Posts Tagged by community
Community Building is Revolutionary
| May 20, 2013 | Posted by admin under Musings |
Last week I took the opportunity to attend the PAALF (Portland African American Leadership Forum) intergenerational forum. Whenever Black people get together to talk, skeptics ask questions like, “Why? What’s the point? What are you actually going to get accomplished?” People have no shortage of excuses for passing up these events. They will focus…
Sometimes
| May 5, 2013 | Posted by admin under Musings |
Sometimes I get so angry I go to black businesses And spend as much as I can afford. I tip 30 instead of 15. Sometimes I get so annoyed I tell my woman how beautiful her curls are. I drool over her complexion. I get so mad I tell her to never lose her…
The Privilege Bubble
| April 6, 2013 | Posted by admin under Musings |
Lack of Foresight and Bad Examples While enjoying some pizza earlier this week, a friend posed the question, “What was your favorite part of the LO (Lake Oswego) Woodshop class?” The three of us at the table chuckled. If you missed the joke, it’s because we never had such a class. Our education was based…
Freedom
| March 30, 2013 | Posted by admin under Music for Thought, Musings |
Awhile back, while attending a lecture by Immortal Technique, someone in the audience asked him about the Seattle WTO protests and what his thoughts were on the necessity of violent tactics in demonstrations. I’ll never forget his response. To paraphrase, he said that anyone can go out in a blaze of glory. What is truly…
Believe it or Not, Your Least Favorite Artist Really Isn’t Destroying the Community
| March 22, 2013 | Posted by admin under Music for Thought, Musings |
No week goes by without someone talking about how negative rap music is destroying the Black community. Apparently, not just are these ignorant rappers not “real,” but they are killing our children’s minds. This line of thought always bothered me. I’d be lying if I said emcees don’t have an influence, especially on impressionable young…
National Punch a Sexist A-Hole in the Face Day
| March 12, 2013 | Posted by admin under Musings |
Every time I hear the latest story of a woman being sexually abused, harassed or simply having some creeper at the bus stop shamelessly undressing her with his eyes, I want to start National Punch a Sexist Asshole in the Face Day. It would be a 24/7 365 holiday. The fact is, there is…
Check Me Out on Oregon Voter’s Digest
| May 22, 2012 | Posted by admin under Journalism, Musings |
This past Sunday I was the guest for an hour on Oregon Voter’s Digest, hosted by Bruce Broussard. I discussed cultural ignorance in education and the role of parenting in helping students thrive in school. Check it out here.
Journey to Freedom to Host Malcolm X Birthday Weekend
| May 17, 2012 | Posted by admin under Journalism |
While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is a widely celebrated national holiday, there is considerably less fanfare for the birthdate of Black icon Malcolm X. “We don’t see events that honor him like Dr. King,” says Karanja Crews, founder of the Journey to Freedom Project (JTF). As a response, JTF is hosting its Malcolm…
NPR’s Michele Norris Graces YWCA’s Inspire Luncheon
| May 15, 2012 | Posted by admin under Journalism |
When National Public Radio host Michele Norris came to Portland last Wednesday to address the YWCA Inspire Luncheon, she focused on the pressing issues of racism and domestic violence. In her keynote speech before the multiracial crowd of YWCA supporters, Norris talked about an online initiative she started called The Race Card Project, in which…
Chaplain Maj. Trisa Kelly: Making History in Oregon — Again
| May 8, 2012 | Posted by admin under Journalism |
Trisa Kelly is surprised she is making history. “I’m amazed that in 2012 you can still be a first Black anything,” she says. Last month, Kelly was named to Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ (ODVA) governor-appointed Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee — the first Black woman to be appointed, and the youngest to serve. She was…
