Throwback Verse of the Week: "Minority Report" Jay-Z Addresses Government's Neglect of the Poor During Hurricane Katrina

People was poor before the hurricane came
But the down pour poured is like when Mary J. sang
Every day it rains, so every day the pain
But ignored them, and showed em the risk was to blame
For life is a chain, cause and effected
Niggas off the chain because they affected
It's a dirty game so whatever is effective
From weed to selling kane, gotta put that in effect
Wouldn't you loot, if you didn't have the loot?
Baby needed food and you stuck on the roof
Helicopter swooped down just to get a scoop
Through his telescopic lens but he didn't scoop you
The next five days, no help ensued
They called you a refugee because you seek refuge
The commander-in-chief just flew by
Did he stop? No, he had a couple seats
Just proved jet blue he's not
Jet flew by the spot
What if he ran out of jet fuel and just dropped

hu,That woulda been something to watch

Helicopters doing fly-bys to take a couple of shots

Couple of portraits then ignored 'em

He'd be just another bush surrounded by a couple orchids

Poor kids just 'cause they were poor kids

Left 'em on they porches same old story in New Orleans

Silly rappers, because we got a couple Porches

MTV stopped by to film our fortresses

We forget the unfortunate
Sure I ponied up a mill, but I didn't give my time

So in reality I didn't give a dime, or a damn

I just put my monies in the hands of the same people that left my people stranded

Nothin' but a bandit

Left them folks abandoned

Damn, that money that we gave was just a band-aid

Can't say we better off than we was before

In synopsis this is my minority report

Can't say we better off than we was before

In synopsis this is my minority report

- Jay-Z

"Quote of the Week" By W.E.B. Dubois

“A little less complaint and whining, and a little more dogged work and manly striving, would do us more credit than a thousand civil rights bills.”

-W.E.B. Dubois

Part 6 of Black Women in America Raising Boys : "Nothing New But Definitely No Easy Task"

By Alicia Jackson


When I was first approached about being a part of this documentary, I was somewhat surprised.

My mindset was that what I was doing was a common thing so surely it did not warrant much discussion, let alone a full documentary. I quickly found out that even though it was a common thing, the world deserved to hear , first hand, a single mother's story.

I have two boys and two girls, Since they are twins, I have one of each for two different age brackets so I get the best of both worlds at all times. Rearing them from birth to early adolescence was easy. Just provide food, clothing and shelter right? WRONG ! I also had to provide character foundation, values / morals and education (formal and informal). Every day I have the opportunity to see the vast differences in the needs and demands of raising girls and those of raising boys.

I have now begun my uphill battle to turn my boys into young men. I know I must incorporate all my resources because this journey can not be fully successful if I go it alone. I know most may argue my next point but I know I can not teach my boys how to be MEN. I can give them everything in me to make them productive, respectful, law abiding, God fearing members of society. I can wipe their tears and comfort them when they are missing their father.

I can provide them with most things that are essential to living but I can not give them the MAN THING because I do not have it. Therefore, unlike many of my counterparts, I will ask for help. I am blessed to have positive male role models who I can call on to assist me in making my BOYS journey to MANHOOD a smooth and successful one. But what about the sister who doesn't ?

I am happy to have had the opportunity to share my story. I am looking forward to helping the world better understand the mind of single mothers and our struggle. It is a struggle indeed.

Photo of Alicia Jackson by Hannibal Muhammad
 
(Blog series courtesy of the Brother Jesse Blog)

Part 5 of Black Women in America Raising Boys: "It Takes A Village"

 By: Attorney Sadiyah Evangelista

Today I left court shaking my head disgusted and pondering hopelessly at the state of our black youth in the criminal justice system. I was technically representing a 17 year old black male for attempted robbery, a crime that carries two to ten years in the prison system. I say technically because really I represented both the mother and the son. This is what I see most days, mothers and their sons, with no father in sight or the father who is disinterested in the welfare of their progenies. This young boy’s father is currently serving 29 years in prison of which he has already served ten. This story is all too familiar.

The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs released a report, "Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report" which analyzed the problems that black youth in the criminal justice system face. In 2002, blacks were 16 percent of the juvenile population but 29 percent of the delinquency caseload and the numbers are steady climbing.

So what are these single mothers to do so that their child will not become one of the so called proverbial “statistics” that their absentee fathers are a part of? Good question. Problem is, there is no one right and exact answer. We are all trying to figure out the right combination of approaches, solutions and remedies. The affects of slavery still carries a damning legacy that can be seen in the black family structure. However, one African proverb still holds true, “it takes a village to raise a child.”

This means that the responsibility lies not only with the parents where most often times the mother is both mother and father, but also with the extended family and community. We cannot leave mothers on an island to herself to raise “our” children, hence “our” nation.

Helping our mothers establish healthy and whole relationships with herself, extended family, people in the community through mentorships, at home, church, mosque, work and our child’s school is critical. Strong quality relationships are an extremely invaluable tool not only for both child and mother but society as a whole. When mother cannot do it all by herself, we must not turn a blind eye until Johnny goes to jail. By then it’s too late.

To show individual and personal interest in a child shows that child him or her matters. When this happens, the child feels a sense of self-worth. The child knows that they are loved. The child wants to strive to make you think highly of them. As a result, positive benefits flow from that interest, time and love. This also holds true for the mother.

So let’s help our mothers raise our babies, “one knee does not bring up a child.”

(Visit the official website of Attorney Evangelista log on to http://criminalwarriorlawyer.com/. For more information about the November 5 "Raising Boys" documentary premiere in Houston log on to: raisingboysdocumentary.eventbrite.com/)

Part 4 of Black Women In America Raising Boys: "Being A Part of Something Great"

By: Mavis Jackson

My name is Mavis Jackson and I am the mother of five children, four of them boys. I not only was blessed to be a part of the life-changing documentary “Raising Boys”, I also received the honor of being the woman that God chose to give birth to the extraordinary black man who gave birth to it. It was a privilege to be interviewed and to share my experience, strength and hope about the topic, and having first hand knowledge of that, my son knew I easily qualified.

I was a single mother and for most of my children’s lives we were on welfare and food stamps. We had some challenges, but with the help of God and my mother, we made it through them. I had friends who had boys that were going to prison, getting addicted to drugs and making other negative life choices, but my boys didn’t get caught up. Today I believe that was due to the grace of God and the love of a family that would not spare the rod.
I was raised by a single mother and had a loving relationship with my biological father. Throughout my life I saw my mother work hard and overcome the challenges associated with being a single mom. Her example gave me the courage I needed when I found myself in that same position. I became a mother at 16, and I tell everyone that my children and I “grew up together”, which made for a very special bond.
At one point in their lives, my children lived through my drug addiction. They experienced the neglect that an addiction causes, and hunkered down to take care of each other. I am not proud of my addiction but I am grateful for it, because had I not gone through it, I would not be the person I am today.
Today I am a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and I help people who are where I used to be. All four of my sons are successful, productive, law-abiding men. They are living proof that with the help of God and people like Brother Deric, single mothers can produce good men.
I pray that every single mother everywhere has an opportunity to see this documentary. It will encourage them, support them and help them to better understand their roles; and with that knowledge comes power.
The documentary will premiere on November 5, 2009 at the Angelika Theater here in Houston. Anyone wanting to be in the know will want to be in attendance.
(For more information on the "Raising Boys" documentary log on to:http://raisingboysdocumentary.eventbrite.com)

Part 3 of Black Women in America "Raising Boys": "Step in and Be Extended Parents

By Alisha Muhammad

I am Alisha Muhammad, a person from almost a no-parent situation but definitely not a product of those circumstances, and neither are my children victims of my improper upbringing. I pray the same for all in my situation and know '”Raising Boys” will be instrumental in addressing the heartaches of single parents and their children.

My mother left my father before I was born and was a workaholic all of my childhood. I was a latchkey child; waking myself for school, getting myself ready, seeing myself off and arriving home in the evenings to be greeted by no one. When there was food I fed myself. I put myself to bed so I could be rested to raise myself yet another day. No fault of her own, my mother did the best she could with what she knew and had. She didn't know what welfare was because she came from a two-parent home of hard workers. Her resources were scarce and support nonexistent.

By the time I graduated high school I had my two oldest sons. Their father came from a situation similar to mine. My mother was single raising two daughters and his mother was single raising two sons. He waited until well past the middle of his senior school year to get involved with dealing drugs. Thus, he began his trip through the revolving door of the prison system. That's when my real journey of single parenthood began.

I gave a lot of background because it's vital to know that the success or failure of having one or both parents in the home can only be determined by what the individuals have to work with in terms of knowledge, principles and support. My mother and father came from homes with both parents but weren't fit to be parents themselves. They were no different from my children's father whose parents came from "broken" homes. Most homes in America are "broken" and most of those that remain do a very good job of playing make-believe. I learned this as a child.

As a young single mother, I adopted the work ethic of my mother but at the same time always knew the value of not neglecting the other needs of my children. I was still hurting from my own childhood, or lack thereof, and used that to drive me to be all I could for my children.

I was always a spiritual person and felt connected to God. I humbled myself, prayed and cried out for guidance many, many times because I was terrified about messing up my sons' lives; I knew I was a very troubled person because of my growing up. I used everyone and every opportunity I could as a learning experience, and I still do. Had I had the intervention of such a valuable resource as the documentary of “Raising Boys”, perhaps I would have been more effective in such a worthy cause.

In raising my sons I knew that in my youth I had tried all and accomplished most in being mischievous. I commanded honesty and respect from them as infants because I knew they possessed enough intelligence to comprehend. I didn't spank my children for every little thing they did which is where a lot of parents mess up, both young and old. By doing that you build up their tolerance for physical pain and teach them violence, especially in angered situations. I offered correction and guidance in all situations that needed to be addressed.

I didn't allow my children to visit their father in prison until they were old enough to ask to go and understood those circumstances. I never bad-mouthed their father because I knew the significance of them figuring him out on their own. Nonetheless, I let it be known that he was to be respected regardless of the situation. I explained to my children about his childhood without a father or any decent male role models. I explained to them the importance of not expecting more than what he offered and how it could lead to disappointment. I explained this, I explained that and any and everything I could because they were owed that. Hell, I was owed that and couldn't get answers upon request. My oldest son will tell you to this day that I'm always teaching and explaining stuff.

Being a Mother, in it and of itself is very demanding. It's strenuous. It's draining. And every thought you think or decision you make better revolve around the children. Now factor in the possibility that these boys will become be men who walk around making decisions as if they have no responsibilities, as if they have no duties. It's a slap in the face.

Like most single mothers, especially coming from a single mother, there was a desire to give my sons a "complete" home. I found myself expecting my third son in what seemed to be a promising situation. It was after the birth of my youngest son that I saw absolutely no future in that situation. My son's father came from a two parent home. Be that as it was, the relationship between he and his father was based on financial need and desire and lacked affection. That attitude spilled over into the connection between him and my son. He's a lot better now, but look what it took. He's not in the home with his son.

At the age of twenty-two I was the mother of three sons and possessor of one-third of the knowledge and wisdom I needed to be successful in rearing my children. I fell and bumped my head along the way until I visited Muhammad Mosque #45. That was where I acquired another third which is knowledge of God, myself and who my sons are in the grand scheme of things. And, I am still a work in progress in pursuit of the remaining third so that my sons and I can have what we need for continued survival and eventual success.

What about others like me? Not everyone has a spiritual connection or elders giving advice. Many of us have no faith at all and we're granted that because the fathers of our children are cowards and our society does not have our back. Everyone needs to take charge of their post, that's exactly what Brother Deric is doing in bringing this infection to the surface in his documentary “Raising Boys”. There is so much truth and wisdom in the proverbial village raising a child. Black men that "know better" than what they are seeing in today’s youth need to start pulling these young boys to the side and correcting them at early ages. I literally "jack up" (for lack of a better phrase) other people's children in public places. The parents love it. They are grateful to know they have support.

We have to realize we are not the brain. We are the body, God is the brain. Just like with our bodies, when they become ill or endangered the brain sends signals throughout the body to either produce antibodies or work to filter and rid our bodies of toxins so the body can be well. Or even in the removal of some of our parts, other parts work in their place. If you lose a hand, you don't stop writing. People lose both hands and write with their feet. That needs to be how we function in the community.

We don't "write off" the children because they have missing parents. No, we need to step in and give support. We need to be the liver and kidneys filtering delinquent behaviors. We need to be the bladder and colon ridding of the filth these airwaves and public systems are putting in our children. We need to step in and be extended parents until the real parents get a clue or the children become decent adults. This is what single mothers need, because when our children feel like no one cares and they've been given up on they don't care and they give up too. I speak from experience.

I can't say I speak from success because the mere facts that I have teenagers that aren't in trouble with the law, making babies, doing drugs, etc. can't continue to be the standard in which I or any of us measure success in parenting by. Those specifics support the reality that we are just getting by. I can say my oldest son is old enough to appreciate my growth and see how he and his brothers benefit. My middle son gets the attention he needs and knows he has a place unlike many suffering from "middle-child syndrome". The both of them appreciate the person I've become as a result of the same teachings and spirituality that gave you such a powerful yet humble servant and mouth piece for single mothers and their suffering sons as we have in Brother Deric. And my youngest son is young in age and mind; he is free to dream big.

I know this is the impact this documentary will have. It will affect us all, including the absent fathers; in such a way we will be motivated and motivate others to run to the aid of single mothers and their children. It will inspire us enough to free our children so they can dream big and be successful. After all, aren't they owed that?

Pick Up the Latest FINAL CALL NEWSPAPER: "THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY OF CELEBRITY WORSHIP

ACTIVISM OFFLINE: Throwback Jena Six Report from the BBC

Huge race row protest in US

Single Mom, Jordannah Nathan, Determined to Defy the Odds Raising Her Son Alone

My name is Jordannah Nathan and I am a single working mom. I have a beautiful 2 year old son named Jordan. I knew that I would be a single mother the minute that I saw the positive result of the pregnancy test. I also knew that my life would never be the same. I never wanted to be a statistic, but here I was, single, no degree, and a baby on the way. To say I was scared would be an understatement. I felt fear, dread, guilt, and shame. What kind of mother would I be? What did I possibly have to offer? I wasn’t prepared emotionally or financially for Jordan’s arrival. I was still struggling with mixed emotions about being a mother. When he was finally born, I went through a whole new mixture of emotions. I now felt that this was the most important thing that I would ever do in my life. It was unbelievable to me that God loved me this much to bless me with this amazing gift. I was now a mother and I have an amazing son. We’re almost 3 years into this journey together and although it hasn’t always easy, I have to keep pressing because I see the potential that he possesses at only 2 years old. If I listened to statistics, my son’s future looks bleak and I know the odds are not in our favor. In spite of this, I can’t be deterred from doing all I can to give my son the opportunity to reach his greatest potential. I see so many young black men wasting away in the streets and I often wonder did their mothers have the same hopes and dreams for them as I do for Jordan. What makes my story or the outcome any different from theirs? I don’t know and I can’t predict the future. What I know for sure is that God has brought us this far and with faith the sky is the limit.

ABOLISHING THE "SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE"; A Teach-In at the SHAPE Community Center

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: The Root Cause of Youth Violence (Not Having Love For Self)

"This not having love for self is the root cause of hate (dislike), disunity, disagreement, quarreling, betraying, stool pigeons and fighting and killing one another."

-Elijah Muhammad

                                    "Message to the Blackman" pg. 32

Black Women in America: "Raising Boys"

(The following is Part I in a series of exclusive blogs written by single mothers leading up to the Houston premiere of "Raising Boys" on November 5.)

Written by Malaika Gardner (a single mom pulling "Double Duty")

My name is Malaika Gardner and I have been blessed to be a part of a life-changing documentary entitled “ Raising Boys”, a solution-oriented presentation of the single parenthood phenomenon and its effect on the Black Male.

I am a working single mother and I have determined that neither my children nor myself will be the losers in this situation. I believe we will succeed, but it is proving wrong the assumed end result of this ideal that makes my job so hard.

It would be much easier if I were unaware of the facts surrounding young girls birthed to single mothers in our community. It would be easier if I was unaware of the reality of black men and the prison industrial complex in our communities. It would be so much easier if I would be content with a mediocre future for my family but I am not that female. Most single mothers have dreams for their children and for themselves but many are eventually defeated by the juggling act, paralyzed by the fatigue or drowned by the pain caused by the bleakness of their reality.

Myself, I grew up without a father but I had a warrior mother who gave me what she could. She taught me to value my spirituality, family, education and to always work harder than the next. Unfortunately nothing can replace a father’s presence and love. I managed to graduate high school and college without succumbing to the stereotypical scenario believed for most children of single mothers.

By 22 I was a single parent. How did this happen to me? Long story people but not too different from the sister who never graduated high school and had three children by the time she was 22 years old.

What I give thanks for are the core values I was able to retain during my formative years. These values are what prepared me to carry the burden of the parental responsibility alone. I know this journey will continue to be a struggle because struggle eludes no circumstance.

As long as there is breath in my body and God in my heart, I will settle for nothing short of a beautiful destiny. Every day I wake up with a queen warrior’s face, graceful stature and ready to fight for the greatest cause one could dedicate their life to, the future of the Black Family, The Original Family…………. Wow! Gotta go! I’m late! Time waits for no woman. Next time family! Peace!

P.S. Watch my story November 5, 2009 at the Angelika Theatre as we premiere a solution-oriented documentary that we hope will change your life: “Raising Boys”. Click below to RSVP.

DOUBLE DUTY: The Black Woman's Struggle Raising Boys Alone

By: Deric Muhammad

By now most of us have seen the blood-curdling video of 14 year-old honor student Derrion Albert being beaten to his untimely death in Chicago. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Jesse Jackson and I believe God Himself is issuing a call to action to all of us to stand against the destructive “deathstyle” that left young Derrion “gone too soon.”

We must unite and stand against youth violence with all the strength that we can muster. As I watched in horror, I saw the high level of brute force used by those who took our brothers life. I, then, said to myself that we must meet this brute force of ignorance with an equal or greater force of truth, love, and sincere activism.

As I reviewed the video again I wondered how many of those involved in the melee were being raised by a single mother. If national statistics are worth their salt, probably 7 out of 10 of them are without a father in the home. And the absence of so many fathers in the home has a direct effect on the way that young Black males relate to one another.

It is only a matter of time before Hallmark designs and manufactures a Fathers Day Card for Black women. They would fly off of the shelves in the Black community and it would be difficult for us as a community to protest given the fact that we have helped create the market for it.

God, in His infinite wisdom, has set up a system for the family structure. He gives every child, male and female, a mother and a father. Both parents are by nature made to fulfill their roles so that the child receives what he or she needs to grow into their full potential according to the plan of a wise God. So the presence of a father in the life of a child is not only a human need; it is a human right.

The Black nation is hemorrhaging from within, because so many Black boys have been denied this human right. There is a deep, scathing, internally scarring pain on the inside of us as Black men, because we have felt the sting of apparent rejection from our fathers. Every young Black male who feels “dissed” by his biological father sees himself as a victim of injustice. He is hurt. He is bitter.

Injustice, according to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, could very well create an imbalance in the mind and careen out of control into savage behavior like that that killed Derrion Albert. The young Black male is “Fatherless and Furious.” If we intend to stop the violence in our communities, we must be ready to address the pathology of the problem and how it turns into the disease of self-hatred.

While it takes two to make a baby boy, it seems like the Black woman has been left with the burden of being the king maker. Black men are showing up in the bedroom, but not showing up in the delivery room. Too often, this drama is played out in some court room. It is because the lessons about life that fathers are supposed to teach their sons are being taught by and misinterpreted by the streets, television, rap stars, etc.

It is in the woman’s nature to be a loving nurturer of her son. She is given by God a feminine quality that serves as a source of support for her son who is growing into a young man. But too often mother has to step outside of herself (her nature) to play the role of father. It is a role that she is not naturally made to play, but has not choice. This is mentally, spiritually, physically, financially and even clinically an unfair burden to her and we as men must do a better job of helping her. The stress of being both mother and father to the Black male has probably taken an incalculable toll on the health of Black women in this nation.

Raising Black boys in a world like this is difficult for two parents. But, when a woman has to do it alone it’s like playing a doubles match of tennis against Venus and Serena Williams all by your self with no partner. Impossible, you say? Well, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that God destroyed the concept of “impossible” a very long time ago. There is no such thing as impossible.

If you are a single female who is shouldering the solo responsibility of raising a son, take courage. There have been many great men who were raised by mothers that went at it alone. We should study the mothers of great men like Minister Farrakhan who grew up without a father in the home as well. What did Mother Farrakhan do that helped to make her son the man that God has made, and is still making today?

Many other brilliant and successful Black men, such as Barack Obama, Rev. Jackson and others grew up void of a father and became great helpers in the cause of our people. The point that I am making is if the mothers of these great men can produce servants of God’s people then so can you.

If I may I would like to point to the example of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as a single Black woman who raised a son. Some will argue that Mary was NOT a single mother, because God was the father of Jesus and God was with Mary. I say, fine. But, guess what? As a single mom, God is with you, too, sister. And if God is with you, even Venus and Serena couldn’t beat you in a doubles match (smile).

Mary looked like she was by herself, but she wasn’t. Every single mother must take the attitude that she may look like she is by herself, but she is not. With God’s help we can steer our young boys in a better direction, stop the bleeding in our community and start the building of our community. But the Black woman should not have to do this by herself; we as Black men must take some responsibility for the misdirected anger that kills young brothers like Derrion and subsequently accept our God-given duty of raising our babies; especially Black boys.

Deric Muhammad is a Houston-based community activist who will host the premier of his documentary “Raising Boys; Tips for Single Moms” at Houston’s Angelika Theater on November 5th.

November 5th at Houston's Angelika Theater 7pm; RSVP NOW!!!

We all agree that the Black man needs to come and take back his home and his community. However, the reality is that RIGHT NOW 70% of Black families are headed by the female.


Our communities are suffering and prisons are being filled every day because of the lack of attention that is being placed on this phenomenon. Deric Muhammad addresses the struggles and offers innovative solutions in a straightforward and gripping manner to single mothers raising boys. Directed and produced by Lawrence Moody of Moody Entertainment, this is a must see documentary.

Come and witness the first ever premiere. Official sponsors include Mary Kay, Houston City Council Member Jarvis Johnson, Brother Jesse Blog and more to be announced.

Quote of the Week: CHE' GUEVARA

"SILENCE IS ARGUMENT CARRIED OUT BY OTHER MEANS." -Che'

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS: 5TH WARD RESIDENTS UNITE AGAINST HISD'S IMMINENT DOMAIN TAKEOVER

Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson stood tall with residents of Houston's historic 5th Ward community to call the Houston Independent School District to the carpet for disrespectfully seeking to enforce imminent domain laws on elderly homeowners near Dogan Elementary School. Residents recieved certified letters giving them 14 days to respond to substandard offers to purchase their properties. One homeowner says that an appraiser showed up to appraise the property with the police in tow. Johnson questioned if this type of approach would be taken if it were in a wealthy area like River Oaks.






This elderly sister was sent a letter by HISD demanding that she respond to an offer to purchase 3 properties she owns in the area in 14 days. The district has offered to purchase her home for a price tens of thousands of dollars below the county appraised value. She said that here home is filled with memories. Her son spent his last days there before he died last year.


A neighborhood resident of 65 years speaks out about HISD's plan to use Imminent Domain laws to take over 11 properties. He was born in the house across the street from where the press conference was held and believes that 5th Ward is in the beginning stages of being taken over by the rich. Fifth Ward is only minutes from downtown Houston.

WHO MURDERED MARCUS WASHINGTON?

SLAIN MAN’S FAMILY PUTS UP ADDITIONAL $20,000 REWARD

Who Killed 35 year-old Marcus Washington?

Activists, Family, Friends, Local Residents and Elected Officials Gather for Candlelight Vigil

HOUSTON, TX: Over 200 people have confirmed to attend when a local family announces that it has personally put up a $20,000 reward for anyone who can give information leading to the arrest of the party(s) responsible for the death of Marcus Washington. Washington, a 35 year old Halliburton employee who was only a few months away from receiving a Masters Degree from the University of Houston, was found in his apartment shot to death on July 3rd. He had been given the day off by Halliburton to celebrate Independence Day. An eyewitness claimed she saw 3 young males outside Washington’s apartment shortly before it is believed he was murdered. Authorities have yet to arrest any suspects.
Tomorrow, Sunday Oct. 11th, activist Deric Muhammad, Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson and hundreds of others will stand with the Washington family in a call for residents in the area to speak up if they have any information. Area residents have seen a huge spike in crime in the area and believe Washington may have been a victim of a random robbery “gone bad”. Activists are not satisfied with the apparent slowness of the Washington investigation and are calling on the community to get involved. “We should not be afraid of what will happen if we come forward with information leading to the arrest of the real culprits”, said Muhammad. We should be afraid of what will happen if we don’t.” The Washington family has circulated hundreds of flyers in an effort to gather information. Several people have come forwarded, but no one has been arrested. Now they have taken their journey for justice to the next level by raising the reward ante’ by $20,000. The funds have already been registered with Crimestoppers.
The brutal beating death of 14 year-old honor roll student Derrion Albert in Chicago has sparked a nationwide sense of urgency to stop the senseless killing in the Black community. The murder of Marcus Washington is but one local example of a nationwide problem. We must wage war against the violence that takes the lives of innocent human beings like Derrion Albert and Marcus Washington across America. No family should have to go through what the Albert family is suffering in Chicago or what the Washington family is suffering in Houston.

Where: Carriage Place Apartments (where the murder occurred)
505 Wells Fargo St. (Northwest Houston)
What: Candlelight Vigil & Community Rally
When: 7:00 p.m., Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Brother Jesse Muhammad featured in the HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Brother Jesse Blog Featured in the Houston Chronicle Newspaper
Missouri City man wants people to be their best
By VALERIE SWEETEN CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

Jesse Muhammad of Missouri City was surprised to hear that his blog received three awards in the 2009 annual Black Weblog Awards on Sept. 4.

The results were based on popular vote.

He won “Blog of the Year,” “Best Personal Blog” and “Best Twitter Microblog.”

The Black Weblog Awards were founded in 2005 to recognize black bloggers and those in the African Diaspora. Participants came from more than 90 countries.

Muhammad, 31, known as Brother Jesse, began his blog in 2006.

His personal site chronicles his journey to find his father and offers his perspective on current events and everyday issues.

He also has sites on Twitter and Facebook.

“I'm truly humbled by the overwhelming support from my readers and the public. I dedicate these awards to them. The mission of my blog is to inspire people to overcome mediocrity and take action. This honor is truly a testament to that. Our best work is yet to come,” said Muhammad.

Pastor Rudy Rasmus of St. John's United Methodist Church, 2019 Crawford St., has known Muhammad since he was a teenager.

Rasmus, who follows the Twitter blog, said Muhammad is a “heck of a blogger with a serious determination.”

“He's always been one of those people you knew was going to make it and do good in life,” said Rasmus.

The two have worked together on community projects. Muhammad has a desire to make a difference according to Rasmus.

“He's a serious family man. That extends to the people and community around him. It's really refreshing to see a young man that makes sacrifices to care for the neighborhood. He's deserving of the recognition. This is only the beginning of what Jesse can do for our city,” Rasmus said.

Muhammad, a native Houstonian, was raised in northeast Houston with his mother, Mavis Jackson, and four siblings.

read entire article at jessemuhammad.blogs.finalcall.com

THE EXPLOITATION OF THE ELDERLY

The Black Community’s Culture of Ungratefulness

By: Deric Muhammad

Ms. Mary is one of the sweetest elderly ladies you could ever meet. She has lived in her fragile home in the Houston Heights neighborhood for over 50 years. She never leaves home without her black suitcase which she rolls on its squeaky wheels whenever she leaves her humble home. She takes it to the grocery store, post office and everywhere else she goes. Most of the young jet-setters in her neighborhood think she is strange.
To the contrary Ms. Mary is smart. She is so smart that she has held on to her land to the chagrin of developers who have built swanky $300,000 three story condos around her. She knows that her balcony, despite its rotting wood, provides the Heights’ most beautiful view of the downtown Houston skyline. It is a view that holds many memories for her, but means millions of dollars to those developers.
Ms. Mary says that she’s been harassed for at least a decade about her property. Lawyers, realtors and builders have tried to buy her property at less than half its true value. She says they’ve vandalized her home and done all kinds of ugly things to strike enough fear in her to sell low so they can profit big. The black suitcase that she carries is filled with important paperwork; tax receipts, property deeds and court documents that prove that she is the sole owner of her properties. She fears that if she leaves her documents at home, “they” will break into her home again and steal the only proof that she has that her property belongs to her.
If you think the Ms. Mary is overreacting, you should travel across town to southeast Houston to visit Ms. Johnson. She is the elderly lady who earlier this summer sent her son to landscape one of the many lots she owns in Sunnyside and got a huge surprise. Her son returned and told her he could not cut the grass. When asked why, he calmly revealed that someone had illegally built a brand new home on the property and there was a “for sale” sign in the yard.
Ms. Johnson hired an attorney who investigated the matter and discovered fake and forged documents indicating Ms. Johnson’s sale of the property. The matter is still being resolved in court and the district attorney’s office is supposedly looking into it.
These are two of the increasingly frequent calls that I have been receiving about elder abuse and the manipulation of senior citizens in our community. It is an issue that is commanding more and more attention, as our grandmothers, grandfathers, great aunts and uncles become the prey of unscrupulous individuals, contractors and corporations looking to turn a profit at the expense of our elders.
There are certain cultures worldwide that emphasize the honor, respect and dignity of the elderly. Certain countries count it a badge of honor to have grown old and there are no such things as “old folk homes”. There is no such thing as an argument over who is going to take care of grandmamma when grandmamma can no longer care for herself. It’s simple. The same people that she took care of her entire life should be overjoyed to care for her in the twilight of her life.
There is a saying that my uncle used to repeat; “once an adult, twice a child.” Not to sound insensitive to the plight of the elderly, but if you are blessed to reach old age, chances are you won’t be able to take care of yourself as you did when you were a young man or woman. The cycle of life dictates that everything that is blessed to live gets old. Guess what? That means you and me too. If you want to know what its like to get old…just keep living. God forbid when we are at the age of fragility we are left to be taken advantage of by the pariahs of society who feed on the elderly.
We must develop of new attitude about our elders in the Black community. We are standing on their shoulders and benefiting from their sacrifice and struggle every day. We must sit, listen to, write down and record to the extensive wisdom from their years of life experience. We can’t afford to bury their wisdom along with their bodies when they make their physical transitions. We must teach our children the importance of and respect for senior citizens. Failure to do so may very well secure us a seat in the old folk home as well.
I believe there should be harsher laws put in place for those who exploit the elderly for personal profit. The same should be put in place for those who abuse the elderly. There a many great facilities who house and care for the elderly. However, there are many who treat them as thought they are a burden and not the jewel of society. There should be a task force put in place to closely monitor them all so that not on elder is abused by some lunatic posing as a caretaker.
If you have a family member who is elderly you should call and check on them today. If you know of an elderly person in the community who does not have anyone you should adopt that elderly person by checking on them periodically and consistently. We have no idea how your presence will lift their spirits. And if they try to talk you to death…just sit there and listen.
I would like to give a special thanks to the SHAPE Community Center and all other churches, organizations and groups that have created consistent programs for the elders. Without them, there would be no us. Let us from this day forward, be grateful. God bless.

Libya's Qadhafi and Farrakhan in NYC next week

By NAYABA ARINDE
Amsterdam News Editor
Published: Thursday, September 17, 2009 2:22 PM EDT
Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi is coming to New York next week. It is an historic first visit for the man who has governed his country for 40 years. Nation of Islam leader Min. Louis Farrakhan, who will also be in town, is hailing the visit as a new dawn for American and Libyan politics, and a wonderful opportunity for the world to see and hear a man he said is a vital participant in the African Renaissance.

“We will just be on hand to welcome our brother, the leader of the African Union, on his first visit to the United States and to the United Nations, where I am sure he will make a major speech, ” said Farrakhan. While he told the AmNews that he had “no idea what [Qadhafi] will bring to the world” in terms of his speech, he knew it would be significant and relevant and on point, and be able to “dispel many of the ugly rumors. ” He roclaimed that despite propaganda to the contrary, Qadhafi has standing all over the world. “Under Bush, he was referred to in a very ugly way, and all the propaganda had Muammar Qadhafi looking like a person the American people would not want to know, ”said Farrakhan in an exclusive interview with the Amsterdam News. “He has been a leader of liberation movements throughout the world, but our government has supported many puppet regimes in Africa and Central and South America. Muammar Qadhafi is in his 40th year, the longest leader on the continent. ”

Supporting various liberation movements throughout the world did nothing to endear him to the West, the leader of the Nation of Islam determined, but he has established his reputation “and grown as a world leader in Africa and Central and South America. The last place for him to be received is the United States of America. ” What did he anticipate the reception to be? “I am sure that when people hear him on U. S. soil, most will admire him and will learn more about him and respect him. ”

Farrakhan is set to meet with Qadhafi, who will address the 192-nation U. N. General Assembly next week. In a grand spectacle in Tripoli last month, Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi observed the 40th anniversary of the bloodless coup that brought him to power. It was not diminished in the slightest by the Western nation brouhaha that accompanied the release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the convicted Lockerbie bomber just released from prison because of his advanced prostate cancer. Following an opening speech from President Barack Obama, Muammar Qadhafi, leader of the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Great Jamahiriya, will address the United Nations’ 64th General Session in New York next week. Libya’s reputation is undergoing a Western-okayed makeover. Hundreds of millions of dollars of natural resources struggling to let go of the Big Bogeyman portrayal of Qadhafi, which the oft-berated leader has been subjected to, the media here is having to report to factual changes.

To the chagrin of the West, for decades, Qadhafi has been front and center on numerous liberation movements, such as ones focused on freeing Nelson Mandela, the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa and the continued Palestinian struggle. Relations with the West con- tinued to go south with sanctions that wracked the North African nation of Libya. And in 1986, President Ronald Reagan ordered a U. S. military offensive that killed Qadhafi’s young daughter. But politics and capitalism being what they are means the West has swallowed hard and gone-a-calling to Libya to exploit economic possibilities. Reportedly, lucrative contracts lost during the Reagan administration were picked up again under the administration of oilman President George W. Bush. Qadhafi’s handing over of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi after the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland and eventually agreeing to pay $2 billion in compensation to the 270 victims’ families began the slow process. Qadhafi agreeing to get rid of Libya’s weapons of mass destruction programs led to America deciding to make nice in 2006.

International sanctions were eased and diplomatic relations between Libya and the West were restored. Saeed Shabazz wrote in the September 10 edition of the Amsterdam News:“The Libyans have started a multi-billion dollar building program constructing 27 new universities, airports and seaports, holiday resorts and a massive nano-filtration Wall Street for investors. ”Plus, British Petroleum, for example has over $900 million invested in drilling for oil. Libya now has a seat on the 15-nation Security Council until year-end. And the next president of the General Assembly is Ali Abdessalam Treki, a former Libyan ambassador to the United Nations.

“The Libyan government has been voted onto the Security Council this year, and I’m sure the leader will be well received by most of the members of the General Assembly, ” said Farrakhan. This year, Qadhafi was elected chairman of the African Union. Farrakhan noted that, as such, “Not only does Muammar represent the Libyan government and nation, he also represents the other 52 nations [in Africa].”

With rallies planned for next Tuesday, September 22 (48th Street at Third Avenue, 11:30 a.m.) and Wednesday 23 September 23 (United Nations, 47th Street at Second Avenue, 8:30 a. m. ), supporters, and perhaps some not so friendly faces, are expected to gather in Mid-town next week. Minister Farrakhan stated, “[The] American people have a right to protest his presence, but we know that hundreds, maybe thousands, will welcome him. He has been a friend to the Black community in general, and the Muslim community and the Nation of Islam in particular. Our friendship goes back almost as long as he has been a leader. ”

Farrakhan told the Amsterdam News that Qadhafi knew the late Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam, and that for years throughout his extended relationship with the NOI, he had “helped me, ” including appointing him the deputy commander of the World(WIPL). Farrakhan praised Qadhafi’s persistence in helping to bring into existence the African Union and working diligently towards creating the United States of Africa, first inspired by Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, who himself was influenced by Marcus Mosiah Garvey and his Back-to-Africa Movement.

The African Union replaced the 38-year-old Organization of African Unity. “Muammar took the idea of forming the African Union a little over 10 years ago and urged African leaders to consider marching towards a United States of Africa. [In July 2002] the African Union was formed, and many of us are moving steadily but slowly towards the United States of Africa. We have to give Muammar Qadhafi credit for that movement because not only did he spearhead it, but he put much of Libya’s oil wealth behind it. ” Qadhafi follows other African leaders in the belief that the development of an United States of Africa is possible and necessary for the survival and progress of the continent and the Diaspora, and for Africans at home and abroad to reach their fullest potential.

The Chicago-based leader stressed, “Muammar Qaddafi is a leading partner in the rest of the world. It has been to the advantage of some in America to keep from the American people the understanding of Muammar Qadhafi [and his significance] in the African Renaissance. ” Farrakhan said that the hear from the man himself might lend some clarity to what has been reported over the years.

There were the sanctions, he said, the bombing that killed Qadhafi’s daughter and the bringing down of flight Pan Am 103, “which they first said was Iran, then Syria, and then they settled on Libya. The sanctions which lasted 10 years or more caused great suffering for the Libyan people. Under the Bush administration, an agreement was worked out and Libya paid the Lockerbie families huge sums of money. Sanctions were lifted and relations between Tripoli and Washington [are improving]. ”

Libya desires American investment and America is eager to give it. Farrakhan predicted that Qadhafi’s visit next week should go some way to “dispel many of the ugly rumors. ” He concluded that the new Democratic government brings optimism to the probability of the dawn of productive relations that had previously been strained, saying, “President Obama is not only the hope of the 53 nations in Africa, but I read that 70 percent of the Europeans that disliked the policy of G. W. Bush are in favor of the positions [he has taken] as the president of the United States. ” As he himself prepares to meet with President Qadhafi in New York City, Min. Louis Farrakhan said, “We are hoping that under President Barack Obama, Libya can come more into the sunlight. The Obama administration can be a great help in this. ”