Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
by Sharif Rasheed (www.bethe1change.com)
Freedom is something that is rare in its truest form. To be free in action and thought is powerful. Today we have to rethink and question who is free. Mental enslavement has been talked about for a significant period of time now and it continues to enslave generation after generation. There is the teacher that refuses to educate students on how groups became oppressed and enslaved. The hip-hip artist portraying a coon/brute image for a dollar. History that is taught in schools has been watered down to the point that the youth do not have a true understanding of events that made this country what it is today. Forced to hate everything about yourself; mind, body, complexion, and family. We have all heard or read about the Willy Lynch letters in one aspect or another. People have been breaking down that letter for years, but it was not one man that created mental enslavement. It was not done with one speech. It was done with actions. The actions on the middle passage that led to the death and rape of thousands, maybe more. A great number of the youth are not free and we can see that in action and thought. They have chosen to glorify and portray ignorance. They would rather be hood famous and ignorant than educated and average. It was not always a wicked jump shot or selling crack rock like biggie once said on one of the greatest albums of all-time. WE created that image by allowing ourselves to be enslaved. The question I ask today is, “Will you free the Youth?” Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
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Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
by Sharif Rasheed (www.bethe1change.com)
This blog is the first installment of a series of 4 blogs.
With the death of Rodney King America will be reminded of a time in history when a man was viciously beaten by the police, which provoked the L.A. riots. It was 1991 when Rodney King was videotaped being beaten by several police officers after leading them on a chase. The beating lasted a few minutes, but with each swing of the baton we were reminded that equality truly did not exist. I had a conversation with a 17-year-old kid yesterday about Rodney King and he did not know anything about it. That struck me as odd because when I was growing up we were involved in what was going on around us and we had a good understanding of what came before us: civil rights movement, black Muslim movement, black panthers, women’s rights etc. We all knew history no matter how long ago it occurred. The youth today (not all, but a high number) does not understand their history. How violent and racist it was., how protest was not just camping out and accomplishing nothing and how a voice would rise and lead people. Ask yourself is History relevant to the youth? Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
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Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
by Sharif Rasheed (www.bethe1change.com)
When I was growing up my mother made sure that I did not fall into the street life. She saw enough growing up that she did not want me to engage in it. Parents of my generation and generations past had that same tough love upbringing. The discipline was there, the love was there, the time was there and the education was there. Parents did not fear their children, so they were not afraid to be a parent. We educated on equality, racism, justice and not having children at a young age. There seems to have been a change when I look at the youth today and their parents. From working with the youth and their families I have witnessed first hand the lack of guidance from these young parents. I have witnessed parents fearing their children, which prevents them from disciplining. I have witnessed conversations about sex, which prevents them from talking about not having children at a young age. I have heard people say repeatedly that it is the parents. Well it is time to call out parents that refuse to break the cycle, parents that refuse to be involved in their child’s education and parents that refuse to discipline. Now this is not to say a lot of young parents and parents in today’s society are not doing an excellent job because that would be false. This is a direct piece about the ones that refuse to engage, so ask yourself, “Are parents relevant to the youth?” Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
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Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
by Sharif Rasheed (www.bethe1change.com)
Brown vs. Board of Education is taught as a landmark case that ruled that separate schools for black and white students are unconstitutional. This is not the actual reality because we still have schools that are predominantly black and Hispanic that are underperforming. Nobody is stepping in and generation after generation is falling into the cycle of receiving a poor education. It would be very easy to blame the system as a whole, but that would defeat the purpose because there is a lot of blame to be handed out when it comes to educating today’s youth. It starts with poor teaching. It starts with teachers who get involved because they watch a documentary about inner city schools and believe they can fix the kids. These individuals have hidden agendas that will always show their true colors. Now this is not to discredit any teacher that has watched a documentary and actually brought about some change in schools. I also am not trying to discredit teachers who have fought the good fight for years. We need more teachers like that. Teachers have failed the youth in many ways and continue to teach generation after generation because we have allowed them to do so. The question I ask today is, “Are teachers relevant to the youth?” Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
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Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
by Sharif Rasheed (www.bethe1change.com)
Hip-Hop has inspired the life of many, myself included. From the time period when lyrics were the only thing that separated elite poets from average storytellers, to a time period now where the only factor is glorification. Hip-Hop has always been an outlet, or rather a voice for individuals who wanted to tell their story or just speak out. In the 80’s and 90’s hardship and the need to escape the street life inspired the artistry. To escape the mentality of the projects, low-income housing, murder and injustice that has and continues to oppress many today. In the current era music is about glorification and not escaping. It is about street creditability rather than achieving knowledge of ones self and circumstances. This is not to say that all Hip-Hop music is supposed to have a political tie or positivity attached to it. Hip-Hop music has always been diverse, which attracted the youth on different levels. Today the youth are getting one mainstream message from hip-hop. That message is that criminal, self-hatred, self-oppression is the only way to achieve a better life. So ask yourself today, “Is hip-hop relevant to the youth?”
Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
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Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
There was a time in history when education, success, progress and change inspired black Americans as a whole. When individuals loved to read and challenge the status quo. When these same individuals would learn history in order to never let it repeat itself. W.E.B Dubois was a scholar who had a great understanding of history. Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad, Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis, Cornel West and many more all had/have a great understanding of history. When they speak, they speak from a place that understands the power of not understanding ones history. In their writings they refer to historical events that portrayed minorities in a negative light and counter those arguments. History is a powerful tool that laid the foundation for generations to create change. There has been a slow transition from educating oneself to self harming oneself that has infested the youth. We’re talking about black on black crime and when discussed, it typically focuses directly on the physical harm and not the emotional generational harm.
Embracing stereotypes is black on black crime because it forces you to look at yourself through an outdated scope. Hundreds of years ago Coon and Brute were terms that described blacks. Coon portrayed blacks as childlike subhuman creatures, Coon being short for raccoon. The coon was uneducated and lazy and spoke in slang. It was an insult to be called a coon. If you were black and you embraced the characteristics of a coon you were considered a sell-out. There was a sense of unity that held blacks accountable for one another. You were, in a sense, your brother’s keeper. Psychological enslavement did not control the youth like it does now.
Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
Filed under: Crime, Education, Other Social Issues | 4 Comments »
Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
I recently read the article written by Eleanor Chute and Liz Navratil entitled “Westinghouse High: A Study of Disorganization.” As a proud member of the Westinghouse High School Class of 1966 I am saddened but as a retired School Social Worker from the Pittsburgh Public Schools I am both frustrated and angered by the situation that has been reported in this article.
My frustration is borne from the fact that this should not have occurred; our children deserve better from each of us. It is our responsibility to use all of the resources that are available so that we provide the most well planned and thought through programs that we can develop. Too frequently it appears that we service our children and families as an afterthought and not the priority that they should be.
Unfortunately, it seems that our current culture does not support the use of experience – but defers to the “new”. I learned as a teenager that “there is nothing new under the sun”. If we then follow that logic it would perhaps be beneficial to hear some of the history of our school district and how it solved similar problems in the past.
Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
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Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
COMMUNITY RELEASE:
Contact: T. Rashad Byrdsong
Telephone: 412-371-3689 ext. 14
Email: TRByrdsong@ceapittsburgh.org
AN OPEN APPEAL TO THE COMMUNITY
CEA and the Peace Alliance Network of Greater Pittsburgh and Allegheny County would like to offer its sincere condolences to the Grayson family and the entire congregation of Wesley Center A.M.E. Zion Church, for the untimely loss of your son, Jeron Grayson. We would like to acknowledge and commemorate Jeron for the man he was becoming, what he had accomplished in giving back to his community, the dreams that he had for the future, and the many young people that Jeron touched.
Rev. Grayson is a respected pillar in the African American Pittsburgh community. He continues to give back selflessly and is making tremendous contributions through his tireless efforts and work to improve the conditions for residents in our Communities. The best way that we can show our support, respect and honor to this family is to recommit ourselves to finding solutions to this epidemic called Violence.
There have been thousands of young men who have died at the hands of senseless gun violence. There will be thousands more if we do not tackle this disease from its root causes, which has become A Public Health crisis. What will it take for the collective cries and prayers to be heard from the thousands of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and communities to see an end to the carnage that is hemorrhaging our communities every day? As we know too painfully well, the culture of youth and community violence has gripped this nation. Gun violence transcends race, class, social and economic status. The sad state of affairs is that we all are susceptible to the tentacles of social discord and conflict. Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
Filed under: Community, Crime, Murders | 1 Comment »
Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
The House of Representatives passed the Senate Health Care Bill by a vote of 219-212 on Sunday, March 21, 2010. This has been a very passionate debate. Below is a summary of this bill from www.healthbill2010.info
Health care bill summary (passed 3/21/10, not yet signed by President):
Currently, there are 32 million without health insurance. The new health insurance coverage expansion begins in 2014. When fully phased in, 95 percent of eligible Americans would have health insurance coverage, compared with 83 percent today.
Health insurance mandate – Almost everyone is required to get health insurance or else pay a fine. There is an exemption for low-income people. Mandate takes effect in 2014.
Health insurance reforms – Starting this year, health insurance carriers would be forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions, and from canceling policies because someone gets sick. Parents would be able to keep older kids on their health insurance coverage up to age 26. A new high-risk pool would offer coverage to uninsured people with medical problems until 2014, when the coverage expansion goes into high gear. Major consumer safeguards would also take effect in 2014. Health insurance providers would be prohibited from denying coverage to people with medical problems or charging them more. Health insurance carriers could not charge women more.
QUESTIONS: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PASSING OF THE NEW BILL? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU? Click here to continue and SpeakOUT! »
Filed under: Health Issues | 1 Comment »
Posted by SP SpeakOUT!
It’s Sept 9th, 2009 and WAMO is now officially off the air. This was the last summer to have WAMO playing at your cookout, the last summer you’ll hear those familiar voices, and no more Steve Harvey…
We ask the Soul Pitt visitors to act as if this were WAMO’s funeral and say your final farewell.
Filed under: Community | 30 Comments »
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