Today I lift up my voice to reflect, not remember, on one of the greatest influences in my life thus far.  Bob Marley introduced me to the ideas that have shaped much of my world view; he spoke to a child’s heart and mind and caused me to think about things in a way that no one else around me seemed willing to say.

He was considered an outcast at a time when I could relate to that.

Coming from humble beginnings and rising to international fame, he is better known today than during the course of his brief yet, profoundly impactful life.  His image conjures up thoughts of struggle and the promise of the victory of good over evil.  A child of mixed racial heritage, he determined to bring the world a message of inclusiveness rather than exclusivity.  He desired that people be not judges of others, and thou a proud black man, believed in the total uplift of the human family.

As the only western artist invited to the independence celebrations of Zimbabwe, he stood as Africa’s voice for revolutionary change.

The entire nation of Jamaica is benefitted by his having taken his message, music, and beliefs across the globe.  Any visit to this island finds everything from books, to food, to ganja being marketed using his name.

Why one wonders has there never been a movie made about his life, we continue to ask.

From songs like “Catch a Fire” to “Get up, Stand up” his music continues to inspire generation after generation, proving him correct in saying:

“them a go tired fe see we face, them can’t get we out of the race.” (Bad Card)

Rasta prophet, he is, among many other things, I thank God for his life and for his work.  A work that continues to this very moment.

Long live The Honorable Robert Nesta Marley!

Bro Richard

“We don’t need no trouble”

… these are the words of the Great Bob Marley as he sung a melody of war and introduced the solutions of peace, world citizenship and international morality.

The recent crisis in Haiti has us all wondering, do we really need any more trouble, though it IS prophesied to come. The American people are enslaved in the form of debt, families, big and small are falling apart, banks in whom many once put their trust are failing and to top it off hundreds of thousands lie dead in Haiti.

Some have taken this opportunity to let us know just how much they care and some have let us know that they care not (Pat Robertson comes to mind). Some have wondered aloud and in private “why would a loving God do this?”

Maybe it was to call our attention to the least of these his people. Why did it take this long for the world to focus its attention on the poorest people in the western world?

Haiti has been in a state of disrepair for as far back as most can remember, this beautiful Island nation of strong black revolutionaries has languished in squalor, with one dictator after another robbing the coffers, and eventually fleeing the people. Yet her nearby neighbor, the Dominican Republic, has never truly been a friend. And America, her next biggest neighbor and world superpower, accepts floating immigrants from Cuba and none from Haiti.

“What we need is love to guide and protect us on, if you’re up look down from above, help the weak if you are strong.” – Bob Marley

It was once famously stated feed a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach the same man how to fish and he shall eat for a lifetime.

If only this and other principles like it would be the rule of thumb the people and worlds live by.

What if the world thought like the Bob Marley’s of the world?

We have all heard the saying “in every dark cloud…” most of us can finish the rest.  Recently I was wondering to myself, what is the silver lining in the dead that filled the streets of Port-Au-Prince? As my television filled with the horror of the vivid imagery I saw people whose faces looked like mine and those closest to me. There came a point when I felt so overwhelmed I had to turn it off, and I must express that I have not tuned in to get the frequent updates; partly because of my disdain for the media’s obsession with cannibalizing stories and my own feelings of powerlessness to help.

Perhaps I received an answer as I turned the channels on my television a few days ago and came across a movie dealing with the subject of wine. As I began to tune in, one of the characters in the movie began to explain the process of making the finest of wines. He gave an explanation that described the struggle that must ensue with the grapes themselves in order to achieve the desired results. The more the struggle the better the grade of wine produced.

He did not want a happy grape.

What kinds of people are made in struggle? I once heard the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan say, “struggle is ordained.” The word ordained implies that which has come down from a superior to a subordinate.

The Haitian people have a history overflowing with examples of struggle that has been overcome and the quest for freedom realized, if not at the highest of prices.

The great warriors Dessalines and Toussaint L’Ouverture fought and won battles that define a nation whose motto is “unity creates strength.”

Today, many now recall Haiti’s history as a source of pride; others are just getting acquainted with the role she has played in the advancement of the struggle that is to breathe free. Children in classrooms all over our planet are talking about this island nation. Aid is pouring in from all over the world. Haiti is on everybody’s lips, from an embattled and almost bereft President to a gardener. Churches, mosques and synagogues have gathered to pray for her citizens. The Bible says the “prayers of the righteous avail much.”

Perhaps these come as some of the linings in this dark cloud that hangs over this new decade, or maybe as we enter Black History Month we can truly reflect on the history, by recognizing some of our strongest allies who for far too long went unnoticed, even though they languished right at our doorsteps.

Thanks to the Obama administration for its un-Katrina like response. Thanks to all the leaders that called for unity around our efforts.

Let’s keep an eye out for those whose sole intention is to pilfer from the coffers of the many relief funds that have been set up, large and small. It is now time for the people of the world to insist that Haiti be rebuilt using the finest technologies available in the world today. She should become a model of what America has waged wars overseas to establish, a free, truly Democratic society, whose citizens have demonstrated they are will to suffer to realize their freedom.  And as the grapes struggle to achieve the desired results, Haiti can finally achieve what she has long since fought for.

Bro Richard

Image via health.com

I turn my TV off

Cause I don’t wanna look at the news

Hard times seeing people cryin Arabs and Jews

Fighting for they religion, niggas livin like niggas

Mexicans on the border

White boys saying kill em

Politicians playing puppet

Who Do You Believe In – Rapper Scarface

It got me thinking…

One can argue that the value of prayer for the believer is dependent on who do you believe in.  In today’s world of at least six billion humans, we question those who would still hold on to the primitive idea that God is ONLY interested in our personal religious preference. Those whose prayers don’t include the suffering masses, those others who pray to keep the ignorant asses.  We ask the question of any who take abuse or give it in the name of religion, the racist in all the races, the hated and the haters, the dimes, the divas and the daughters: Who do you believe in?

Prayer is considered the time when a believer makes a specific and direct connection with the source of our belief, it is the time when our hearts true intent is best known to oneself.

What we do the rest of the time tells the world what we really prayed for? Our actions after our devotions are our own little attempt to answer the prayer we have prayed.

• How did we greet our loved ones?
• How did we greet our neighbor?
• How did we treat the stranger?

In a time when religion is getting a bad name, those of us who are considered adherents to the world’s great religions must take inventory of our behaviors.  Many are referring to these as end of days, yet there are millions if not billions of Muslims, Jews and Christians, and there are many more who profess belief in some higher power.  Who have we been praying to and what have we been praying for that the world’s condition is considered as dire as to be thought of as the end of days?

Consider this: If there are one billion Muslims, who pray five times a day, that’s five billion prayers said a day.  If there be 1 billion Christians who say at least two prayers a day, that’s another two billion prayers said. Add in the prayers of the Jews and others and you get the point.  Are all these prayers to the same God and are these prayers warring against each other.

• Why can’t we live with our fellow man?
• Why must we seek to destroy people, places and things we disagree with, or misunderstand?

Who do you believe in?

As we close one year and get ready to bring in another, my sincere prayer, though I suspect not enough, is for freedom, justice and equality to all who lack them.  Love, peace and happiness to those who need them.  Food, clothing and shelter for all who can’t seem to find them. Knowledge, wisdom and understanding to those who seek them. 

Happy New Year! Be safe and blessed.

Bro Richard

“I ain’t sayin I’m innocent in all this, I’m just saying this song is for y’all, for all those times that I messed up or we messed up”.

“Dear sister got me twisted up in prison I miss ya, cryin’ lookin’ at my niece’s and my nephew’s picture. They say don’t let this cruel world get ya, kinda suspicious swearing one day you might leave me for somebody that’s richer……..in time I learned a few lessons, never fall for riches. Apologies to my TRUE sister; far from bitches.” – Makaveli, White Man’z World

Is BITCH the “new” Black? This is the conclusion recently arrived at by one of our young sisters, a member of our talented tenth, Helena Andrews who recently signed a deal based on her new book called Bitch Is The New Black. The book and movie are being called the black version of the acclaimed Sex and the City series. A few differences:

1. Carrie and her crew were never seen as bitches
2. Big has been replaced by Cornrows

As a black man who has made his share of mistakes in dealing with black women, it saddens me to read of our sisters now embracing a word which once made the average black woman angry, props to Belle, for her brilliant rebuttal. This strikes me as another form of blaxploitation, taking the legitimate desires of some and using it to foster more division and hatred. How can we read about the lack of good black men and simply blame that on ALL black men? This may sound conspiratorial; however it is impossible to talk about the blight of our community without mentioning how we got in this condition.

A cursory study of history tells us this was by design. Having said that, the time has come for us to stop blaming others for what we must now do for ourselves. Music artists like Lil Kim, Trina, and others have embraced the label and have used it to as they say empower them. Female dogs — is that the new black female? An observation of canines tells us that when you deal with dogs, you have to walk them, on a leash, clean up behind them and in general deal with their, pardon my expression, shit. Which is why when men who call each other dogs go out with each other, we end up dealing with each other’s madness, and getting into each other’s shit.

Being strong, as our women have always been, being accomplished, being successful and being black DOES NOT make you a bitch. Think of the great Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Madame C J Walker to name a few. Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Desiree Washington and Valarie Jarrett to name some of the new.

Bro Richard

“A beat can be many things, drum beats carried messages in ancient times, heart beats keep the blood flowing. Bring the beat back.”

This is the desire of rapper Talib Kweli; in his song “The Perfect Beat,” which features Hip Hop Icon KRS-One. The national news of the past few months has one wondering what happened to the beat. A young 15-year-old girl is gang raped in Richmond, California, while “bystanders” watch. Derrion Albert, a 16-year-old student in Chicago, is beaten to death, while others look on in horror. There are repeated stories of children being kidnapped, raped and eventually murdered. Meanwhile in the richest, most powerful nation on earth, people sleep under bridges, some next to heating vents to stay warm at night, many go hungry. On Capitol Hill, the well-healed debate the merits of providing health care to the American people, all the while bailing out bankers and their banks. Millions are losing their homes and forced into bankruptcies, while others continue to collect huge bonuses for a job well done.

Bring the beat back!

The movie Surrogates, featuring Bruce Willis, tells the story of a future time in which people no longer leave their homes, instead sending out robots (or surrogates as they are referred to in the movie). We wonder, is it that time now, have we become robots?

Scientists tell us there are so many cell phones, it is believed to be causing the disappearance of the bees. Are we driving away the real sweetness of life with machines? MySpace, no longer refers to my immediate area, but on my computer. We rely on the Tel-lie-vision, to inform us on all matters of life, rather than study the creator and his creation. Reality TV is all the rage, all the while neglecting what we see going on around us every day. We are watching Survivor, Lost, and the Real Housewives, never thinking that there are many barely surviving, lost souls, who are in need of a home.

It appears that things which are said to connect us, keep us more disconnected than ever.

In medicine it is said that heart disease is the number one killer in America. No wonder… it appears that we have lost our heartbeat, and the decomposition that follows is what we are now experiencing. We no longer have a heart for our fellow man; no longer feel the pain of one another. The richest can walk by and in some cases walk over the poorest on the way to the finest dining establishments.

Our young are searching for that feel, hence the language, “you feel me” as they try to sort out their feelings and sadly there are not enough examples of those with feeling. Bob Marley, in one of his songs, called it the “Rat Race”, he sings

“Oh, it’s a disgrace to see the human race in a rat race.”

If you lost your phone, how many numbers do you know by heart? When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses? Observe the majesty that surrounds us? Bring the beat back.

Bro Richard

The music of our time helps to define our life’s journey. A walk through the sounds of black life in America may begin with the gospels of our ancestors, sung with heavy hearts, bowed heads, while their minds focused on a brighter day.

The later years found us, reaching deep within producing music we called, soul. We wondered aloud with Marvin Gaye’s, “What’s going on?” The music of Motown gave us a litany of stars, to mention any would be to mention too few. From Diana Ross to the Jackson Five, we remember them all.

We found the funk in the years to follow, and made it to Hip Hop, a style born out of the blended cultures of West Indian and Black American experiences. Tupac was paroled from prison and ended up on Death Row, little did we know that in a state where a Terminator became Governor, we would lose two of our brightest stars.

The South got going again, with the sounds of the No Limit crew. Today many are wondering have we lost our way? Nas has proclaimed that Hip Hop is now officially dead. Today we can use that reflection to see that as our music changed so did our values, our understanding of love, and the importance of building family. Lost along the way has also been our moral compass, we now proudly call ourselves niggas, bitches and hoes.

Our young don’t function well in schools, but know all the lines to the latest songs, our young and gifted see no responsibility to even ask the question as Marvin did.

With a rare exception there is hardly any uplift in the lyrics of today’s music. Shout out to those who keep trying.

What are record executives looking for? What is their thought behind the kind of “music” they are putting out? And can you destroy one set of young people without destroying them all?

Should not culture be an uplifting part of the human experience? Today our children are told about the Carter, where they should always be strapped, where they can get some birthday sex, while the others have a lollipop, while some look for their own cover girl. Just one thing, make sure it’s all being covered on the video phone.

Thank God for the Internet and the ability to support artist outside of the mainstream, Jay Electronica and others come to mind. I have often wondered if this is the reason Pac had to be murdered, as he was changing from Tupac into Makaveli.

As the sayin goes, “give me that old time religion.”

Bro Richard

I was asked a question recently; it is one I have asked myself. How does one find their purpose in life?  Most work jobs that give the soul very little satisfaction, the word from within is that there must be something more to life than this, but what do we do, how do we find it? I once asked that same question of Minister Farrakhan, his response was “what you do, that you love to do, that you do well and which gives you joy, is more than likely what you were born to do.”

Most of us have something that we really enjoy doing, however it may seem silly to others when we dare express our real desires. Jobs in today’s world represent safety, and some measure of security. In the midst of such uncertain times, a world in flux, wars and rumors of wars, the words of the prophet Bob Marley come to mind:

“life is one big road with lots of signs, so when you riding through the ruts don’t you complicate your mind, flee from hate, mischief and jealousy, don’t bury your thoughts put your visions to reality. All together now wake up and live y’all.”

This is a time of universal change; the winds of change are all around us, and many are being forced into doing for themselves. There is no Santa coming from anywhere to leave us any presents. Our presents are just that, that we are yet still PRESENT in the classroom of our creator. Stories abound about individuals of all ages, stages and races who having lost their job decided to give that thought a try, whatever it may be put your vision to reality. Not in an irresponsible way of course, but pray, prepare and plan. Read entrepreneurial books, check out the “Esecret.com” by Cedric Muhammad a leading economist, that tells you all you need to get started, in spite of the troubled times.

Don’t tell people what you are planning, in most cases only those closest should be consulted, preferably those who know you the best. An idea spoken before time is likened to a premature child; the organs needed to survive may not be fully developed. If you speak your idea and have not done the necessary planning the haters will try to put out that light and most times they do. When you do talk to others make sure they are like minded individuals, who themselves are doing something, you may need to change your circle of friends for this.

Bob Marley goes on to say,

“Rise you mighty people, there’s work to be done so let’s do it little by little, rise from your sleepless slumber.”

If you still have a job, be thankful while at the same time begin working on your vision, for as the saying goes whatever the mind can conceive, it can achieve!

Remember you gotta wake up and live.

Bro Richard

In the midst of foreclosures, bank failures, job losses, and massive debts, we would all be benefitted by remembering the simple things.

Perhaps the fact that much of the country is shut in will cause us to consider giving gifts that don’t cost… gifts that won’t take us further into the slavery that is debt. Give the gift of love. Tell someone you love them and mean it. Hug a child in need of a warm embrace, do something for the elderly, feed the homeless or call a friend with whom you’ve lost contact. Apologize to someone we know we’ve offended or say an encouraging word to a fellow traveler along life’s road.

And for oneself, take time and take a deep breath, find a place of natural beauty and take a moment or two to reflect. Say a prayer and be thankful for the year that was, and consider the possibilities of tomorrow. Keep hope alive. Get the family together and remember that in a family there are many things, that’s why it’s called a family, so embrace all the members of the family and be thankful.

Remember the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, on both sides, whether you agree or not, these are all human beings that come from families. Christmas is called a time of peace and goodwill towards men. Are these not men and women. And if we care not for their humanity, will they ever care for ours?

Tell someone you love them, for you may not get another chance. 

While there are many who do not celebrate the traditions of Christmas, nevertheless we wish you a season of peace and reflection, free from unrealistic expectations driven by corporate greed. Just a thought, when will the retail giants begin to give away their gifts to those who support them all year? When will the banks begin to give the gifts of lowered mortgage payments to those in desperate need?

Oh well, Merry Christmas!

Most of us have attended religious institutions where we have been told of the love of a creator, the love of his messengers, prophets etc. Yet in the very house in which we are taught these wonderful lessons, seldom is there a true practice of those principles. We attend schools and grow into our young adulthood never really having known love. Kudos to those parents and families that were built around love, the ones in which the examples were so beautiful we carry them the rest of our lives.

Today far too many of us confuse love with lust, that desire for physical pleasure that is a part of the human experience that must be controlled. The danger of such is that in a society where sex is ever present, young girls can now go to the school “guidance” counselor and receive information on abortions, never having to tell their parents.

How do our young girls find themselves in these situations? They are yet seeking love. Many encounter that young boy who has himself never known a man who could give him the example of how to love and the responsibilities that love brings. In particular the young girl may be looking for a love that is born out of that novel idea, maybe the tales of the knight in shining armor, in this case an individual who appears able to remove her from the immediate environment. After nature has taken its course and the young man’s lust has been satisfied he may no longer feel the need to communicate in any other way except on the physical. If life is ever conceived, in most cases the young man has now encountered an area for which he is totally unprepared. They may both want the child thinking they will give the unborn what they themselves know they have never known. Or father to be may disappear altogether as is often the case, only because he does not know what love really is. 

Love is freedom, justice and equality. What you love you free to be itself. A friend of mine once said it like this:

“love is like a bird in your hand. If you squeeze too tight, you kill the bird. If you release your hold and the bird flies off, if it returns it was always yours, if it does not, it never was.”

What you love you give justice to. Justice has been described as the principle of fair dealing. In short to treat others as you want to be treated. Love is equality, what you love you treat as an equal. 

I have often studied elderly couples, it obviously is not the physical that has kept them together, which has informed me in understanding that real love, stands alone. It is like water it ebbs and it flows, it knows highs and lows. It is sometimes salty, sometimes sweet.  It cleanses and heals, and in time it washes away all things.

Schools have taken to giving out condoms; children are continuing to experiment with their sexuality in ever increasing and some very dangerous ways. Hip hop culture is now filled with overtly sexual messages being ingested by children and young adults who are victimized daily as a result of a culture that has lost its soul. And yet some parents remain unable to have frank discussions with our children about it.

Meanwhile in the so called mainstream, there is a fascination with celebrities, and the salacious details of their sexual escapades. What they did and who they did it with becomes headline grabbing news. In a world filled with hunger, poverty, war and strife, who Tiger Woods had sex with becomes the topic of every discussion.  

It’s been said that women use sex to get love, while men will use love to get sex. Let’s look at this statement. Why would a young woman of today, in light of sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and failed relationships, risk herself and future? The answer is love.  The blogosphere is filled with sites that deal with love and sex and their relationship. 

When we speak of love it is a word whose definitions seems to be constantly changing. Minister Farrakhan once said that most of what is called love in this world is in fact need, under an alias called love. In a community filled with single family homes, among a people chasing things, there is not enough real love. Our children venture out of homes looking for something their soul is yearning for, sadly as parents many of us did not receive what we are now unable to give. The Bible tells us that love is many things, has many forms, and comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. We are told that love is kind and love is patient, to name a few. Many songs have been sung, many poems written and even more said about this seemingly elusive love. We all know within our human hearts that what the world needs now more than ever is love, in all her definitions, languages, and forms. 

For the purpose of this post, we examine the way love is used in relationships. Men who themselves have not known love or having misunderstood the love they knew, encounter women, who find themselves often looking for love in all the wrong places. It was mentioned to me that at a recent event, the incomparable Susan Taylor remarked:

“hurt people, hurt people.”

While this statement appears simple, it is very profound.

How can we who have never known love, turn around and give love? No wonder most of our relationships are devoid of substance; our young people now meet on MySpace and Facebook, while texting and sexting are now acceptable forms of communication. 

Meanwhile, nature’s forces within us draw us into close contact with each other, only long enough to satisfy nature’s call. From these encounters come offspring who are themselves now a part of a cycle. Young girls with no fathers, hoping for a love that seems to have eluded their mothers. These would be daddy’s little girls, but in the absence of a true father, comes a hurt young boy, trying to figure out how to become the man.

Bro Richard