I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.”Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. Isaiah 5 : 1-5

Think of the above story as if it were your life. You have put alot of work into your life and at times it does not seem that your life yields success. But that is no reason to destroy your life. Do not ask, what else could you ahve done with your life. Maybe you should let go of some of the gardening practices that you are using. Let go of some of the chains that we have bound ourselves too. Free your mind and start anew!

The rain is pouring, smacking the streets violently while a track from Isaac Hayes album Hot Buttered Soul plays. Feels like a defining moment in ones life, the rain always seems to signify the end of one and the beginning of something else. I was reading Iyanla Vanzant’s Acts of Faith yesterday and she was talking about letting go. Whether you are letting go of a relationship, or relinquishing the psuedo control that you thought you had on your life, the issue is that we may have to let go. But letting go sounds insane, life’s troubles feel like your hanging from a cliff, your whole life depends on the moment you are in right now or so you think.

Who wants to let go, what ever you’re holding onto may feel to you like the bane of your existence. This is the mental build up that we give things, whether they are material or just things we feel like we can not live without. I read once, in order to receive you must strip yourself of all your possessions mentally and still believe that you have or will have again. This was a book dealing with taoism, it had some extremely great lessons. I have not been on my daily grind of writing this week. Check the blog, it’s updated sparingly. Partially it may be because I have no computer but more importantly it’s because I’m letting go. While letting go we do not know what door God will open but we have to have faith that he is about to show off in our lives. We have to have faith that these new beginnings, these new happenings though they may bare a dark moment, or a rainy day; there will be light in the end, a sun that shines upon our faces as we cry tears of joy. Peace and Grace be unto you!

You know, life is bound to be a roller-coaster if you keep looking back. A life that matters is focused on where you’re headed, not where you’ve already been.

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

This is one of the best pictures that I have seen in a long time. Not because Usher is a famous musician but because it is  a beautiful picture of a man holding his son. Dispelling the myths of the absentee father in African American households, we need more powerful images like this one. I give Essence a resounding sound of applause for capturing such an excellent moment. This is the epitome of black love.

For an exceprt of the interview click here:

Shout out to timothy white too, the photographers never get the love they deserve. My man that is pure magic right there!

TRIBUTE TO MY FATHER

Like Father, Like Son
What is a father?
Any man can make a baby
But it takes a real man to father a child
To nurture, protect and teach that child the way, requires not only a man
But a father
I thought today how on Father’s Day
The radio is not blaring with music that represents the good fathers of the world
The ones who work 2 jobs to support a family of 6
The men who provide for their families in times of scarcity and abundance
Where is the love for those fathers?
For my father
No monetary value could replace the lessons and energy you have given me
However, I offer this gift of gratitude
A gift of appreciation for you took me as your own
and epitomize what a father should be
It’s not about hanging out in the streets
It’s about HOME
It’s not about fast girls.
It’s about finding a woman like my mother you would say
So today I say thank you to my father
And while the radio may not play a million songs
The rest of the world may not acknowledge you
I salute you dad, for without you I would not be the man God has destined me to be.
HAPPY HATHERS DAY KENNY MACK AKA DAD!
Yours truly,
Oscar