3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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BLACKER THE BERRY NEWS
BLACK POWER Enough Iz Enough!!!!
“We been saying Freedom for six years. What we are going to start saying now is Black Power!” – Kwame Ture
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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GENOCIDE: and the Ongoing War Against Poor Black People Late entertainer Michael Jackson couldn’t have been more correct when he stated that the system doesn’t really care about US. Poor black people still suffer discrimination in the work place, gentrification, poverty, police brutality, mass incarceration and now systematic genocide through the poisoning of our water supply. Recently the water crisis in Flint, Michigan have been brought to the forefront. Activists are sending water to Flint, Michigan and some are even calling for the arrest of Governor Synder. There is no question that there is an all-out war on black folks and it is time for us as black people to WAKE UP!!! According to Yahoo News, In April, 2014 the city switched its water from Detroit to the local Flint river. Residents complained of the color and the smell of the water and some people broke out in rashes. Although there were several complaints by citizens, the city officials of Flint ignored these residents and continued to use the poisoned water which contained lead, E.coli and other harmful products. Now in 2016, the problems caused by the failure to act have had disastrous effects on its residents. All of the children in Flint have been poisoned. According to USA Today, “Eden Wells, Michigan's chief medical executive, said recently that all children who drank the city's water since April 2014 have been exposed to lead. That's 8,657 children, based on Census data.”1 People have gotten sick and some even died because of the polluted water. As Black people we must be clear when we analyze this issue and pay close attention to the facts! This was an all-out attack on poor black people. According at a CNN article in Flint, Michigan, “57% of residents are black and more than 41% of residents live beneath the poverty line (as compared 1
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/01/19/michigan-flint-watercontamination/78996052/#
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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to the state and national rates of 17% and 15%, respectively).” 2 So there is no question that if you are poor and black, the US government doesn’t give a damn about you! Furthermore, Governor Synder did not declare a state of emergency until January 5th and President Obama did not declare a federal state of emergency until January 16. This is said to be one of the worst health disasters in American history and yet the media remained silent for almost two years. Activists have donated millions of dollars for water and some have went even further and are demanding the resignation of Governor Synder. What we as black people have to understand that it is not just in Michigan where poor black people are being poisoned but across the country. It is up to us as black people, especially those who have the resources to find other means of getting our basic necessities because this government lies in the belly of corruption and the white man’s plan is to get rid of the poor blacks who they deem as “undesirable”.
A small child holds up a sign in Flint, Michigan that read, “A Slow Death for Our Children.” All of the children in Flint, Michigan were poisoned because of the toxic levels of lead in the water!!!!
2
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/18/us/flint-michigan-water-crisis-five-things/
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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THE BLACK BOURGEOISIE: Treating Symptoms and Not Solutions There’s so many black celebrities who have finally decided to speak out against racial injustice in America. Jada Pinkett Smith recently spoke out about black people not being nominated at the Oscars and Beyonce recently made a video that touched on police brutality. Though some black entertainers have spoken out and donated money to Black Lives Matter, there is much more that they must do. With the amount of money that the black bourgeoisie makes, they could have been created their own award shows and instead of them now protesting police brutality and having to bail activists out of jail, they could’ve spent their money and bought land for black people so police brutality wouldn’t be an issue. What most people do not realize is that these black celebrities are focusing on the symptoms of white supremacy not getting to the root of the problem. Police brutality would not be an issue for Black people if we had our own land, our own businesses and our own minds! The ONLY solution to white supremacy is BLACK POWER! How many times will we walk around and beg for freedom from someone who capitalize off of our enslavement? Land is freedom, having our own water and food resources are freedom. Education is freedom. Having a black militia for self-defense is freedom. If the Black Panthers did so much for their community with little to nothing, then how much can these black celebrities truly do? People may say that we shouldn’t look to black celebrities to solve our problems but if that’s true then why do even celebrate them for amount of activism they do? If these privileged blacks have been given the opportunity to make millions perhaps billions of dollars then it is their duty, if they want to speak for black people, to give back in a way that will benefit blacks in the long run. If they claim that they are down for the people then they should really help the people to solve the root of our problems and not just symptoms. These black celebrities should not show up only when there is a national emergency or when white supremacy personally effects them like Jada and the Oscars but black people need real activists to stand up and target white supremacy at its roots! Treating symptoms will not help our people in the long run because we need long term solutions!!!
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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STUDENT ACTIVISTS A True Representation of Black Power The Afrikan Black Coalition represented true Black Power when they united and forced the University of California to take their money out of private prisons. The students had a collective vote and said they wanted UC to divest from private prisons. According to the Afrikan Black Coalition, “This decision makes the University of California the second U.S educational institution to divest from private prisons after Columbia University’s decision to divest in 2013, as a result of relentless organizing by Black students and allies.”3 To read more about this victory please visit their website: http://afrikanblackcoalition.org/2015/12/18/afrikan-black-coalition-accomplishes-uc-prisondivestment/
3
http://afrikanblackcoalition.org/2015/12/18/afrikan-black-coalition-accomplishes-uc-prison-divestment/
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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SERIAL KILLERS: The Historical Crucifixion of the Black Man in America
A stage play documenting white group terrorism against Black People from Slavery until NOW!!!! Written and directed by Nikki Luellen This Wednesday, 2.17.16 at 6pm
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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TSU Library- 1st floor Free food and drinks Free Admission!!!!
BLACK LIVES MATTER: A Critical Analysis On their website black lives matter stated that they were founded in 2012 because of the Michael Brown shooting. With their countless protest mainly about police brutality, they have brought to light the dehumanization of black people which have been largely ignored by major media outlets. Although their efforts are encouraged and congratulated, there is still much more that needs to be done for the true liberation of Black people. On their website Black Lives Matter mentioned that they have a list of demands. “Those demands include swift and transparent legal investigation of all police shootings of black people; official governmental tracking of the number of citizens killed by police, disaggregated by race; the demilitarization of local police forces; and community accountability mechanisms for rogue police officers.” They not only focused on police abuse but they mentioned the failing educational system, affordable housing and the dismantling of the prison system. Although there were other issues they mentioned, it’s safe to say that the Black Lives Matter movement wants like the rest of us, justice, equality and freedom for all. The only problem is there are no major accomplishments outside of protests that Black Lives Matter can truly attest to.
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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If black lives matter are receiving over millions of dollars, possibly billions from celebrities and billionaires, then where has or where is all of that money going to? Nothing is wrong with protesting but there is no way that any activist organization can effectively end the problems they are trying to solve by simply protesting and having countless events. Take a look at Texas, where mass incarceration leads the world and black people suffer extreme injustice in the criminal so called justice system. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, “About 40% of Texas’ population is non-white; about 70% of Texas’ prison population is non-white.” These numbers are ridiculous and are steady increasing. Consider the historic black community in third ward and the historic Black and Hispanic communities in 5th ward, these areas are undergoing gentrification. This is not meant to depress you but simply get you to the see the major issues effecting us in Houston, TX and around the nation where black and brown people live. To make it plain, the main issues facing most black communities today are mass incarceration, police brutality and poverty. This in turn leads to symptoms like poor education, gentrification, housing and health disparities etc. If it is truly the goal of Black Lives Matter to end these disparities in the black community then why don’t they take those millions, possibly billions of dollars and put it to use? If one of the major contributors to Black Lives Matter is a rich Jewish man named George Soros, then why don’t they demand that Soros put funding into black owned businesses, black owned self-independent schools, and grocery stores and land so black people will no longer be dependent upon a system to be fair and just who haven’t gave a damn about them anyways and never will? There is nothing wrong with protesting but protesting at every tragedy without any real strategy or solution to the problem or any intention of really ridding Black America of police brutality, is counter revolutionary. Activists in Detroit, not a part of the Black Lives Matter movement rode busses and
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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walked around the city handing out bags of food to their people. These activists were constantly harassed by the police but their resilient spirit carried them through and they made a vow that they will not stop by any means necessary. If these poor black people who live in the same neighborhood as their people can do something to deal with at least one of the symptoms of poverty, then why can’t the heavily funded, highly publicized Black Lives Matter do anything? It does not take three years of protesting to get issues in the community taken care of, some people simply don’t want to.The question remains, Do Black Lives Matter truly want freedom? Or will they continuously protest and have events while repeating the same rhetoric over and over? Many people have said that Black Lives Matter are similar to the Black Panther Party and that is simply a false statement. The Panthers had action with their movement and it did not take them long to effectively deal with police brutality in their community. The Panthers lessened police brutality in the black community their first year and had action to back up what they were saying. In just a couple of years the Panther Party grew to over 2000 members and several chapters in major black cities throughout the U.S. They truly were the vanguards of the revolution! The Panthers had over 65 programs that dealt with sickle cell anemia, police brutality, independent liberation schools, ambulance service, and free breakfast program for children, political education classes, etc. One needs only to visit the website Collective Evolution and type Black Panthers in the search bar to see the major work put in by these activists. They not only organized and inspired the masses of black people but from their movement spun the brown berets, the white panthers, Asian activist organizations, Native American organization, etc. There is no way that it is possible to have so much funding and the only thing black lives matter have successfully produced have been protests and
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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events. Black Lives Matter have the potential to be a major force in helping change the conditions of black people but with the lack of strategy, sacrifice and steadfastness for true liberation of all oppressed people, Black Lives Matter will remain nothing more than a hashtag of frustrated black pain repeating the same rhetoric, asking the question every black oppressed person already knows.
BLACK POETRY When Black Loses its Hue By Malcolm Lex Saggy pants, knowing the latest dance, is that what it means to be black. Or is the fat in my greens that brings fat in these jeans, now that remains to be seen. Is it my walk, the hip way I talk, could it be the one-drop of blood that determines my thug, what else could it possibly be? The collective struggle, as I move through this bubble, invisible to all that see.
This watered down version of Slabs and Suburban’s or diamonds placed perfectly in teeth. Tattooed faces, the common places where jive runs insecurely through streets. I struggle to maintain while bloods in my vain, admitting its hard being free. Should I get a degree, buy a foreign car and get the fuck away from every nigger I see? After all, I’m educated, I’ve separated, now integrated, look Ma I made it…. I’s now free!
3.15.16
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Got my house on a hill, I’m a buffalo bill and I dare any nigga to steal…my shit.
But wait, I’m black, if so where is my hue, where is the glue, that connects me to, the Diaspora that I once knew.
Love...and Other Suicidal/Homicidal Tendencies By: D.R. Sandifer If I told you I loved you...would you just stand there or walk out on me? If you said it, would you mean it or would it be some alcohol induced jargon coupled with your bouts of loneliness? What if we both said it, but not with words? What if it echoed from the beats of our hearts and bled from our pores when we hug each other? What if it filled both of us with this immortal presence giving and taking at the same time as we kiss?
What if it only existed in a dream? In a dream caused by a full moon
3.15.16
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Or a full moon that caused me to eat a huge meal before bed (which I never do) and then I rest and dream
A reflection of each other.
...dream of you.
In a space in which our two worlds collided and it was more than fireworks.
You and this feeling (love).
It was...a miracle.
A brief moment in time during which our eyes lock and everything slows down and finally, finally I can exhale
In a world filled with lies and options and defense mechanisms and confusion and lust...two people loving each other.
And not be frightened when I feel my feet no longer touching the ground. Gravity no longer forcing me to stay grounded in the untold truths of this earth...or this curse...or the phenomenon and potential emotional suicide/homicide of love.
Really actively loving each other was...miraculous. My shot in the darkness. Your dream woman fulfilling everything on your list. Men have those, too.
In that moment, you were...you.
Two people elevating to love.
Beautiful and smiling and pure and with me.
We may have made it to the moon and back.
Really with me.
Beautiful and smiling and pure and with you.
But something happened. Like a car accident that is about to happen, but you just can't stop the crash or the blow from the air bag to your chest and head. A smack in the face that even Tyson would be dazed by.
Really with you.
And just like that it was over.
And I was...me.
3.15.16
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Our anger and defenses now collided and erupted like a volcano with venomous words spewing from our mouths like lava and landing on each other burning through flesh, bone...and hearts.
I don't know if my cells will regenerate. But then again...it was just a dream.
A wish my heart made.
We hope you enjoyed this edition on Black Power. Our mission is to give you a raw and honest look of black problems in America. We give black artists exposure and an outlet to express themselves through the mediums of poetry. We allow black writers to talk about anything from black love/pain to revolution. We encourage you to visit our previous editions for writings on black businesses, police brutality, black art, history, and literature. We also promote black events in the community and we hope to inspire you to keep pressing towards black liberation. We are always seeking new and talented black writers and we appreciate the support of the community!
Join The Movement: We have recently joined forces with TSU Hip Hop Society. This will help us to make more of an impact on the youth at TSU and inspire young people to become more active in the community. TSU Hip Hop Society is the first and remains the only Hip Hop organization at any HBCU and we will honor this legacy by celebrating the true culture of Hip Hop through community activism, conscious art and the inclusion of the older generations as well as the youth. For more information on TSU Hip Hop Society or Blacker The Berry Entertainment feel free to call Nikki at 713-305-3811. Our first meeting is this Thursday Feb. 18th at 3pm at TSU in the Robert James Terry Library on the 3rd floor. All of our meetings are open to the public and anyone may join. To become a member of Blacker The Berry Entertainment or TSU HHS you must attend our weekly meeting which information will be available on our Facebook pages. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: Blacker The Berry Entertainment & TSU Hip Hop Society 2k16
3.15.16
Black Power 15th edition
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