August, 2011

The Men of the Tenth Inc.

August 2011

The Men of the Tenth Inc. Teaching the Truth to the Youth

The Real Reason Why People Hate The Heat Unity amongst black men will always be challenged.

On July 8, 2010, Lebron James made the decision to take his talents to South Beach and many sports fans were mad. Some fans burned his jersey and others profited from "I Hate Lebron James" products. One of the major earners from the, I hate Lebron James campaign was the media. For example, ESPN was the main contributor for distributing Lebron’s hour long, Decision Special to a national audience and after the shows ratings were in they were quick to become a part of the Lebron bashing bandwagon. Moreover, ESPN was more than will to air any and everyone who had something to say about Continued… 4 Lebron’s decision.

Ursula Burns Is a C.E.O. you should know because Oprah Winfrey is not only the powerful black woman in America!

Page 2

Nas

Reginald Lewis

Has matured from being a rap legend to history teacher.

Page 3

Autobiography is a must read.

Why should all the white guys have all the fun?

Page 51

The Men of the Tenth Inc.

August 2011

SHE IS A C.E.O YOU SHOULD KNOW. Ursula M. Burns is chairman and chief executive officer of Xerox Corporation.

Burns joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern and later assumed roles in product development and planning. From 1992 through 2000, Burns led several business teams including the office color and fax business and office network printing business. In 2000, she was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, heading up manufacturing and supply chain operations. She then took on the broader role of leading Xerox's global research as well as product development, marketing and delivery. In April 2007, Burns was named president of Xerox, expanding her leadership to also include the company's IT organization, corporate strategy, human resources, corporate marketing and global accounts. At that time, she was also elected a member of the company's Board of Directors. Burns was named chief executive officer in July 2009 and assumed the role of chairman of the company on May 20, 2010.

Burns earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NYU and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University.

In addition to the Xerox board, she is a board director of the American Express Corporation. Burns also provides leadership counsel to community, educational and nonprofit organizations including FIRST - (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), National Academy Foundation, MIT, and the U.S. Olympic Committee, among others. Burns was named by President Barack Obama to help lead the White House national program on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) in November 2009 and was appointed vice chair of the President’s Export Council in March 2010.

2

The Men of the Tenth Inc.

August 2011

Know Your History

Nas’ most recent albums are history lessons for America.

Queen’s born rapper; Nas has been

credited for creating hip-hop’s greatest album Illmatic. Over the years he has matured from a ghetto poet to a social justice lyricist. On his last two albums Untitled and Distant Relatives this high school dropout provided history lessons with his lyrics. He connects lines about leadership, social justice leaders, political leaders, and even the first black president of the United States. However, this is not the first time Nas has made a hip-hop conscious album. If you have heard Illmatic then, you know that albums speaks about the dynamics of being a young black male from an inner city trying to find a way out. Nas’ other conscious

album was entitled Hip-Hop is Dead. That album took shots at the music industry because of the rapid change in the type of hip-hop that is promoted in our society.

Although, those albums were strong, Nas’ Untitled album is dedicated to the history of black people. His lyrics are brilliant, powerful, and encourage listeners to think.

For example, in the song N.I.G.G.E.R he states in the chorus, “They say we N – I Double G – E – R/ We - are - much more/ Still we choose to ignore/ The obvious/ Man this history don't acknowledge us/ We was scholars long before colleges.” These lines refer to the academic and historical findings that suggest that black men are the original men 3

The Men of the Tenth Inc.

August 2011

Know Your History… (Cont) of the earth. In addition, he references how in many textbooks and within society this valuable lesson is not acknowledged.

Moreover, Nas not only talks to his fans and hip-hop lovers, he sends subliminal messages to athletes. On another song he says “athletes of today are scared to make Muhammad Ali statements.” Nas challenges athletes to take a stand on their beliefs instead of lacking morals or being unethical just for an additional paycheck. Nas’ lyrics are similar to words written by William Rhoden. In Rhoden’s bestseller 40 Million Dollar Slave, which title suggest that although athletes are getting paid they are still under a slave plantation system.

Conversely, Nas also tries to uplift black athletes when he states their progression in the song, You Cant Stop Us Now. In the song, Nas states black athletes progression went from the “pyramids, to the cotton fields, to Wrigley Field.”

Although Nas albums are thought provoking, they also dispel the negative perceptions that are usually associated with rap music. Because of his musical content, he should be praised as a leader for speaking out against some of the hypocrisy and injustice that continues to run ramped in America. Moreover, he should be recognized for trying to education people about black history.

The Real Reason Why People Hate The Heat Unfortunately, most of the Lebron and Miami Heat haters do not really know the real reason why they hate the Heat. There is an undiscussed racial component that generates hatred for three of the most talented black men in the NBA who decided to join forces and compete for an NBA championship. Historically, accomplished athletes would earn special status in our society. However, some people may view this union as the sign of athlete takeover. For example, in Dr. Tatum’s bestselling book, Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria, she discusses how when black people are sitting together, the white people notice and become self-conscious about being white in a way they were not before. She suggests white people began to wonder, “am I being excluded and are they talking about us? In case of the Heat, society and NBA owners (who are predominately white) begin to question their power because NBA players a taking control of their lives instead of owners treating them like property. Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade created rage in NBA owners because they now realize that they do not control theses players thinking. In the book, The MisEducation of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson advocated that: Continued…

4

The Men of the Tenth Inc.

August 2011

When you control a man’s thinking, you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him to stand here or go yonder. He will find his “proper place” and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary.

Although Carter’s words were written during the time of segregation, this type of thinking is still prevalent today. If you look at the NBA it still operates under the master and slave mentality. These owners want black muscle but not the attendant zeal, style, or to think for themselves. William Rhoden once wrote that NBA owners “thought these athletes would tended all arrive at their campuses as sanitized as Jackie Robinson. They pretended these athletes weren’t going to arrive with their own baggage, baggage that a history of living in a white supremacist country had helped to pack.” These three black athletes have made a stand. They have taken salary cuts, pushed their pride to the side, and have become teammates to become champions. This phenomenon is unusual in America, especially in the African American community and that is the main reason why so many people hate the Miami Heat. Lastly, society knows that once black people are unified they can achieve greatness.

Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun? By: Reginald Lewis

Reginald F. Lewis was an American businessman, who was one of the most successful business leaders during the 1980s.

He was the richest African-American man in the 1980’s. He graduated from Virginia State College and Harvard Law School. His autobiography provides great examples of what discipline and determination can do.

5

The Men of the Tenth Inc.

August, 2011

Life Lessons from Marcus Garvey Self Initiative Every man is on his own responsibility in life.

Nature never made anyone dually, but singly, therefore you have your single responsibility.

The purpose of life is to live fully-hence the single life must be complete and in fact it so every man.

Hence, it is the duty of every man to fall back on himself for what he wants.

The person who fails to be true to himself in taking the initiative to do things for himself will ultimately find out that he or she has been a “sucker� for others.

(Excerpt from Marcus Garvey: Life and Lessons, 1987)

The Men of the Tenth Inc. 750 Faile Ave Suite 2E Bronx, New York 10474 www.themenofthetenth.org