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BLACKER THE BERRY NEWS
Liberation
“I was born a slave, but nature gave me a soul of a free man….” - Toussaint Louverture
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HAPPY NEW YEAR! We most certainly hope so… When people say Happy New Year’s what do they truly mean? What will be new about 2016 that wasn’t in the past? Since slavery, there hasn’t been too much of a difference given the sad reality black people are up against in America. Every day is a new day but history seems to repeat itself time and time again. The justice system still does not work. Black people are locked up in enormous amounts, black schools are underfunded and black children receive poor education. Black people still own less than ½ of 1 percent of the wealth in America, white terrorists are still bombing black places of worship, black students lives are still in danger at white schools and the food black people have in grocery stores are still limited, old, stale, genetically modified and spoiled. Some people constantly point the finger at black folks like somehow, as a race we dropped the ball but fail to realize that the ball has been dropped on us ever since we arrived in America on slave ships. In 2016, Black people must realize that if we don’t begin to practice self-determination then we will get nowhere. Depending upon white people to give us our freedom have taken centuries and we are still not free. Some people think that life has gotten better for black people since we are not physically in slavery but mental slavery is worse. In fact, it can be argued that we as black people are still in physical, mental psychological and financial slavery. Slavery have been looked at by most people as something that black people have overcame and some people feel as though black people are free because we are not forced to pick cotton and we do not suffer extreme abuse. The definition of a slave according to the Oxford dictionary is a person who is the legal property of another person and is forced to obey that person. The second definition of a slave is a person who is influenced or controlled by something. Looking at these definitions we can see that black people, according to the previous definitions are still enslaved to the white supremacist power structure. According to the NAACP fact sheet, “African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million incarcerated population.”1 While African Americans make up only about 13.2 percent of the population in America, they represent 37.8% of the people incarcerated2. That means that the number of black people locked up more than triples the percentage of black people in America! Those numbers are staggering and proves that the majority of the black race are still enslaved. Since slavery consisted of black people being held against their will in an indefinite servitude, so do the lives of nearly a million of our black brothers and sisters who no longer have a name but a number and is forced to work for little to no pay, cooking, washing clothes, chopping wood and picking cotton. There are also stories of prisoners who are also victims of extreme abuse. The second definition says that a slave is influenced or controlled by something. The majority of the black race is controlled by the oppressive system of white supremacy.
1
http://www.naacp.org/pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet
2
https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_race.jsp
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What more is there to say except that Black people are still not free and that in 2016 if we don’t, in the words of Malcolm X develop some self-help programs that will benefit the entire race as a whole on every level, we will once again have to repeat the dejected, frustrating and pitiful history as a present reality.
1955- Murder of Emmett Till 1955- Roy /Bryant & J.W. Milam acquitted of crime by all-White jury
2014- Murder of Tamir Rice 2015- An Ohio grand jury decided not to indict Officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback
2015- Murder of Sandra Bland 2015- A Texas grand jury has decided not to indict anyone relating to the death of Sandra Bland
According to mappingpoliceviolence.org the police have killed at least 335 Black people in 2015 alone. These number are even higher than they were in 2014. Did you know that Black people are 3 times more likely to be murdered by a police officer than a white person and 98% of all of the cases of police murders resulted in the officers not getting charged with a crime? Please be aware and pay attention to what’s
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going on. We offer our condolences to all of the black victims who were mercilessly killed by crooked police officers in 2015, hopefully 2016 is better for us all…
SICK & TIRED of being SICK & TIRED! [2016 PROTEST POEM] We keep asking why. We fight, scream and cry. The police shoot us down. We die every time. We never get a dime. Justice ain’t worth a cent! The moral conscious is bankrupt. America will never repent. America sins are heaped so high. The white jury lie. The many sad faces. Tears run down mother’s eyes. Protesters rally outside. Inside they know it’s time. Put down them picket signs!
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Happy Kwanzaa The African American cultural celebration Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga and still continues to be celebrated today. Kwanzaa occurs every year and lasts from December 26th- Jan.1st There are seven principles for each day and each principle is set aside to be used as a reflection of building and restoring the black nation. We as Black people must honor these principles to rebuild our community.
NIA- PURPOSE A major principle that we will elaborate upon is Nia, which is a Kiswahili word that means purpose. Given the times we are in, it is paramount that we as black people find our purpose. We must use the gifts that God gave us to uplift ourselves and our black brothers and sisters. There is too many of us walking around aimlessly without a purpose. Not paying attention to what’s going on have caused us as a people to remain victims to white supremacy. Instead of getting involved in a cause or educating ourselves, some black folks have taken pleasure in mundane activities that have caused themselves and the black race more harm than good. As black people we are the most creative, intelligent and rhythmic people on the face of the earth, so what is the problem? The problem is that we have forgotten who we are. We have allowed mundane distractions to keep us divided against one another and are not focused on working as a collective to bring about a better reality for ourselves in America. Some black people feel that since they have made it, they don’t have to come back and help their fellow black people. We are the only race of people who thinks that way and that thinking has ultimately contributed to the destruction of our communities. We need the intelligent minds, the business owners, the storytellers, the artists, the philosophers, the warriors, the farmers, the scientists, the computer geniuses, EVERYONE! Your life matters and WE NEED YOU!!
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The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
unity (umoja) self-determination (kujichagulia) collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa) purpose (nia) creativity (kuumba) faith (imani). TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION!!!!!
Recently at Texas Southern University President John M. Rudley announced his resignation during the winter commencement ceremony on December 12th 2015. President Rudley said that he will step down as president of the university after the 2015-2016 academic year. This announcement was unexpected by some but came as no shock to many students and staff who witnessed the ongoing student complaints during the 2015 semester. At Texas Southern University there were a total of six shootings, two deaths and hospitalizations of several students. Many students showed up to the board of regents with a host of complaints ranging from campus safety, broken equipment to housing. At the Board of Regents meeting a new chair was put in place and shortly after, the chief of police Roger D. Byars was fired.
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Purchase the book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. This is a much needed book for all African American’s and also anyone interested in the so called justice system or wants to know how mass incarceration became such a huge problem in America. Readers will find out how this new system of racial injustice hides behind the false notion of colorblindness while millions of African Americans are stripped of their basic human rights!
INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!! “We declare our right on this earth...to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.” - Malcolm X As millions of Americans celebrate a new year, African American’s must not forget the miserable conditions that we still are in. We must as a people remind ourselves that we are still oppressed and it is only us who can end that oppression by any means necessary. During this New Year, we need to reflect on what all has occurred in 2015 and how we can move forward to break the chains of slavery. Every January 1st, the day when Americans celebrate a New Year, we can look towards events of inspiration where other black people have gained their freedom and inspire us to do the same. When one speaks of January 1st relating to liberation, some people may think of the Emancipation Proclamation which was put into effect January 1st 1863 that supposedly freed the slaves but that is not true at all. According to the National Archives and Records Administration, “…the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal Border States. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the
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freedom it promised depended upon Union military victory.�3 As we can see, the Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single black person and was used against the South as a war tactic so black people could fight in the Union Army which was the north. Although the Emancipation Proclamation did make it easier for slaves who ran away to be free from being captured and returned back to slavery, black people were still left in a position where they had to free themselves with no direct help from the white government. Instead of focusing on a false freedom that was supposedly granted to African Americans by law, we need only set our eyes upon the island of Haiti. On January 1, 1804, before the Emancipation Proclamation in America, Black revolutionaries in Haiti defeated the French. The general Dessalines declared the nation independent and changed the name of the island to Haiti. This is thought to be the most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. Black people did not wait for someone else to grant them their freedom, they fought for it. The slave rebellion in Haiti did not happen all of a sudden but was an ongoing war against the oppressors and the oppressed. Liberation does not come without struggle from the masses of people desiring to be free from oppression. As Black people we do not have to follow the same example and strategy that was used in the past but we must understand that in order for complete independence it must be a decision on our part and not the part of the government or any other people for that matter. Liberation must come from those who are enslaved.
THANK YOU Dedication!!! We dedicate this issue to Dr. Frances Cress Welsing who recently made her transition. Welsing was a licensed Psychiatrist who studied the race problem in America. Welsing talked about the importance of melanin and the roots of racism which she believed stemmed from an inferiority complex that Whites had of African Americans and the White man’s fear of genetic annihilation. Welsing has appeared on numerous talk shows, radio shows and lectures at universities across the country. With her work, she has inspired many community activists, professors and 3
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/
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artists around the world. Rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy had this to say of Welsing on his twitter “Thank you Dr. Welsing. Thank You my friend “@harryallen R.I.P. DrFrancesCressWelsing-FearOfABlackPlanet INSPIRATION” Words cannot explain what you have contributed to the lives of African Americans and people around the world. Thank you for your work! We love you Dr. Frances Cress Welsing!!! Your spirit lives on!!! March 18, 1935 - December 2nd 2016 ______________________________________________________________________________ The ISIS PAPERS: THE KEYS TO THE COLORS Dr. Frances Cress Welsing “Black people must not only commit themselves to combating inferiorization through the struggle for maximal development, we must, as a part of that struggle, begin to establish standards of academic achievement and codes will serve as the fundamental basis of developing Black self- and group-respect. Without true self-respect, all efforts for achievement will be in vain. In keeping with that goal, all Black children, before the age of six, should be taught the following fundamental exercises in Black self-respect by Black adult examples in the home, school, church and neighborhood:
(1) Stop name-calling one another. (2) Stop cursing at one another. (3) Stop squabbling with one another. (4) Stop gossiping about one another. (5) Stop snitching on one another. (6) Stop being discourteous and disrespectful towards one another. (7) Stop robbing one another. (8) Stop stealing from one another. (9) Stop fighting one another. (10) Stop killing one another. (11) Stop using and selling drugs to one another. (12) Stop throwing trash and dirt on the streets and in places where Black people live, work and learn.” -From, “The Isis Papers” By: Dr. Frances Cress Welsing
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Contribution: Elsie Law http://legaleaglesflyordie.com/?p=799#comment-2860
BLACK LOVE MATTERS We have added a new section in our newspaper called Black Love Matters! We give our audience a chance to take a picture with their loved one and say why they love them. We are interested in promoting more love in the black community amongst one another. If you would like to express deep love or admiration for your loved one we would love to showcase it in our newspaper. Please help us in our mission to spread more love and positivity in the black community. -
Nikki Luellen, Chief Editor
Fred Brown and Tracie Brown What makes a marriage work and what is the advice you would give to young couples? “The first advice I would give to young couples before marriage is to research the scriptures and study what God has commanded concerning marriage. Besides, he created union anyway (Adam and Eve).
Second, ask God to send you the mate that he has created for you. Next, have patience and learn how to forgive. Love with the love of Christ. He gave his life for our sins, there is no greater love. Love is action! Have no conditions on your love. Love through it all, good times and not so good times because you will have those days. Finally, always pray together because it’s two wanting the same goals while displaying trust and respect until death do you part. If you put God first in this matter, you and your mate will enjoy every minute of this life’s journey. Now this advice is to mature the mind for a mature relationship that is not based in pleasure or physical attributes.”
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Caribbean Luellen and Brian Marshall What is the one thing you both like about each other? “We both love that we have big hearts and our love for God.�
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORT!!!! Thank you for your contribution to Blacker The Berry News!!! We ask for a $2 fee to help with the continuation of our theatre, newspaper, video and research team. Support Blacker The Berry News so we can continue to put out truth! - Nikki Luellen, chief editor of B.T.B News * If you have a story about police brutality or any story you would like to share with the public, lets us help you get your story out! * To place an ad in our newspaper is only $5 for a week and the fee is only $10 to run your ad for an entire month! * If you are interested in being a part of our research team, or want to be a contributing writer, email us. You will be contacted promptly! Email: Blackertheberry7@yahoo.com Visit us online: Blackertheberryent.wordpress.com http://blackertheberry7.wix.com/revolutionaryart