Youth’s SPEAK! is one of the many new additions that will be added to the blog in the upcoming weeks. Our children provide such a wealth of knowledge in respect to all walks of life. We stand to learn a lot from them, if we ourselves would choose to listen.

The following video is a clip of young high school students speaking about our hopeful future President Barack Obama. These you students amazed me with their knowledge and their ability to articulate their thoughts on such topics. Pass this video on, let’c continue to support our youth, they are our most valuable asset!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9IldaegAB0&hl=en]

In honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week we will exclusively highlight his illustrious career through photos that show us the man, the myth, and the legend.

Looks like MLK Jr. had some serious swag!!!!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18xnU1e2KEo&hl=en]

Don’t be afraid to feel as angry or as loving as you can, because when you feel nothing, it’s just death. - Leena Horne

Wisdom crieth out, she uttereth her voice in the streets; She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,  How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Proverbs 1:20-22

Do not silence your voice, allow your true self to be heard! I read the other day where a man said, “when you see and hear the good in me, you are looking at God, when you see the bad in me, you are looking at me and all of my imperfections”. When you speak the truth, you speak an act of good faith along with your words. The bible says that wisdom cries out, her voice can be heard in the streets. There’s a cry for your wisdom in today’s world. Key word here is your wisdom, not your judgment. There’s a need for a voice of love and compassion on our streets, to speak life to our children, hope for our peers, and gratitude to our elders. Your wisdom is based upon your experience, the experiences that you have had culminate into a wealth of knowledge that needs to fall upon deaf ears. Your words may spark a change, a much needed change in someone’s life. Use your voice for love and not destruction, it is a noble action, your only gratification being that you know you helped a fellow human being on their road to success.

Fools hate knowledge, and with their hate for knowledge they will purposely tune out your kind words and helpful actions. But who wants to walk amongst fools anyway, it will largely lead down the wrong path. I am more interested in finding like minded individuals who strengthen the steps that I wish to take while here on this earth. The verses following the two above show wisdom abandoning fools and largely letting them deal with their troubles alone. But we are all fools at some point or another, and we all look for another chance to right our wrongs. So it is then that you must use this beautiful voice that experience is sharpening and allow it to speak truth to the power of our Creator and speak out to those who may have hated your knowledge in the past. All this talk of truth is not to be confused with judgment, the very judgment that has taken many of us away from churches and religion in general. No sir, this is a spiritual truth of wisdom, nobility and honor. Let us love our people by our actions and our words and be hopeful that the same love will be bestowed upon us. Peace and Grace be unto you.

You have to be taught to be second class; you’re not born that way.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfXwmDGJAB8&hl=en]

We talk a lot about Malcom X and Martin Luther King JR, but It’s time to be like them, as strong as them. They were mortal men like us and everyone of us can be like them. - Tupac Shakur

I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world. - Tupac Shakur

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  Jeremiah 29: 11-12

While riding to school today I was bumping (playing loudly) Tupac’s “Only God can Judge me”! Deep words, that’s a deep statement, it means we are only letting God be in control of our lives and not allowing anyone else such power over us. Then I looked to the scripture and the Lord says “for I know the plans I have for you”. I may have no idea where I will be, what type of situation I will be in within the next 3 days but the Lord does. He knows the plan he has for me, he knows the path that he has set forth for me. So I can not be bothered with the judgments and thoughts of other people because they do not have my best interest at heart. What I need to be worried about is building a closer relationship with God so that i can understand the plans that he has for me. Understanding that there will be highs and lows but ultimately he is just trying to prepare me for my greatest good.

The Lord says in this scripture that his plans are for us to prosper not harm us, that he has plans to give us hope and a future. That’s the type of company I would like to keep, a superior being who is watching out for me, watching my back at all times. So we have to give glory to God, we can all think about situations that clearly could have went a completely different way for us. We are not that great that we change our destiny through the universe, instead we have been blessed by a God who protects and cares for us unconditionally. Then you will call upon me and I will listen to you. I have learned that prayer is not just when you lay down and go to sleep. Throughout our day we must communicate with God, I mean we communicate with everyone else. Today I look forward to surrendering my issues to the Lord and knowing that it is only he that can judge me. I don’t mind his judgment because I know that he has my best interest in mind. Peace and Grace be unto you.

That which does not kill me can only make me stronger

Earlier this morning a federal court ruled that Mumia Abu-Jamal cannot be executed for the alleged murder of a white police officer in the early 1980’s. This charge stems from the murder of Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981 in Philadelphia. The facts of the case have been heavily disputed over the years and many believe that Mumia is a political prisoner imprisoned by the United States Government because of his outspoken views against the United States and their terroristic activities and his involvement with The Black Panther Party.

Today marks a milestone in this case where the federal government admits that there were errors in the instructions given to the jury during this case. They therefore held that an execution would be improper without a proper penalty hearing. I totally disagree with the death penalty and feel that it perpetuates a savage, uncivilized, cruel and unusual type of punishment that our Constitution seeks to protect us against. However this is not the first time that there has been hypocrisy within our governmental structure. Stay tuned for more information!

For more information on Mumia, feel free to look at the following link, http://www.freemumia.com

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsihHoyqwWY&hl=en]