Friday, January 20, 2012

STAND UP FOR THE LORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

This past Sunday was the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Monday was the National Holiday for his celebration and, in honor of that and the upcoming Black History Month in February, I’d just like to say a few a words about him.

I’m not going to rehash all the things that this great man did for African Africans or America, herself. All of that has been talked about repetitively on Sunday and Monday. But instead, I want to dwell on why he did what did. Why he stood up for the Lord of righteousness! Dr. King was a law abiding citizen who one day decided that laws of our nation were unjust and so, Dr. King listened to that higher authority; that higher calling in Christ Jesus. He didn’t do what he did because He was ordered to or because He was being paid or was going to accept a reward; he did because he wanted to do it. He did what was right simply because it was the right thing to do. He did it for righteousness sake. He didn’t fear any reprisals because he knew that God was with him. He knew Christ would never leave him nor forsake him; and he trusted in God for that assurance.

As a young man, I began to wonder what made him so confident that Christ would not leave him high and dry; hanging out there all by himself. How does one obtain such strong faith that in the face of all that danger with threats to his family and himself; why would a man or anyone go through all that public ridicule when he had seemly nothing to gain and everything to lose? He was a Nobel Prize winner; he could have quit at anytime, and yet, he continued to stand up for the Lord of Righteousness. Why? Why? Years later, this question still puzzled me.

I have since learned to turn to Christ when I am seeking answers. If the answer can’t be found in Christ, then it can’t be found at all. God led me to Malachi for the answer. In the 3rd Chapter, verse 2, it reads as follows: “but who can endure the day of His coming; Who can stand when He appears. For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launder’s soap; He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” To understand this I had to research exactly what a silversmith or a goldsmith does. Silver and gold are full of impurities and is of no use in its impure state. In order to burn away the impurities, a smith will take hold of the metal with iron or steel tongs and place it in the center of a very, very hot fire. Because the metal is soft and fragile, he must sit there and keep a close watch on it while guiding it through the fire; for if he were to leave or take his eyes off of it, the silver or gold could easily be destroyed.

Thinking about this refining process reminded of cooking; a process that I am not very good at. I have been known to burn pots while simply boiling eggs. Nevertheless, I do occasionally try. However, I have problem determining when it the food is actually done. I either overcook it or undercook it. Many times I have asked others (mostly females) how to tell when something is done. Some advice was to stick a thermometer in the center of the meat and if it was a certain temperature, the meat was done. Some said to cut the meat and see if it was pink on the inside and, if so, the meat was not done. Still others said check the color, if was brown on the edges or if the meat was a reddish orange, then the meat was done. I still got confused and many times I have eaten either undercooked or overcooked food; but I was hungry, so it still tasted good to me.
 
But now I am interested in how the smith knows that the refining process is done. The answer to this is both remarkable and intriguing. The smith only knows that the refining process is done and the metal is pure when he is able to see his own reflection in the metal.

Well, I took this knowledge back to my scripture and found that the same thing holds true with this Word of God. He purifies us through our fiery trials and tribulations; He sits there, watches over us, guides us through our burning trials and tribulations, and He never leaves us. He knows when we are done and purified because He is able to see Himself in us. Then we can be of use to Him and be able to stand up for the Lord of Righteousness. Through this passage, God revealed to me that those of us who are called are to be purified through of fire of trials and hardships so that we will be able to stand up for righteousness in days of our temptations.

The Lord of Righteousness, Himself, was also tried through the fire. The scriptures tell us that though He was fully God, He was also fully human. The 4th Chapter of Matthew tells us that after He was baptized, He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights and He was hungry and I imagine that He was also very tired.

Now remember, that our Lord was also fully human so what He was going through, by today’s standard, would be considered some trying and hard times. He was pure already, so the process wasn’t as long or tedious as the process would be for you and I. Nevertheless, He had to be prepared for the mission ahead of Him.

Prior to this, He was just a normal citizen with human attributes. Matthew tells us that He left the wilderness and chose His disciples. The 2nd chapter of John picks up the story and tells us of where Christ went to a wedding and turned the water into wine. This was the story of His first miracle. Christ went to this wedding because He, His mother, Mary, and His disciples had been invited. Did you ever wonder why He was invited?  

It wasn’t because He was a celebrity; as of yet, He had not performed any miracles. It could be only because of the same human reasons that we invite people to our parties and gatherings: because they liked Him; they liked His human qualities. God has revealed to me just how significant it is that the common folk in a little town enjoyed being with Jesus.

Saints, we should all take note that our Almighty Lord did not act high and mighty, even though He was. Our Holy One didn’t have a holier-than-thou attitude. The One who knew it all didn’t act like a know-it-all. The One who made the stars didn’t keep his head in them. The One, who owns all of the earth and everything in it, never boasted and bragged about it. Jesus could have been all of these, but he wasn’t.

His purpose was not to SHOW OFF but to SHOW UP. He went to great pains to be as human as you and me. He DID NOT NEED TO STUDY God’s word, but STILL WENT TO THE SYNAGOGUE. He had NO NEED FOR MONEY or INCOME, but He STILL WORKED as a carpenter in Joseph’s workshop.

He HAD KNOWN the fellowship of angels and heard the harps of heaven, yet He wasn’t stand offish, or a snob. He WENT TO PARTIES and associated with others who were considered low class or no class. He was never called UNAPPROACHABLE. His FAITH made him LIKEABLE, not DETESTABLE and, as a result, people liked him; but that would soon change!

A short time later, Jesus began to publically stand up for the Lord of Righteousness; to publically stand up for Himself. He cleared the temple of the money changers and, almost instantly, the people who had liked Him began to hate Him. The money changers were legal and righteous under the law of the land, but Christ was adhering to a higher law.
   
Like Dr. King and Christ, we also must stand up for righteousness; not necessarily as radical social reformers, but as servants of a righteous God.

Our main text  will come out of the book of Daniel, the 3rd chapter and we will begin with verse 16. This is a story that many of you are already familiar with. The prelude to this story is that Israel is under bondage in Babylon. There was a King named Nebuchadnezzar, who was a ruthless ruler.

He made the laws, enforced the laws, and interpreted the laws. In our society, he would be the president, the congress, and the Supreme Court all rolled into one man. He was a law unto himself and, because of that, He felt that he was so powerful that anything he decreed had to be obeyed.

People obeyed him because they feared him and wanted his love and favor. It is a sham when you obey someone simply because you want them to like you, love you, or favor you. It is as bad as loving someone because you fear them.

There are Christians today, as Rev. Calhune would say, not in St. John’s, but at your cousin’s church, who obey God only because they want God to love them and favor them. They feel that if they obey God, God will in turn love them. Well, I got news for them. God loves them anyway; He just doesn’t love the things they and the way they act. God loved them before they obeyed Him.


He loved them so much that He gave His only begotten son so that they might have a right to the tree of life. Christ loved them so much that He went all the way to Calvary for them; and they still must be favored, because He woke them up this morning and, in the words of my sister Rosie, THEY’RE STILL HERE!!! SAINTS, DON’T JUST OBEY GOD SO THAT HE WILL LOVE YOU, OBEY GOD BECAUSE YOU LOVE HIM!!! Well, that’s a sermon for another day!

Anyway King Nebuchadnezzar commissioned a golden image to be built and, when it was completed, he issued a decree that a dedication ceremony was to be held and everyone was to bow down before this golden image. THIS WAS THE LAW OF THE LAND.

Well, as many you already know, there were three Hebrew boys who refused to obey. The King was furious and had them brought before his court. Noticing their age, he tried to intimidate and threaten them with fear of his great power and authority. The bible doesn’t tell us the ages of these three boys, but sticking with Hebrew tradition and the Hebrew rites of passage for a male to go from boy to manhood, I would surmise that they were 13 years old or younger. But they had been raised in captivity and, therefore, they had been through the fire of trials and tribulation; they now answered to a greater power and higher authority. They were now ready to stand up for the Lord of Righteousness. One was named Shadrach; one was named Meshach; and the third was named Abednego.

Let’s take a look at what they said to the King in Verses 16 and 17 of Daniel Chapter 3.
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.”

Their faith was so great that, in essence, they told this great King to do whatever he had to do because they served a God who can do and will do. SAINTS, is there anybody in here who knows that we serve a CAN DO, WILL DO God? If you have that kind of faith in God, you ought to turn to your neighbor and say, I serve a CAN DO, WILL DO God.

The faith of these three Hebrew boys was not just superficial faith. Their faith was not an “ify” faith or just words. Their faith was not a comprising or deal making faith; it was not a bargain basement faith or dollar general faith. Jacob started out with the bargain basement faith. In Genesis 28:20-21, He makes a vow to God, saying, IF the Lord will be with him, watch over him, give him food, give him clothing, shelter, and protect him, THEN (and only then) will the Lord be his God.

Many of today’s Christians have started out with that kind of faith. There is nothing wrong with starting out with type of faith. The bible says that if you have faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, you can move mountains. The problem is you have to build on that faith. You have to be purified through the fire so that one day you can stand up for the Lord of Righteousness.

The faith of three Hebrew boys is top shelf faith. They have that “feel like going on” faith; the type of faith that compels you to keep on keeping on, no matter what happens; the kind of faith that Job had. Can’t nobody or nothing change how you believe; the kind of faith that is rooted and grounded in the Hope that is beyond all Hope; Hope that is beyond the grave. The kind of Hope is that found in Christ who is the author and finisher of our Hope; the kind of Faith that makes you stand up for the Lord of Righteousness. Help me Holy Ghost!!!

Let’s read verse 18.
“But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up”

The faith and obedience of these three boys was not dependent on God rescuing them. It didn’t change a thing with them whether God delivered them or not. They were committed to doing what was right for no other reason than that it was the right thing to do; they were doing what is right for only righteous sake. They were standing up for Lord and King of Righteousness.

Saints, if you are doing what is right just so you can stay out of hell and go to heaven, then you doing it for the wrong reason. Going to heaven and not to hell is just the “BENEFIT” of being obedient and doing what is right. It should not be the reason for you doing it. David said is Psalms 103, “Bless the Lord, Oh my Soul, and let me forget not all His benefits!” Salvation and going to heaven and avoiding the punishment of hell is a benefit; a gift from God. It should not be your sole reason for doing what is right. You should do what is right, simply because it is the right thing to do.

Many people are afraid to stand up for righteousness and rightly so. They afraid of losing friends; alienating their family; losing their job; losing their spouse; making their children mad; being ignored and left alone. Standing up for the Lord of Righteousness WILL NOT make you popular with everybody. There will be those who will, not only dislike you, but they will hate you; BUT SO WHAT!!! There are already people who hate you right now without you standing up for anything. If you stand up for the LORD of Righteousness and His commandments, you are standing up for someone greater than those in the world. SAINTS, Christ is your Friend, and He will never leave you nor forsake you.

SAINTS, I’m not trying to tell you to become a radical, I just saying that if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. There was time when people didn’t talk or act just any old way around Christians. Christian’s of yesterday, stood up for righteousness; you didn’t cuss and swear around Christians: you didn’t tell Christians dirty jokes or make lewd and obscene remarks; you didn’t gossip or talk bad about others with them.

You weren’t drunk and disorderly around them because if you did, you knew you would hear about it. They would be repelled and stand up for the Lord of Righteousness. Christians were different from everyone else. People thought they could be trusted because they didn’t steal and they didn’t lie. They had certain respect and high regard for Christians. There was a certain mystic about Christians and it was an honor to be a Christian. Even though we were often gathered together, they was still a type of invisible separation between the Christian and the non Christian, and each group knew where the other stood.

However, today, people will talk, act, and do anything they please around Christians. Some Christians, say that it is just the signs of the time and age we live in. They say people just don’t care that we are Christians. But I’m here today to tell you that it is NOT that they don’t care; it’s that we no longer care. If we would start acting like Christians, then people would treat us like Christians. Saints, we are God’s people called by His name.

We must be Christians in church and out of church; in season and out of season; when we feel like it and when we do not feel like it!!! People must see Christ in us to know who we are and what we stand for. God knows who you are; the devil knows who you are; but do you know who you are and, more importantly, why you are who you are. Stand up for the Lord of Righteousness and boldly claim that you are a Christian and will NOT allow unrighteousness to fester around you.

I thank God, because today, I know who I am!!! I am a CHRISTIAN, BUT WHEN I say that I AM A CHRISTIAN, I am NOT whispering that I am SANTIMONIOUSLY LIVING. I'm just SHOUTING WITH JOY THAT I WAS LOST, BUT NOW FOUND AND FORGIVEN!

WHEN I say that I AM A CHRISTIAN, I am NOT speaking of this with SINFUL PRIDE, I AM MERELY CONFESSING THAT I OFTEN STUMBLE AND NEED CHRIST TO BE MY GUIDE!

WHEN I say that I AM A CHRISTIAN, I am NOT trying to be STRONG, I’M JUST PROFESSING THAT I AM WEAK AND NEED HIS STRENGTH TO CARRY ON!

WHEN I say that I AM A CHRISTIAN, I am NOT bragging of SUCCESS, I’M JUST ADMITTING TO HAVE FAILED AND NEED GOD’S HELP TO CLEAN UP MY MESS!

WHEN I say that I AM A CHRISTIAN, I am NOT claiming to be PERFECT. MY FLAWS ARE TO VISIBLE, BUT I THANK GOD BECAUSE HE STILL THINKS I’M WORTH IT!

WHEN I say that I AM A CHRISTIAN, it does not mean that I do not suffer or feel no PAIN. I STILL HAVE MY SHARE OF HEADACHES AND HEARTACHES, BUT INSTEAD OF COMPLAINING, I CALL ON HIS NAME.

WHEN I say that I AM A CHRISTIAN, I no longer have an attitude of being HOLIER-THAN-THOU, I AM JUST THANKING GOD FOR THE HERE AND NOW!

WHEN I say that I AM A CHRISTIAN, I am NOT trying to get on your CASE, BECAUSE I'M JUST A SIMPLE SINNER WHO IS THANKFUL FOR GOD’S MERCY AND BEING SAVED BY HIS GRACE!

And when I say, I saying that I’m STANDING UP FOR THE LORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS it is because the Lord of Righteousness is Christ; He is the King of Kings and to Him only will I serve. He stood up for righteousness, for me and for you on Calvary; and He is still standing up for us. He stands up for us before the father; constantly defending us against the accusations of the devil. Somebody in here should be standing up right now for Him

We should stand for up for the Lord of Righteousness not just in St. Johns; we should stand up for Him in our homes; stand up for Him in the streets; stand up for Him in the stores; stand up for Him on our jobs. Stand up for Christ everywhere we go and with everyone we meet.

The bible says that King Nebuchadnezzar was so angry with these Hebrew boys that He ordered the furnace to be turned up seven times hotter than it normally would be. Faced with a horrible fiery death, these boys still refused to bow down to “A” KING, because they were standing up for “THE” KING. SAINTS, stand for up the King of Righteousness. The fire was so hot that the Guards, who bound the boys and threw them in furnace, burned to death; and all the while, these three boys walked around in that fiery furnace as though they were in an air-conditioned living room; and they weren’t in there alone.

The scripture says that there was a Fourth person in there with them. They were not forsaken. So, don’t be afraid of losing your friends, family, or job; you are not alone; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Even if the Fire gets seven times hotter, still STAND UP FOR CHRIST; STAND UP FOR THE KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND WALK OUT THE FURNACE WITH HIM!!!

God Bless you all!!!

posted by ytownherb at 9:21 AM 56 comments

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

NO ONE OWES ME ANYTHING - I OWE MYSELF!

Editorial
By Herb Green
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This posting is not meant to offend anyone;
but is merely written as an editorial to wake up certain individuals.
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I hate “NIGGERS”! I really hate “NIGGERS”! Yes, I said it and I meant it. I am African American and I truly hate “Niggers.” You see, the word “Nigger,” though often misused to stereotypically demean Blacks, encompasses all races, genders, colors, creeds, religions, and ethnicities. Simply put, “Niggers” are people who are ignorant because of their lack of self-initiated motivation and their desire to remain that way. “Niggers” sit back and wait for things to be handed to them. They blame others for their own self-inflicted miseries and misfortunes - it is never their fault.
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Like misery, “Niggers” cluster together – desperately seeking the comfort and company of others with similar attitudes, goals, and disruptive qualities. They are blinded by their own delusions of grandeur and cannot see the folly of their methods until it is too late. They live for the moment and never give thought to the future.
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“Niggers” want to possess for free the things, both tangible and intangible, that you and I have worked long and hard to earn. They look for shortcuts, the quick fix, or the easy way out; and refuse to put forth any real effort on their own. They incorrectly think that lying, stealing, and cheating are the justifiable means to achieve the ends of which they desire.They pretend to know things that they don’t and refuse to learn anything new that does not immediately benefit them. “Niggers” are not self-reliant but easily abandon those intangible tools that are necessary to obtain the tangible assets they desire. “Niggers” don’t have a life; they don’t live – they only exist. They feel that the world and everyone in it owes them something because they didn’t ask to be here.
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I didn’t ask to be here either but I thank God that I am here. I am glad to be in America and, more importantly, I am glad to be alive. It is truly a blessing to be in the land of the living. I was born and raised in the ghetto and have been climbing the rough-side of the mountain for many years. I had my share of successes and failures. I have fought many discriminatory battles and have prevailed because of my persevering efforts. I have felt the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. I still have my share of ups and downs.
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I am a sixty-four-year-old African American who is still alive and I have not given up. As I achieve one goal, I set another. The famous entertainer, James Brown, once said, “I don’t want nobody to give me nothing. Open up the door and I’ll get it myself.”
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Life has taught me that education is the key that will open any door. Life has also taught me the value of a good education and how blessed I am to have the opportunity to receive it. I know the price of my education was paid through the pain, suffering, and the deaths of my ancestral freed-slaves. Those brave African American men and women knew the priceless value of an education and risked physical punishment to obtain it. I inherited the right to an education, and I refuse to nullify this legacy and allow the heroic efforts of my ancestors to be in vain by not obtaining all the education that is necessary and available for my success.
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Life has given me the recipe for success. Education is the necessary ingredient to obtain knowledge, and knowledge must be seasoned with experience to create wisdom, but – before wisdom can be applied, it must be simmered to understanding.
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Even though I hate “Niggers,” I would never call anyone that. I won’t use the “N” word at all. I don’t have to – because you know who you are. However, if you are a “Nigger,” you don’t have to remain being one. The doors of opportunity are open and success is out there. All you have to do is be willing to go and get it.
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It is my heartfelt wish that everyone will reach the pinnacle of success that they desire. I hope you reach yours, but if you don’t, that’s on you. As for me, God willing, I am going to reach mine, because… no one owes me anything – I owe myself.
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posted by ytownherb at 11:31 PM 0 comments

Sunday, February 05, 2006

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Tribute to Dick Gregory

DARE TO BE FREE
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In the face of controversy – threats – physical punishment – and even death, the ancestors of African Americans did not deter nor detour from daring to be free. The African Americans of today are the recipients of a glorious legacy left by brave African American heroes who dared to be free, the likes of Fredrick Douglas; W.E.B. DuBois; Booker T. Washington; Malcolm X; Martin Luther King, Jr.; and countless others. In each era of African American history, the torch of freedom was passed down and handed to various individuals who, in the face of extreme adversity, bravely dared to be free. In the twentieth century, this torch was handled by many individuals.
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Richard Claxton Gregory, later known as Dick Gregory, grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, as a welfare case and reared by his mother in a single-parent environment. He was a hustler who earned money by shining shoes, selling newspapers, picking up trash, and running errands. Everyone in the neighborhood thought he was a good, well-mannered kid; and by grinning all the time, he appeared to be a happy little boy. Whenever he was paid for his services, he would run off and buy himself junk-food and a pocketful of candy. No one ever followed him – so no one ever realized those treats were his dinners. He was born on Columbus Day, 1932, and as a child, he never envisioned that he would one day play such a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. A front-line participant in the battle for civil rights was never even a thought to be considered. However, he bravely picked up the "torch" handed to him by former freedom fighters and entered this "relay race for freedom – a race not won by the swiftest but by those who endure." He never realized that he would be required to continue to carry this freedom torch into the twenty-first century… but he dared to be free.
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Dick Gregory’s father, Big Pres, was a wife beater, womanizer, and gambler. He left the family when Dick was a young child and Dick would be forever scarred by the absence of his father. Even though Big Pres deserted Dick’s mother and her children, causing them untold suffering, Dick still loved him and yearned for that fatherly bonding. Dick knew his father was a lonely and frustrated man. In Dick’s first autobiography entitled Nigger, Dick gave this explanation for his father’s frustration, “…A man who destroys his own home shall inherit the wind.” Dick never realized that his father’s absence would be an important factor in his development as freedom fighter.
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After his father’s abandonment, Dick grew closer to his mother – not as baby would for nurturing – but as an inspirational confidant. What his mother lacked in material wealth, was substituted with an abundance of love toward God and mankind; moralistic wisdom; and an understanding of human nature. Dick made daily withdrawals from this abstract deposit of riches – and with his quick wit – developed a keen sense of mental reasoning and emotional stability before reaching physical puberty. Dick’s mother was preparing her son for a world full of truth and deception – and preparing him to dare to be free.
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Dick was labeled a trouble-maker in elementary school and often had to sit in the back of the room at a seat with a chalk circle drawn around it – the idiot’s seat. In that same autobiography, Dick claims, “I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go school for that.” Dick was ashamed of being poor and hated the system that publicized it. Dick would often tearfully shout that he was “not poor, just broke.” Because of his publicized economic plight and the noticeable absence of his father, Dick was constantly teased and tormented by other kids. Dick would also constantly speak up for those kids who were smaller, weaker, or just less fortunate than he. Dick got into several fights and lost many battles to kids twice his size, but those conflicts only prepared him for the tasks to come. Finally, he learned to fight back with jokes rather than his fists. Dick Gregory was learning to dare to be free.
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Somehow, Dick managed to enter high school and then college, where he became a record-breaking track star. Being a superstar had its perks and Dick finally had the three “P’s” – power, prestige, and privilege… but more important, Dick had achieved national recognition. In Dick’s mind, everyone knew who he was. While Dick was explaining to his mother as to why he put his body through such rigorous pain during training, he was quoted in his book, Up From Nigger, as saying, “You don’t understand Momma. I’m putting the Gregory name on the map.” Dick’s mother replied, “Honey, I put you in the world, and the world was made before maps.” Right then and there Dick began to cease thinking of just his individual gains and success. He began to ponder on the bigger picture – the collective, unified success of African Americans. Dick was daring to be free.
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When the opportunity to work in the entertainment field availed itself, Dick eagerly accepted the challenge and began stand-up routines in various nightclubs throughout the country. After a long struggle to gain public acceptance and recognition, Dick finally got his break. In December 1961, he appeared at the famed Playboy Club in Chicago, Illinois. Dick later made appearances on the Jack Paar Show and other national reviews – and became known as one of the nation’s top comedians. In daring to be free, Dick Gregory heavily influenced many other Black entertainers and paved the way for comedians such as Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy, and most importantly – Richard Pryor.
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Dick was at the pinnacle of his career. Now Dick’s name was truly on the map, but his mother’s philosophical words echoed through his mind. Dick’s mother’s idealistic and realistic awareness of life, liberty, and the pursuit happiness reverberated through every fiber of his being. No longer could he be content with his recently acquired success. Prominent African Americans were organizing and preparing strategies for the upcoming battle for civil rights. Dick was daring to be free and had to be a part of this battle.
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Recruited by the late Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dick was handed the torch and entered the race for freedom. While he adopted a stance of non-violence and paid strict adherence to that policy, Dick was, never-the-less, active on all fronts – sit-ins, public demonstrations, and marches. He publicly and privately confronted law enforcement officials and was arrested on numerous occasions. On any and every opportunity that occurred, Dick never failed to address issues of social injustice – he always dared to be free.
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Dick fought for equality in both the North and the South. He quickly became a civil rights leader and peace activist who was known throughout the world. Dick fasted for human rights both here and abroad – solemnly claiming, “…there can be no civil rights without human rights.” Dick’s strong sense of social justice crossed racial, cultural, and geographical boundaries. Using his quick wit, satire, and the power of truth-in-words, Dick cut his opponents with razor-sharp slashes – forcing them to see the folly of their ways.
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Dick used his celebrity status to draw national and world attention to such issues as segregation, voting rights, discrimination, and disfranchisement. He was a close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali; and a confidant of John and Robert Kennedy. Because he dared to be free, Dick was politically engaged to a degree no comedian – white or African American – had ever been before.
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During the 1960s, Dick spent less and less time performing and entertaining. The volatile social climate of this era coupled with Dick’s relentless commitment to the struggle for civil and human rights, impelled Dick to spend more and more of his time on social issues. Dick initiated and participated in demonstration marches, sit-ins, and parades to support a wide range of causes; including opposition to the Vietnam War, world hunger, and drug abuse. Daring to be free, Dick Gregory fasted in protest more than sixty times. Dick even went to Iran, where he fasted and prayed in an effort to urge Ayatollah Khomeini to release the American Embassy hostages. Throughout the world, wherever there was social injustice, Dick Gregory went daring to be free.
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Demonstrating his commitment to confronting the entrenched political powers, Dick entered the Chicago Mayoral race in 1966. He ran for President of the United States as a write-in candidate in 1968. Dick has always been an advocate of education and still honors many speaking engagements at various universities throughout the nation.
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In 1990, Dick was arrested in Washington, D.C. during a protest at the CIA Headquarters. In an effort to fight crime in St. Louis neighborhoods, Dick initiated a program in 1992 called the “Campaign for Human Dignity.” Dick has starred in one movie and made appearances in several others. He also wrote eleven books and recorded several albums. In 2005, after President George W. Bush’s “State of the Union Address,” Dick gave African Americans their own “State of the Union Address.” The 3-CD recording of this enlightening and inspiring speech can be purchased for a nominal fee through the internet at www.dickgregory.com.
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At age seventy-two, Dick is still active. However, age is catching up with him, yet Dick still continues daring to be free. Somehow, Dick Gregory, the elderly spokesman for African Americans, is still “…fighting the good fight, [while aiming to] finish his course, [while] keeping the faith” (II Timothy 4:7). Dick Gregory still continues to DARE TO BE FREE!!!

posted by ytownherb at 8:44 AM 0 comments

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: African Americans Emerging into the Twenty-First Century

DARE TO BE FREE
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August 28, 1963, Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., voiced his dream – a dream that echoed around the world. His eloquent words of hope for a brighter future in an almost perfect utopia burned its message in the hearts of all Americans, stirred up our emotions, and vibrated the walls of our souls. Whites and Blacks alike were affected by this dream that “…one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’…” No one familiar with the insufferable conditions of the not-so-distant past can doubt that African Americans are much better off today than they were twenty to thirty years ago; however, the improvement was gradual and uneven – and now some elements may even have deteriorated. The dream remains more a goal than a reality.
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Entering the twenty-first century, African Americans were still battling the tragic but enduring effects of pervasive racism and degrading slavery. Racism, with its corrosive and bitter social perversions, remained alive as a malignant cancer, sometimes disguised as benevolence. Having passed the apex of its global dominance, European colonialism left behind an aftermath of seriously distorted values, self-alienation, cultural debasement, and confused identity.
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Although slavery in the United States officially ended in the late nineteenth century, it has a lingering impact on the descendants of its victims. Many African Americans, never being personally afflicted with the robes of slavery, still suffer from aborted initiative, ruptured lineage (both literal and figurative), generalized cultural bastardization, and destroyed self-image.
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African Americans today desperately need to regain control over the presentation, discussion, and interpretation of their own experiences, cultural imperatives, and their lives. There is clearly a series of problems that must be addressed and surmounted if African Americans are to recover the sense of positive identity necessary for their psychological wholeness – and for genuine, cogent, and authentic cultural expression.
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By having their individual identities stolen, African Americans also face a waning of identity as a distinct community and the resulting loss of a clear appreciation for African American common interests. Even though the majority of African Americans do live – and have always lived – in communities that are overwhelmingly populated by African Americans, they too often and too completely confuse African American interests with the surrounding Eurocentric cultural. As an assimilated cultural, we often imitate and emulate European cultural; and neglect our own. We admire their heroes and undermine our own. Phillis Wheatley’s testament “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” says it best, “…[African Americans] sometimes see themselves through the eyes of others, even though that view is contradicted by their own objective condition.”
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Today, many African Americans have no higher ambition than the acquisition of luxury goods as individual markers of prestige and privilege. Many African Americans have prized individual success over collective advancement and thereby underdeveloped our communities. Many African Americans also undermine – perhaps even destroy – the development of our youth by their failure to foster coherent social values that reward those who direct energy toward collective growth.
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In this era of internationalism, African Americans are still prone to cling to national, (and even more so, local neighborhood identities), without fully grasping the need to adopt a larger, global identity derived not just from common historical and cultural roots but also from similar economic and political yokes. African Americans must learn to see themselves as an aggregate of vital communities with particular national experiences subsumed within a unified global African population.
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It is extremely important that African Americans remember that all people have lineages that give them a sense of place, a mark in geography, and a body of shared experiences over a specific time period. African American heritage is a complex set of factors that include African cultural. From this fact comes an inner need to know, acknowledge, and extend both their direct and symbolic legacies. The features of African American culture are self-validating, requiring no external sanctions or acceptance. Bill Russell, the former great basketball star, stated in his book, Go Up For Glory, that on his first trip to Africa he was “…confronted with deep emotional feelings of returning to a homeland.” When asked why he was there, he answered without even thinking, “I came here because I believe that somewhere in Africa is my ancestral home. I came here because I am drawn here, like any man, drawn to seek the land of my ancestors.” After being misquoted by the white American press as to why he went to Africa, he clarified his position by stating, “…I understand that the [American] Irish are proud of Ireland, the [American] Italians are proud of Italy, the [American] Jews are proud of Israel. Just like them, I am proud of my ancestral home – West Africa.” Therefore, culture is the African Americans’ most essential source of identity. It is their garment against the wind, the core testament of their own humanity.
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One of the consequences of slavery was the loss of a sense of ownership on one’s own self. The question of manhood – a frequent theme in African American literature and history – is profoundly related to this issue. It often gives vocal and visual evidence of itself through assertive and sometimes violent reactions to oppressive confrontations, belittling encounters, and humiliating situations. Accepting the existential challenge of being – of owning one’s own self, empowers African American men and women to refuse to cower in the face of indifference, threats, and assaults. It encourages them to dare to be free – dare to use their own talents to interpret their own experiences from their own perspectives.
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In the face of controversy – threats – physical punishment – and even death, the ancestors of African Americans did not deter nor detour from daring to be free. The African Americans of today are the recipients of a glorious legacy left by brave African American heroes who dared to be free, the likes of Fredrick Douglas; W.E.B. DuBois; Booker T. Washington; Malcolm X; Martin Luther King, Jr.; and countless others. In each era of African American history, the torch of freedom was passed down and handed to various individuals who, in the face of extreme adversity, bravely dared to be free. In the twentieth century, this torch was handled by many individuals.
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The dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. is still a dream and not a reality for millions of African Americans. There are individuals, organizations, and institutions determined to kill his dream and destroy the hope of African Americans: that freedom’s bell will ring in the hearts and minds of all Americans; and that equality will be the American lifestyle.
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As we approach the first decade in the twenty-first this freedom torch must be passed on to our African American youth. The time for preparations is now. As long as prejudice and racism exist, this race for freedom and equality is not over. Who will be our new leaders? Who will bravely pick up the torch passed down by former freedom fighters and entered this relay race for freedom and equality – a race not won by the swiftest but by those who endure? Who will take the torch? Will you dare to be free?

posted by ytownherb at 3:31 AM 0 comments

Friday, February 03, 2006

MUSIC: What Happened to Good Music?

THE DECLINE OF MEANINGFUL MUSIC
(From an African American Perspective)
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(The Temptations – 1969)
Music - rhythm that soothes the savage beast, brings strong men to their knees, and causes females to faint in romantic bliss. Where did it go? What happened to my music? Yes, I am "old-school" - with old-fashioned ideas. I am sixty-four years old and I have lived through six decades of music. I have enjoyed the "Big Band and Swing" era; the "Be-Bop" era; the "Rock and Roll" era - up to and including the "British Explosion" era; the never-ending era of "Gospel," "Blues," and "Jazz"; the early gyrating "Soul" era; the "Rhytm and Blues (R & B)" era with its smooth, soft ballads and the emergence of "Motown" recording studio; and many other new artists.. I've even enjoyed the early stages of "Rap" music - when "Rap" offered hope. All these different forms of music had one thing in common... they made us realize that life is worth living.
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Now, the American youth, through their "Rap" and "Gansta Rap" music, have almost destroyed this medium. Their musical vocal expression of the unjust and violent society in which we live is of vital interest, but the explicit language used to relay their messages demeans, demoralizes, and alienates the morally conscious listener. Is "Rap" music a trend that has never been witnessed in America before? No, "Rap" music ia a continuing line of African American expressions including: "Spirituals," "Blues,"and "Soul," all of which were inspired during trying times in our society. However, because of "Rap" music's much more violent and explicit content, it cannot be viewed in the same sense of its predecessors nor can it be taken in the same serious manner.
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There are a number of "Rap" styles. "Lite-Action Rap" is entertaining and not burdened with a deep or heavy message ( Fresh Prince). "Hardcore Rap" has a macho, aggressive tone; its lyrics are usually obscene, profane, sexually explicit, and violent. "Gansta Rap" is the most extreme. It promotes and glorifies violence, illicit sex, drugs, and felonious criminal activity. All are part of the new "Hip-Hop" regime.
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The nation is divided over "Rap" music and its influence on our youth. Some feel it is just a form of expression, while others feel that it leads to increased deviant juvenile behavior and therefore should be banned. Many debates, Congressional and others, have ensued over this vital controversy. Many editorials have been written on this subject.
Jamilah Evelyn, the author of the article, "To the Academy with Love, from a Hip-Hop Fan" published in the December 7th, 2001 issue of the magazine Black Issues in Higher Education, had an idiotic and asinine idea. Her main objective was to influence university educators to develop an "empathetic rapport" with their students by requiring revered professors to listen to the shameful, disgusting, and demoralizing lyrics of hatemongers, women debasers, violent-crime advocators, and drug worshipers.
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In that article, Ms. Evelyn had the audacity to say, "Who else, besides a professor conscious of the thoughtful and intellectual side of kids otherwise cast as degenerates, should we expect to give a ringing endorsement of 'Hip-hops' prolific proteges." Is she really expecting these highly honored, respected, and educated teachers to actually approve of this music and have the college institutions they represent add it in their course curriculum? In one breath she readily admits that by celebrating these degenerates, we demoralize our youth, and in the next breath she promotes the same degenerating, violent lyrics by claiming the reason it sells "...is indicative more of American pop culture in general than of this one particular facet." She wants her readers to believe that our culture is responsible for the acceptance of this degrading music, but, in fact, it is the music which is generating the negative behavior in our culture. In her opinion, failure to adopt her philosophy would lead to the educational deterioration of future African-American minds and the extinction of potential African-American professionals. Her radical ideas and assumptions are as ridiculious as those idiots in California who want to add "Ebonics" as another language for African American students.
The article, "Rock of Ages," written by Richard Layaco and published February 26, 2001, in Time magazine, advises parents to listen to this music with their children and hold discussion groups. He advises parents to schedule trips with their kids to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington. He further claims the Experience Music Project, “…aims to be a place where parents can explain to their kids that James Brown is the old guy who sounds like Mystical, and kids can tell their parents that Mystical is the young guy who sounds like James Brown.” What a croak! Mystical sounds more like a perverted version of James Brown.
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Romantic musical artists have been replaced by sexual deviates. While admitting this music is connected with promiscuous sex and drugs, Mr. Layaco states, “…it’s a supremely subtle parent who can share all kinds of music with their kids without seeming to endorse the troubling stuff.” Now doesn’t that sound crazy? They are subtle parents – just parents who abstain from their parental responsibilities and delegate their authority to their children. It’s like giving your thirteen-year-old daughter birth control pills or condoms while telling her not to have sexual intercourse.
Lorraine Ali, another female author, dismisses the destructible nature of this music by describing it as a passing fad. In her article, “The Same Old Song,” published in the October 29, 2000, issue of Newsweek, she claims the music is just the kids’ way of rebelling as kids do in each generation. While conceding that this generation has taken their music to a new extreme, she claims, "[that it] …will pass away, either because it collapses under the weight of its own decadence… or because it withers from sheer neglect.” She asks her readers to wait for this music to fade out of existence. She fails to mention the irreparable damage manifested upon our youth while we wait.
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What proponents of the music fail to realize is this sick music’s enormous following and its long-term negative, hypnotic effect. Our inner-city children are reacting to the subliminal messages transmitted through this music by these so-called “Rap” artists. They closely follow the antics of these anti-role models, dressing like them, emulating them, and proudly displaying their obscene lyrical banners as if they were American flags. These lyrics are held in high esteem among our youth and are recited like the Pledge of Allegiance. “Rap” verses are memorized and held in reverent awe like passages of the Holy Bible. Captivated in the music’s hypnotic trance, they revel in their deviant behavior and perform atrocities that were once only attributed to adults with mental problems.
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Mass commercialization of this music, coupled with easy access through the internet, has permitted the demoralization of our youth to rapidly increase. Its contagious, poisonous venom has spread to epidemic proportions. Picture your thirteen-year-old daughter, listening to some adult pervert glorifying oral and anal sex. Your teenage son is learning firsthand on how to become a hardcore felon with murder, rape, and armed robbery as glorious trophies to be collected and treasured. Advocating the use of illegal drugs, promiscuous sex, and felonious criminal activity are standard themes in most “Rap” music. Increases in the number of high school drop-outs, teen pregnancies, adolescent drug use, and juvenile crimes can all be attributed to the infectious influence of this music. The increase in gang and drug-related deaths among our youth are proof of its deadly communicable effect.
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Admittedly, censorship is not the answer. However, some controls must be initiated to minimize the lasting effect this music has upon our youth. Somehow, as caring adults, we must find a cure for this cancer-like disease. Hopelessness, despair, and inevitable destruction will be our fate if we allow this parasite to continue eating at the moral fabric of our youth.
As Leonard Pitts stated in his article, "Value of Life Lost in Gansta Rap's Refrain," that appeared in the November 19, 1999, issue of the Miami Herald, “…rap is largely music of thug values, celebrating that which deserves no celebration.” He continues, “… [why do we] romanticize death [and] reward it with that badge of awful honor… we already know that young Black men are not afraid to die. We must challenge them to prove a more difficult thing: that they are not afraid to live.” We must begin singing a new song with old lyrics and give our youth a sense of hope instead of the hopelessness that is reverberated through “Rap” music.
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The task ahead will not be an easy one. Most habits die hard and old ones seem immortal, but everything must change or be rearranged. Somehow, we must convince our youth that this music of darkness and despair, which is rapidly causing their senseless deaths and the death of our society, must give way to the light of a new beat for an old song, with lyrics that breathe life into our society.
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There is definitely a link between music and memory. Life is full of things loved, lost, found, hoped for, and, of course, there is misery and despair. But in moments of loneliness or solemness of thought, recollection of life’s memories creates a quiet stillness in us – a death-like silence. Music can block out that silence. So, bring back my music and let me live again.

posted by ytownherb at 9:54 AM 24 comments

Thursday, February 02, 2006

MASS COMMUNNICATIONS: Attention Classmates

To All My Mass
Communications Classmates
at WOSC
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Please be advise that my blog site for comments to class discussion questions should be done on my blog site: http://www.ytownherbrd.blogspot.com/ This is to insure that our instructor gives us proper credit.
Thank You!!!

posted by ytownherb at 8:33 AM 0 comments

Sunday, January 29, 2006

EBONY MAGAZINE: Online Zine

Ebony, a magazine for the African American Market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has been published since the 1945. Mr. Johnson, the visionary publisher of the monthly issues of Ebony magazine and the weekly issues of Jet magazines, also founded Johnson Skin and Hair Products, Fashion Fair Cosmetics and Ebony Fashion fair. He was the first African American to appear on the Forbes 500 Rich List, and had a fortune estimated at close to $16 Billion. He died on August 8, 2005 at the age of 87. A portion of of Chicago’s famed Michigan Avenue, where corporate offices are located, has since been renamed John H. Johnson Avenue. Mr. Johnson will be greatly missed.



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One of the co-editors, Hans Massaquoi, wrote an autobiography about his life in Nazi Germany as a black boy. The book is entitled, “Destined to Witness,” and has been on the top of the bestseller list of the German weekly Der Spiegel for many months. It is a “must-read” item for all Americans.
Ebony consistently has eye-catching covers. This is what first caught my attention. I was drawn to it. Ebony’s covers feature raving beauties like Halle Berry; Studs like Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx; or graphic pictures of current news events – like the war in Iraq. The magazine covers a variety of interesting topics: cover stories; book reviews; travel guides; and beauty, styles, and fashions. The Magazine gives readers up-to-date info on the music and entertainment scene and showcases new African American talent. The news, sports, and events sections are detailed and cover reports not found in other mediums.
The magazine is truly high quality and sophisticated. It is informative, educational, and entertaining. The quality of the magazines’ paper is so great that I save many copies and either re-read them or trade them with others. It is a magazine that I can relate to. It was the first magazine where major corporations featured African American models in their advertisements. This was a visual aid that made advertisements appear realistic. The magazine has a constant upbeat with sharp, detailed pictures – similar to the photographic visuals displayed in the old “Life and Look” magazines that Time Warner now owns.
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The entertainment section is full of useful information and they have amazing success stories of African American stars. These celebrities willingly open up their homes and their hearts to these Ebony interviewers. Their stories are inspirational and uplifting. They give me, as well other African Americans, a needed psychic boost. I am very impressed with this magazine would recommend it to everyone. This magazine is now online and can be viewed at: http://www.ebony.com/assembled/home.html
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posted by ytownherb at 9:32 AM 3 comments

Saturday, January 28, 2006

CENSORSHIP: Still Alive Worldwide!

Censorship is a word of many meanings. In its broadest sense it refers to the suppression of information, ideas, or artistic expression by anyone, whether it be government officials, church authorities, private pressure groups, speakers, writers, or artists themselves. It may take place at any point in time, whether before an utterance occurs, prior to its widespread circulation, or by punishment of communicators after dissemination of their messages, so as to deter others from like expression. In its narrower and more legalistic sense, censorship means only the prevention by official government action of the circulation of messages already produced.

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Thus writers who "censor" themselves before putting words on paper for fear of failing to sell their work, are not engaging in censorship in this narrower sense, nor are those who boycott sponsors of disliked television shows. Yet all of these restraints have the effect of limiting the diversity that would otherwise be available in the marketplace of ideas; and so may be considered censorship in its broadest sense.
There are almost as many justifications offered for the suppression of communication as there are would-be censors, but the root of the motivation is always the same. It is a fear that the expression, if not curtailed, will do harm to individuals in the expressers audience or to society as a whole. Thus so-called obscene material is attacked because it is feared that it will corrupt personal morality and lead to deviant sexual acts.
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School textbooks and library materials are sought to be purged by groups who fear that they may inculcate subversive values in children. Information concerning national security is controlled by government, with particular severity in wartime; for fear that its revelation may aid an enemy. In the judicial system, pretrial publicity about a crime may jeopardize a fair trial. Publication of personal information by police (such as the names of rape victims) or by the press (such as one's sexual preferences) may seriously intrude on one's right to privacy. The fear of such consequences, real or imagined, is what drives the censorial impulse.
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Censorship has been practiced in both the narrower and the broader senses on every continent. It has been practiced since the beginning of organized cultures. Those societies which have been most confident in their principles and confident of the loyalty of their members have allowed the greatest freedom from censorship, simply because they have been the least fearful of the consequences of dissent. In societies whose values have not been fully accepted by their people or whose leadership rests on shaky foundations, the heaviest hand of censorship has fallen.
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The relative prevalence of censorship is one of the features that has most distinguished autocratic from democratic societies and is most obvious in the censorship practiced today in nations such as Albania, Iran, Korea Cuba, China, and many other non-democratic nations. Nevertheless, even in the freest of nations, including the United States, some forms of censorship exist. For a documented, detailed description of worldwide censorships by date; geographic location; type of censorship; and reason for censorship, visit The File Room's website at: http://www.thefileroom.org/documents/CategoryHomePage.html . Civilized societies, organized centuries ago, still have not evolved enough to trust the intellect of its individual members. Yes, Censorship is still alive worldwide!
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Other Links:
The File Room
The American Library Association
Vandergrift University
Worldwide Censorship

posted by ytownherb at 11:01 PM 1 comments

OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB: The Impact of Scandals!

Non-fiction books, novels, biographies, or articles – are they really written as non-fiction material full of factual information … or are they just as infotainment literature. James Fry wrote and published his memoir entitled “A Million Little Pieces.” This book was herald as a great non-fiction autobiography.


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However, what ever is done in the dark, will one day come into the light – what ever lies covered, will become uncovered. Investigators found many discrepancies between the factual, documented events that actually occurred and the events recorded as true in James Frey’s autobiography.
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When Mr. Frey was first confronted, he flatly denied the allegations. Oprah, who could be considered the “mother of the rapid success for this book,” defended him and the book on national television – as any mother would defend their child.
Hit with an overwhelming amount of evidence, Oprah soon changed her tune. She publicly denounced her allegiance to Mr. Frey and his book, and publicly stated to Mr. Frey that he was lying and proclaimed his as a fraud. Oprah, feeling duped and ashamed, publicly apologized to her fans and supporters.
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In all of the attention focused on James Frey and his book "A Million Little Pieces" in recent weeks, two main characters in the drama — Mr. Frey's literary agent and the book's editor — have largely escaped scrutiny. However, thanks to the honesty of Oprah and her nationally televised apologetic, rebuttal of Mr. Fry and his book, these people are now under investigation.
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Beyond Frey, and his publishers, stories of suffering may themselves take a fall. Frey's saga comes at a time when the work, and even the identities, of such alleged hard-luck authors as J.T. Leroy and Nasdijj have been questioned. St. Martin's Press recently added a disclaimer to an upcoming book by Augusten Burroughs, another memoirist who has been challenged. Do you remember the saying "believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see?" Well, now we must also believe none of what we read... until it has been verified.
This type of fraudulent behavior is not just restricted to authors… it also extends to other types of artists. For example Rap artists have been lying for years and making millions while doing it. On several occasions, their lyrical lies have divided the country, neighborhoods, and even families. Their lyrical lies have injured and endangered many innocent people. Their lyrical lies have been the underlying factor of many murders. Tupac Shakor and Biggie Smalls, two of the greatest rap artists ever to record, were both murdered as a direct result of lyrical lies. Their lies divided national fans into East Coast and West Coast. Even after their deaths, this division can still be felt.
Today, rap artists like 50 Cent, keep a division among fans by promoting vicious lies and perpetrating the gangster-tough image to their audiences. These lies place innocent fans and others in physical danger. 50 cent has actually been shot several times on several occasions – even on stage during a performance. Now he is convinced that he is invincible. Rap artists with fraudulent lyrics are just like Mr. Frey with his fraudulent autobiography.
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Writers of Non-fiction books, articles, and musical lyrics, who consciously lie about events, themselves, and/or others, are just perpetrating imposters who pretend to be someone other than themselves. They steal bits and pieces from other people’s lives and proudly pronounce that those stolen moments in time truly belong to them. They are nothing but “Want-To-Be’s” – they want to be someone other than themselves.
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OTHER LINKS:
Chicago Tribune
Hollywood Defamer
Black Entertainment
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posted by ytownherb at 6:21 PM 4 comments