A taste of where I'm coming from storytelling videos /folktale /monolouge/historical

If you are my facebook or myspace friend, you probably have seen these. This is some of my storytelling flavor. Just a taste....

An excerpt from my show Memories Of Self: Journey To Weeksville -"I Can Read Now 1890

In honor of Black History month, I submit one of the monologues from my show Memories Of Self: Journey To Weeksville. This is one of 7 fictional monologues based on actual historical events that I perform in character at the Historical Weeksville Houses in Brooklyn , NY. Weeksville was a thriving community of free Blacks during the 1800's and early 20th century. The community had its own schools, churches, newspapers, and other institutions. This place existed as home and refuge for Black people during extremely intense times of racist brutality, segregation, slavery, the draft riots, fugitive slave act kidnappings,and so much more. Only 3 houses remain( restored or recreated) . The acknowledgment and discovery has only happened over the last 30 something years. Please visit the site and take a tour of the houses. Here is the link www.weeksvillesociety.org Each of my monologues presents a character during a time of crisis in Black America. The following monolouge is the exception. It is a love story on some levels. 1890 Joshua Jones:

I Can Read by Daniel Carlton

Joshua Jones
1890

Evening all. What a fine beginning of dusk’s blanketing Brooklyn as it prepares for slumber. Fancy words for a man who works with his hands huh? Now everybody knows that I Joshua Jones can whittle, cut, saw, or measure any piece of wood that my hands get a hold of. My daddy who was a slave almost all of his natural days used to say to me “ Joshua, the Good Lord must have breathed on your hands while you was praying cuz their aint nothing, not even Massa, that can stop them fingers from doing what so never they want’s to. For all my life that’s been the God’s honest truth. It’s like I can see what it’s like finished before I even start. I tell you this though, I didn’t know that inside my head that I could put together letters that turned into words that I could write down and know. It’s like magic. To make a long story short, thanks to pretty lady Miss Kent of P.S 83, I can read.
Now that might not mean much at all to you children of these days and times. We been trying to build you a world here in Weeksville where reading comes naturally like breathing air. When you young, your mind takes in everything that you feed it. It aint like that after a certain time. After you done lived some of the trials and tribulations of this here life, you got to work to find more room in your head to go along with all the other things that you picked up along the road. And then you have to be able to undo all them voices that try to keep you blind and ignorant. It aint just the White man that I’m talking about. Some of our leaders are also saying that we shouldn’t be in such a rush to get our book education. Me, I’m casting my lot with with those that are helping me to get all that book power and magic that I can. I aint never heard of a White man being told to take his time
Now you probably wanting to know how Pretty Miss Kent went about getting me my start? One day about a year and six months ago she asked me to do some work for the school. She needed a new desk. After I told her how much it would cost she wrote down the price and some other words. I said “ Ma’am that won’t be necessary. I will take you at your word as you take me at mine.” Miss Kent Said “Mr. Jones, while we trust each other, the County of Kings may not be as understanding of a non-contractual agreement.” Then she said “ Forgive me if this comes off as indelicate, but can you read?” Now no one in my Thirty-Six years had ever asked me or cared to know the answer to that question. ‘No Ma’am I said.” “ We’re just going to have to see about that .” She said. I only been scared of a few things here and there when I was little, but just for a second there my grown man heart skipped a beat. Little ones learn reading and figuring every day; we grown folks don’t want to look weak in front of other grown folks. I said “ I appreciate your kind offer, but I will only take you up on it if you allow me to teach you how to carve a likeness of your favorite animal out of wood. “ It’s a deal.” she said.
Now I don’t think that I need to go into the particulars. I’ll just say that she carved the prettiest elephant that you ever laid eyes on. Me? Well you all tell me how I did. I wrote her a bit of poetry and I aint sure that it’s good enough for her for giving me the greatest gift of my natural life. Here it goes :

Like Prometheus Bound
Or sky without view of the ground
Like square alone without knowing round
My mind was held in partial down
For when a Man knows not the letter nor word sound
He is like a king without his crown
Or a face that knows only frown
Your spell was cast / It freed my thoughts
With many words to read or jot
Losing ignorance is a battle hard fought
Of all the things I’ve ever bought
None are worth more than the things you’ve taught.

*The entire show is available for booking. Also workshops and performances of separate monologues based on 1-The Fugitive Slave 2 The New York City Draft Riots 3 Escape from Slavery 4 Double Consciousness (W.E.B Dubois) 5 WWI Harlem Hellfighters 6 Literacy 7 A performer forced to wear burnt cork 8 -Black life in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century

Blackface For An Oscar-Damn are we traveling in circles? Jim Crow was also thought of as just a funny blackface character

Blackface - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blackface in the narrow sense is a style of theatrical makeup that originated in the United States, used to take on the appearance of certain archetypes of American racism, especially those of the happy-go-lucky darky on the plantation or the dandified coon. Blackface in the broader sense includes similarly stereotyped performances even when they do not involve blackface makeup.
History · Authentic or counterfeit · "Darky" iconography Source: Wikepedia




The Minstrel Show gets nominated for an Oscar. Wow. We as a culture have so little memory or respect for historical madness as long as it can be called "just entertainment. Al Jolson, D.W Griffiths, The White Amos and Andy,Ted Danson at The Whoopi Goldberg roast, Old Jim Crow and all of the happy darky faces by White Men in cork, are all joined by Robert Downey Jr in the full circle of actors or entertainment that pokes fun at the idea of Blackness or Negritude.
Before I go on, I must qualify a few things

1- I don't hate when cultures blend to produce art. I truly believe that a good part of Rock and Roll's greatness is because of the Rhythm and Blues, Folk,and Country music all mixed and mashed to make new forms out of the sounds and stories of many cultures. Most musicians and groups that achieved greatness in the form acknowledge that they borrowed( stole?) from the architects like Chuck Berry,Bo Diddly, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, e.t.c. However, would any of us accept Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, The Beatles, Led Zepplin, e.t.c in Afro wigs. The same goes for hip hop. Although we all admire hip hops roots in communities that produced a whole culture in spite of the fact that the creators were without a whole lot of resources , would we admire or respect Emminim if he put shoe polish on his face in the name of "keeping it real" because he came from the same type of enviornment? I admit that it took me some years to acknowledge the universiality of Hip Hop culture. Slang coming out of the mouths of people who were living out their Black language fantasies was how I perceived the speakers. It's like they could have the fun without the pain of everyday, driving while black , suspected because of Black, or denied because of Black.
I know that we can learn from each other's cultures. It just seems to me that the old minstrel character gets resurrected every decade or so. American entertainment from very on used the childlike darky as a source for material. If you ever get a chance to see that cinematic shit Birth Of A Nation, you will see how destructive those images have been for the collective acknowledged full humanity of Black folks. That was a very popular movie during its time. Thank God for Marcus Garvey's Black Pride mantra in the early twentieth century. Most of the talented Black entertainers of that time period (1900 -the 1920's had to wear burnt cork to blacken their brown faces even more-so that they could work under the mask of the accepted racist ideas of who we were in this country. Al Jolson made a mint playing the opposite(White man-blackface) . The Character Jim Crow was actually created by a White actor around 1830He may have been the first to do it. He is certaintly not the last.
Where is the outrage about this Oscar nod? 1830 and 2009 are universes apart in terms of change. Or are they? Thank God for the nation's movement to elect President Obama. He and his beautiful family smash down some serious walls in terms of the stereotypes perpetuated by pop culture. Many of our past icons have done the same. Can we please bury this offensive idea? I hope that we make some noise about this. I have a pretty good sense of humor. Some stuff just isn't funny. Degradation through imagery is pretty serious business

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.