Uptown Notes

Nas’ song has been burning through my head as of late. Could be the late nights, early morning, the travelling, the writing, but whatever it is, it’s in my head. The events of the past week with Don Imus really made me think about the traditions that we carry on or let go. After a week Imus has been dropped from TV and Radio syndication, largely as the result of two folks who will inevitablely be chastised, berated and hated. The names Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are (in)famous. In talking to people, even the ones who have no clear “politics”, they can always muster an opinion on Jesse and Al and “the old civil rights guard.” What’s yours? I’m going to give you some of mine below.

I guess part of this is written in defense of Jesse and Al, especially when I see more and more people calling for their ‘removal from office’ or any other downgrading metaphor. We all know neither of them are elected officials, but even without election, they “play their position.” When many folks see Jesse and Al they look at them as glorified camera and victim chasers, but honestly have you ever thought that it’s the cameras that chase them now? Now granted to get the attention they now garner, they had to chase some cameras over the years, but as a dear friend once pointed out to me, when Jesse and Al show, the media shows. Even whenJesse and Al threaten to bring the cameras out change gets facilitated. Now I don’t think these are the brothas and sistahs who are in the trenches locally every day, that would be ridiculous to suggest, but sometimes they get the shine to those who need it in the trenches. The combination of their visibility and hard grassroots work can lead to some really impressive outcomes.

Sure Foxnews will wield Tawana Brawley and Hymietown references as their alpha & omega, but for all their “failures” haven’t they brought some justice forth?As we step out to combat injustice the targets on our back become large, sometimes it blows up in our faces, but nonetheless, shouldn’t we remain committed? Who has the committment and conviction to speak out on these things?

So when we talk about removing the old guard and redefining our goals as a people, who will carry on tradition? For that matter, should tradition even be carried on? Surely Al and Jesse aren’t the only tradition we have. If you go to any locale you will find small time heroes who lead big lives, but never get/got the respect they deserve. Over in Benton Harbor a warrior is imprisoned. In Detroit a warrior slashes weekly with her pen. A month ago we saw a legend give his last public words down the street from where much of it all began. The struggles we engage in daily are local, but are at same time global.

A couple years back I really anticipated Todd Boyd’s book the New HNIC: The Death of Civil Rights and the Reign of Hip Hop anxiously. But when I finally read it, I was disappointed. Mainly because questions of renewal and redefinition of the movement were largely glazed over or missed. As the young vanguard, do we believe in leaders? What does new leadership look like if so? What will be the moments that define our lives and our children’s lives, because always remember a few short moments can change the course of history.

… and I still have a crush on Dawn from En Vogue!

So thanks for bearing with a brotha’s absence. I knew I had been pretty awol when people I know started telling me, “Everytime I go back to your page it says “Welcome to March.” Even though I’m slow to update, thanks for checking me out. Aight, to the meat and potatoes.

First, let me say that Blacksmythe has been posting like everything I wanted to post lately, so let me just give a big ol’ link right here to his site. If you don’t know him, get to know him. I haven’t met him before, but I’ve been hearing about him since I stepped foot in A2 and his reputation continues to grow nationally.

The one thing he missed that is key to my life… the new Black Disney princess! If you know me, I am a Disney addict. This is a result of my Dad and loving cartoons. I know that Disney has a lot of issues (many of which I refuse to acknowledge, don’t even try it) but this princess is FINALLY a step in the right direction. This of course does not negate the fact that as Disney travelled the globe when they got to Africa they decided to draw animals… coincidence, I think not. Nor does it speak to the copious absence of my Latino folks, but it is a beginning. I mean come on guys they only had 84 years to gear up and after Song of the South I think they needed to take a little time.

In other news, this week I had a chance to co-host theAddicted to Race podcast with Carmen over at Racialicious. We talked about the CBCI and FoxNews partnering and the David Mills post on the redeeming uses of the word nigger. For more info on how I feel, check that out.

Lastly, U of M released the report of the Diversity Blueprints Task Force. You can find the report here, it’s surprisingly short. I will probably dedicate a post to this in the near future.

Hey, sorry haven’t be in the blogging spirit as of late. Not like writer’s block, kinda just tired’s block. Ya know. I’ll be back soon with some freshness, hopefully.

So last month was Black history month and now that the television, radio, and fast food are done “honoring our legacy” I’d thought I’d help you along. You see, every year I feel a little loss of something special with the passing of BHM. So today I present to you the introduction to the opposites sketch (what you know about that? Definitely one of my favorite Canadian productions, wanna know another one of my favorites now? Keep reading).

If you’ve ever been to a predominantly Black event like a BBQ, wedding, a club outing in Detroit, you know that Black folks love to do some line dancing. Whether it’s the Hustle, the Cha Cha Slide or the Electric Slide we’re on the floor tearing it up. I’ve always felt a particular disdain for these dances. I mean come on, doesn’t it seem like some sick form of epic memory of when they brought our ancestors on deck “to dance” for exercise (yeah, I know I’m wrong)? With that being said, I have further reason to never Electric Slide or “Electric” again. His name is Ric Silver and he claims to be the original choreographer of the dance (like I care!). He’s wants to preserve it, take a look (I refuse to put a link to this clown’s sight). Now that you’ve watched, doesn’t that just make the dance 100 times wacker? So now that I’ve shown that a White man “created” the Electric Slide. I’d like to take you on another loop.

As the great African-American philosopher Lonnie Rasheed Lynn, that’s Common to ya’ll, said, “I stand out like a nigga on a hockey team, I got goals and I can like a pop machine.” When we think of ice hockey, we seldom think of Black folks on the ice getting it. Well, if the White man can “create” the Electric Slide, then Black folks can pioneer the forms of hockey we see played today in the NHL and internationally. Wanna know more, click here to get your weight up.

Alright, now if you’re like me, you’re sufficiently tripped out. I’m just trying to transition you back into normal society. And while you’re transitioning, remember Black History Month is all over, so no more talking about Black people’s struggles for equality in public, it seems to make folks nervous ;)

1) Why do I know in a couple days it will be impossible to find all these good documentaries on Black folks on TV anymore?

2) When will BET get real and put The launch of BET on their list of events that Mishaped Black America?

3) When will people realize saying “I’m mad at you” or “We need to talk” are inversely related to my pursuit of them for a conversation?

4) Are you offended by the Geico caveman commericials?

5) Now that I’m bumping Liberation, when will Eardrum finally come out?

6) Now that I’m bumping Tru3 Magic, when will we get a Blackstar reunion album?

7) Now that You So Crazy is over 10 years old, can we officially call it the Delirious of my generation?

8) How come when I was growing up no one ever told me that Patty Hearst and Charles Manson had some racial ish at the core?

9) Shouldn’t no one get the prize money on the White Rapper Show?

10) Black Snake Moan…. wtf????

This Black History Month is flying by me, but I’m trying to make some Black History of my own, so forgive my absence. A couple things have come across my desk that I gotta mention. First, the Nation has an EXCELLENT piece on White History. Originally I had planned to do a whole series on White History during the month of February for the haters of BHM. As always, time kept slipping and I didn’t get around to it, but you should read this piece. One of my favorite excerpts,

. That’s because so much of Black History Month takes place in the passive voice. Leaders “get assassinated,” patrons “are refused” service, women “are ejected” from public transport. So the objects of racism are many but the subjects few. In removing the instigators, the historians remove the agency and, in the final reckoning, the historical responsibility.

On the Native front,two important things went down recently. The budget for the Urban Indian health program has been cut AGAIN! This has real consequences, check it out and contact your local elected official about this cut.

On the more symbolic front (kinda), Chief Illinwek is dead. Finally.

As I returned to my state of Michigan a few weeks ago, I was greeted with the image of a dark skinned man sporting a fedora tipped to the side with a magenta shirt, and a white striped suit strolling out of the courthouse. In a matter of moments, for better or for worse, I knew I was home. As I visited my favorite Internet sites, I saw the image of Nathaniel Abraham splattered around. Abraham’s flamboyance in dress attracted heavy media attention, but just 8 years ago his use of shotgun grabbed national attention. As I turned on the news, video of him strolling in the parking lot in his suit was accompanied by voice overs discussing how residents were up in arms that Abraham was going free and would live in an apartment and attend college on the state’s dime. It was almost as if I could her the music entering as the news described the scary welfare queen in redux, this time only in the form of the cold blooded Black male killer. Let me make this clear up front, this piece is not about supporting Nathaniel Abraham’s killing, nor his dress, nor anything of that sort. This piece is about understanding what Nathaniel Abraham means to us and what he should represent to us, not what we’ve come to represent him as.

The heresy with which Michigan residents were disgusted by the prospect of Abraham being eligible for programs designed for abandoned youth, is the same disgust they should have felt when he was tried as an adult. It is the same disgust that we should hold when young men and women of color are released back into a society with few social supports. To me, it’s not a mystery that when a person, is isolated from social opportunities from childhood, and then you force them to “participate” fully there will be issues. As the old adage goes, “you gotta crawl before you ball.” Spending nearly half your life in prison cannot prepare you to succeed outside of prison. As the cameras snapped images of a man in outlandish attire, I could only see a manchild.

Recently when I was spending time with my little brother who is 11 and we began talking about independence and what his mother let’s him do. A typical conversation among pre-teens. As we talked, eventually we ended up telling him the story of Nathaniel Abraham, he looked on in shock and disbelief. My little brother is smart, top of his class, has his “head on straight” and I quickly realized the idea of leaving society and returning in 9 years was unimaginable. He, probably like most 11 year olds, found the prospect hard to swallow. As we talked more he repeatedly asked me questions like, “What happened to Nathaniel?” “Why’d he do (the murder) what he did?” These were difficult questions to answer. I still cannot fully answer them, but even my inability to answer speaks volumes.

I wonder about Nathaniel, not simply because he’s a human, but because I wonder what kind of world produces a manchild like him. I remember reading Fox Butterfield’s account of Willie Bosket and thinking that he told part of the story. Though I may not be able to retrace Nathaniel’s life, I’m sure there are more than enough elements that would trouble us. While the national cameras usually fixate on Detroit as a city in decline or post decline, seldom do people think of Pontiac. Pontiac, which sits not far from Detroit, is just as ripe with social ills and dangers: high amounts of crime, drugs, unemployment, and single headed households. While we all love the stories of “beating the odds” and want to highlight the exceptions to the rules of poverty, these stories are in many ways disingenuous. I think Nathaniel represents the rule, the rule that we need to grapple with, simply put: Your chances for success (however you define it) are severely limited (if not eliminated) if you grow up poor, Black, and male in America.

As the media spins images of Nathaniel “pimping the system” and people grow concerned that a “monster” lives on state support, we still have to ask, what/who created this “monster”? In reality, we all did. When we neglect and ignore the conditions of the youth, particularly poor and Black youth, we are assured that Nathaniel will not be the last Nathaniel. When there is bipartisan support for cutting social programs, we assure the development of the manchild. When we assume that things “aren’t that bad” because we can see downtown Detroit open a few shops, we ink poor children’s fates. Unfortunately, there will be more Nathaniels, people locked away with little ability to transition back into “society.” So the next time you hear of them getting “social support” before you ask “How could this happen?” you should ask “How did this happen?” In my estimation, his apartment and some tuition are a pittance compared to the life that we allowed Nathaniel to live before. Lastly, ask yourself, if you were Nathaniel, could you live up to the request of Judge Eugene Moore, “Show us all that you have become a caring, productive member of society”, without assistance.

So the coming of February marks the arrival of Black History Month. Inevitably each year I hear outcries of “where’s White history month” or people reducing our month to a series of quiz bowl like facts. I will address these issues later, but for right now I wanted to highlight some contemporary Black history. It come from Nas. Hip Hop is arguably one the greatest cultural forms in the last 30 years, with that said, we have a rich, yet forgotten history. As Nas said,
Rap is like a ghost town.
Like these folks never existed, they the reason rap became addictive.
Nas dropped some gems on us with his series of “Where are they now” tracks inspired by his song on Hip Hop is Dead. For me listening to these is like strolling down memory lane, hope you enjoy them the same!

80s Remix
90s remix
West Coast Remix

Recognize those flows????

In the rush of posting my update the other day I forgot a couple of things that I thought were important. First, check out this NY Times piece on colleges’ responses to banning of Aff Axn in higher ed (note I didn’t say race preferences).

Second, on Tuesday U of M’s local conservakids Young Americans for Freedom are hosting “Three Ex-Terrorists”. As you may recall, YAF is the same org that brought us “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day” and a host of other ridiculously intolerant demonstrations. In response, students are organizing a peaceful walk out. They are asking folks to show up wearing yellow (just a shirt, not a whole outfit, no one wants you to look like a banana) at about 6pm and when the event starts around 7, join in the demonstration to walk out. A simple yet powerful display. This reminds me of years go when David Horowitz came to U of M and the BSU filled the audience and when he entered we, in unison, crossed our arms instead of clapping. *As a side note, BAMN soured that great demonstration as they have soured a number of demos. I digress, you should find yourself in Rackham Ampitheatre walking it out.

I usually ignore “post me” emails since they’re stupid stuff, but not the one I just got from Elizabeth de la Vega. This Wednesday at Shaman Drum on State St. at 7pm Elizabeth de la Vega (U of M alum) is giving a book talk on U.S. v. Bush. The book essentially puts Bush et al on trial for their fraud regarding the Iraq debacle. You can read an excerpt here. I was listening to Howard Zinn last night on CSPAN (yeah that is what I do on Saturday nights, don’t hate!) and he was mentioning how impeachment is not really as radical as most Americans conceive, as he put it “after all its in the constitution.” So for the masses who are much more comfortable being middle of the road, maybe that will seel them on bringing of G.W. up on charges ;)

So make sure to make it out the house Tuesday and Wednesday night at 7, you don’t good at jeopardy anyway!

Aight, well I did revise the Black woman anthem for the title post. Sorry I’ve been absent. I’ve been working on 2 posts that take a little bit of thinking but they’re not ready yet, so be on the look out for “The Welfare Queen in Redux” and “Kill Your (Reality) TV”. On another note, Ann has been kind enough to pass along a story on banning the N word that I would have posted if I wasn’t running crazy. Interesting policy of 500 dollar fine proposed. And I’m still wondering, did all this really come about as the result of Richards rant?

On the update side, I’ve been grinding. I went back east, spent time at home, in the city and in the barbershop all of which were tremendously productive. I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I even accepted a job, so come the fall, Black at Michigan will be Black at … wouldn’t you like to know ;) I’ll be back soon. Thanks for stopping by.