Hello Everyone!
Let's get right into it, okay? I hope that you have been sharing this project with your and families and that they are excited about it! We were supposed to find out something about the Blacks in Africa and something about the Blacks in the Americas or Europe. Please post the things that you have found and your family's thoughts and experiences. Here is what I found!
Did you know that African Empires fought against European colonialism well into the 20Th century? One example of this was the Ashanti Tribe. They waged war with the British until the early 1900's. They lay down arms only when the Ashantihene (Sacred King) was taken by gun point by the British during a false peace meeting and imprisoned on the Isle of Gibraltar. The Queen Mother was against the peace negotiations from the beginning and attempted to organize rescues until they were of no use. The Ashantihene spent the rest of his life negotiating for his release. He was finally allowed to return home in time to die on his native soil in the 1930's. The Blacks in African fought for hundreds of years and still fight against the new colonialism today.
Did you know that after emancipation in the U. S. Blacks united to show their political strength. They immediately began electing Black to represent them in every office. They elected officials to city councils and state offices. They also elected officials to both houses of the United States Congress. They were elected from all over including a great many from the south. Districts were redrawn and laws were enacted in order to stop what was happening. It is only recently that we have more Blacks as elected officials than we did in the late 1800's.
As I remind you to share what you have found I would like to move on. I ask you to indulge me in this statement: The most destructive thing that was done to our people was the destruction of the Black Man! You may not agree but let me know your thoughts and opinions after this section. As I said, The most destructive thing that was done to our people was the destruction of the Black Man! When the Black Man was destroyed, so also was the Black Husband and Lover, the Black Father and Brother, the Black Provider and Protector (Warrior), the Black Builder and Worker, the Black Teacher and Role Model! When the Black Man was destroyed so went everything needed for strong Black Families, and strong Black Communities. Without the Black Man, the Black Women and Children are left with no choice but to adapt and do what ever they must in order to survive. By killing the Black Man the slave owner made us dependent on him for everything! The single most important reason for the plight of African Americans today is the destruction and continued break down of our families. All other reasons for our plight have root in this. The solutions to our problems will only come when we rebuild and strengthen our families. When our families are rebuilt, we will be able to rise up as a great nation and to hold our heads up as high as every other nation on God's good earth!
We must collectively commit to reversing to the effects that slavery has on us. I ask again, If you have not read the letters by William (Willie) Lynch circa 1712, stop here and do so! It is not a long text. He gives simple instruction on how to create a slave. He claimed that if done properly, the effects could last as long as three (3) hundred years! What do you think (The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave; Lushena Books)?
The destruction of Black men was complete. Our women and children were forced to watch as their most beautiful and most powerful men were taken from them and horribly beaten, mutilated, and killed. Those that survived were reduced to the role of children, or "boy". The only choice they had was death. Loving mothers began teaching their baby boys subjugation as a matter of survival. This taught our women and children that they could not depend on their Black Men. The Black Man could not protect or provide for the family any longer, in fact, he was the one that needed to be protected! At the same time, women were enduring a hell of their own. Women had to assume the role of the man while being raped and tortured at the whims and urges of the slave owner. She knew intuitively that her husband, man, could not protect her as her body became a toilet for the slave owner's release. Again, loving mothers taught their baby girls how to sexually satisfy quickly as a matter of survival.
The results of this was and is devastating. Black Men were rendered powerless and were/are no longer significant to the survival of his family. He was significant only for what he could produce in the matter of work and, of course, baby slaves. Familial roles and titles were changed and switch. Black women are just our "Momma"s, or my "Baby's Momma". Black Men call each other "my Nigga", my "Dog", or just "Baby"! Those that are in control of us are ominously called the "Man"! This has been solidified in each passing generation. We have also come to believe everything that this false head of family taught to us. One of the biggest lies that we believe about ourselves is that our history began at slavery. We must begin to educate ourselves about ourselves. This is how we reverse the effects of slavery. I hope that you can more clearly see the importance of sharing you family history and teaching it to your children.
In order to start rebuilding our families we must begin doing the things that we used to do and stop doing things that no other people in their right mind would do. We must use our God given common sense! Start thinking for yourself! Start defining the world in terms that are relevant and helpful to you! We must stop depending on other people for the definitions and truths about ourselves. We must believe in ourselves and in our own capabilities. We must stop being so afraid of failure AND SUCCESS that we never try either way! WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT ONLY GOD HAS OUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART! There is a real fight for control over us, this is a real fight. No one that is in control will freely give up that control. Control must be taken! We must commit to the fight and to it's end. You must commit to the fight, the Struggle in every sense of the word. The end is real SELF-determination, real SELF-defined FREEDOM!!!
The next assignment is to identify the most successful and the most unsuccessful member of your family. Find out what made them what they are and why. Remember that only YOU can define success as it truly should be defined for YOU! Continue to educate yourself on your family and watch your family pride grow. You will continue to find concrete solutions for your family. You should also begin to educate yourself on our true history. Start with the year 2006, right now! We are doing great things now! Let us struggle and fight to build and rebuild our Black Families. Your Black Family! Start there! Build your family!
Sincerely,
The Mr. RAA
Friday, November 17, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Concrete Solutions - Continue Your Foundation
Hello All (Expecially those that have started this project);
Welcome back! It is time for installment 2 in the series of Concrete Solutions. Please direct everyone that you think can benifit (everyone) to read this series.
We left with the assignment of you starting a discussion with your immediate family about your family's history. I hope that you did so and would like to write in on the results of your experience. I was fortunate that family history has always been important to my family, even if more so on my Father's side. My Mother's side comes from the history of slavery. We were slaves in Kentucky. We became sharecroppers when slavery was abolished and still hold some land in the same area. My Grandmother's Grandmother had children with a white man. My Grandmother is reluctant to go into details so I do not know the full circumstances of that relationship. My Grandmother was and still is, at 90, very proud of being able to "Pass". Ask an Elder if you don't know what that is. Grandma very typically married a very darkskinned Black Man and became an atypical Black housewife that did not work outside the home. She is very bourgeousie. In Kansas City, my Grandfather worked very hard to support his two daughters and to please his trophy wife. A white friend of my Granddad "fronted" for him so that they could buy a home in the then white part of town. He taught several trades and history in highschool and owned his own business making leather goods. His hand made shoes and pocketbooks were sought after by Blacks and whites from all over Missouri and Kansas. My Mother married an African Man and moved to the other side of the earth from her parents. They met in college. My Father is Ashanti from Ghana. He was part of a program to educate and create an elite corp to run the country when whites ran home (England) when Ghana gained independence. He was educated in the U.S. and went back home to help Ghana grow. My parents had three boys. More on thier life in later installments. This is just a part of my Family's histoy.
As I have said, our collective history is scattered and poorly documented, poorly taught and shared. that is except for the misery. We must document and teach our history right down to the individual family level. Families build communities and communities build nations! This is why strong Black Families are so dangerous to the oppressor. We need more than mere dates and names memorized once per year. We need to remember the real people and the context of their situations. We need to remember the significations od the events and the true meanings of historical moments. Our Families are made of real people that give us meaning and pride. They give us and our children (very important) reasons to be proud and hold high the Family name. They give us a real reason to be and do better, generation after generation.
Let's break down the history of our Families here in America. We all know the story but let's break it down. Break it down like the infamous slave owner Willie (William) Lynch did in 1712 (very important that you look him up). He boldly claimed that if you destroy the African's and the slave's Family you would be able to control them for about three hundred years. You do the math! The methods were simple then and are simple now. Horrible but simple and effective. One example is that Africans from the same tribe were separated and mixed with Africans from other tribes. They were different and unfamiliar and could not communicate with eachother. This diminished the strength that comes from Family. The African did learn that they had to put differences aside and woork together for real survival. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We should rediscover that for today's world. Once in the Americas' We were separated and mixed up again and again and again. This was meant to keep us from forming permanent bonds and establishing roots, Families. This is encouraged today to the point that we do it on our own, to ourselves. We have learned to let oour differences keep us scared of eachother, blame eachother, and hurt eachother in unimaginable ways. Our jealousy and mistrust of eachother allows other to exploit and control us. We have been taught to hate ourselves and strive to be something we are not. There is Dark skin verse Light skin, and what is "good" hair? My Grandma is a good example of this. It is laughable on the surface but deep enough to take up valueable energy and resources that should be at work strengthening our people. Our weakness has made us dependent on our oppressors. We are still dependent on the slave owner for every thing!
Your next assignment is to find out something new (for you) and truthful about Africa and also about Blacks in America (or Europe). That is two new and truthful Black history peices. Find out if something that you were taught about us is true or false. Start building your second Concrete Solution by educating yourself and Family about us and our real history. In the next installment we will discuss more ways our Families were destroyed and our dependence on the oppressor, the reasons and solutions. I hope that you keep up with this. You can watch the pride and strength grow in your Children and Family as you begin to really see who you are. If you make a sincere and real effort you will see the growth, I promise! We are on our way to building strong Families, strong Communities, and a Great Movement! Let's build a Great Nation!!!
Sincerely,
The Mr. RAA
Welcome back! It is time for installment 2 in the series of Concrete Solutions. Please direct everyone that you think can benifit (everyone) to read this series.
We left with the assignment of you starting a discussion with your immediate family about your family's history. I hope that you did so and would like to write in on the results of your experience. I was fortunate that family history has always been important to my family, even if more so on my Father's side. My Mother's side comes from the history of slavery. We were slaves in Kentucky. We became sharecroppers when slavery was abolished and still hold some land in the same area. My Grandmother's Grandmother had children with a white man. My Grandmother is reluctant to go into details so I do not know the full circumstances of that relationship. My Grandmother was and still is, at 90, very proud of being able to "Pass". Ask an Elder if you don't know what that is. Grandma very typically married a very darkskinned Black Man and became an atypical Black housewife that did not work outside the home. She is very bourgeousie. In Kansas City, my Grandfather worked very hard to support his two daughters and to please his trophy wife. A white friend of my Granddad "fronted" for him so that they could buy a home in the then white part of town. He taught several trades and history in highschool and owned his own business making leather goods. His hand made shoes and pocketbooks were sought after by Blacks and whites from all over Missouri and Kansas. My Mother married an African Man and moved to the other side of the earth from her parents. They met in college. My Father is Ashanti from Ghana. He was part of a program to educate and create an elite corp to run the country when whites ran home (England) when Ghana gained independence. He was educated in the U.S. and went back home to help Ghana grow. My parents had three boys. More on thier life in later installments. This is just a part of my Family's histoy.
As I have said, our collective history is scattered and poorly documented, poorly taught and shared. that is except for the misery. We must document and teach our history right down to the individual family level. Families build communities and communities build nations! This is why strong Black Families are so dangerous to the oppressor. We need more than mere dates and names memorized once per year. We need to remember the real people and the context of their situations. We need to remember the significations od the events and the true meanings of historical moments. Our Families are made of real people that give us meaning and pride. They give us and our children (very important) reasons to be proud and hold high the Family name. They give us a real reason to be and do better, generation after generation.
Let's break down the history of our Families here in America. We all know the story but let's break it down. Break it down like the infamous slave owner Willie (William) Lynch did in 1712 (very important that you look him up). He boldly claimed that if you destroy the African's and the slave's Family you would be able to control them for about three hundred years. You do the math! The methods were simple then and are simple now. Horrible but simple and effective. One example is that Africans from the same tribe were separated and mixed with Africans from other tribes. They were different and unfamiliar and could not communicate with eachother. This diminished the strength that comes from Family. The African did learn that they had to put differences aside and woork together for real survival. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We should rediscover that for today's world. Once in the Americas' We were separated and mixed up again and again and again. This was meant to keep us from forming permanent bonds and establishing roots, Families. This is encouraged today to the point that we do it on our own, to ourselves. We have learned to let oour differences keep us scared of eachother, blame eachother, and hurt eachother in unimaginable ways. Our jealousy and mistrust of eachother allows other to exploit and control us. We have been taught to hate ourselves and strive to be something we are not. There is Dark skin verse Light skin, and what is "good" hair? My Grandma is a good example of this. It is laughable on the surface but deep enough to take up valueable energy and resources that should be at work strengthening our people. Our weakness has made us dependent on our oppressors. We are still dependent on the slave owner for every thing!
Your next assignment is to find out something new (for you) and truthful about Africa and also about Blacks in America (or Europe). That is two new and truthful Black history peices. Find out if something that you were taught about us is true or false. Start building your second Concrete Solution by educating yourself and Family about us and our real history. In the next installment we will discuss more ways our Families were destroyed and our dependence on the oppressor, the reasons and solutions. I hope that you keep up with this. You can watch the pride and strength grow in your Children and Family as you begin to really see who you are. If you make a sincere and real effort you will see the growth, I promise! We are on our way to building strong Families, strong Communities, and a Great Movement! Let's build a Great Nation!!!
Sincerely,
The Mr. RAA
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Begin Your Solution - Laying Foundation
Hello Everyone!
I am writing this as a continuing series and hope that it inspires thought, feedback and education for me, and change in all of our lives and communities. I don't care who you are, let's grow together!
I am RAA. I am attempting to help with real and concrete solutions to the collective problems faced by African Americans. I know that you have heard that before and been disappointed. I humbly ask you for a chance. I come to you as you. By that I mean that I am a typical African American man heading my family and home. I do not claim to be a so-called intellectual. I do not believe in complaining without offering real solutions. I also vote! This gives me the right to complain and challenge issues openly. I truly hope that this is helpful to you and your family. I truly hope that you will not only pass this on in the effort to continue the movement, but that you add your solutions to this. We must strengthen eachother, we must depend on eachother, we must be for eachother. Remember, we do not need permission to be successful, but our survival depends on it.
I call myself RAA because I have the honor to have been born of an African Father and an American Mother. I am a Real African American! My Mother's side of the family has come through the historical experience of slavery in America. We pulled ourslves up by our bootstraps only to face continual institutional racism. My Mother's side includes all of the elements necessary to be classified as Black in America. My Father's side of the family has it's roots in Kumasi, or the Boso region of Ghana. Our family is an integral part of the Ashanti Tribe. We are Akan people. Our family has helped to build and maintain history and traditions. We have fought slavery and colonialism. Through it all we have vigilantly guarded and passed down tribal and family values. We have always known that the destruction of our values would lead to our ultimate destruction. My Father's side includes every element necessary to be classified as African. I am a Real African American, RAA!
I would like to take on the discussion of the condition of Blacks in America. True, it has all been said and discussed over and over again. I ask youo not to turn away but to engage me. I hope to provoke you into action. I want to challenge you to challenge everything about yourself. I dare you to challenge the things that you have been told are true about yourself. I dare you to really get off of your butt and better yourself as a human being. It doesn't matter what race you are, when you better yourself you better us all. As African Americans though, I double dare you to go through this process. You have been looking for a leader, take control yourself! Take control yourself and move to the better side of life. I double dog dare you to stop punking out! Be careful, you see, you might like what I am saying now, but you may be offended soon. Especially if you are one of those that pump your fist everytime you here someone speak. Your are a "yes" man that really doesn't do anything. You are dangerous to yourself and the Movement. We need leaders with answers not empty vessels able to be filled with any idea that may be flitting past at the moment. It is not about the right answers, it is about the efforts, the actions. It is about making the effort to try out all of the positive ideas until you find success and then building upon that success. The only way to collectively continue the Movement is with real men with gonads and real women with guts.
Let's start at the beginning with our history. History is the foundation of any people. The history of the African in America is scattered and poorly documented. It is even more poorly taught and shared, that is except for the misery. It is our misery that dominates our story in America. We must educate ourselves on our history in it's entirety. We must teach the truth of ourselves to ourselves. We must stop learning the history of ourselves from other people who fear us knowing our truth. We must stop taking our 'truths' from a people who's prosperity depends entirely on our ignorance. I would like lay a concrete solution building block here, at the truth about oour history. start with the history of your individual family. What ever it may be, start sharing your family stories with eachother, especially you children. It doesn't have to go back a thousand years, just start with what you know and ask questions of your family's elders. Then expand to include the history of your community and then the nation. You will see strength building in you and your Clan. It is called pride! Give this first concrete block a try. I will share with you my experience on my next installment of this series. I want to read what has happened in your Clan as you lay your first concrete block. Send your input and please keep up, there are many concrete solutions for us to lay. Next time I will talk about true history and building stronger families right here and now! With all of us working together we will build a great Movement - a Great Nation!!!
Sincerely,
The Mr. RAA
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