QUOTATIONS OF "BLACK"
"Whenever I use BLACK it relates to some history of Africans in that particular place. It’s the idea of the color BLACK as a metaphor, or as a representation of African-Americans. It’s the notion of BLACK- BLACKNESS - and all its other meanings in relation to the history of race..."
- Fred Wilson
"Most of my fortitude to continue doing the work comes from the moral outrage I feel about the injustices that Black people endure disproportionately daily."
- N. Abdul-Wakil
"In the end, what matters is not skin shade but pan-African consciousness. Loving your complexion, your nose, lips, hair length and texture, no matter what the politics or trends decide, and simply be. That's the problem with us (African folks). We're still learning how to love ourselves. So used to glorifying others and putting others first..."
- Dredlocks Tree
BMXNY.orgThe Black Men's Xchange-New YorkInvite You To Join UsHealing The Black Family:
Bridging The Sexuality Divide
A Rap With Hetero Brothers & Sisterswith Guest Facilitator Cleo ManagoFRIDAY, JUNE 11th, 2010
@ 8PMSister's Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center1942 Amsterdam Avenue @ The Corner of 156th StreetHarlem, New York City
212/862-3680
GOOGLE MAPAMONG OTHER QUESTIONS, WE WILL CONSIDER:I wanted to get the word out that BMX-NY (Black Men's Xchange-New York) will be partnering and meeting at Sister's Uptown Bookstore & Cultural Center which is a Black-owned establishment in Harlem this Friday, June 11th, 2010 @ 8PM. The topic is Healing The Black Family: Bridging The Sexuality Divide - A Rap With Hetero Brothers & Sisters
Sister's Uptown Bookstore is located at 1942 Amsterdam Avenue @ the corner of 156th Street. The phone number to the store is 212/862-3680. You can get there by taking the #1 train to 157th Street or the "C" local train to 155th Street. Either train stop will put you only 2 blocks away from the bookstore. GOOGLE MAP - (DO NOT take the "B" or "D" train to 155th Street as this will put you too far (east) away from the bookstore and there's this huge and continuous (like) 200 stairs connected to a bridge that you'd have to climb. I've got caught in that situation twice and it's not cute at all. Trust me, unless you need the exercise!!).
I've been involved with BMX-NY for 7 years now (with a 1 or 2 year break inbetween) and I'm sending this email out to friends, family and colleagues because BMX really does progressive pro-Black work and one of the few Black same gender loving (homosexual, bisexual, transgendered) organizations to reach out to bridge the gaps within the larger Black community relative to diverse sexual identity of African people. I hope you can make it out and feel free to bring other Black brothers and sisters with you age 18 and up.
About BMX-NY...
http://www.bmxny.org/index.htm
http://www.bmxny.org/bmxabout.htm
BMX-NY is built on a philosophy that embraces same gender loving experience as an intrinsic facet of everyday Black life. Integral to BMX’s approach is the understanding that, in order to decrease internal and external homo-reactionary thinking and demystify differences around diverse ways of living, loving and being, same gender loving, bisexual and transgendered Black people must engage in supportive dialogue with each other and the community. We believe that self-determination is crucial in achieving success toward healing and empowerment. We understand that our cultural and experiential uniqueness requires a uniquely focused and precise approach. Affirming strategies born out of our own experience are powerful; hence, the adoption of the terms, Black, African American and Same Gender Loving.
Get Tickets From The Official Website:
thebloomparty.comTickets From $10.00
BLOOM
Children of the Sun
Summer Dance Party 2010THE CHILDREN OF THE SUN are the progeny of the Universe. The Milky Way, planets and stars are their toys. They are the healers, the ones who open gates to other worlds, inspire great music, literature and art. These beings colored the rainbow. They cannot be burned by fire, drowned by water, or buried by earth. on the last Sunday of June, at the Sun’s zenith, they emerge In full splendor to dance in plain view among mortals. And when they dance, sexiness, style, Afro-beat and artistry collide in a celebration of the Season of the Sun. Their ritual fuses art, burlesque, and paint-bedazzled bodies with house, afro-beat, reggae, dancehall & soca to create a pan-sexual celebration of all that gives life!
AILEMAJ had walked eastward, 10,000 light years across T’sonas to see the beauty of COSI. When she saw it she marveled at its light and symmetry. Though she was accustomed to unusual sights, to think that only one existed in all worlds made her tremble. Aexla, her brother, had told her that only five lifetimes ago he had embraced one at Eageydipd. Could this be the one she wondered? In the mythology of her tribe, only this star, appearing as it did once each year, had the power to make the Children dance. There before her now, it seemed to examine her as much as she it. In the distance she could hear the faint beating of drums, or was she imagining this... that soon, from the far reaches of the galaxy they would appear -- the seen and unseen -- at the crossroads of worlds entranced in dance.
Before leaving Melrah for the rendezous point, the notorious gender-bender Lubal checked his visage, clocked the travel time and looked firmly into the mirror; One last pose was in order. He had missed out on last year's bacchanalia having been banished to Rocdia for his vagabond ways and the misapplication of a spell or two. Transport had not been easy. The Susury winds of Primus 8 had blown the fluff puff delicately balanced on his head, un-nerving him. Now, having arrived, everything had to be double checked. The vamp of the universe could not be seen unkempt in the presence of COSI.
"Le'Rac the Light Shaper was busy molding stars and throwing them into the Sky across T’sonas. The great "dazzler"� knew that all eyes would be on him and his creation at COSI; Once again he would delight and entice. There he would dance shamelessly with his brothers and sisters wearing nothing but celestial star shine; but on this day, in preparation for the great festival, millions of new stars had to be formed and hung. His breath fired his imagination and the mantra he mumbled gave him the insight to create. He longed to see Alemaj and Xela again but the thought of encountering the outlaw Lubal unsettled him."
While Le'Rac was at T’sonas busy pelting stars into orbit around COSI, Amacaji - the silent one - was perched quietly on a mountain cliff on Primus 1. There he was directing with his mind the elements that would converge at COSI. It was he that would keep vigil over things there while never uttering a word. Revered for his oversight and high-mindedness he was also feared as a clever manipulator of people and events. It was he that had whispered into the ear of LeRac the mantra he spoke to create the stars of COSI; and it was he that had summoned I’raeda home. There from his perch he continued to call to COSI the wild tribe of Gatekeepers who would once again restore the balance of the worlds. But for now, each had an agenda of their own.
Universe's great Source. For him and his sibblings, the Milky Way, its planets and stars are their toys. To them the Universe gave great powers. They are the healers, the ones who open gates to other worlds, inspire great music, literature and art. These beings colored the rainbow. They cannot be burned by fire, drowned by water, or buried by earth. When you sense great beauty the children are near. They are "The Beautiful Ones." Not normally seen by human eyes, on the last Sunday of June each year, at the Sun’s zenith, they emerge in full splendor to dance in plain view among mortals. And when they dance, sexiness, style, Afro-beat and artistry collide in a celebration of the Season of the Sun. Their yearly ritual fuses art, burlesque, and paint-bedazzled bodies with house, afro-beat, reggae, dancehall & soca to create a pan-sexual celebration of all that gives life.BLOOMCHILDREN OF THE SUN (COSI)
SUMMER DANCE PARTYSUNDAY, JUNE 27th, 20106PM - 12 MIDNIGHTTickets From $10.00TICKETS HERESANTOS PARTY HOUSE96 Lafayette Street(between Walker and White Streets)GOOGLE MAPTRAVEL:A, C, E, N, Q and #1 Trains To Canal StreetMusic By:FDJ Afrika, DavidLaBoy & DJ SpindrewMain Floor Spinning:
Soul, Tribal, and Deep House
Lower Level Spinning:
Hip-Hop, R&B, Dancehall & SocaFeaturingTHe BEAUTIFUL ONES Male & Female Go-Go Dancers
Body Paint Artists, Fine Artists, Video Stimulation And More!
Get Tickets At The Official Website:
THE PARTY HAPPENS on Sunday, June 27th, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. at SANTOS PARTY HOUSE, located at 96 Lafayette Street, between White and Walker (one block east of B'way, two blocks south of Canal St). BLOOM features live DJs - DJ Afrika & DJ Spindrew, The Beautiful Ones - male & female go-go dancers - body paint artists, visual fine art, video installation and performance art. Tickets $10 online until June 7; $15 online until June 27; $20 at the door before 10PM; $25 after.
www.race-talk.orgWhat if there is no recovery?Featured — By Eric Stiens on January 26, 2010 at 7:34 am “Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist” — Kenneth Boulding “The money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths. The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.” — FDRFor years, economists and others have tried to avoid the question of what a just and fair distribution of wealth would look like by holding tight to the tacit assumption of unlimited exponential growth of both the US economy and the global economy. This is not only the worldview of trickle-down economics or of the American Right. It is also the worldview of poverty alleviation strategies (from the individual to international development) that rely on theories of change that move people up the existing economic ladder – as if, with the right combination of asset-building, credit, and education, all people can eventually become middle-class, or, with a little fiscal austerity and the right public policies, all countries can eventually consume as much per capita as the United States.Even those strenuously arguing that we must change how we are cutting the pie slices rarely question the need for (or the ability of) the overall pie to grow. Yet the protracted global economic downturn must give us pause to at least ask, “What happens if the pie cannot grow? What happens if the pie must shrink?” What would justice and equity look like in a global economy that must go through a long and deep contraction? What if that contraction, in fact, is permanent?Most of the debate around the recovery has been about what it will look like – V shaped or W-shaped, quick or slow, jobless or not. We have had discussions (but not enough) about what we must do to make sure that the various stimulus plans lessen racial disparities rather than exacerbate them. However, the presence of something called “recovery” has not been questioned. Instead, it has been taken for granted that this downtown is the result of the unwinding of a speculative bubble centered in real-estate and that it would eventually hit bottom and turn around.Yet, in the great scheme of things, this is a small speculative bubble. The past hundred (or 300, depending on how you look at it) years have seen massive exponential growth in population, in resource use, in wealth – driven by our access to what has been nearly-free energy. We found a way to turns billions of years of fossil-fuels into a seemingly unlimited piggy bank and made up stories about unending progress, the triumph of technology, manifest destiny, etc to justify our use of it. The ruling class, acting as ruling classes do, found a way to siphon tremendous amounts of this wealth up to the top of the pyramid.To put it bluntly, there is a chance (how large that chance is is left up to the judgment of the reader), that there will be no return to business as usual, no return to an economy driven by unsustainable amounts of debt and resource use, no way to return to the economic growth that we have come to view as essential. That between global climate change and the peaking of various resource extraction rates (oil the key one), we are globally stuck between a rock and a hard place. That there will be no recovery, at least if recovery is a synonym for a return to the ways things were two years ago.Our reluctance to accept industrial collapse as a possibility comes from not only a shortsightedness that thinks the last 40 years can be repeated over and over without a Great Depression, but that the last 300-500 years can be replayed over and over – that industrial civilization and Western style capitalism and democracy is the pinnacle of human achievement and things are, with some lulls, always on their way up. It is, quite simply, a type of denial.The incredible affluence of the American Empire and the process of Industrialization has always required systematic denial just as surely as it has required oil and the specialization of labor.A denial of the slavery and genocide that it was built upon. A denial of limits to growth and ecological boundaries. A denial of the extreme wealth concentration it made possible, and the denial that we live in a society that much more closely resembles a plutocracy than a meritocracy.A denial of the connection between wealthy white suburbs and concentrated Black poverty present in the inner-core of most cities.A denial of the exploitation that has always gone hand in hand with expansion – coal miners dead of black lung, strikers shot by police, children working 15 hours a day in sweatshops, indigenous peoples the world over wiped out so we could have access to their resources.A denial of the control apparatuses of the State – the military industrial complex and the prison industrial complex, with their disproportionate effects on communities (and nations) of color.And lastly, denial of the incredible psychic and emotional toll that living so far out of balance with the earth and out of relationship with each other has created – the hollow emptiness of 21st Century affluence.However, even if we are now in the decline phase of the industrial process, this does not give as an excuse not to talk about justice and equity. I am not proposing handwringing or absolving anyone of responsibilities (“Well, if things are that bad, there’s nothing we can do.”) If anything, it makes it more essential, and it may just make it possible to root this discussion in worldview that is less consumed by denial and desire and more in touch with the truths of being part of multiple communities – human and non-human.I believe that, for those of us with privilege, much of our unwillingness to talk deeply and seriously about what a just and equitable world would look like comes from a deep seated fear that things are going to be taken from us. When it becomes clear that those things are disappearing whether we like it or not, it provides space to move beyond that fear into the world of possibilities behind it. As the myths and stories that have propped up the 20th century begin to crumble, we will have the opportunity to write new stories, to create new myths – to literally create new selves.Over the next few months I hope to talk about what systems thinking and systems science methodologies have to offer racial justice activists and social scientists examining racial disparities. However, I would be remiss as a systems thinker if I did not use my first blog post to draw attention to the elephant in the room – limits to growth and the inevitable failure of any socioeconomic system that relies on unlimited growth to sustain itself.N.B. While I was writing this post, this headline came over my feed reader. BBC – Economic Growth Cannot ContinueWritten by: Eric Stiens on January 26, 2010.
Steven Monjeza, Left, And Tiwonge Chimbalanga
After Being Sentenced To Prison In Malawi On May 20th, 2010.
Malawi President Pardons Gay CoupleBy BARRY BEARAKPublished: May 29, 2010JOHANNESBURG — A gay couple in Malawi sentenced to 14 years in prison for “unnatural acts” was pardoned Saturday shortly after Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations met with that country’s president.
“These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws,” President Bingu wa Mutharika said at a news conference in Lilongwe, the capital, before adding that he nevertheless was ordering the couple’s unconditional release on “humanitarian grounds.”
The two men, Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 33, and Steven Monjeza, 26, were arrested Dec. 28, two days after holding an engagement party in Blantyre, the nation’s largest city. As a rule, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people do not dare make any public show of affection in their deeply conservative country. The event made front-page headlines in a Malawian newspaper.
On May 18, the couple was convicted of sodomy, and while the harsh sentence was generally welcomed by the Malawian public, it drew international rebuke. The nation, one of the poorest in Africa, is heavily dependent on foreign aid, and several donors suggested they might have to reconsider their generosity.
Pop stars issued their own condemnations. Madonna, who has adopted two children from Malawi, said the nation had taken “a giant step backward.” Elton John wrote an appeal to Mr. Mutharika, asking him to release the couple and “expunge Malawi’s discriminatory laws against homosexuality.”
In announcing the pardon, the president emphasized that he was not condoning gay marriage. “It’s unheard of in Malawi, and it’s illegal,” he said.
Mr. Mutharika, an economist and the chairman of the African Union, is often praised for recent improvements in Malawi’s health and education systems. Mr. Ban arrived Saturday to begin a two-day visit.
“The secretary general told the president rather strongly that the current controversy was having a negative effect on Malawi’s reputation and obscuring the progress it had made in other spheres,” said a member of the United Nations delegation who said he was not authorized to comment and could only speak anonymously.
Mr. Ban then addressed Parliament, informing legislators that their president had made a “courageous decision” to grant the pardon. The legislators responded with dreary silence while foreign diplomats in the gallery above cheered and applauded.
The secretary general further told the lawmakers, “It is unfortunate that laws that criminalize people on the basis of their sexual orientation should still exist in some countries.”
A White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, greeted news of the pardon with approval, declaring that “these individuals were not criminals and their struggle is not unique.”
Late Saturday, Mr. Chimbalanga, who has said he considers himself a woman in a man’s body, and Mr. Monjeza were released from custody.
The police escorted Mr. Chimbalanga back to his home village in the remote hills of Thyolo District. He stayed for a reunion with family members, and planned to return to Blantyre early Sunday.
“I’ve been under so much emotional stress that I need to find somewhere to rest,” said Mr. Chimbalanga, speaking by cellphone through an interpreter. “I still want to marry Steven. But I don’t know what he is thinking any more. We’ve been through so much.”
He said: “I think it is going to be hard to stay in Malawi. I am afraid of what people might do to us. We probably need to seek asylum in some other country. Is there a place for us? I don’t know.”
Celia W. Dugger contributed reporting.
Steven Monjeza, Age 26 And Tiwonge Chimbalanga, Age 20Excerpt From GBMNews.com:
Lilongwe, Malawi (AHN) - A gay couple has been convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts by a court in Malawi.
The men, Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were arrested in December 2009 after getting engaged and making arrangements for their wedding this year, according to reports.
They have been locked up since then and could face up to 14 years in prison.
The couple’s arrest has been condemned worldwide, and sparked international talks about homosexuality in their country.
According to Judge Nyakwawa Usiwa-Usiwa, the men were convicted of participating in unnatural sex acts.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi, as it is in many African nations.
Attorneys for the men insist their constitutional rights have been violated. They hope to take the ruling to the country's high court.
READ MORE...
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Malawian SGL Rights Protest:
Free Steven & Tiwonge, Repeal Anti-homosexual Laws.
Commonwealth! Speak Out Against Homophobia!
London - Commonwealth HQ - March 22nd, 2010.
Organized by OutRage! and African SGL Activists.Photos: Brett Lock, OutRage!
Dear Ralph and All,
Big thanks for your concern about the outrageous jail term handed down to Steven and Tiwonge in Malawi today.
There are three things you can do:
FIRST
Send a letter or postcard of support to Steven and Tiwonge. In this difficult time, they need to know that people around the world love and support them. Get all your friends to do the same. Write to:
Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza
Prisoners
Chichiri Prison
P.O.Box 30117
Blantyre 3,
Malawi (AFRICA)
SECOND
Email your Congressperson / Senator. Ask them to protest to the Malawian President and Ambassador.
THIRD
Make a donation by post or BACS electronic transfer to OutRage!'s Malawi Defence Campaign. OutRage! will use all money donated to support Tiwonge and Steven with food parcels, medicine, clothes, blankets etc. and to help fund the campaign for their release.
By BACS electronic transfer:
Account name: OutRage!
Bank: Alliance and Leicester Commercial Bank, Bootle, Merseyside, GIR
0AA, England, UK
Account number: 77809302
Sort code: 72-00-01
For electronic transfers from overseas (outside the UK), please
ADDITIONALLY quote this code:
IBAN: GB65ALEI72000177809302
By cheque:
Write a cheque payable to “OutRage!” and send to OutRage!, PO Box 17816, London SW14 8WT. Enclose a note giving your name and address and stating that your donation is for the Malawi Defence campaign.
Thanks for your concern and commitment to justice for Tiwonge and Steven.
See below the OutRage! statement and briefing about the 14 year sentence.
Solidarity! Peter
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
(and we don’t mean Barack Obama)
From The Desk Of GLO President, Maurice Jamal
First I want to thank you for taking the
time to read G-Spot, the official newsletter for GLO TV. This whole journey has been amazing and overwhelming, in the best of ways. Without a shadow of a doubt, I can say that GLO TV is the most important thing I have ever done. GLO TV is YOUR TV. It’s the first Urban LGBT Network and it is going to be amazing.From my first film THE SKI TRIP, to everyone’s favorite DIRTY LAUNDRY, to my work on CHAPPELLE’S SHOW and at BET and COMEDY CENTRAL networks, I have worked as an openly gay Black Man. It hasn’t always been easy, but the blessings are more than I can count.I have sat across the desk from the programming chiefs and presidents of LOGO, BET, COMEDY CENTRAL, HERE and the list goes on. As a producer and executive, I know first-hand the challenges of creating great TV shows. And as a writer-director and creator, I know the ups and downs of getting a great show on the air. But I have always been a believer that the impossible IS possible. And the road less traveled is where the blessings are. So launching the GLO Television Network is the culmination of a dream that I have had for years. Over the next several weeks, G-Spot will introduce to you the amazing shows, talent, celebrities and journalists of GLO TV. All of whom are professionals in the business, who work long hours behind the scenes to bring you the best in Urban LGBT entertainment. Everyone involved with GLO has become more than a co-worker and creative partner. They’ve become my family and I can’t wait to introduce them to yours.Coming into your homes each and every day and providing you with the type of high-quality shows and news our community deserves is an incredible honor that we take very seriously. We don’t want GLO to be the best gay network out there, or the best Urban network. We want GLO to be the best, period. That’s our mission and you can count on us.Cheers,Maurice JamalGLO President, gay dude and all around great guy!
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