I can’t call it people. Everywhere we turn we are confronted with race issues. It’s really sad that racism plays such an integral role in our lives but I guess when you live in a country founded upon racist principles this was bound to happen. Walmart shows good judgment I think by removing this comic if they are receiving backlash from people of color who feel it is offensive. Have you ever been to Walmart; I know in Philadelphia if they lost the support of their black customers they would go broke! LOL!

To me there’s a deeper issue here; I am not familiar with this comic book and obviously not familiar with how Mexicans perceive it. However I am familiar with the controversy over black and brown relations. I’m appalled by it because I feel all people are created equal no matter what their race, religion or any other affiliation that may make them different may be. It hurts even more when you see two groups of people who are constantly oppressed and instead of binding together, building an alliance and attacking systematic ills of our society. I often hear things that contradict such a beautiful plan of action.

A few nights ago I was watching the Michael Baisden show on TVOne and George Wilborn was asking black people on the street if they would be mad if Latino people had more positions of power. Some of the answers were ignorant in my opinion and they sought to create a divide between these two ethnic groups. Do blacks and browns not know that they are both derivitives of the African Diaspora and are one in the same?

Please do not take that comment as disregarding the rich cultures that both of these particular groups have to offer but I am merely talking about their ancestry. The conditions for both groups here in America are very similar, both groups are losing their young men to gang violence, prisons and the drug trade. Both groups are losing their young women to sexually transmitted diseases. Women of color whether they are Black or Latino are disrespected in the media and often unfavorable images are shown of them. Mistreated in the workplace, a severe housing dilemma and the similarities go on and on. Where does the divide stop? When do we as a people living in this land together, praying to the same God begin to follow those words in our dear Holy books and bind together to create a better future for our children. When?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday it removed the comic book “Memin Pinguin” from its stores after receiving complaints the popular Mexican character was a racist depiction of blacks.

The series started 60 years ago in Mexico, and the main character, Memin Pinguin, is a black Cuban-Mexican boy with enlarged lips who often gets into mischief.

Wal-Mart recently started offering the Spanish-language comic in parts of California, Texas and Miami, where the giant retailer serves large populations of Hispanic customers.

“We understand that Memin is a popular figure in Mexico. However, given the sensitivities to the negative image Memin can convey to some we felt that it was best to no longer carry the item in our stores,” said Lorenzo Lopez, a spokesman for Wal-Mart.

“We apologize to those customers who may have been offended by the book’s images,” Lopez added.

A black woman in Houston told the Houston Chronicle this week she complained about the comic books after seeing them at a Wal-Mart.

“I said, wait a minute: Is this a monkey or a little black boy?” Shawnedria McGinty told the newspaper. “I was so upset. This is 2008.”

Many Mexicans argue Memin Pinguin is misunderstood in the United States and that he is a lovable character and not a racist depiction of blacks.

Memin Pinguin was at the center of a controversy in 2005, when the Mexican postal service issued a series of stamps featuring the character.

President George W. Bush called the stamps offensive, which put him at odds with Mexico’s then president, Vicente Fox.

Link

The following piece was given to us by Ma’at. When I first read this piece I was so in tune with it that all of the other noises in the background of my mind needed to be silenced. I truly hope that this piece engages us in a discourse about not only our current reality but the change which we wish to see within our reality. Peace and Grace be unto you!

THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE

Rags to riches
Foreigner
Outsider to Inside
American Society
American Money
American Riches
The American Dream
Business Man
Drug Dealer
Hustler
Lawyer
Me…
See I
I too started off
Young
Hungry
Driven
Hustling
Toward the dream
My American Dream…… Esq.
So I did what anyone…everyone chasing the American Dream does
I hustled
Made those connects
Studied the greats…
The great hustlers….

Walked softly…. watched, listened, emulated
Worked my way through the system
The American system
Day in and Day out
Climbing the ladder
Shaking hands
Negotiating
Until
Until the party life…..got me
Addicted
Addicted to status
This little brown girl from Church Ave.. now regarded by society as a
member of an elite….
Better than you
Better than most
Damn that shit feels good
The high
The power..
It’s addictive
I’m penetrating you
Deeply, hard, long….
Now all you can do is say my name and hope you feel me tomorrow
How could I not fall in lust?
How could I not keep coming back?
Knowing it was starting to kill me…..

Yeah…the American Dream
My American Nightmare
Time moves….
PAUSE
I look around….I
Is this what success is all about
A bunch of bitches acting like bitches with big mouths
I’M LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM
AND YOU KNOW WHAT,……. ITS FUCKED UP
I live a life where I am a part of a machine that rapes my people
Rapes my mind
Bleaches my spirit
Makes “America” Rich
How fitting?
How fitting that the dream in this country
A COUNTRY BUILT ON THE PRINCIPLES OF DESTROYING WHAT MUST BE DESTROYED
FOR PERSONAL GAIN
Would idealize a life that destroys those who live it for the gain of
those in power
The essence of a Hustler’s Spirit….

WAKE UP!!!!

So the Supreme Court, the Court of all Courts, the Law of the Land has ruled that the death penalty is not permissable in a child rape case.

Well Why Not Your Honor? Do you only think it is necessary and proper for someone to be killed by our JUSTICE System when they too have murdered someone. How do we tell people not to murder by murdering them. Is that a misunderstanding because I don’t understand it.

A child who is raped is murdered in different ways. Their spirit is murdered in many instances, their bodies and mind never forget the horrific pain of being forced to have sex and brutally raped by adults. Often their belief systems are killed because they ask themselves what kind of God would allow such a heinous crime?

So if your reasoning is based on an eye for an eye, well that system is long gone. In fact the reasoning behind why we keep the Death Penalty in this country is flawed. Gregg v. Georgia outlines it, if I am correct. Here are the following reasons why the United States feels it is legally just to kill people to show them that they should not kill people!

In reaching this conclusion, the Court emphasized three factors: (i) that the “imposition of the death penalty for the crime of murder has a long history of acceptance both in the United States AND England”; (ii) that it was “now evident that a large proportion of American society continues to regard it as an appropriate and necessary criminal sanction”; and (iii) that the death penalty serves “two principal social purposes: retribution and deterrence of capital crimes by prospective offenders.”

So let me understand this:

because the death penalty has long been accepted in both the United States and England it is alright to kill people. Couldn’t the same have been said to uphold slavery and other inhumane acts. It is reasonings like this, that seem logical to a selected few that killed off millions of Jewish people in the Holocaust.

2. Americans regard it as an appropriate and necessary criminal sanction. Hmm 100 years ago many Americans believed it was ok to lynch negroes for looking at white women. This was no small group of individuals, this was common practice here in America. Does that make it right? Many blue eyed, blond haired Germans felt it was an appropriate sanction to exterminate Jewish people, does that make it right, and or just. A young Indian girl was almost killed a few months ago because she is from a lower caste system. A young man in his twenties threw her onto a burning fire, does that make it right. His peers and old traditions in his country thought these types of actions were ok, does that make it right and legally sound?

3. The death penalty serves as retribution and deterrence. Well the easier one is deterence. It must not serve such a great job when people in this country are being killed every day. How are we deterring them, they are not deterred, they are not phased. In fact you encourage them to kill by being a leading example that says it is ok to kill someone.

Retribution, do we really want to go back to the old theory an eye for an eye. In that case we will all be blind which is what this system offers. Blind Justice, 10% or more of the people on Death Row currently are innocent yet they have been found guilty. Will we continue to kill innocent people in the name of our Constitution?

America, Land of the free, home of the brave do you really have the authority to play God. Are we that holy as a country that we dare look down upon others and “attempt” to bring democracy to them when are lacking fundamental freedoms at home. When you challenge America you are quickly reminded that you could live somewhere else where things are worst off. When did we begin comparing ourselves to countries and situations that are less favorable than our own. How does that allow us to prosper and grow when we make backwards comparisons rather than marching forward as I would believe the Forefathers of this country wanted us to.

The Supreme Court Says No to the Death Penalty for child rapists, I pray I see the day when WHEN WE SAY NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY COMPLETELY. Otherwise we are just as barbaric as the countries we claim to civilize!

here is the link to the story that prompted this discussion.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/25/scotus.child.rape/index.html

Who is this man Barack and where did he come from? A picture is worth a thousand words!

WHERE DID HE COME FROM?

<img src=”” alt=”" />

Well real rap, I’m disapointed in Barack right now. Here is his quote “”That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger’s divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn’t reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause.”

Like Barack are you serious, do you not see the monkey t-shirts, do you not hear the backwards muslim rhetoric about you my brother. Do you not constantly see the racism and white privilege that exists in America. Just because I support you brother does not mean that I will allow you to lull me to sleep with this beautiful America, that across the country people who are campaigning for you are not being met with blatant racism.

We can never advance as Americans if we lie to ourselves, If you continue to make it look all peachy keen, how can we ever address the issues and provide plausible solutions. I realize that my vote alone will not get you elected my brother. However, neither will this appeasement of white voters and making them and us believe that their is not some truly divine hatred in this country for your presidency because you are black. My brother we both know better than this.

Father Pfleger, as a white man I am shocked that the media even bothered to condemn your comments, it is only because you are outwardly supporting a black candidate. I noticed that you said some, yes some, not all whites are racist and not all blacks are in jail. Stereotypes rip through our society and are given as false truths. However your portrayal of Clinton seems accurate to me, it’s accurate to the cartoonist who posted the picture below. They weren’t bastardized for their comments, so please do not apologize for speaking what is truth, far too long have we allowed ourselves both black and white to be lied too.

We will never progress if all we do is sweep our problems under the rug! Sounds to me like the same old Washington Politics with this one Barack, WE CAN DO BETTER. YES WE CAN SI SE PUEDE!

This is really sad news, my heart truly goes out to this man’s family. Kirk Wright, a Harvard educated manager of a popular hedge fund killed himself this past Memorial Day weekend after being convicted of mail fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering in federal court.

Kirk Wright was the manager of the Marietta Hedge Fund. The bigger issue here to me is that a well educated, intelligent brother has taken his own life. A problem we often neglect in black communities and believe it or not white communities as well is how serious depression really is. It seems we have yet to find a productive way as a society to deal with how people emotionally handle times of crisis. Often these states of depression drive people right off the edge and they do drastic things like committing violent crimes even inflicting pain upon themselves. I send my deepest condolences to this brothers family and I pray that as a community we can start discussing the need to make mental health a core issue in our lives and finding beneficial remedies.

for more on this story check out:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/05/26/wright_0527.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Dear Dad,
I wanted to start by congratulating you on your 49th year on this planet and to praise you for the positive impact that you have had on the multitudes of people that you have come in contact with. I hope that you know that your selfless giving and undying efforts to teach and be of assistance does not go unnoticed. Even though we have had our rough and trying times, I am glad that at the end of the day that we can depend on each other. I know that we both see life through completely different lenses. However, I am very appreciative of the effort that you make to help me to see the bigger picture from all perspectives. I am aware that in the society we live in, raising a king is not easy by any stretch of the imagination but I am proud to see that you continuously remain a steady, constant presence in my life. We have both witnessed the consequences of young black males in the inner city that have practically raised themselves due to a lack of a fatherly influence or strong male role model. I am extremely happy that you took the time out to help mold me into the man that I am today. I may not be everything that you would like me to be but I am striving everyday to become the best Chad that I can be and that is one of the jewels you bestowed on me. We have come a long way in our journey as father and son in just one year’s time. Hopefully we can continue to progress and bring out the best in each other and become even closer for years to come. Thanks for being my life line even when the world turns the blind eye. Happy 49th Birthday… I’m sure Pop-Pop would have been extremely proud of you. I love you and God bless you.

-Chad G. Rumble

To understand how any society functions you must understand the relationship between the men and the women. - Angela Davis

This is a very touching picture; it’s symbolic to me for so many reasons. I feel like I was that same little boy when Barack gave his speech at the Democrat National Convention and the headlines read “A Star is Born”.

I was that same young man when Barack won Iowa; a majority caucasian state. It showed me progress; it did not show me that we are there, but it said that we are rising.

Win, Lose, or Draw Barack Obama stands as a monument to young men and women of all cultures and creeds. He holds a special place in the hearts of young black men who have been assassinated in our society via the media, institutionalized racism coupled with our own mistakes. As I sit here writing this blog; I am still inspired, inspired by this image of a young black boy looking into the eyes of a transcendent leader and deep in his heart feeling YES WE CAN!

Caution, the following video is extremely disturbing and will definitely make you extremely angry. I am not posting this video for kicks and giggles. Far too often do we sweep “taboos” under the rug in our society and people become victims of such crimes because of it. The news is depressing so we turn it off but maybe after watching this we will realize that not only do we need to turn it on. We need to be aware of the people in our communities; particularly sex offenders who have a habit of striking again. Having these types of dialogues may save a child’s life. Be safe and God Bless!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIU6ZpXVils&hl=en]