for our melanin. Ironically my white third grade teacher (Mrs Kent) is the person who introduced me to Black authors. I am forever greatful to her for giving me the gift of counciousness . She looked at it as a positive thing to do for a kid who was struggling even at that tender age for role models that could affirm him in a way that showed him the intellectual achievements of the American stepchild . I Too Sing America indeed. She also taught me through her caring and action that there was not a monolith group called "White People", but that there were(and are) people who did not subscibe to the ideal of White Supremacy. She planted the seed in me that allowed me to process a world around me where White privlige was taken for granted by people who implied that Black people should get over slavery and move on. Until I went to college , Black History was relegated in my all Black and racially mixed schools to Slavery, Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, and the" I Have A Dream" speech. Mrs Kent was the opposite pole of those teachers later in my experience who dealt with us Black students with so much subcouncious or intentional bias. There is a quality that reminds me of Mrs Kent in all of my non Black friends. It's not that they are giving me Black literature or anything like that; It's that our friendship has not been shaped or blocked by racial bias. Because American life has been so harsh for so many Black folks in my lifetime, it has been hard for me to belive that I haven't just been incredibly blessed to have non predjudiced whites in my circle. I don't deny the amazing progress that has also happened in my lifetime. Black Americans have succeded in almost every aspect of American life. It's the paradox in the paradigm( or is it?) But it has seemed to me that whenever we have hoped for or believed in full participation of the American idea, some event has thrown a cold bucket of water into the melting pot. It's been particulary hard to believe when capitalizing on White fears of people of color(Willie Horton starring as the Black Boogeyman) has been the trump card as an election strategy. It clearly didn't work this time( Reverend Wright as The Angry Black Boogyman).
Do I believe that all of these stereotypes have gone the way of the Dinosaur? No, I don't. I do believe that Obama tapped into a consciousness of folks of all colors who are rejecting the old way. The oppostion was clearly about a lot of the status quo. Black folks alone didn't elect President Obama. Clearly the American public was smart enough to recognize the real call for change. I am ready to believe that young people in particular are not operating from the old paradigm. Their numbers are added to the numbers of all Americans who are finally ready (I hope) to judge a man by the content of his character
President Obama won. A Black man as President of the United States is cause for a major paradigm shift. I honestly did not think that he would win. Of course I voted along with other Black Americans with a sense of pride in terms of the long hard journey that produced his candidacy, but I never believed that enough White Americans would see the content of his character as opposed to the color of his skin.
I am ready to let go of my cynicism . Although , I am still a strong advocate for teaching and learning about the history and reality of our struggle, I am ready to let go of my assumptions that only exceptional White folks care about our common humanity. I am ready to believe in "change" Are we ready for the shift? So far , so good.

One Nation Under A Groove or Songs In the Keys Of Your Life

One Nation Under Your Groove.
I have had the great fortune of seeing/hearing a lot of live music being played by some of my favorite artists or groups over the past few months including Ahmad Jamal, Stanley Clarke , Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, Living Colour, The Family Stand, Esperanza, The Black Rock Coalition's Tribute To Prince, Sergio Mendes, Al Green, The Roots, Dianne Reeves, Raphael Sadiq, Dionne Farris, Me'shell Ndegeocello,and Danielia Cotton,Zapp Mama (and many more). The music for me has been manna from heaven. Music Sweet Music has touched all of our lives in so many ways. I can't imagine a day without a song in my heart. Can you? I mention Summer 08 because It was the first time in years that I had both the time to go and the acts that I wanted to see all in alignment. Now that the fall is here( and my birthday near) I have been reflecting a lot about the huge role that music plays in my life. My schedule ( or budget) is not as flexible anymore. This means that I'm back to the Cd's on home system rotation-or through my headphones during long commutes on the subway to different Teaching Artist gigs Although I have 30 gigabytes on my Zune, I still play a lot of the same CD's over and over again. Clearly these cd's are comfort food for my soul.
I'm curious about other folks favorite albums/cds. Here are my top 10 in no particular order:
What about you? What are your top 10 of all time?

1 Innervisions - Stevie Wonder "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing, Living For The City, Higher Ground, Golden Lady, Visions, Mista Know It All, All Is Fair In Love, Too High, Jesus Children Of America.- Every single song is a classic. The album was hope and despair all rolled into a higher force

2 Plantation Lullabies - Me'Shelle Ndegeocello Funky , deep, melodic , lyrical, hard, and soft

3 Mothership Connection - Parliament P Funk Uncut Funk The Bomb- Chocolate covered freaking habit forming Milky Way. We Want The Funk!

4 Moon In Scorpio - The Family Stand - In my universe this would have been #1 " Was I too funky? Should I go pop? Excuse me for trying. Mind If I rock? All across the nation, I hear plantation radio." Sandra St Victor is the Mack Diva for real.

5 Purple Rain - Prince " Let's Go Crazy"." Darling Nikki,"" The Beautiful Ones" "When Doves Cry" e.t.c The title song still moves me

6 What's Going On? - Marvin Gaye This music is still relevant and sounds great all of these years later.

7 Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On ? Hardcore Jollies/ One Nation Under A Groove-Funkadelic O.K I'm cheating a bit here ; these are actually 3 different albums,but they collectively embody all that I loved about these brothas with guitars, synths, and George Clinton's James Bown, Sly, and Jimi's propensity.

8 Talking Book - Stevie Wonder . Is he really blind? His heart sure isn't.

9 Pride - Living Colour - It's a collection of many of my favorite Living Colour Songs from their first few albums.

10 Band OF Gypsies - Jimi Hendrix- Jimi got back with the brotha's on this one. You can hear it!

Ok , I did say 10 , but that is almost impossible.

11 Songs In The Key Of Life / 12 Aquemeni ( Outkast) 13 Fufilingness First Finale 14 3+3 ( The Isley Brothers) 15 Black Music ( Chocolate Genius) 16 Heijera ( Joni Mitchell) 17 Introducing The Hardline ( Terence Trent D'arby) 18 Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite ( Maxwell) 19 The Score ( The Fugees) 20 New Moon Daughter ( Cassandra Wilson)

Let's face it ; Miles and the Roots would take another 5 places .

I'll stop here.
Please share yours

Kudzu, Mon Amour: joe the plumber

Kudzu, Mon Amour: joe the plumber