Defiant wRiot

[defiantwriot]

Is it really hard to ask for a little professionalism from Cam Newton?

Mark Zaleski/AP

By: Odus Evbagharu, Managing Editor

I love me some Cam Newton like Terrell Owens loves him some him. 

I love the in your face attitude and him being unapologetically himself. I love the hate he uses as fuel to make his doubters and detractors eat their crow—quite frankly you can assume I probably have an unhealthy obsession with the 2015 NFL MVP a.k.a Superman.

He’s everything I want in someone breaking the mold of what a quarterback should be and then some. The NFL needs the personality of Cam Newton, he’s simply a breath of fresh football air. His attire is dapper, his swagger is majestic and his smile is electric but the attitude displayed on the podium after a devastating Super Bowl loss was disappointing.

Cam wasn’t the sole reason the Carolina Panthers lost Super Bowl 50 but I don’t think the media was just looking for a reason to blame or vilify Cam. Listening to every postgame show, the story was how the Broncos’ defense pressured Cam 21 times out of his 48 dropbacks, second most in the Super Bowl-era. Experts were discussing if Denver’s defense was the greatest unit to ever play.  Analysts marveled at the fact Peyton Manning’s final game ended in the right way and how dominant Super Bowl-MVP Von Miller was. At this point, the only criticism of Cam was how poorly he played and inaccurate he was for the first time in a long time. 

Then the press conference happened and this is when the narrative changed course.

Now, there are some out there saying Cam doesn’t owe anyone anything especially the media, which is somewhat fair but not all the way true. The night before Super Bowl 50, Newton was named 2015 AP NFL MVP (received 48 out of the 50 votes) as well as the Offensive Player of the Year. Cam wasn’t voted by his peers for these awards, it was the Associated Press, who honored Newton with the accolades. The same people who were unfairly making his every move a bigger deal than what it was, deemed him the best football player of 2015. Yes, Cam earned those awards through his play on the field but we’ve seen the media hold grudges on who they like and will vote for, ask Terrell Owens. 

This is the same media, I’ve seen defend Cam Newton as well. Not all, but some have defended Cam and have told the masses to relax. He’s just having fun and enjoying the game like it was meant to be. This is the same media who hold up cameras and zoom-in their lenses every time Cam celebrates a touchdown with those smooth dance moves. This is the same media who gives Cam a platform to be who he is, and as we saw Sunday, sometimes the good comes with the bad. 

Many of us have never played professional sports, yet alone played on the biggest platform for a championship so trying to imagine losing on that kind of stage is unthinkable but Cam knows better and should have handled himself with more professionalism especially when after a win against the Tennessee Titans earlier this season. Titans players were upset about him dancing too long after he scored a late touchdown to seal the game. Cam responded with the “if you don’t want me to do it, then don’t let me in (endzone)” statement after the game. 

Gif courtesy of SB Nation

Finally, someone had stopped Cam from dabbing and smiling and he couldn’t handle it in the biggest moment, nowhere to be found. Walking off the stage was not the way to go in this circumstance and it’s not just the media criticizing him.

According to John Breech of CBS Sports, Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Steve Young didn’t find Newton’s postgame actions acceptable:

"I understand the emotions of losing, but you can't do that," Sanders said, via the Los Angeles Times. "A Manning, a Brady -- all these guys that have been a prototypical type of quarterback in our game, they're not going to do that ever. Would Drew Brees ever?"

Sanders, who now works for the NFL Network, also added that if Newton's going to celebrate after wins, he needs to be able to handle himself after losses.

"You're opening yourself for more criticism, because everybody is going to say you're dabbing and smiling and smiling and styling," Sanders said. "So this is how you go out when you lose?"

Another Hall of Famer agrees with Sanders. ESPN analyst Steve Young said that as the "face of the franchise," Newton had an obligation to stick around and answer questions.

"To have that kind of emotion makes a lot of sense. It's just that you're the MVP. You're the guy that's going to be the face of the franchise, you're the face of the NFL going forward, you were the dabber," Young said. "This is the moment to actually show that resilience on the other side. And so, stand in there, answer the questions. It's three minutes. Even if you just spit the words out, take a deep breath, answer the questions."

These comments are coming from two of the greatest players to ever do it. They understand the emotions of the game better than the general public and understand the trials and tribulations of losing on the biggest stage. If they can come to this conclusion, why is it a hard notion to hold Cam accountable for some of his actions, especially this specific act?

His teammate, All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman, who is brash in his own right and talks just as much was able to sit, take a moment to himself and answer the questions the media had for him. Cam could have done the same thing, there’s no excuse. Since when was because ‘that’s who he is good enough for professionals in any career?’ 

Every company, team, news outlet, etc. hold their employees and people associated with whatever brand to a standard and for some there are higher standards especially when you’re the best player in the entire league.  Showing sportsmanship doesn’t make your swag or charisma disappear, doesn’t mean the loss didn’t hit you hard, it just shows when you get humbled, you’re above the adversity and you understand the obligations that come with being the face of the franchise as well as being one of the prominent figures in the NFL. 

Loving Cam dabbing and dancing doesn’t mean people have to agree with how he handles success and disappointment. From what is shown in the public and how his teammates describe him, Cam seems like a great guy who cares for the community and does a lot of good. It’s great to see him use his polarizing status to evoke change, I wish more athletes would do the same. I’m glad Cam is brash and I hope he keeps the same attitude because it makes him great and keeps him going, but when times get tough and you get humbled, it’s very important to keep your composure especially when you’ve been “dabbing and smiling and smiling and styling” all season.

Dab on ‘em, jive on ‘em, hell milly rock on ‘em but just don’t run on ‘em.

Follow Odus Evbagharu on Twitter: @iamodus_ 

[defiantwriot]

Thanks President Obama, But Your People Need More

Courtesy of The Independent

By: Brandon Sams, Senior Editor

Black Lives Matter.

Those are the words President Obama echoed or rather exemplified during an event on criminal justice reform. The problem is: it took the president a year to speak on this matter. Black Americans have been in a state of emergency since the unfortunate death of Trayvon Martin, it seems as though we cannot go a full month without tragedy striking again. Every 28 hours a black man is killed by an officer of the law. It’s a shame it took this long for the president to speak on the modern-day civil rights struggle of the community he identifies with.

I get it. Being the first black president Obama, to an extent, has to distance himself from his own blackness. It’s an unfortunate reality, but a reality nonetheless. In a country that is all too often anti-black, the president has to walk that fine line of “acceptable black” and “cool black.” The manifestations of blackness that white people consume and enjoy because they can either be molded or exploited. However, when presidential hopefuls like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders can unabashedly proclaim the importance of the movement, then clearly Mr. President, you’re doing something wrong.

They may not be where you are, but they also do not have the experiences that you’ve had. As a black man in America you’ve talked about being profiled and falling victim to certain microaggressions. If anyone should be singing the praises of the “Black Lives Matter” movement on the political stage, it should have been you. 

A building is just as strong as it’s weakest components. You can build the most complex and pristine structure in the world, but if the foundation is weak and easily disturbed, it will just come crashing down. As president of the United States it is your job to ensure that the most vulnerable among us are protected and recognized. When you fail to do that, then everything we’ve built crumbles. Gilding gold on a copper plate doesn’t erase the blemishes, it only hides them -- but for so long. 

As his final term winds down President Obama seems to be getting more and more relaxed, and with that more and more candid. Perhaps we’ll see the president we thought he was, the one he ran as, the one we hope him to be. Only time will tell, but just a word of caution Mr. President...never let your voice be the last to be heard on an issue that effects your community, it’s unbecoming.

- Follow Brandon Sams on Twitter: @TheBrandonSams

[defiantwriot]

Why did it take so long to believe Cosby’s victims?

Source: Dan Herrick/ZUMA

By: Ishmael Johnson, wRiter

We’re done here.

But, we should’ve been done with this a long time ago.

Monday afternoon, the Associated Press dug up court documents from 2005 that detail, under oath, comedian Bill Cosby admitted to giving prescription Quaaludes to women he wanted to have sex with rape. The documents stemmed from a lawsuit by Andrea Constand who later settled with Cosby out of court.

"When you got the Quaaludes, was it in your mind that you were going to use these Quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with?" asked attorney Dolores Troiani in the deposition.

"Yes," Cosby replied.

For those who don’t know, Quaaludes are central nervous system depressant or a sedative. In other words, it’s a type of tranquilizer.

I’ve seen some people try and clear Cosby’s actions by saying it’s no different than a guy buying a girl a drink during a night on the town to make her be more social with him throughout the night in hopes of getting with her at the end.

Two things in response to that:

First, the drinking thing. That’s a sad outcome of the normalization of rape culture that’s currently embedded in our nightlife culture and should actually be seen as deplorable not the brighter side of a comparison. Second, no.

Of course in the wake of countless women coming forward accusing Cosby of assault, this is the ultimate vindication for them. But that’s the issue, why?

Why is the victim’s only form of justice literally from the horse’s mouth?

Not one, not two, not 10, not even 20, but nearly 30 to 40 women have come forth with accusations and none of them were believed by a large and frighteningly dedicated group of people.

Hell, there are still people who believe Cosby is innocent even after this news.

Whoopi Goldberg and Raven Symone for example. Both said Tuesday morning on The View, they’re still in Cosby’s corner.

“Save your texts, save your nasty comments, I don’t care, “Goldberg said. I say this because this is my opinion, and in America still, I know it’s a shock, but you actually were innocent until proven guilty. He has not been proven a rapist.”

The phrase, “proven a rapist” is scary to me.

It’s that phrase that’s the primary reason 68 percent of assault incidents are not reported to the police, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.

Not only does Goldberg not give credibility to any of the women who came forward, she doesn’t even take Cosby’s own sworn word. In her eyes, the victims literally can’t win at least until there is an uncovered Polaroid from 20 years ago.

Now, I can understand the complications for Symone. Cosby gave Symone her first acting gig on The Cosby Show. There are more things for her to process than most, but she held the same sentiments as Goldberg about the lack of “proof” and it’s still troubling.

By the way, props to Jill Scott, for admitting she was wrong in her defense of Cosby. She at least did it.

Also, we still have this repulsive thing called “statute of limitations” on cases like rape and sexual assault, so Cosby likely won’t see any convictions. He’ll just continue to pay them off like he did in the past to maintain his squeaky clean image.

Wait, squeaky clean image? Let’s actually look into that.

A lot of America seems to think Bill Cosby is Dr. Cliff Huxtable. They love to think he’s just dancing in his sweaters and making googly eyes at puddin’ pops on the daily, when in fact he’s kind of nothing like that.

Admittedly, I didn’t even know what he was like until I checked it out for myself because he was always portrayed as “America’s dad.”

Whether it’s the dreaded “pound cake speech” or another one of his countless, holier than thou remarks about poor black communities, Cosby has been—to put it blatantly— a finger-wagging curmudgeon.

“Pull up ya pants, black people and racism will go away” is a good summary of most of his views on poor black communities. Sprinkle in some stuff about hippity-hop music being the devil and rotten kids standing on his lawn and you have his self-profound philosophy in a nutshell.

Sorry to be contrarian, but I doubt a clothing style and a music genre have anything to do with why certain school districts across this country can’t afford proper books and facilities and thus, why countless black teenagers can’t learn to read or write. You can blame Jay-Z, I’ll blame institutional barriers.

He’s the type of person who blames things like racism on everybody, but the actual racists.

Then, when someone does make it out of a tough environment, he has the gall to say they’re not good enough.

Like in 1989 when he told Notre Dame All-American football player, Dean Brown he wasn’t good enough because he had a 2.5 GPA and reduced the player to tears because Cosby told him “2.5 is OK if you have a mental disorder”.

Never mind that Brown came from a single-parent household and was raised by a mother who couldn’t work because of a stroke he witnessed her having at age 4. Then, Brown was forced to hustle food stamps at age 10 to buy candy which he would then sell at school at marked up prices to have money.

Even more tragic, what was apparently Brown’s favorite show growing up? Fat Albert.

That brings us back around, why were people so quick to defend Cosby after numerous allegations?

His under oath admittance is the exoneration the victims needed, but I ask again, why? Is that the only way people will believe victims of sexual assault?

Plain and simple, where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. Unless it’s a cloud of smoke, then it’s a forest fire.

Lastly, word up to Hannibal Burress for originally bringing this back into the light.

Follow Ishmael Johnson on Twitter: @Ish_46

[defiantwriot]

Dear President Obama, You have been an inspiration to many and will continually be a man I will aspire to be one day, but Mr. President I need more from you. I understand you are the leader to the greatest melting pot in the world, but sir, the black community needs its leader’s voice more than ever. You are the first African-American person to be elected president by a country that once hated the likes of you. And clearly, is still showing their despise. We’ve seen numerous press conferences you’ve held addressing the many tragedies that have occurred during your presidency from you shedding a tear for the Sandy Hook killings to the outrage you displayed for the senseless Boston Marathon bombings. Yet, I’m still waiting on the press conference where you’ll utter the words “Black Lives Matter.” This is not to devalue the importance of other races, cultures or causes but Mr. President every time a cop kills a young unarmed black boy for no reason or a white man goes into a place of peace and kills innocent black people because he fears their “takeover,” he’s assassinating you and everything you’ve accomplished. Our community, a community you are a part of, needs you more than ever. I need you more than ever. I need you to stop staying quiet when Rush Limbaugh goes off on one of his idiotic racists rants and tries to mask it as common sense and hard hitting news. I need you to tell Bill O'Reilly and the plethora of Fox News talking heads to shut the hell up when they try to tell me and other blacks what is going on in our community and try to dictate on how we should live our lives. Disguising as a network ‘fair and balanced’ when really it’s ‘racist and ignorant.’ Mr. President, enough is enough. You’ve broken down barriers and you’ve won your second election. What do you have to lose? You have the ultimate platform to speak from that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed about and many of us so desperately want. Your political real estate is about to run out, don’t let your time as president end with the black community questioning if you’ve done enough for us. Do what your wife did, when the First Lady gave a voice to those who are ‘rooted in decades of structural challenges that have made too many folks feel frustrated and invisible’ in her commencement speech to the graduates of Tuskegee University. I know passing a budget and getting numerous bills is important but so are keeping black lives alive. I look forward from hearing back from you, Mr. President. Sincerely, A 22-year-old black man who is worried about not seeing tomorrow.

[defiantwriot]

The confederate flag remains an “ignorant contradiction” in aftermath of Charleston shooting

By: Ishmael Johnson, wRiter

It seems this country is sometimes afraid to say the obvious.

“What was Dylann Roof’s motive?” Asks a lot of media outlets about the 21-year old’s terroristic act inside Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina Wednesday night. 

The irony is, the most popular image of Roof used by those same media outlets is of him sporting a jacket with not one, but two racist flags, the top being the flag of the old apartheid-era South Africa and the other being the white supremacist African flag of Rhodesia—the latter of which is still legal in South Africa.

   https://twitter.com/cnnbrk/status/611559569274314752 

Not to mention the other image of him circulating of him on the hood of a (presumably his) car with a confederate flag license plate.

  https://twitter.com/demosco4real/status/611589439396167680 

The obvious shouldn’t have to be stated, but at the same does it does—this was a terrorist act fueled by racism.

To put things into perspective, Roof killed six more people than Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did in the Boston Bombings in 2013. Yet people were not hesitant to use the term “terrorism” in regards to that.

Terrorism is defined by Webster as, the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal.

Take that into account with an eyewitness account of what Roof said before he opened fire: “He just said ‘I have to do it.’ He said, ‘You rape our women, and you’re taking over our country, and you have to go,’”

There isn’t a clearer act of terrorism than a racially charged shooting at a church. 

But why a church? That’s the even more sickening aspect. 

It’s a common place in human history where people of respective faiths seek to find 100 percent refuge and hospitality. It’s always been seen that way. People who lost their jobs, lost their loved ones, want to aid others and want to help bring change communities go there to be under one roof. Attacking a place of sanctuary is supposed to generate the utmost fear in a community. It’s about solace, and that’s exactly why it was a target.

(Sidenote: There were nine victims, meaning nine families’ lives are changed forever. Go learn those nine names, see their faces and read their stories.)

Black churches specifically have had a history in America of being targets for racially motivated attacks.

The most infamous being the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1963. Four young girls were killed and many in the congregation were injured. That was the third bombing in 11 days after federal court had mandated desegregation in schools in the state of Alabama and a direct retaliation to it from white supremacists.

It was terrorism then, it is terrorism now.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley released a statement giving her condolences to the families of the shooting and community of Charleston. Unfortunately her words fall flat to many as in 2014 she defended the confederate flag remaining on state property.

“What I can tell you is over the last three and a half years, I spent a lot of my days on the phones with CEOs and recruiting jobs to this state. I can honestly say I have not had one conversation with a single CEO about the Confederate flag...We really kinda fixed all that when you elected the first Indian-American female governor, when we appointed the first African American US senator. That sent a huge message.”

“Kinda fixed all that”? Really?

When you look into why the flag was flown in the first place, it’s a slap in the face to the black community of not only Charleston and the state of South Carolina, but the United States to say that “we kinda fixed all that.”

In 1962, the state flew the confederate flag over the dome of the capitol building. It was said to be for southern pride, but coincidentally this was also the height of the civil rights movement and with a simple game of connect the dots, it was obviously a voicing of opposition to what was happening at the nation’s capital.

When confronted with this idea, supporters of the flag usually resort to saying it represents southern pride and not racism.

Sorry, but in this instance that “pride” is rooted in racism. That symbol embodies oppression and inequality to a significant portion of the population and should be treated like the abhorrent image it is.

Why is it that the victims of slavery aren’t honored by history, but the symbol and figures (Robert R. Lee) to which they were shackled by is? Can you imagine if the Holocaust museum was instead the Nazi museum? I’m not going to compare the two tragedies, but that’s just putting the situation in a different, perhaps more jarring, light to some.

Flying that flag proclaims that the old ideology is still accepted today regardless of what you may disagree. It gives comfort to people, like Roof, that you know what? Maybe, just maybe the south wasn’t all wrong in their opposition to equality.

Removing the flag won’t end racism, perhaps nothing will, because there will always be hate.

But the act alone will show the decency and progression of America to at least say that this isn’t something worth flying over the grounds of a nation we proclaim to be the land of the free.

The murder of Walter Scott was just over two months ago in North Charleston and one month later another jarring racially charged murder occurs in the same state. Look at the acts, look at South Carolina’s history, then look at the capitol grounds and say that this tragedy surprises you, because it shouldn’t.

The fourth of July will come in less than a month and millions across this country will honor this country will set off fireworks in celebration of this country’s greatness and the progress it’s made since its inception. And in the foreground of those fireworks will remain the confederate flag, flying proudly as an ignorant contradiction to all of it.

*Sidenote: Be prepared, because the humanization of Roof will soon be coming. In fact, it’s already happened.

[defiantwriot]

Martin Luther King Jr. is not your vessel of condescension

By: Ishmael Johnson, wRiter

Has this patronizing thought entered your mind recently while watching footage of either the Ferguson or Baltimore protests?

“If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr were alive today he would-“

Stop. Because it has become embarrassing.

Actually no, hold on let Boondocks creator and writer, Aaron McGruder, explain the proper way to handle that thought:

http://33.media.tumblr.com/d9fc3d25b219b26ce3bc0d6fc3a2d12e/tumblr_nnipw2TPmn1tspfaho1_400.gif

For some, hearing the last 10 minutes of Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech in their 4th grade history class during Black History Month was enough for a lifetime as far as Dr. King’s legacy goes.

The works and lessons of arguably the most iconic social activist in American—not Black American, American—history has become reduced to what your elementary school had could fit into their curriculum during the shortest month of the year.

Now, his words have become decontextualized and used as a weapon by some—Mostly from what I’ve seen, white people, sorry.

It’s being used as a way of condescendingly rationalizing their own disgust toward the black community in certain cities finally voicing their opposition to generations of socioeconomic inequality.

The protests have broken into unrest to say the least.

Despite what you may think about the 24-hour news cycle from national news outlets, they’re there to fill an agenda. You can love them or hate them for it, but for the most part they’re in the business of entertainment.

Do they choose to shine negative light on an event that’s foundational motive was justice? Yes. 

Have national news outlets fallen victim to the shock-driven TMZ-ification of newsworthiness? Yes.

That brings us back to this phrase: “If Dr. Martin Luther King Jr were alive today he would-“.

The agenda has been to show the unrest in relentless fashion. Ignore the causation of why the turbulence is happening and focus solely on the fact that it’s happening and, “Oh no look at these ‘thugs’ terrorizing this car”. The news’ constant rotation of these all too familiar images have put that previously stated phrase in the minds of its viewers.

The problem is, the idea that Dr. King would be “rolling in his grave” as some have suggested is rooted back in that 4th grade class mentality when you weren’t taught about Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail or his speech to the American Psychological Association’s Annual Convention in Washington D.C. in 1967.

People are beginning to use that small excerpt of Dr. King as a figurative leash against the black community. Not as life lessons they should implement into their own well being, but as a lamp post to tie others to while they go on about their day, ignoring the injustices that caused the outcries in the first place. Someone breaks a window at a CVS and all of a sudden people are “outraged.” “Oh no! Not the CVS!”

Source: Michael Reynolds/EPA

Property has become more valuable than human lives, or maybe property has always been seen as more valuable, we’ll get to that in a bit. Police involved have been there to protect establishments and buildings as opposed to people.

CVS’ windows will be back, Freddie Gray won’t.

The history of police injustice has been well documented and the Department of Justice revealed the prejudice many already knew existed within the Ferguson Police Department.

But let’s get back to Dr. King.

What were his thoughts on protest?

Those who base all of MLK’s teachings on the I Have a Dream speech limit themselves to what he considered a utopia. It’s an eventual goal in America that, as far as many are concerned, is still many generations away from becoming reality:

- There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience. You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court's decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws. One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

- An excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail

The idea that laws are to be respected because they’re “the law” is irrational.

Laws are made by the people in advantageous situations and as a result, could develop laws that benefit themselves as opposed to being “just”. The community that is undermined by these injustices voices their concern and eventually, patience runs thin.

The protests against police brutality follow similarly. 

Police brutality has reached a boiling point in Ferguson, Baltimore, New York as well as other cities across the country. The culmination is people finally taking a stand against the killings of unarmed black individuals by the people in authority. 

Riots are a boiling point. They’re the peaked emotion signaling that one has simply had enough, but don’t take it from me:

- “Urban riots are a special form of violence. They are not insurrections. The rioters are not seeking to seize territory or to attain control of institutions. They are mainly intended to shock the white community. They are a distorted form of social protest. The looting which is their principal feature serves many functions. It enables the most enraged and deprived Negro to take hold of consumer goods with the ease the white man does by using his purse.”

- An excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr’s speech to the APA Annual Convention in D.C.

He goes on:

- “Often the Negro does not even want what he takes; he wants the experience of taking. But most of all, alienated from society and knowing that this society cherishes property above people, he is shocking it by abusing property rights. There are thus elements of emotional catharsis in the violent act. This may explain why most cities in which riots have occurred have not had a repetition, even though the causative conditions remain. It is also noteworthy that the amount of physical harm done to white people other than police is infinitesimal and in Detroit whites and Negroes looted in unity.”

“…knowing that this society cherishes property above people…”

It’s incredible how such a small phrase can be flawlessly applied to today as too many people are concerned over burned cars, broken windows than Freddie Gray or Eric Garner.

MLK includes a very powerful quote from Victor Hugo within his speech:

“If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness.”

If you find yourself condemning the unrest, all I ask is that you look past the burning property and look more into the community engulfed in discrimination.

The roots of this stem deeper than a broken windshield.

Follow Ishmael Johnson on Twitter: @Ish_46

[defiantwriot]

Why ‘Influential People’ shouldn’t be silent about Baltimore, social issues

Source: Reuters

By: Odus Evbagharu, Managing Editor

The Baltimore riots have been calling for celebrities and athletes with substantial influence to step up but yet most haven’t answered.

It’s disappointing to say the least. Men and women of power who have a great deal of sway in what goes on in society today have yet to come out and speak on issues effecting them just as much as it effects a middle class family.

Riots, injustice and unfair play are perfect opportunities for people of power to rise up and say enough is enough. Imagine if a Michael Jordan, an Oprah or Beyoncé opened their mouths about these things more than trying to promote their next album, shoes or TV network.

I'm not saying they are the answer to the problem of social issues but at times they could help the situation. Look at how many people every year stand in a line waiting for the new Jordan's to release, it's ridiculous. You don't think some of those Jordan fanatics aren't destroying property in Baltimore as we speak?

Celebrities and athletes play a big role in society whether they like to admit it or not. Look at all of the movements going on today from the feminism to putting an end to domestic violence to  legalizing same-sex marriage, all of which have people of influence in commercials and writing op-ed pieces supporting these causes. Which many of us respond to and accept the challenge.

Although, I am of the Charles Barkley-mindset when in a famous Nike commercial he sparked debate by eloquently saying "I am not a role model... Parents should be role models," I do think people of influence have a responsibility to speak up.

The problem sometimes doesn't lie with the individual, it comes from the corporations and organizations these people represent. It's all about building a brand and not stepping on the wrong toes of society or the big donors who pour in millions to keep the ship afloat. Sometimes people with much power need to buck the corporate system and say the hell with it realizing innocent people are dying and we have to do something about.

Recently, Major League Baseball decided to postpone two games put play the third in an empty Camden Yards where the Baltimore Orioles play to protect the players from the violence and looters. Does the MLB not think Baltimore baseball players might have an influence in what is going on in Baltimore? After all, it’s their home city where some probably call their permanent residence. I don't know, that's just me.

Source: Associated Press

It gives off an air of snobbiness. It's OK for you guys to kill each other and destroy the city we play for but we make millions of dollars and don't have time for trivial things like say another black person dying in the custody of policemen and no one knows why. Honestly, I just don't understand how the MLB and the Orioles closed the stadium and gates from fans who pay hundreds to thousands of dollars for tickets, merchandise and souvenirs when the citizens of Baltimore needed them the most. They decided to postpone the first two games, why not do the same for the third and help out what is going on in the community of Baltimore. Shame on the MLB and the Orioles, they should’ve known better.

I wish black stars would come out and say something. It's not white kids they're killing, it's African-Americans that are dying. I know some have dawned their "fashionable" ‘I Can't Breathe’ shirts and let their many Twitter followers know they are supporting the cause but that's simply not enough. I don't see any of them now in Baltimore.

You know how great it would be if CNN or Fox News caught Jay-Z on the streets of Baltimore handing out water bottles, encouraging those who are protesting in a peaceful way, helping clean messes made by the uneducated and telling looters to stop what they're doing? The world would stop and many would listen.

When you have influence in the world, it's an opportunity to help make communities better. It's an opportunity to tell people you haven't deserted them because of brand building and millions of dollars but you'll be there with them in a time of need and when they need you the most, especially African-Americans.

Celebrities and athletes don't need to be Batman and think they have to save Gotham, but with their help things could get accomplished. This doesn't take away from the fact that we have elected people to represent us in a political way and they must be held accountable just as much but those people are for just political influence.

Famous athletes, actors, musicians and fashion moguls have shaped this generation culturally and socially that surely their voices move mountains. Their voices and tweets could certainly help the situation in Baltimore right now because they certainly need something.

Source

I applaud Wale, rapper, speaking and walking the streets with students shouting a positive message. I'm glad Ray Lewis, former Baltimore Ravens linebacker, is screaming into cameras and telling the people of Baltimore to stop destroying a city that he loves so much. Lewis isn't attending the NFL Draft Thursday because he is trying to get gang members and looters to stop the violence in Baltimore. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks guard, took to Instagram and asked the people of Baltimore to stop destroying the city he was born in but encouraged residents to fight continually for what they believe in a peaceful way.

These are just a few of the "famous people" taking action. There are many more out there who need to do the same if not more.

Follow Odus Evbagharu on Twitter: @odus_Outputs

[defiantwriot]

Death of Freddie Gray leads to breaking point in Baltimore

Source: Patrick Semansky/AP

By: Odus Evbagharu, Managing Editor

I feel sorry for the people of Baltimore. I feel sorrow for store owners who are losing their businesses because of addle-minded immaturity. I feel the rage of those who are asking why another black life was taken away by those who are supposed to “protect and serve.” Most importantly, I feel sadness for the family of Freddie Gray who are enduring hurt and a pain not leaving anytime soon.

Gray, who was 25 at the time of his arrest on April 12, died in Baltimore Police custody a week later after he was detained from a fatal spinal cord injury. The circumstances surrounding his death still remain unclear.

The 25-year-was arrested on a weapons charge after Baltimore Police Department Officer Garrett Miller found a switchblade in his pocket. Maryland law does make it illegal to “wear or carry a dangerous weapon of any kind concealed on or about the person.” However, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said it’s not clear simply having a knife is a crime and it’s not necessarily probable cause to chase someone.

There is video showing a screaming handcuffed Gray being dragged to van by officers.

“He was dragged a bit,” said Rawlings-Blake. “Then you see him using his legs to get into the van, so he was able-bodied when he was in the van. And we know that when he was finally taken out of the van, he was unresponsive.”

The six officers, who detained Gray, restrained him even more inside the van, while surveillance video recorded Gray talking and conscious at 8:54 a.m., the morning of the arrest.

Thirty-minutes later, the police called an ambulance for Gray. According to police, Gray requested medical attention, including an inhaler, and the ambulance took him to the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Shock Trauma Center.

The Mayor of Baltimore thinks the arresting officers made “a mistake” by not getting Gray medical attention as soon as he requested it. Causing more tension and questions demanding to be answered by the family of Freddie Gray and the people of Baltimore.

Gray’s death has now ignited ongoing protests in Baltimore and elevated already high tensions between police and residents.

Residents have longed complained about the abuse of power demonstrated by the Baltimore Police Department from racial profiling to turning a blind eye to those who need help in their community. Gray's death is the straw currently breaking the camel’s back.

Source: Patrick Semansky/AP

People are exercising their first amendment right to protest because their voices are being ignored. In no way is anyone advocating violence or people breaking the law doing demonstrative things to other people’s properties. It’s reckless and serves no purpose in the cause others are fighting for. The death of Gray should not be the reason of why the Black Guerilla Family, Bloods and Crips are entering a partnership to ‘take out’ law enforcement officers. That’s just senseless and only makes matters for those who are looking for answers and peace.

Destroying innocent people’s property is what the uncivilized do. We have come too far to start letting others call us names once again and draw parallels to people with no home training.  Black People should know better. Our voices will never be heard if we continually stoop down to the level of the ignorant and uneducated. Violence is not the answer in any circumstance even when the light at the end of the tunnel seems to become dimmer and dimmer the closer we try to obtain it.

However, I’m tired of scrolling through my Twitter timeline and seeing privileged white kids discuss how the protestors are thugs and every which name without calling them the obvious word that our SAE friends so eloquently chanted not too long ago. I’m here to tell some you shut the hell up and go kick rocks.

A man died while in cuffs for having a switchblade on him. If any of these privileged white people were arrested for carrying a switchblade on them 85% of them would be crying about their second amendment right to bear arms and how the police had no right to chase them with no probable cause. It is unfortunately laughable at the hypocrisy displayed in such matters.

It’s sad that most of the people on the Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites care less about fining justice for this young man who died and needs of his family but are quick to rush to put their 140-character misinformed, illiterate opinion out there. It’s justice we are looking for, not ignorant people burning down a KFC chicken bucket because protesters are burning the American Flag, which for those of you out there is legal. I’m not advocating burning any nation’s flag but it’s still a right we all have.

The whole situation is sad and I continually pray America finds a way to fix police brutality and their continual abuse of power.

If not, the days of dialing 9-1-1 for help will be coming to an end and rogue militia forces will rule. Let’s see if that’s a better solution to what has happened in Ferguson and now Baltimore.

My guess—no.

Source: Getty Images

Follow Odus Evbagharu on Twitter: @odus_Outputs

[defiantwriot]

Harrison not racist, just a sore loser

Source

By: Odus Evbagharu, Managing Editor

Another day, another debate about race in America.

This time coming from Indianapolis after the Wisconsin Badgers put an end to the Kentucky Wildcats' quest for a perfect season.  In the postgame press conference, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky's freshman forward, was asked about Frank Kaminsky's, Wisconsin's star center, performance in the Final Four match up and that's when we saw the Wildcats weren't as classy as we thought they were all season.  Andrew Harrison, Kentucky's point guard, fresh from one of the most emotional games he's ever played covered his mouth and mumbled "f--k that n----" while the reporter was asking Towns about Kaminsky.  Harrison made a tremendous mistake and came off incredibly as a sore loser when clearly Kentucky got beat by a better team. Harrison should have known better and he'll learn from his mistakes. It's just unfortunate the class they exhibited all season long was wiped away by the actions of Harrison and others. To be fair, Kentucky had been winning the whole season without a blemish on its record and handled it surprisingly with professionalism and dignity. They didn't shout from the mountaintops letting everyone know about their undefeated streak, they humbly kept taking care of business. Unfortunately, Wisconsin brought the worst out of the young men. After the final buzzer went off, some of the players quickly ran off the court without shaking the hands of the opponents that gave them their first loss. Maybe, that was a sign for trouble to come.  It was only a matter of time before Kentucky showed its raw emotion. They are young guys who hadn't lost a game in over a year. Emotions got the best of them. It's hard getting dethroned as kings of the college basketball landscape. Losing doesn't come easy. I'm not defending their actions but what others are saying about the team and what Harrison said to Kaminsky is simply asinine. Those guys will learn with age there is a better way to conduct yourself after a loss. No one should be worried about them. What others should be worried about is the level of heighten sensitivity and ignorance when we discuss race and vocabulary in this country. The notion that what Harrison said is comparable to Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, wanting to climb a fence and wanting to fight every n----r is laughable and to even dare I say bring up the SAE chant is straight ignorance and buffoonery.  Cooper used it as derogatory slur and well let’s just be nice and say the students from OU used it as more than that. Harrison did not use it as a slur. Let me repeat that for those who didn’t read clearly the first time, Harrison did not use it as a slur.  People understand young African-Americans especially young African-American males use the word n---a as a term of endearment and is a cultural thing. Harrison wasn't actually calling a 6'10 white guy from Lisle, Illinois an actual n----r. Anyone who believes that, is reckless and ignorant.  What's frustrating even more is people act like they didn't know what Harrison meant. People knew what he meant. It's just the ignorance of people trying to make a story out of nothing.  If anything, Harrison should be scolded for hating on Kaminsky and using the f-word. People should be more offended that word got used. Don't get mad because the boy balled out and you lost to him. Give him props for doing what he was supposed to do. Herm Edwards, former NFL coach, said it best, "You play to win the game." Then you have the argument of the insane throwing out questions like, what if Kaminsky would have called Harrison the same thing? So can white people start saying the n---- too? He would be in so much trouble and people would be saying he used a racial slur. Well, duh. He's white. White people know they can't call a black person the n-word. White people created the word with such hate and poison, what makes you think that when black people have reclaimed the word and have tried to suck the venom out of the n-word they want white people to use it?  That can't happen. Our own Kayla Jamerson wrote about why it's not okay for white people to say the n-word. Everyone should look at it, it's a good read.  I'm not condoning what Harrison did and anyone with a lick of common sense shouldn't either. But comparing this incident to the SAE chant and Donald Sterling is just plain stupid.  Harrison apologized and Kaminsky said he took no offense to it and was "over it."

Guess what America it's time for you to get like Kaminsky and get over it as well. And while you're at it, grow a backbone and get cultured.  But who am I kidding, I know better. Things don't change when people like me aren't in charge of the narrative.

Follow Odus Evbagharu on Twitter: @odus_Outputs

[defiantwriot]

The Evolution of Kendrick Lamar

Source

By: Ishmael Johnson, wRiter

After giving Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” one fulllisten the night it dropped on iTunes –accidentally or however—I made the decision to hold off on writing about it until I’d given it more time.

It wasn’t that the album wasn’t good, it was. I felt that I needed more time to dissect why I thought it was good.

There was one thing very obvious about this album, from the incredibly controversial artwork, to the particular choice in singles (i and The Blacker the Berry), the hype towards To Pimp a Butterfly was meant to be attention-grabbing.

It was meant to get casual and hardcore hip-hop fans alike to do a complete 180 of what they thought Kendrick Lamar was about.

This isn’t Good Kid. M.A.A.D. City, nor is it trying to be and that’s probably what caught a lot of listeners off guard at first.

Both GKMC and, to a lesser extent, Section.80 had a narrative behind it. His official debut album was about growing up in Compton and was more or less an audio-novel of his life. His breakthrough mixtape, Section.80, although not as straightforward, was based around the story of two women’s lives spiraling downward.

To Pimp a Butterfly is landmark creation in Kendrick’s still blossoming career and it’s a testament to his ingenuity how soon he molded an album like this, this early in his catalogue.

Imagine if Kanye West went straight from College Dropout to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Kanye went from soul samples to King Crimson samples just as Kendrick went from working with Dr. Dre and Just Blaze to collaborating with George Clinton, Flying Lotus and Thundercat.

Source

Two albums into his run and Kendrick Lamar is already stretching the limits of what is considered his “lane” in hip-hop. He went from a west coast rap-opera to a politically charged, neo-jazz influenced hip-hop record that’s also feeding back to hip-hop’s roots and the days of Pete Rock sampling jazz and traditional R&B.

From the album art alone anyone could tell this was a politically and socially charged album.

I won’t get into the specifics of the cover, but let’s just say Section.80 hinted at Kendrick using Ronald Reagan as a symbol for the hardships of the black community.

Before the first verse, the album tells you that it’s going to be something you hadn’t heard before as a sample of Boris Gardner’s “Every Nigger is a Star” pierces through like a ray of light coming through the cloud that was our preconceived expectations.

You don’t have to go further than track four (Institutionalized) to understand Kendrick’s motivation for this type of album:

“I should’ve listened to when my grandmamma said to me: Shit don’t change until you get up and wash yo’ ass, nigga.”

 It’s that bluntly put idea of self-responsibility, the need to intact change through one’s own action, which sparks songs like “King Kunta” and “The Blacker the Berry”.

The most polarizing line from the album comes during the last part of the final verse in The Blacker the Berry.

Before every verse Kendrick refers to himself as “the biggest hypocrite of 2015”, and leaves the listener wondering why.

Then he concludes the song by asking himself why he cried over Trayvon Martin’s death when gang violence has caused him to kill young black men thus revealing his internal hypocrisy and guilt towards his past.

The piece-by-piece themes don’t end there.

Remember the first single, “i”? We have learned from Backseat Freestyle that you can’t judge Kendrick Lamar’s singles with an upfront opinion, there’s always a context to it in the project as a whole.

The sixth track, “u” is a song that’s more or less self-abuse. The West Coast rapper details his emotional struggles and battles with depression then the latter half very jarringly highlights that with Kendrick using his signature altered voice to invoke a sense of rage and misery.

In retrospect, “i” is a much more necessary song Kendrick’s dark state of mind over the past few years. 

“I love myself.”

Then came the kicker.

Throughout the album at the end of each song Kendrick begins to recite a poem and as each song progresses he recites more and more.

At the end of the final track “Mortal Man” he recites the full poem and the twist of the album is revealed: He’s been reciting the poem to Tupac Shakur.

I’ve never caught something so eccentric on an album.

An old interview with Tupac was broken down and edited to where it sounds like Kendrick is conversing with the late hip-hop legend in present day.

It sounds cheesy in theory, but the execution is simply endearing of Makaveli’s legacy and Kendrick goes on to use that interview as a passing of the torch onto him from Tupac.

Kendrick concludes the album by reciting a second poem in reference to the album’s title:

“The caterpillar is a prisoner to the streets that conceived it. Its only job is to eat or consume everything around it, in order to protect itself from this mad city. While consuming its environment the caterpillar begins to notice ways to survive One thing it noticed is how much the world shuns him, but praises the butterfly. The butterfly represents the talent, the thoughtfulness, and the beauty within the caterpillar. But having a harsh outlook on life the caterpillar sees the butterfly as weak and figures out a way to pimp it to his own benefits. Already surrounded by this mad city the caterpillar goes to work on the cocoon which institutionalizes him. He can no longer see past his own thoughts. He’s trapped. When trapped inside these walls certain ideas start to take roots, such as going home, and bringing back new concepts to this mad city The result? Wings begin to emerge, breaking the cycle of feeling stagnant Finally free, the butterfly sheds light on situations that the caterpillar never considered, ending the internal struggle Although the butterfly and caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same."

Simply put, the caterpillar represents the streets, the average man and/or the institution.

The butterfly is the flourishing potential within.

In this case, the hood is Compton and the butterfly is the rap game.

To Pimp a Butterfly altogether represents an imaginative renaissance for not only Kendrick Lamar, but for hip-hop and this empowering project couldn’t have come at a better time.

We’ll be talking about this album for a long, long time.

Follow Ishmael Johnson on Twitter: @Ish_46

[defiantwriot]

No, You Still Can’t Say the “N-Word”

By: Kayla Jamerson, wRiter 

“You say ‘n***a,’ why can’t I say it?”

“If a white person said that, we’d be called racist.”

“You wouldn’t cry racism if a black cop killed a white kid.”

“Slavery was years ago, let it go already.”

These are just a few of the many comments I’ve experienced or observed any time black people speak out on issues or situations regarding racism, injustice, prejudice or the like.

I have been accused of hypocrisy quite a few times while expressing how I feel about certain situations involve race. For instance, people love to point out that black people can use the ‘n’ word as they wish, but white people cannot.

There have been multiple instances in which I’ve overheard someone who is not black use the ‘n’ word in a casual manner, whether it’s in conversation or singing the lyrics to a rap song. Apparently, these days, since African Americans use the word,  permission is granted for individuals of other races to use it as well… but honey, I’m here to tell you, that is NOT the case.

(Source)

I’m sure we are all aware of the history of the word as a derogatory slur prevalently used during the era of slavery and segregation. A word used in a nation built on freedom and liberty, yet a nation that also thrived off slavery and inequality. Blacks now have adopted the term and transformed it into a word used to express companionship, and although it may not be the best word choice, the connotations differ depending on the lips it escapes from.

Let’s stop pretending that a black person saying the ‘n’ word and a white person saying it falls under the same circumstance. Let’s stop pretending that you assuming I’m a thief or drug dealer is the same as me assuming you are a racist or my tendency to question your genuineness. Let’s consider the fact that you’ve never been systematically mistreated or oppressed.

History is relevant, and plays an essential role in behavior patterns that persist today. The difference in our histories is why to you, “its not that serious.” Slavery and segregation may have been years ago but we will not “let it go” or forget. Although there has been societal progression, we cannot and will not disregard roots that play such a significant role in our culture and who we are.

When you have to have a talk with your sons about how to conduct himself around law enforcement, then maybe you can use the ‘n’ word. When you’re followed around a store the minute you enter through the doors, then maybe you’ll understand why we so often “cry racism.” When you’re told that the way your hair grows from your scalp is a “distraction” or “unprofessional” then maybe you’ll understand our quickness to transition into defense mode when the slightest bit offended. If your great grandparents were only considered 3/5ths of a human being, maybe I’ll hand you a race card that you can use at your leisure. When you become victims of a system that targets you simply because of your skin alone, then maybe you will gain some clarity as to why we “complain so much” or why we are so “sensitive.”

Black people are ridiculed for speaking out, but how else do you suggest we be heard? When will black lives and black voices actually matter? How much longer should we accept inferiority?

We may have overcome separate bathrooms and sitting at the back of the bus, but that is not enough to keep us quiet. A television network, the month of February and a black president does not compensate, just how Beyoncé in your iTunes library or your loyalty to LeBron James does not exempt you from being a racist.

Follow Kayla Jamerson on Twitter: @itsKaylaJay

[defiantwriot]

Selma 50th Anniversary, The Movement Still Not Over

Source: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

By: Brandon Sams, Senior Editor

“We honor those who walked so we could run. We must run, so our children can soar!” Those are the words echoed by President Barack Obama in his powerful speech at the historic Brown Chapel A.M.E Church in Selma, Ala. commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the day that would eventually lead to the passage of the 1965 voting rights act.

Thousands were in attendance for this extraordinary occasion. One-third of congress attended. Former President George W. Bush was in attendance. The sudden dissolution of being partisan was brief, yet poignant. For once in the warzone that is politics, we see a strong showing of bipartisan support. Bipartisan support honoring the bravery and selflessness of the Civil Rights Movement.

On that cool Saturday afternoon, as the chilling wind blew on March 7th President Obama quickly heated up the airways proclaiming that while we as a country have come a long way, there is still work that needs to be done. Many have fallen, many have endured so that we would not have to and yet here we stand 50 years later and we see our very own civil rights movement congealing. Black Americans continue to fight in order to be seen as equal and continue to fight in order to be seen as human.

Our ancestors marched in Selma so that we would not have to, that was the thinking. Yet and still, we continue to fight and march on in order to hammer into the seemingly absent moral compass of the national psyche that we are here to stay and we demand to be treated like everyone else.  

President Obama echoed a sentiment that resonated with the disenfranchised all across this country. 

“Selma teaches us, as well, that action requires that we shed our cynicism. For when it comes to the pursuit of justice, we can afford neither complacency nor despair.”

Complacency is the disease of the indifferent. It does not seek to question, indict nor convict the issues and problems in a society. Complacency wishes for the status quo, and that status quo is often exclusionary and therein lies the problem. The key word in the phrase is “pursuit.” Unfortunately, justice is not promised, justice requires action.

The 50th Anniversary of the march on Selma tells us all that we have indeed come along way, yet reminds us that there is still ample ground to cover. On that march 50 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. espoused the arc of the moral universe is a long and winding road, but it always bends toward justice. Now we stand on this crossroads forcing the world to realize that black lives matter. We can be assured that our ancestors’ spirits are embodying us as we move toward that arc of justice. Our work has yet to be finished but justice lays on the horizon. Black Lives Matter! In 1965 and 2015.

- Follow Brandon Sams on Twitter: @TheBrandonSams

[defiantwriot]

OU Chapter Sigma Alpha Epsilon Lyrics uncover sad truths

(Source)

By: Odus Evbagharu, Managing Editor

”There will never be a n***** SAE.There will never be a n***** SAE. You can hang him from a tree, but he can never sign with me. There will never be a n***** in SAE.”

Those were traditional lyrics jubilantly sang by the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity members—words echoing a sentiment popular in Greek life today.

If anyone is surprised by apredominantly white fraternity doing this, you’re either ignorant to the worldaround you or drunk from the “it’s 2015 and we’ve made a lot of progress” cocktail many are serving everywhere.

It’s time for everyone to wake up from their drunken stupor and endure the painful hangover of reality.

The truth of the matter is things like this happen around campuses across America. The difference this time is these students got caught—sounds like Donald Sterling all over again. Imagine what people are constantly saying behind closed doors when they think no one is listening.

What do you think fraternities who worship Robert E. Lee and carry the confederate flag like a badge of honor say or practice in their private quarters? 

(Source)

The song they were singing was rehearsed making sure the tune was on pitch and no one missed a beat. The tradition had been passed on from pledge class to pledge class making sure they knew who could be accepted and who couldn’t be. 

The University of Oklahoma has kicked the fraternity off campus and the national office of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon has disassociated themselves from the activities of these students. It’s good swift action was taken. However, it’s laughable the students needed a police escort while they were promptly being removed from their fraternity house.

If they are equipped on their own to sing about letting someone hang from a tree, they are adult enough to move out on their own. They aren’t toddlers who need a babysitter while being punished. I hope this effects their standing with the university as well. The university’s actions towards these students will surely tell us where Oklahoma stands regarding students and racist remarks.

It’s time for an internal audit of campus fraternities and sororities. Everyone has been enamored with the SAE fraternity leading the carol but there were ladies on the bus as well. Who knows what organization they were a part of? 

Being a part of the Texas State community, there’s no secret about some of the fraternities celebrating old confederate rituals. The Kappa Alpha Order fraternity chapter at Texas State is not diversity friendly. It’s the worst kept secret on campus. I’ve had friends who’ve tried to go to their rush parties and interact with them but they weren’t having it. The KAs are just an example of many Greek life organizations who have a certain “standard” they must uphold.

Discrimination has always been a thing with white fraternities hence the big divide within the Greek community. Race is a barrier most use to say someone is not good enough to enter their club or some use it to fill a quota because they feel they have an obligation to have at least one person of color but no more. 

The time has come for these organizations to answer why it seems like their club must be clean with white faces. Is it bad to have a qualified black, Hispanic or Asian person mixed into their culture? Maybe there are secrets these organizations don’t want exposed.

It’s time for people to start asking these philanthropies hard questions and ask why isn’t there any diversity in your fraternity or sorority? Why do you guys tolerate racism when you know it’s happening within your circle? Why wait for a video to go viral before you start to speak out on things many of us know happens on a daily occurrence but just in secret?

It’s unfortunate such people at the University of Oklahoma has stained the reputation of Greek life for the moment but it was necessary. It’s time to start uncovering some of the truths about what is going on behind closed doors when no one is watching.

Follow Odus Evbagharu on Twitter: @odus_Outputs

[defiantwriot]

We Need to Change How Black Boys View Success

Source: Getty Images

By: Trevor Neely, wRiter

Although we are all human beings who are capable of extraordinary things, our society has been plagued by the ugliness of stereotyping.

Each race has its own stereotype that separates it from the other races. If a person is caught up in the media, they will eventually begin to feel as though these stereotypes are actual facts. This simply just is not the case.

Take the myth of black men for example. If you were to ask someone if there were more black men in prison or in college, their initial answer would be prison. This myth is aided by the stereotype that black men are uneducated, barbaric and hot tempered.

The fact of the matter is that this myth is simply not fair. According to a March 16, 2013 BBC News article, “Taking a closer look at the figures back in 2009 showed that there were 600,000 more black male college and university students than black male prisoners. The story so often repeated was not true.”

Now, this does not mean that the black male prison population is not still disproportionate. Blacks make up for more than 40 percent of the prison population but only account for 12 percent of the U.S. population. It seems the system is working well for its enforcers. These numbers do not come as a surprise since the majority of these prisoners are a result of the wasteful “War on Drugs” aimed to put more blacks behind bars. That is a truth for another time though. The fact still remains that we have to stop characterizing our young black youth as prison bound.

We feed black boys with the idea that they either have to rap, play sports or sell drugs just to be what society deems successful. What we need is a rise in black leaders. I’m not talking about someone who will come to every racial injustice argument and raise hell. No, I am talking about the ones who will make a stand so powerful and start a movement so influential that we will not have to have another march or protest. We will not have to say, “Justice for (insert young black person’s name here).”

We need to put more positivity in the minds of our youth and show them that they are kings and queens. They have a birthright to this land. Their ancestors built this country with blood, sweat and tears so that they would one day have a place in this society as leaders, innovators and creators. We can do it. It all starts with the conscious decision to make that change. Who’s ready?

- Follow Trevor Neely on Twitter: @tneely03

[defiantwriot]

Why Professional Wrestling May Be a Little Racist

(Source)

By: Ishmael Johnson, wRiter

Professional wrestling has been a guilty pleasure for many, and a simple pleasure for me.

Personally, I don’t think anyone should feel guilty about enjoying something as innocent as professional wrestling. Growing up during the Attitude Era and watching the likes of Stone Cold, The Rock and Triple H reach pinnacles that shaped the legacy of pro-wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. Even all the way down to my favorites; Undertaker, Jeff Hardy and Mick Foley, the WWE was a significant part of my childhood.

Now as an adult, I may not be as invested in storylines now as I was then, but the enjoyment of watching Monday Night RAW is still there. However, I’d be lying if I said that the lack of black American wrestlers reaching a level of prominence wasn’t disheartening to me.

Sure, there have been plenty of black wrestlers to make their way through the WWE. D-Lo Brown, Ron “Farooq” Simmons, Junk Yard Dog, D-Von Dudley, Booker T and Shelton Benjamin. All very talented wrestlers, but none were given the chance to reach prominence outside of, perhaps, Booker T.

Outside of those names it’s hard to find a black wrestler that wasn’t shoved into a stereotypical gimmick by the WWE creative team. JTG, Kamala, R-Truth, Shad Gaspard and Kofi Kingston were all fixated into some character that was based purely off of a stereotype. Whether it be a criminal (JTG/Shad), rapping street dancer (R-Truth) or native African (Kamala), there’s always been an issue with stereotyping gimmicks.

I’ll be the first to admit that the WWE has a long way to go to catch up to today’s progressive morality. Teams like the Mexicools, Cryme Tyme and Kai En Tai are examples of a racial insensitivity that pervades the industry. Yet, wrestlers like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and most recently Hideo Itami have begun to break down stereotype of those cultures.

The black stigma for the most part remains.

When Simmons won the WCW Title in 1992, it appeared to be the dawning of a new era. Simmons was the first black wrestler to hold a major title and when he did, the entire arena erupts because the crowd realized it just witnessed history.

It must be stated, yes, pro-wrestling is scripted. The outcomes are predetermined, but the decision behind who wins and how speaks toward the direction of the wrestling organization. It comes down to the simple question of, “Who do we want on all of our posters?” and “Who do we want people to think of when they imagine the WWE?”

So far that person has never been black. No black wrestler has held the company’s most prestigious title, the WWE Championship.

The most prominent black wrestler today is Mark Henry. Henry has been a staple for the WWE and has even held one of the big championships in the World Heavy Title, but never the company’s prized possession. Despite being one of the WWE’s most recognizable faces and a future Hall of Famer, the “World’s Strongest Man” has never and likely will never hold the championship.

Behind Henry is Kofi Kingston, a very athletic wrestler who is known for his high-flying antics and Jamaican gimmick (Kingston’s character is said to be the first Jamaican wrestler although he’s actually Ghanaian and was born in Tampa Bay). Kingston is barely regarded as a mid-tier superstar and his television appearances have been dwindling since he first debuted.

After these two the list topples off into irrelevance. The rest of the black wrestlers are regarded as undercard “jobbers” meaning that they’re there to make the top guys look better.

Now, there’s an elephant in the room that must be addressed, Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson. The reason I don’t considered The Rock as the first black champion is because when he entered the WWE as Rocky Maivia, he was showcased more with his Samoan background.

Originally, The Rock was partnered with the black militant faction The Nation of Domination, but once he went solo, the company never hinted at his black culture. As far as the WWE’s concerned, The Rock is Samoan.

Now the obvious argument in response to “no black wrestler being promoted to the top” is that there simply hasn’t been a black wrestler charismatic enough to propel. My counter is that the WWE has continuously pushed wrestlers who didn’t have the personality simply for having “the look”.

When this will change? Who knows, there doesn’t seem to be a young black wrestler on the roster that I can honestly see the company pushing forward. My hope was for Kingston eventually, but he’s recently been packaged into a faction with fellow black superstars Xavier Woods and Big E. Langston to form The New Day, a group based solely around the idea of southern Baptist preachers. 

Has the WWE figured out this racial thing? Doesn’t appear so.

- Follow Ismael Johnson on Twitter: @Ish_46

[defiantwriot]

This year lets make a change. Let's make a change with our words, our actions, and the way we carry ourselves. Let's make this world a better place for not only our family and friends, but for our fellow beings and ultimately for the future generations to come. #wRiot #defiant #defiantwRiot #repost @bfhsnetwork

[wakeupslaves]

“The Mississippi Chinese: Between Black and White” (1971, 1988) by James W. Loewen.

Chinese labourers were imported into the American South after the Civil War to replace emancipated black slaves. The plan failed. Chinese importation halted after the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and by the late 1880s, all had left the plantations.

Some Chinese left the South, mainly moving to the growing Chinatowns in the North. The Chinese-American population plummeted by 60% in the 1880s and 1890s, but New York City’s Chinatown actually grew from 200 in 1880 to over 7,000 by 1900 and continued growing afterwards.

Of those who stayed in the South, some migrated to larger cities, such as New Orleans and found work there. Some ran businesses (e.g., laundries) across the South. And some became grocers to black sharecroppers, a new niche of the post-Reconstruction South.

Joe Gow Nue Grocery Store in Greenville, Mississippi, 1930s

Sharecroppers bought food and daily necessities from plantation commissaries. The prices were inflated to keep them in debt. By 1880 in Mississippi a few Chinese opened makeshift grocery stores with very basic items, charging less than the plantation commissary. The commissaries began to disappear.

By the early 1900s over 95% of Chinese men in the Mississippi Delta were grocers.

Several factors caused this:

Blacks could not get credit or capital to open their own stores. Whites would not open stores in black neighborhoods. Most of the Chinese came from the same region of Guangdong province, speaking similar rural dialects and often sharing kinship ties. They could provide each other with training, credit, and access to distribution networks. Once one of them set up a store, another, perhaps a relative, could work in it, gain experience, save some money, and then open up his own store in a nearby town. Chinese did not share close kinship ties with their most of their customers. They did not feel obligated to extend credit or loans to their customers (unlike a potential black storeowner, who would have many sharecropper relatives in debt). Most did not have family and could live at their store. By the early 1900s, a third of Chinese men in Mississippi had taken black wives, though most remained single. The Chinese Exclusion Act left Chinese males little prospect of bringing over wives from China, while anti-miscegenation laws put white and Mexican women out of reach (except for those who got themselves classified as “White”).

Mixed Chinese-black children were categorized as “Chinese” in the 1880 census; in the 1900 census, most had been reclassified as “colored”, a few as “white” (especially if their mother was part white), but none as “Chinese”.

In 1906 the San Francisco Earthquake destroyed city records, making it hard to strictly enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act. “Paper sons” and daughters began arriving from China on forged documents.

By 1910, Chinese men in the Mississippi Delta had begun taking Chinese wives and formed families. These families would later challenge the Jim Crow laws popping up across the South.

By the 1960s, mechanization had replaced hand labour. Many towns lost over half their black population in the Great Migration. Their niche livelihood was drying up, and most grocery stores shut down in the 1970s. Few remain today.

What being “colored” meant for them:

Employment: In the Mississippi Delta nearly all Chinese men became self-employed grocers to black sharecroppers, a niche whites did not want. Marriage and family: Anti-miscegenation laws added “Mongolian” and “Malay” as races that could not marry whites. Meanwhile the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 made it nearly impossible to bring over wives or brides from China. Most Chinese men remained bachelors, though some married black. After 1910 “Paper Sons and Daughters” began to arrive from China, through a loophole in the Exclusion Act created by the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Education: In the 1920s their children were kicked out of white schools and forced to go to the immensely inferior coloured schools. Gong Lum of Rosedale, Mississippi took it to the Supreme Court. He lost: in Lum v Rice (1927) the Supreme Court ruled that any jurisdiction could classify a non-white group as “colored” as long as “equal” facilities were provided.

To fight this, Chinese Americans: Set up their own schools. By the 1930s Mississippi had dozens of Chinese schools. Contributed money to white institutions (churches, civic organizations, social clubs, politicians, etc.). Became Christians through Chinese missions opened up by white churches. Had white people witness them mimicking whites in their treatment of blacks. It slowly took effect. Some churches closed their Chinese missions and let their congregations attend the white churches. Some districts could not afford schools for 3 separate races and eventually closed the Chinese schools. If one white school would not accept Chinese students, parents would send their kids to a school in another district. The acceptance to white institutions was not universal; it often depended on the whites in the local community. One Chinese group was left behind – those who married black or were part black. Whites made it very clear that in order to let Chinese into any white institution, they must guarantee that they were full Chinese with no “Negro” blood. By the early 1950s, the separate Chinese schools had closed and most Chinese children were attending white schools. Chinese had to work continuously to gain “white” status. Some contributed to the White Citizens Council to oppose segregation – while some also contributed to the NAACP to appease their black customers. They always had to walk a racial tightrope to please whites without offending blacks. They would be “white” for some things, but not for others. They could attend the white schools, but could not be valedictorian or date any whites. They were not always permitted to move into white neighborhoods. In 1954 Brown v Board overturned Lum v Rice. In 1967 Loving v Virginia overturned anti-miscegenation laws. By the 1960s, mechanization had replaced hand labour in the cotton fields. The Delta lost much of its black population in the Great Migration. With their customer base disappearing, most Chinese were leaving the Delta by the 1970s – after spending decades trying to be accepted as “white”.

[2damnfeisty]

So basically they came up by turning their backs against black people…?

[pumpkinspicepunani]

Who didn’t?

[2damnfeisty]

okay. OKAY. Who didn’t? *the whole room goes silence* I dare anybody say anti-blackness only exists in white people in America. Anti-blackness is global.

[jcoleknowsbest]

anti-blackness is the right of passage in this country.. Doesn’t surprise me…

[blackfemmejeanvaljean]

your problematic fave blackladyjeanvaljean aka negrodamus is here to say Latino Americans are gonna do the same damn thing to us by 2050 mark my words

[defiantwriot]

Much love for the information, very informative.