Power of the Vote

January 24, 2015 africafifth@gmail.com Leave a comment

The Voter registration drive during the 1960’s which campaigned for millions of African-Americans right to vote was a costly effort by so many people on both sides of the color divide. Hundreds of folks had unselfishly volunteered and sacrificed their time away from family and friends for this righteous cause, with some even paying with their lives to make this a reality for millions of the so-called Negro ( Black Race). It was during another time in this country’s violent history where the beast of racism would again rear its ugly face and the vile stench of hatred for a people of color and their supporters permeated the air. This folks was the America that I grew up in and came to know in my childhood. Your America is one of expected entitlements and immediate gratification coupled with selfishness and irresponsibility.

It has always been my contention that if you are not a part of the solution then you are pretty much part of the problem. Today there is one problem that we as the dark-skinned people in the United States of America are confronted with every election cycle. The one constant issue that malign us in our desire and efforts to make and sustain progress is our lack of participation in the election process across this great land.

For some inexplicable reason it has somehow become a misconstrued notion that our absence during this process is striking a blow at the system that we feel fails us. Choosing not to vote is supposedly designed to inflict harm on those that are thought not to have our best interest at heart or have abandoned us. The inclination to not participate and exercise this right is meant to send a message of disapproval and discontent to those elected officials whom we have entrusted with the task of representation on our behalf. There are even some folk who feel that the process is just a waste of time and some who elect not to participate at all completely out of spite. It reminds me of the kid that didn’t get what he or she had expected, so they decide not to vote in the preceding election, a sort of ( I’ll show you ) mentality. We had this little saying in reference to people who behaved in this manner when I was a child, which is (you cut your nose off to spite your face). Basically what this means is that, the only person that you are hurting, is yourself because it is your face that is affected by this immature, spiteful and selfish behavior. I get this wholeheartedly and understand the exasperation as well as the agitation towards those who have failed to deliver on the goodies. But come on, I mean we really should take the time to second think this completely.

Folks need to understand that the main benefactors of this misdirected and irresponsible action are the individuals who don’t want us in the voting booth to begin with and are more than elated at our dumb and immature gesture. They sit back and salivate at the mere thought of us not voting because we’re talking about power here brothers and sisters. POWER is what we give to them when we do not vote and then we cry about not having anyone doing anything for us or representing us. How in the world can we expect change if we aren’t ready to see the process through. How on earth can we expect the process to deliver on anything if we abandon the process? Some of us may not live to witness the change but, should that be the determining factor? NO! We fight the fight and continue that fight for as long as we are on this planet. The fight is never over and all problems and issues are never fully resolved immediately. However, we never sway from the task at hand and we continue to forge ahead and press through the disappointments because that is exactly what your adversary does. They understand completely that it is an ongoing process and that the state of this country as well as their future and their children’s will be determined by those whom they elect into office with their vote. Why do you think they put on such an extravagant gala and get all fired up when the elections come along. They know fully well what is at stake here and they have every intention of making sure their agendas are pushed forth and that the candidates get their full support. They recognize the urgency as well as the necessity and they throw themselves all in with a determination and commitment that rivals a hip hop concert.

Why would people who are privy to the same as another fail to take advantage of the one powerful tool available to them? The one component that they have which will undoubtedly ensure that their voice is heard, they fail to exercise. This makes absolutely no sense at all. There are millions of people all over the globe who need to have their voices heard and are dying for that right. Yet, here in America this enormous privilege and right is far to often taken for granted or cast to the side. Why has it become so difficult for some of us to understand and accept the premise that anything worth building requires time to materialize. We have come to expect immediate results and when those expectations don’t come to fruition we tend

to toss in the towel, mope and groan about the lack of concern that exists for us. We fail to comprehend that if we are not involved in the process, that we can’t ever expect the process to work for us. I mean, where is the logic in that thinking? My other question would be, just what exactly is it that we are looking for?

Wait a minute, do you not see that there is a pattern here that is repeated year in and year out. A pattern that any worthy adversary can see and take absolute advantage of.

We are known by our counterparts for continuously throwing up our hands and surrender. Think about it, you are doing your enemies bidding for them. They have come to know that at the mere presence of turmoil or dissatisfaction that we will refuse to fight. We lack the patience and resolve that our predecessors did. They understood all to well the importance of the vote and the power it yielded. They had endured over hundreds of years the pain and immeasurable agony of suffrage and realized that the long-awaited opportunity to vote was not to be dismissed. This mighty sword of the democratic process that wielded great power was finally bestowed upon them and they would for the sake of their children continue to endure the hardship which exercising this right and privilege be-felled them by their oppressors.

What we fail to realize today is the amount of power we have with our vote. The oppressors knew very well what the power of the vote meant during that period. They knew it then and they most definitely still know it today. Just take a moment to consider this. Why do you think they made such an extreme effort to discourage us from voting with methods of intimidation, violence and murder in the past? In addition, why would this seemingly meaningless tool of the democratic process be denied from us for hundreds of years. Ask yourself why is there a concerted effort by the Republican party today to suppress the voting rights of African-Americans and young adults with Gerry meandering (redrawing district lines), new registration policies, picture or state issued I.D, requirements. The purpose is intended to discourage us so that we will squander the one opportunity that we have to exercise power. They understand all to well what a massive voter turnout of the African-American people and other Democrats, Moderates and Progressives will do. They witnessed that when we elected the first African-American President in Barrack H. Obama. A truly amazing historical accomplishment that no one ever expected to happen in this millennium if ever. But it did happen people and it happened with the power of the vote. That’s power baby, real authentic genuine raw power that sends a frightening chill through their conscious. So much so that they have reverted to implementing new restrictive and suppressive voting legislation. The burning crosses, the hangings, the torture and the murders are no longer acceptable methods of intimidation.
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We should never surrender the right to vote and never fail to exercise that right to vote. There have been too many people who have sacrificed far too much for us to have this right, and for us not to use it would be an utter and shameful disgrace to the legacy of their work as well as the sacrifices and hardships they endured. We should honor them with an unyielding commitment dedicated to their vision of liberty, justice and the democratic process. Surely they understood how dangerous of a task it was to register folks to vote in such a heated climate of vicious racism. They refused to submit to the threats and intimidation of a vile and hateful opposition, for they realized the urgent need for African-Americans to have a voice.

There will always be corruption, racism, discrimination and prejudices to contend with but, if we choose not to fight, we will allow these destructive forces to become more anchored within our society and increasingly more difficult to remove. If we surrender this right, we have no one to blame but ourselves for our dreadful situation.

Below you will see a link that lists Presidents Obama’s accomplishments over his first six years of office. I think you will be impressed and maybe a little surprised. He continues to do his part and it is incumbent upon us to do our part. This is the power of the vote. No Vote equates to No Voice equates to No Power!!

http://pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/

Written by; Africa Fifth

African American Conscious

The Blame Game

January 20, 2015 africafifth@gmail.com 3 Comments

The blame game is actually a phenomenon that is not readily acknowledged by the majority of people in our society, unless of course it supports their agenda. We have a tendency to deny any and sometimes all culpability or accountability for our dire and unpleasant situation and will always resort to pointing the finger of blame at someone else for our problems…
Man I’ll tell you, I can’t recall how many times over the years I’d hear Black folks making statements like; the white man is holding me down or it’s a white man’s world and I’m just living in it or man I’m just surviving. I myself was even caught up in that same self-pity, and woe is me mindset of victimization The so-called white man is preventing me from doing this or that. Man, he has his foot pressing down so hard on my neck I barely breathe. Now, he does present us with some obstacles to get over but for the most part the so-called white man is not holding us down people, we are holding ourselves and each other down with that defeatist rhetoric.

Every time someone makes that statement they reinforce in themselves the misconception that they are powerless and aren’t capable of improving their situation. In essence they are adopting a mindset and attitude that handcuffs and shackles them before they even get started. This will eventually be embraced as a truth which becomes a crutch (excuse) that will place them in a state of perpetual limbo. An unconscious self-inflicted imprisonment in which they become complicit in their own inability to improve their situation.
It’s the same with education. I’m always hearing black folk say that school is a waste of time because it’s the so-called white man’s education. Hey I get it, all the lessons have been written and designed by the so call white majority and does not pertain to our culture. However if this is what is available and it is a spring-board to other opportunities then why not jump on it? It is incumbent upon us to take advantage of what is available and make the most of it as we self educate ourselves along the way. There is an abundance of information available to anyone who takes the time to search for it. The reason why most don’t is because it requires hard work, determination, discipline, and responsibility. We have far to many brothers and sisters who shy away from this pathway which leaves them content with making excuses and assigning blame on the so-called white man.
We have been wandering around with this misconceived notion that the white man owes us and is responsible for our unfortunate predicament. He is the culprit that has enslaved and oppressed our ancestors and oppresses us still to this day. Well, I’m gonna break some news to you people. The so-called white man doesn’t have to oppress us. The so-called white man just sits back and watches us self destruct as we have become the instruments of our own oppression and demise. We are the culprits who tear down each other and the environments in which we inhabit. We are the parents who allow our young people to drop out of schools and gravitate towards devious minded predatory gangs. We are the people who display and promote immoral lucid and indecent behavior in front of our babies.

We are the perpetrators of the negativity we experience that infests our culture such as shame, disrespect, rude behavior, selfishness, profanity, laziness, irresponsibility, self-doubt, self loathing, low self-esteem, incivility and etcetera. We are the culprits who denigrate the Black person who educates themselves and desires to articulate themselves in a coherent manner. We ostracize them, ridicule them, shun them and launch insults of being sellouts and acting like the so-called white man. We find fault with everyone else and expect our situation to improve by adhering to and embracing every thing that maligns our ability to make any progress. There are those of us who consider ourselves to be a true Black person because we talk and act Black. What the heck is that all about? I don’t recall any of our former great leaders acting and talking like a bunch of buffoons to be considered Black enough. I remember them to be very well-educated, respectable and well spoken people and since when did the prerequisite for being Black translate into being uneducated, ignorant and cannibalizing the English language?
Wake-up call people! You are the house Negro that is doing the so-called white man’s bidding. You have become so brainwashed that you have no cognitive idea whatsoever of the dark abyss of ignorance that you have plummeted into. You have become so psychologically damaged that you attempt to shame others who desire to rise up from that dark place, because of your inability to do so. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves for all the disrespect and shame you cast on the Black culture due to your lack of Black pride and Dignity.

Part of the mechanics of oppressing people is to pervert them to the extent that they become the instrument of their own oppression. From the book Brainwashed by Tom Burrell- excerpt by Kumasi / activist and former gang member…
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How can anyone expect to challenge anyone or anything when they have given up before they even get started? Look, I’m not discounting the fact that there are systematic obstacles in place that are designed to impede our progress and I also recognize that we have been and still are oppressed to some degree but not as much as we oppress ourselves. Yes, indeed this is a so-called white dominated world but it can only remain so if we allow it to. We possess the power to change it and I definitely will not succumb to being dominated by it. As far as I’m concerned this was our world before they arrived and I intend to carve out my place and leave my footprint on it.
The moral responsibility or compunction to accept ones share of accountability never factors into the equation but it is time that it did. This revelation is much to hard to bear and more than likely is probably one of the main reasons why the society we live in today and the relationships between the classes and more importantly ethnic groups experience a significant separation gap. People feel that they are flawless on the surface and will attempt to project a deceptive persona that may sometimes be construed as an air of superiority but beneath this exterior lays an entirely different person.
We are continuously pointing the finger at others instead of taking a look at what we are doing or not doing that exacerbates the problem. If my house is dirty should I not be the one to blame for its current condition. Also, should I not take the time to clean up my mess before I attempt to bring attention to another person’s mess? We are all to willing to ignore our own garbage and attempt to deflect attention away from it as opposed to disposing of it in the proper manner. Yes, it requires a great deal of work and sacrifice ( however, nothing ventured equals nothing gained ). This is an issue that has plagued us for far too long and whose time has come to end. It is incumbent upon us to be the change that we want and the change that we demand. If we are negligent in our duty and are not compelled to act then we will continue on this course and the ship will never be righted. The so-called white man is not going to do it for us people, never had and never will. We are the ones responsible for our present and our future. Generation after generation of our people are maligned with a defeatist and self-destructive mindset that is passed on to them. So the time has come to stop pointing the finger of blame, to stop suckling on the nipple of so-called white people and grow up.

Take responsibility for what we do and for what we do not do. We make the choices and we are the ones who act or do not act. Powerless or Powerful….

Written by; Al DeVeaux Jr.

Social Conscious

Indoctrination of White Supremacy

January 12, 2015 africafifth@gmail.com Leave a comment

The success and dominance of the European (so-called whites) over the centuries has generally been attributed to the oppression of other races and precision systematic planning. The attempted eradication of the Native American coupled with the controlled institutionalized enslavement of the Africans has provided them with enormous wealth and has elevated them to various levels of power and dominance which as of today has yet to be challenged.
In this land of the Americas the European (so-called white) has constructed through carefully devised schemes of deviousness, deception, manipulation, and corruption, a completely thorough unchallenged realm of supremacy and dominance. The Native American through countless wars, dishonored and broken treaties has been relegated to reservations where they are now virtually irrelevant. The African-American like the Native American had also endured years of suffrage but from a different yet more extreme effective method. The African had been forcibly condemned to an existence of forced subjugation and subjected to the most heinous and cruel forms of punishment known to mankind. Africans had been forcibly confined to an existence of total deprivation which was void of any human rights or qualities.
The African’s status as a human being was completely stripped away and we were condemned to a standard that was lower than an animal to allow for the possession of us as property. The thought of not reducing that status would conflict with the moral and religious beliefs set forth and embraced by the Christian colonials. So henceforth the decision was embraced and adopted to label Africans as sub-humans in an order to ease the quilt of conscious and moral judgment in the European (so-called whites). This opened the door for an unchallenged institution of slavery and provided the European (so-called whites) with an infinite source of non-resistant slave laborers.
We know all too well that the Europeans (so-called whites) had no problem compromising their morals, principles, and religious beliefs for the sake of enormous wealth and power. This can be no more evident than when England enslaved their very own country’s men and women and children to provide an uncompensated labor force for the cash crop industry they were investing in and building in early Americas colonization.

So henceforth with the indoctrination and acceptance of slavery and the opportunity for enormous wealth at their feet they constructed the foundation for complete dominance, power and wealth…There would not be much of a resistance or immediate challenge to this system of enslavement because of the enormous demand of the industrial revolution in America and for the nations whom profited from it….In addition the Europeans ( so-called whites ) were notorious for stealing ideas and the inventions of slaves in order to market them as their own and reap all the profits.
So I guess we can to some degree understand why the Black man today has difficulty competing in this European( so-called white ) dominated world. We can attribute some of this malignancy to the insidious effects of a system that was designed to oppress rather than assist. We should also be somewhat accepting of the fact that quite possibly there may be some residual damage passed on through generations of post-slavery suffrage.
If we were to just take a moment to try to envision what the landscape of America must have looked like with the sudden and unprepared liberation of 3 million ( 3,000,000 ) plus slaves. Keep in mind that this is the period of post civil war where the attitudes of many were not very ingratiating of our dark-skinned ancestors. What was America to do with them and what were they to do with themselves now that the day they have yearned for had finally come. Yes this day they would no longer be a people held in bondage and forced to perform over bearing and grueling work for another people. As of this day they would no longer have the threat of an overseers whip lashing across their backs and cutting away through layer after layer of human flesh. Nor would they for the moment have to fear the hangman’s noose around their necks for insubordination or for fleeing for their freedom.
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Granted not all newly freedmen fell into this category however, for the majority of them this was indeed their situation. They would be a lost and disoriented people void of any real direction. Consequently this left many of them in serious precarious situations. They were unemployed, homeless, and hungry and naturally would resort to whatever means necessary to feed, cloth and shelter themselves. Here is where a large population of people becomes destitute and completely dependent on a system to take care of them. This freedom was not in essence an absolute freedom because this freedman would still have to rely on the very same people who had initially enslaved them. Many would to depend on their former en-slavers while others ( and not very many) were fortunate enough to acquire land through the Freedman’s Act and eventually were able to own it outright. But for the majority of the former slaves the outcome was much grimmer. These African farmers worked their land but still were at the mercy of the merchants and bankers. Most would end up losing their land due to the inflated costs for goods that they were charged for or otherwise just cheated out of. The African-American not being an educated man had no other alternative but to agree to whatever terms were offered to him. This usually meant that he would always be at a disadvantage and could never see his way clear to pay off his debtors and make a profit. No matter how hard he toiled over his land to bring his crop to market, the so-called whites would always devise a scheme to defraud him. Often times he would be under paid for his crop and he dared not question the merchant for fear of his life. Most of these former slaves found themselves in a perpetuity of insurmountable debt and would eventually lose the land.
The new land owners would then offer the former slaves the opportunity to rent the land (known as tenancy) work it and harvest the crop while living on the land.
To be continued…

Written by Africafifth

African American Conscious

This Black Man,This Black Problem continued….

January 8, 2015 africafifth@gmail.com Leave a comment

I once watched a program called Black In America which had aired on CNN. It highlighted the lives and exploits of Black people in America and explored the difficulty some confronted trying to make it……

I can’t help but remember this one brother who had been incarcerated and released. His life had been one of constant disappointment and instability. He had come home to a pregnant girlfriend who had waited for him with great anticipation and hoping for the best. . She was holding down a job and looking forward to starting a family and possibly getting married. They had sat down and discussed what type of life they wanted to pursue together and exactly what it would require to achieve this. They both would work diligently towards making this dream a reality.

This young Black man had found employment driving a tractor-trailer hauling large loads which made her hopeful but nevertheless apprehensive. He had on numerous occasions mentioned how sincere he was in wanting to do the right thing and become a responsible person and be there for his girlfriend and child. I found myself hoping for the best outcome for the both of them. Too often times people will make the wrong decisions when life demands a constructive change. This is especially true when they are not accustomed to making the right choices and have developed a pattern of irresponsible decision-making for whatever reason.

So, this young Black man had appeared to be doing extremely well with his new-found freedom and job. I have to admit that I was very impressed with his seemingly steadfast determination to stay on the right path. However, this was to be short-lived because a short time afterwards this young brother had begun to complain about how difficult it was having to drive the load and then be solely responsible with the task of unloading it himself. He had come to the point where he was completely exhausted after working all day and would begin to question if it was all worth it. Now we are talking about a young man who is in his twenties and for all practical purposes whose body and mind would grow stronger as time went by.

These are those moments in life that we all come face to face with at some time or another. These are the times that unbeknownst to us could have life altering consequences based on the decision we make. Those periods in life where we will experience some adversity and have to reach deep inside of ourselves to display some degree of courage and determination. This is where we usually have the opportunity of transitioning from one phase in life, to another. That undeniable moment when we are on the precipice of maturation to adulthood. It is at this moment that we need to step back and evaluate the pros and cons of our situation and give considerable thought to what, how and who our decision will affect. If we do this in an honest and thoughtful manner most times we will make the right choice. But most often than not our young people will give up and throw caution to the wind.

Eventually this young Black man decided to quit his job and commit an armed robbery of a local marijuana supplier. Needless to say that he was apprehended, arrested and sent back to prison which again left the pregnant girlfriend on her own, disappointed and heart-broken. My heart was also saddened by the choice that this young brother had made. I was saddened for him , the girlfriend but more so for the child who would be born into this world more or less fatherless. This pattern will undoubtedly follow him for the rest of his life. It has been set and the opportunity for change that was there once will probably not present itself again for some time. This is an unfortunate true aspect of reality that very few young people realize. Most feel as though they have an infinite amount of time to get on the right track and some just don’t care. Life does not guarantee us anything nor does it extend to us entitlements. It presents us with opportunities and irregardless of how small we must be able to recognize and be prepared to seize the moment to take advantage of them when they arise. They are sometimes to few and far in between.

I couldn’t help but ask myself, what in the world was this young Black man thinking about or was he even thinking at all. He must have given some thought to what the possible consequences of his irresponsible decision and actions would lead to. But then again, maybe not. It could be possible that once he was on the path to rehabilitation it affected the time that he would have to hang out with his homies. When one is attempting to turn their lives around and do the right thing, there is no room for the old habits and acquaintances. We have to let go of them or they will attempt to negatively influence us by getting inside our head. Usually this is accomplished by feeding us that old garbage about squaring up and becoming whipped by our women. So to illustrate that we are still down with them we sabotage what we have in order to save face and appease them. Basically we just end up screwing ourselves and our family just to show some false bravado. It is my experience that once an individual begins to re-navigate the direction in which their lives are heading certain people will become envious. They are witnessing you do the one thing that they yearn to do themselves but don’t have the courage to do.

I know this very well because I have traveled this road several times before in my youth and early adulthood. I found myself making decisions that were very harmful to myself and never gave much consideration to how it was effecting my life. I was continuously sabotaging my life until I one day I found myself contemplating death. I had then made a decision to finally drum enough courage to reach out and ask for help. The road to redemption and success has not been an easy one because it required a great deal of sacrifice and hard work. However, I knew where I had once been and where it had led me and I didn’t want to revisit that again. So I was determined to do the necessary things that were demanded of me if I were to effectuate and maintain a positive change in my life. So if that meant letting go of old habits and friends that weren’t in my best interest, then so be it.
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Apparently, this young Black man had thrown all caution to the wind and didn’t give any consideration to the girlfriend, the baby or his life!! I can only imagine how disappointed, hurt and abandoned his girlfriend must have felt. Here she would be once again on her own and pregnant with her man in jail having to make it alone. This young Black man would not stay out prison long enough to see his child born. Unfortunately it is a very sad and disappointing story that is repeated time and time again within our society by our young Black men. It is a destructive pattern that has found a common place within our communities and it needs to be addressed. Much too often we witness the breakdown that occurs between them assuming a role of responsibility and acts of capitulation.

Why is it that so many of our youths fail to rise up to the challenge of being men. Could it be that the expectations and responsibilities are too great of a challenge and they feel somewhat threatened or inadequate. What are the missing components and why is the avenue of least resistance the one most often chosen instead of the avenue that challenges them and will mold them into becoming men? Some where there is a huge disconnect between reality of their reality….

We have got to understand that in order to make it in this world we must have a strong resolve . I always refer to the four D’s, Determination, Dedication, Discipline and Diligence and we can always add Discretion.. It’s all about hard work man and not allowing any obstacle to deter us from our goal… Nothing ventured, Nothing gained. There is no pie in the sky and nothing is going to fall into our laps. We must work extremely hard if we want a piece of the pie. So, until our reality changes or we change it, that’s just the way it is!!!

We need to have more positive role models and support systems in place that can help these young Black men navigate their way through life in a constructive and responsible manner. We need to get back to the basics and provide structure and direction within the household. We need to change the way in which we think, speak and conduct ourselves in front of our children. If we can not provide this guidance for them, there will always be someone or something else more sinister that will and we will continue to see a slow but consistent deterioration of our culture and communities.

What are you going to do to make this change happen…..

Written by Africafifth