songhaiNews...

Issue.5

November/December 2007

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Fact or Opinion?

By Alua Aumade

There is no time like the present, the upcoming 2008 presidential election fairs to be the most important in American history. Each generation and demographic will consider its own needs and vote appropriately. I don’t think our generation is so blindly allegiant to one party or another as older individuals. Thus, we will tend to be more swayed by the most recent political on-goings.

As of late, the conservative Republican Party’s image seems to have been marred by a series of scandals (the most recent being Idaho Senator Larry Craig‘s bathroom scandal) which goes against some of their more rigid moral beliefs. Outside of Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, I don’t think any other candidates stand a chance for the Democratic Party nomination. Clinton, though very seasoned, thick-skinned, and politically keen, seems to be quite polarizing.

People are usually strongly for her or strongly against her, which, considering the increasingly divisive nature of politics among the American people will be a hindrance when she tries to convince all Americans to believe her vision. Obama on the other hand lacks experience in international affairs and not a politically savvy like Clinton. But, I don’t believe a president must be exceptionally scholarly considering the fact that he or she will appoint the brightest political minds to advise in decision-making.

Thus, I think Obama’s managerial skills, ideal thinking, and charisma will serve him well, especially in bringing the country together. After those considerations, it’s very much a matter of personal choice. Are we even going to exercise our right to vote? I’d like to think that we would unfailingly exercise a right that our parents and grandparents fought for back in the day. However, there are people in our generation that cannot give you the name of a single candidate that is running.

For many people, it’s come to a point where their vote doesn’t matter. Some believe, and rightfully so, that despite how they vote, their socioeconomic condition will remain unchanged. Often times those that are elected aren’t concerned with the well-being of some of their constituents anyway. Have the generations preceding us failed to instill in us political responsibility?

Generally, I think they’ve taught us admirably. Because of our parents, most of us have always known the importance of voicing our political opinion through voting. However, when it comes to being activists, or being proactive in the political process outside of voting, we’ve gotten the sense that it is reserved for only the extreme cases (i.e. Jena 6).

The sense of complacency arises because we want to compare the overt injustices with the hard-to-see, covert injustices. Moreover, we seem to want to deem a covert injustice less worthy of standing up and marching for because it is not so easily perceived. Usually, the covert unfairness manifests itself in the most overt ways.

Therefore, in this sense, we don’t fully assume our political responsibilities despite how well intentioned our parents were when they taught us.

Leading the Way in the 21st Century!

By Jasmine vann, Staff Writer

TransAfrica Leader Randall Robinson is the most politically relevant writer in the Black community to date/currently because he speaks about and to social issues/ issues that effect Black people transnationally. From the healing that needs to occur within to the reparations that need to occur without/ externally.

He speaks in the face of challenges and naysayers to author books such as The Debt, The Reckoning, Quitting America: The Departure of the Black Man from his Native Land, Defending the Spirit and his new book An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, From Revolution to Kidnapping the President. Robinson is at the vanguard for social justice.

His prolific and heartfelt speeches have been heard across campuses and lecture halls in America. He brings an awareness to the forefront that inspires and provokes young Black Americans and seasoned Black Americans alike to stand up and speak out, rather to sit idly by and allow their history, their future, to be dictated to them by those outside the realm of experience and thus inept to address-correct what is necessary and needed.

His discussion about our experience and the need for the truth to be told is enough to agitate our people to rise up and take matters whether it is healthcare to the presidential race to see ourselves as a viable and key component of American society.

Our sitting in the dark and being oblivious to issues that have plagued and continue to plague our community is killing our young men and women and our negligence is sending our mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles to early graves because we are not equipping ourselves to be a healthy people holistically and most importantly politically.

Policies are being set in motion that will dictate the lives of our youth for years to come and it is up to us to ban together to take Washington by storm.

Muddling a nation’s identity confuses and handicaps them as to what their full capabilities are, but Robinson does and amazing and thorough job of providing the lens through which we are to see ourselves as a self-determining, capable and strong people.

Black National News: “Ghetto-Fabulous Parties, a Poor Façade for Blatant Racism”

By Joshua Delano, Staff Writer

A party put on by white students at Clemson University in South Carolina this past January to “commemorate” Martin Luther King Day was yet another sad day in the history of the dis-United States of America. In mockery and the vein of their predecessors’ minstrel shows these white students played rap music while wearing fake teeth grills, stuffed padding in the seat of their pants mocking black females, while drinking 40s and flashing gang signs.  This is not a new phenomenon nor is it solely the doing of white fraternities and sororities, but likewise the work of conservative student groups on campus holding “affirmative action” bake sales and “white only” scholarships.Â

Another similar act of racism passed off as a crusade against political correctness and liberalism at American Universities are called “south of the border,” or “taco and tequila” parties. As detailed in C. Richard King’s article in ColorLines, these parties mock Latino’s as the “young women feigned pregnancy, the young men played at being cholo and everyone reveled in the symbols and spectacle they associate with Mexican Americans.

 These aren’t just isolated incidents but these are actually being perpetuated by bastions of the conservative movement like the Young America’s Foundation and Intercollegiate Studies Institute battle against political correctness on campus. Whether they know it or not, they are giving way to a new kind of racism, justifying it in new ways.

Conservative groups like these, according to The Nation, pour over 35 million dollars into college campuses each year. Thus, white students who identify with the sentiment of their ideologies feel that they are not represented because they have somehow become oppressed though being the majority.Â

 As long as there is an upward trend in corporate influence on US college campuses, such as student bookstores and dining services run by corporations (sound familiar), there will be money poured into countering the “counter-culture” that conservative organizations consider the parasitical leach on the underbelly of American Universities. As long as Universities are painted as a nesting place for ex college radicals to serve as Deans, Chairs of Departments and your professors, these conservative organizations will find new and interesting ways of maintaining the undercurrent of hatred. Our country is supposed to be one that is based on such clichés as “United We Stand,” and “E Pluribus Unum(Out of Many, One).”Â

When can we get away from the undercurrent of what is really facing us and become thus? In reality we have people with money seeking to demonize the true minorities on campus by what they will likely maintain as “poking innocent fun,” while they hide behind free speech. All the while they seek to tear down other people especially other races for not conforming to a lock-step march with the majority.Â

 If out of many we are one, then why not just be what we are and admit what we do. Still, we discriminate, but use new and loosely legal means to do so. Why do so few with so much seem to be able to tap into innate stupidity of the greater whole so that they may undermine the masses while maintaining their grip on our throats. How wonderful it would be if we would come together and be united and seek true change, what a day that would be.Â

 However, human greed, mistrust, ignorance, and arrogance seem to rule the day while we are divided. Not only is class disparity there, but racism is always just below the surface waiting and hoping to rear it’s ugly head in new ways.

God would not have us to be this way. If he is merciful, why aren’t we as mankind, as human beings? Why can’t we stop oppressing one another and just realize we are all the same and all a bit different? At the end of the day we all eat, sleep, seek love, rest, and refuge …and hopefully to make this world a little better than we left it when we leave for our reward in eternity.

Times May Not Change, but We Should

By Christine Pierre

The more things change, the more they stay the same. In a time of changing technology and advancement, racism continues to plague our country now just as much as it did during the 20^th Century. Of course, the method of racism, for the most part, no longer involves lynching or Jim Crow tactics, but, the legal system remains a battlefield for many racial injustices.

In Jena, LA six black young men are in the process of being tried for aggravated assault for a school yard fight. However, all the students involved in the incident have not been charged. The white ones. It is easy to point out the wrongs of the white people in the justice system in Jena, but we must ask ourselves what part has our community - black people with power and a voice - played in this going too far? After speaking with several people one can draw the conclusion that this case did not (at its onset) have national attention, and it was not been pushed enough by prominent Blacks to receive the attention it deserved.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Michael Vick, charged with animal cruelty, was on every news outlet daily because of his celebrity. Yet, six innocent lives are in danger and there is no fuss. There is no fuss until the last minute.

Our leaders tend to show up to speak on a matter once it has become vital; there must be more of a proactive stance amongst black leaders so that our cases have a fighting chance. Names like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have recently come up, yet 17-year old Mychal Bell sat in jail for nine months, the first of the Jena six to be tried, on a $90,000 bond since December 2006.

This was in no way a NEW case and yet it was new to many. There have been several incidents in the past four years such as the groom that was shot and killed by the New York Police Department’s use of excessive force, the treatment of blacks in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and now there are the Jena 6.

All of these incidents have displayed that times have not changed in reference to racial tensions and actions inAmerica, despite them things must change amongst our black community leaders.

We have to come together to protect each other and our children, and not just when it is convenient. The families of these six are not wealthy and we should have already come together for them financially. These young men should receive our attention, focus, and resources like their names were Michael Vick.

Unfortunately, there may not be much that can be done and Governor Blanco has not responded in aid. Our leaders may have shown up too late.

Hip Hop NEEDS a MIC Chek…

By Kalaiah Vaughn, Contributing Writer

Self-Destruction…

We’re headed for self-destructionÂ

It is my opinion that the subconscious penetration of hip-hop into the psyche of the collective black community and popular American culture is indeed a factor in vilifying representations of black women running rampant. Hip-hop culture appropriates sex as a hallmark of masculinity and loyalty to black men so much so, that labels such as ‘bitch’ and ‘ho’ that used by some black women in an exegeses on their womanhood.

These labels for black womanhood are the bastard children of Aretha Franklin’s demands for “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” and the absenteeism of their fathers is only paralleled by the near nonexistence of rappers who choose to be black men. If Cheryl “Salt” James of the legendary girl rap group Salt-n-Pepa was accurate in saying black women follow the lead of black men, I have no choice but to conclude black women are allowing black men to drag them through the muck and mire of violence, disrespect, commodification, promiscuity, hyper masculinity, and hyper sexuality to the valley of self-destruction.

“Allow Me to

Re-Introduce Myself”Â

 In the above paragraph, it is possible that I appeared as a staunch opponent to the hip-hop genre as a whole. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Born in 1985, hip-hop and rhythm and blues are the soundtrack to my life. I idolized “The Flyy Gyrls” on In Living Color who danced to every popular hip-hop song at the show’s opening each week.

I learned the words to Tupac’s “Dear Mama,” thought Queen Latifah was ‘bad’ (ergo: great) when she asked brothers everywhere “Who you callin a bitch?” In eighth grade, I found refuge in The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill, and it was the first hip-hop album that I memorized backwards and forwards. I cried when she accepted all five of her Grammy awards for that album, and was overjoyed that her lyrical masterpiece on wax made Grammy history. But soon, my love for hip-hop was tested relentlessly.      Â

As I grew older, I found myself trying to defend the misogyny within hip-hop. I lied to myself by only listening to radio versions that deleted expletives, and vowed not to purchase albums that referred to women as ‘bitches’ or ‘hos.’ But the disrespect never stopped me from dancing to the music in the club, or turning up the volume on my radio each time they played the music.

As I began to step into my consciousness and fully understood my responsibilities as a black woman, I realized that I was no more just than the lyrics I held in such disdain if I danced to them or listened to the songs on the radio.

Once I became cognizant of my own hypocrisy, I started to put together the pieces of the hip-hop puzzle. I found that the genre is a microcosm of the black community, and most of the artists reflect pressing issues—violence, sexism against women, homophobia, and misogyny—that permeate black culture. I further discovered hegemony and white male patriarchy are the parents of black male supremacy, and helped to indoctrinate many black men with their skewed perceptions of masculinity and blackness. Â

In light of all of this knowledge, I asked myself, “What can I do?” Through my spiritual foundation and determination as a writer who seeks not to pacify but protest and empower, I picked up my pen and began to write. But I do not write in hopes of a Pulitzer Prize, but I write for my people.

I write for countless black girls everywhere who grow up just like I did: public schools, projects, and a paycheck from being poor. I shudder to think of my existence without two parents who loved me unconditionally and dared me to dream dreams that were bigger than the ‘hood, louder than the gunshots, and prettier than any video vixen.

But for the countless young black girls who are not so fortunate, I protest the injustices of hip-hop because it is imperative to empower young black girls if black people are to ever “overcome.” Someone must encourage black girls/women to understand that the power of their womanhood can never be bought or reduced to their physiques. I have committed my blossoming career as a writer to the uplift of black people as a whole with special attention to the education, empowerment, and experiences of black women. Â

And so I continue to write and each time I think of hip-hop, I remember the words of Lauryn Hill’s “Superstar:” “Come one baby light my fire/Everything you drop is so tired/Music is supposed to inspire/How come we can’t get no higher

Black.HISTORY

with Benjamin Woods

In my music, my plays, my films, I want to carry always this central idea-to be African.

Paul Robeson (1934)

Sankofa is an adrinka symbol from the Akan of West Africa which means “go back to the past to build for your future” or “return to the source.” What does Sankofa mean to the Arts? Everything. Today’s artists must question themselves as did Countee Cullen of the Harlem Renaissance era, in his poem Heritage: “What is Africa to me?” In the African conception, community includes Africans who are deceased, living, and those yet to be born.

Afrikan artists all over the world must Sankofa or “return to the source.” I have made the pilgrimage to the Elmina and Cape Coast dungeons where our ancestors were shipped to the Americas like property. I saw the ten by fifteen foot room where up to fifty of us were placed in with little ventilation and no plumbing. I saw the holding pen the size of a college dormitory where more than twenty “rebellious” men who refused to surrender their humanity were placed.

I walked through “the door of no return” and viewed the ocean where our ancestors would Sankofa by putting sand from the beach in their mouth before being put on a slave ship, not knowing if they would ever see home again. More recently, I volunteered at the Houston arena where the descendants of those same Afrikans were held in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After witnessing all those things, I agree with W.E.B. Dubois that “all art is propaganda and ever must be.

I say that whatever art I have for writing has been used always for propaganda for gaining the right of black folk to love and enjoy. I do not care a damn for any art that is not propaganda.”

Francis Watkins Harper, 19^th century African female activist, knew this when she wrote “Let me make songs for the people/ Songs for the old and young/songs to stir like a battle cry/ wherever they are sung.” Africans in America have a clear revolutionary heritage that is reflected in their art. 19^th century Black Nationalist Martin Delany wrote the novel Blake or Huts of America about a violent Black revolution to overthrow the slave system in the U.S. and Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay in

If We Must Die proclaimed: If we must die, let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accursed lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O kinsmen we must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!
What though before us lies the open grave?

Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back! This tradition lives on in hip-hop artists like Dead Prez or the revolutionary film by Sam Greenlee “The Spook Who Sat by the Door.” The Black Arts Movement was parallel to Black Power Movement and the goal of both movements was defined by Minister of Defense, Huey Newton.

He said they wanted power through “the ability to define phenomena and make it act in a desired manner.” In this article’s context, the phenomenon is art. Artists desired to develop a uniquely “black aesthetic.” In the essay, The Black Arts Movement brilliant literary critic Larry Neal declared, “Black Art is the aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black power concept…one is concerned with the relationship between art and politics; the other the art of politics… a main tenet of the Black power is to define the world on [our] own terms.

The Black artist has made the same point in the context of aesthetics.” Continental Africans believe fervently in Sankofa as well. Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima produced the exemplary film “Sankofa” to help us remember. Ghanaian writer Ayi Kwei Armah chronicled our “Two Thousand Seasons” of misery in which we have lost the way. Kenyan novelist, playwright, and activist Ngugi wa Thiong’o argues that language is not just a means of communications, but also a carrier of culture.

Therefore, for the past twenty-five years he has only written in Afrikan languages (Asante Sana to you all). In the “African Aesthetic and National Consciousness” Marimba Ani contends the role of the artist is to create symbols, images, and icons to build a collective Pan-African consciousness that is spiritual and political in nature. Through Sankofa, “going back to the past to build for the future” the arts can play a central role in our movement for national liberation and sovereignty.