Friday, February 02, 2007
Video of the day: Common and Will i Am's "I Have a Dream"
Peace and blessings,
With the things that have recently been taking place in the news regarding MLK day, I figured it wouldn't be right not to include this song and video. Have a safe, blessed weekend, and speekonit...
With the things that have recently been taking place in the news regarding MLK day, I figured it wouldn't be right not to include this song and video. Have a safe, blessed weekend, and speekonit...
Thursday, February 01, 2007
A Dream Preserved
Peace and blessings,
In the midst of visiting the MLK center (see pics below) in Atlanta a few weeks ago, and hearing about the recent parties that have taken place at various universities thoughout the country, I have been reflecting on MLK's "dream" and where we as a country stand today within the midst of that "dream." I am using parenthesese because I believe that MLK was motivated more by a realistically attainable ideal than by a "dream." I think that by viewing it merely as a dream, it can yeild complacency on behalf of the rest of us, whose duty it is to live out what he (and countless others who were never seen) lived, fought, and died for. When i think of a dream, I think of some far-fetched utopia that, although i know it won't happen, I enjoy thinking that one day it could happen. That is not what Dr. King was talking about in his "I have a dream" speech. He was talking about a reality where people show love, kind, and respect towards each other in some capacity without those interactions being influenced (one way or the other) by race or any other superficial to irrelevant "differences." Although at the time this may have seen like a "dream" at the time due to the racial hostility and intense segregation, it was not a dream in the sense that it is unattainable through everyday, realistic, human actions. I think that his life's work is best characterized as being in accordance with an ideal, rather than pursuing a dream. In the movie "Batman Begins," Bruce was training with the League of Shadows and his mentor told him that "once a man commits himself to an ideal, he becomes a whole new person entirely." This quote struck me because of its truth. This quote also best describes Dr. King, and the many others who were committed to non-violence, social change, and love over hate. Before I close, here are a couple of pics from the MLK center and MLK's church...
Here's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where MLK used to pastor.
This is the entrance to the exhibit.
This is called the "civil rights" or "freedom" chair, or something to that effect. I find this ironic because the chair is something people use when they want to sit down, yet the images on this chair symbolize why we must always stand up for what we know in our heart to be right.
In closing, I just wanted to touch on the idea of preservation with respects to MLK's "dream." When I normally think of the term preservation, I think of it within the context of keeping food fresh and maintaining its quality. Within the context of MLK, preservation has similar meanings and connotations. However, it differs in that the ideals MLK proscribed to (e.g. non-violence, peace, love, justice, etc...) are the same ideals that I believe are intrinsically within all of us. The key is to tap into those God-given capacities to transform our lives and socieities through simple, everyday actions. Alot of times I perceive the solutions to certain problems to be more complicated than the problem itself, when often the solution lies in (or starts with) me making a conscious decision to make a small change in my behavior or how I interact with others (e.g. stopping to actually talk to a stranger as opposed to dropping some change in a cup and keeping it moving). If we as people can change, than so can our relaitonships with others, and so can our societies. That's what MLK and others who died for the cause would want, and that is far from a dream. What do you think? Speekonit...
In the midst of visiting the MLK center (see pics below) in Atlanta a few weeks ago, and hearing about the recent parties that have taken place at various universities thoughout the country, I have been reflecting on MLK's "dream" and where we as a country stand today within the midst of that "dream." I am using parenthesese because I believe that MLK was motivated more by a realistically attainable ideal than by a "dream." I think that by viewing it merely as a dream, it can yeild complacency on behalf of the rest of us, whose duty it is to live out what he (and countless others who were never seen) lived, fought, and died for. When i think of a dream, I think of some far-fetched utopia that, although i know it won't happen, I enjoy thinking that one day it could happen. That is not what Dr. King was talking about in his "I have a dream" speech. He was talking about a reality where people show love, kind, and respect towards each other in some capacity without those interactions being influenced (one way or the other) by race or any other superficial to irrelevant "differences." Although at the time this may have seen like a "dream" at the time due to the racial hostility and intense segregation, it was not a dream in the sense that it is unattainable through everyday, realistic, human actions. I think that his life's work is best characterized as being in accordance with an ideal, rather than pursuing a dream. In the movie "Batman Begins," Bruce was training with the League of Shadows and his mentor told him that "once a man commits himself to an ideal, he becomes a whole new person entirely." This quote struck me because of its truth. This quote also best describes Dr. King, and the many others who were committed to non-violence, social change, and love over hate. Before I close, here are a couple of pics from the MLK center and MLK's church...
Here's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where MLK used to pastor.
This is the entrance to the exhibit.
This is called the "civil rights" or "freedom" chair, or something to that effect. I find this ironic because the chair is something people use when they want to sit down, yet the images on this chair symbolize why we must always stand up for what we know in our heart to be right.
In closing, I just wanted to touch on the idea of preservation with respects to MLK's "dream." When I normally think of the term preservation, I think of it within the context of keeping food fresh and maintaining its quality. Within the context of MLK, preservation has similar meanings and connotations. However, it differs in that the ideals MLK proscribed to (e.g. non-violence, peace, love, justice, etc...) are the same ideals that I believe are intrinsically within all of us. The key is to tap into those God-given capacities to transform our lives and socieities through simple, everyday actions. Alot of times I perceive the solutions to certain problems to be more complicated than the problem itself, when often the solution lies in (or starts with) me making a conscious decision to make a small change in my behavior or how I interact with others (e.g. stopping to actually talk to a stranger as opposed to dropping some change in a cup and keeping it moving). If we as people can change, than so can our relaitonships with others, and so can our societies. That's what MLK and others who died for the cause would want, and that is far from a dream. What do you think? Speekonit...
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Verse of the Day: Dre Murray
" Yo this track is cooked up like some grits/and you know that the verbs that I spit/got you looking at my words with a squint/but this hear is heaven sent/no credit taken/dog they checked the tomb and it was vacant/that vision right there/man it got my feet shakin/got my hands clappin/the reason that i'm rappin?/Why I go back to the hood and dudes' cappin?/man you changed/They be like 'what happened?'/I got hooked up with Christ ya dig/changed my whole life and i'm glad he did/didn't have a dad/now i'm his kid/didn't have a wife but he found my rib/I feel like a superstar/forget a house on 'cribs'/He got a mansion with space/dog and I got dibs/I was rowdy for the world/but now i'm His/dead to the world/but now I live"
-Dre Murray
From the track "Gettin Rowdy" from "Best of
the submissions V.1"
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
A "Dream" Deferred
Peace and blessings,
I want to address these photos, but right now i'm not sure how. I'm still trying to process them. Although these photos courtesy of
The Smoking Gun were taken from different Universities across the country, they all had one thing in common. Each of these "parties" were thrown on or round MLK day. More on these incidents can be found by clicking on the links. What makes it worse is that these degrading events seem like teh result of a well thought-out plan involving some major universities. SMH...
These photos were taken ofTexas Law School students
Convinced that things are all bad? If not, peep these pics ofUCONN Law School students
Still not convinced? This pic of students at Clemson University says way more than any photo should say.
I feel like watching "higher learning" or something to get my mind right. Take care and speekonit...
I want to address these photos, but right now i'm not sure how. I'm still trying to process them. Although these photos courtesy of
These photos were taken of
Convinced that things are all bad? If not, peep these pics of
Still not convinced? This pic of
I feel like watching "higher learning" or something to get my mind right. Take care and speekonit...
Monday, January 29, 2007
Myspace helps a woman find her brother's body
Peace and blessings,
I saw this today and found it interesting. A woman was looking for her brother and posted it on myspace. Within hours, someone contacted her and that lead led her to her brother's body. This is an example of one of the benefits of being part of an internet community. Pray that God provides comfort to the victim's family. Take care and speekonit...
http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?pmmsid=1828943
I saw this today and found it interesting. A woman was looking for her brother and posted it on myspace. Within hours, someone contacted her and that lead led her to her brother's body. This is an example of one of the benefits of being part of an internet community. Pray that God provides comfort to the victim's family. Take care and speekonit...
http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?pmmsid=1828943
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Pics added to previous posts!
Peace and blessings,
Pics have been added to "Pt.2" of my summary of the Holy Hip-Hop Awards (posted January 16, 2007) and the post I did on the potential educational import of superheroes ("More than meets the eye?", February '06). Take care and have a blessed rest of the weekend. Enjoy and speekonit...
Pics have been added to "Pt.2" of my summary of the Holy Hip-Hop Awards (posted January 16, 2007) and the post I did on the potential educational import of superheroes ("More than meets the eye?", February '06). Take care and have a blessed rest of the weekend. Enjoy and speekonit...
Friday, January 26, 2007
Verse of the Day: J-Kwest
"The flow been since puberty hit/but back then I was spittinwhat to do to be rich/then God said 'J, you can do for Me this'/'teach them how to gain'/It's my duty in this/Here game that I don't play in/Where lives dyin/chalk lines gettin drawn like preschool games/Outline baby mommas named Cherise who made/her bed lying with a man in the 13th grade/thing is she was barely pushing 13 age/exchanged gifts/no money so they switched out rings/right before he moved on yo he gave her his AIDS/generous, the same day he dontated a baby/and, man the pain don't stop when she dies/cuz we live in the city where the rain don't stop/on the stoop everyday with the same drip drop/stay dry with my Kangol and real hip-hop/but, we still listening to R&B;/wondering who we ARE/who be trying to BE/meanwhile the flow ARE/who we dying to BE/she ARE a black queen and a king he BE/"
-J-Kwest
Track 2 of the "Are and Be" album
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