Our music has been our refuge historically and will continue even now. Leaning away from the obvious at times, but those true music geeks will peruse this list and appreciate the tracks and if not feel free to chime in your favorites for next year’s list.

Here are some songs and their influence on African American culture. Enjoy, pick up a few , and since it’s summer, you might want to fire up the grill.

In June of 1977, then President Jimmy Carter declared that  in the United States June would be known as Black Music Appreciation Month. Barack Obama our 44th President renamed it to African American Music Appreciation Month.  No one dare in good sense argue the tremendous influence that African Americans have been not only in music but  to this country in general.

Our music has been our refuge historically and will continue even now. Leaning away from the obvious at times, but those true music geeks will peruse this list and appreciate the tracks and if not feel free to chime in your favorites for next year’s list.

Here are some songs and their influence on African American culture. Enjoy, pick up a few , and since it’s summer, you might want to fire up the gill.

Our music has been our refuge historically and will continue even now. Leaning away from the obvious at times, but those true music geeks will peruse this list and appreciate the tracks and if not feel free to chime in your favorites for next year’s list.

Song: My Favorite Things

Date: 1961

Time Period: The Early Sixties, The beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement, Freedom Rides Begin

Impact: While Sarah would cover the song during the sixties, her cover and her signing career would continue a tradition of jazz set forth earlier in 1944 when Sarah left her then band to join a new band of  what would become jazz legends – Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.

Song : Take The “A” Train

Artist: Duke Ellington
Date: Feb 15, 1941

Time Period: First African American Actress to win an Academy Award for best supporting Actress in Gone With The Wind – Hattie McDaniel, Richard Wright Publishes Native Son – first best selling novel by an African American author. Tuskegee Air Squadron also known as the Tuskegee Airmen is established by the United States Army.

Impact: although initially on the wane of swing music. Duke Ellington, Count Basie and others would be part of the beginning as well as a revival of the big band, swing music styles in 50’s and 60’s. During it’s heyday swing music was the impetus for opening numerous clubs where the bands would play including the Cotton Club, Roseland, The Savoy and the Blue Room.

Song: It Is Only a Paper Moon

Artist: Nat King Cole
Date: 1933
Time Period : Big Bands, Jazz and Swing, the Great Depression

Impact: continuing the tradition of excellence and improvisation brought forward during the Harlem Renaissance, Some would argue that Mr. Cole took on the mantle of becoming an “acceptable negro” and was rewarded with crossover appeal and a tv/variety show. The ballad as we now know it started way back her with the smooth soulful stirrings of Mr. Cole.

Song: Tears of a Clown

Artist: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

Date: 1967

Time Period : Civil Rights, Vietnam War

Impact: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles were one of several chart topping groups that launched the company named Motown and brought the Motown sound that would last for decades. Legends were created there: The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder to name a few. Many of which have music that influences our culture and music today still.

Song: The Happening

Artist: Diana Ross & The Supremes

Date: 1967

Time Period: Motown Sound, Black Power Movement

Impact: Motown Sound was in full gear and as the Civil Rights movement and black empowerment sentiment grew the status and interest in groups like the Supremes featuring Ms. Diana Ross grew exponentially. Working with Brian Holland Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland – arguably the best song writing trio ever their music channeled, romance, heartbreak, while giving new, examples of black being beautiful.

Song: Signed, Sealed Delivered

Artist: Stevie Wonder

Date:1970

Time Period: Black Power movement, 2008 & 2012 Elections

Impact: While the song was at the top of the charts at its inception back in 1970, it would be years later during the election of the first African American to the office of the President of the United States that would irrevocably tie this song to one of the most pivotal moments in African American history. It was the first song that Stevie produced on his own and was at the time his sixth Grammy nomination.

Song: I Wish it Would Rain

Artists: Temptations
Date:1968
Time Period: The golden age of soul music, Motown based groups like the Temptations reigned supreme.
IMPACT: The original guys group that all others would aspire to. The vocals of Eddie Kendrick defy mimicry to this day. This song reflects the period. The Beatles on the other side of the record dial who were dropping out hits with dual meanings and profound lyrics were not by any stretch of the imagination singular in being able to do so. The lyrics to this song allow for and express a level of creativity that gets proper treatment by Eddie Kendricks & Co aka the Temptations.

Song: Just Another Soldier

Artist: The Staples Singers

Date: 1971

Time Period: Black Power, Vietnam War

Impact: The Staples Singers were originally a gospel group that made the segue into R&B. The timing could not have been more perfect for a group that was physically, melodically and artistically a voice of the movement. The voices of the Staples would be the African American branch of the American Folk revival heralded by Woody Guthrie & Pete Seeger.  Their songs spoke to the American condition, poverty, unions etc. The Staples spoke to the Black experience in this country while keeping the music groovy and flowing. From their tight afro’s to their dashiki’s they were a walking visual and audio for the black power movement.

Song: Wake Up Everybody

Artist: Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Date: 1975
Time Period: Black Power Soulful 70’s
Impact: The raspy vocals of the lead singer would take R&B into the thrall of the male lead singer that would drive all the women crazy. There have not been many who have been able to accomplish it since. The songs of the time were half conscious music and half romance. All with great lyrics and good instrumentals to back them.

Song: Old Landmark

Artist: Aretha Franklin
Date: 1972
Time Period: Black Power, the 70’s
Impact: No list would be complete without the Queen of Soul and no one can claim to be her fan without knowing it all started for her in her father’s church. Gospel is where many soul artists got their start. It is a very demanding audience maybe more so than within the walls of a studio where you can edit out mistakes.
Not so in church. This song brings forth the tradition of gospel in the black community going back to the negro spirituals. The call and response is here as is the theme of God making it all work out all right. The lyrics mean nothing without a set of powerhouse vocals to set them and, in this case the church congregation off. That may be why to this day no one has even tried to attempt redoing this song. It is one of those that if sung in church the “holy ghost” will be let loose.

Song: Disco Heat

Artist: Sylvester
Date:1978
Time Period: Disco, Aids,

Impact: The impact Sylvester has had is profound in that he was openly gay at a time where the world was just entering into the AIDS epidemic and fear of homosexuality was rampant and the treatment of gay men and women was brutal, and unduly harsh. On top of his musical talents he is also one of the first artists to introduce big girls into the spotlight.  Martha Wash and Izora Armstead aka Two Ton’s of Fun were initially his background singers, but went on to become Two Ton’s of Fun and released the hit single Just Us. It would be the first imagery of big girls as sexual and not portrayed as a “mammy” figure.

Song: September

Date: 1978

Time Period: Disco

Impact: If you have a black power movement you have to have an Earth Wind And Fire. The group’s imagery was to promote Egyptian symbolism and took that through their name and their stage presence and shows. This in terms of iconography – Earth Wind And Fire was all the black power that was is and will be. The musicality runs the gamut from the high falsetto of Phillip Bailey, to the ultra-macho vocals of Maurice White -it doesn’t get too much blacker than Earth Wind and Fire. The only artist to attempt a stage presence on par with the group was of course Michael Jackson who was known for his incredible stage shows.

Song: Whodunit

Artists: Tavares

Date: 1977

Time Period: Black Power, Guy Groups

Impact: the Tavares were one of several male groups reminiscent of the original Temptations. Their music styles and footwork on stage invoke Motown comparisons each time they took the stage. Their look was a product of the time they were in tight afro’s and elaborately detailed suits were required if one wanted to be a serious group and on point at the time. This song speaks to the time period in that very popular during those years were the TV Mysteries usually of the “whodunit” variety. The song is an homage to these shows

Song: You And I

Artist: Rick James

Date:1978

Time Period: Disco, Black Power

Impact: Rick James was about bringing the funk <pass the J> no matter what. His impact and contribution to soul music was his unapologetic rawness that he combined with funk to turn out hit after hit. Purists turn their nose up at what some call “synthesizer funk” but Rick James will get almost anyone up dancing to the funk or the kind of party.

Song: She Won’t Talk To Me

Artist: Luther Vandross

Date: 1988

Time Period: Golden Age of R&B

Impact: R&B in the early 80’s was real dance oriented in that a lot of it was real upbeat and bouncy as opposed to laid back . Although only one artist had the skills to produce on both and do it well. The impact of one of the greatest vocalists to ever pick up a microphone is many babies born during his time here performing. The eternal search for a ballad – singer with vocal styling and range to make even Mary had a little lamb sound good. The search continues…RIP Luther.

Song: Ride The Mighty High

Artists: Mighty Clouds of Joy

Date: 1975

Time Period: Disco, Black Power

Impact: Many people don’t realize that this song is actually a Gospel song. At least that is the explanation that the lead singer provided regarding the origins of the song and its lyrics. The song literally was meant to be a crossover hit and it was more than they realized it would be. IT became more popular in the R&B genre and managed to make it up to 32 on the Billboard R&B Charts.

Song: SideShow

Artists: Blue Magic

Date: 1974

Time Period: Black Power, Disco, Male Vocal Groups

Impact: impact heavy on the male vocal group scene. The song itself was reflective of the balladeer groups during the 70’s. This would include groups like the Chi-lites and the Stylistics whose main bodies of work were not dance music per say but were infused with romance and broken hearts and reminiscent of in some ways of the blues. One might say music to cry in your beer to.

Song: Man In The Mirror

Artist: Michael Jackson

Date:1987

Time Period: the 80’s

Impact: This song came out in the shadow of Live Aid which was a super concert to raise money for starving in Africa and was broadcast simultaneously all over the world and performances taking place in all major continents. The Song We Are the World was written expressly for this purpose with a writing credit given to Michael Jackson. Man In the Mirror was another thoughtful and somewhat conscious song in that it asks ones to do some soul searching or look within.

Song: Just Us

Artist: Two Ton’s Of Fun

Date: 1980

Time Period: 80’s

Impact: big girls of the world unite it was no longer shameful or a negative to be a big girl. Big girls were sexy and were not shy about it. The  ladies from this group introduced us to looking at and seeing big girls  in a whole new light.

Song: I’m Every Woman

Artist: Chaka Khan

Date:1978

Time Period: black power, the 70’s

Impact: This was the first chart topping single by Chaka since leaving her band Rufus. It brought a little dance and funk together with her powerful vocals  and the rest as they say is history. The song was covered years later by Whitney Houston and has become an unofficial anthem for women of color. Speaking clearly to the black women experience – the song itself should come with the label “Do Not Touch – Unless you are capable of killer vocals”.  Both versions – Chaka Khan’s and Whitney’s are not for the timid singer and fall into that group of songs that one should not attempt unless you have taken extensive singing lessons at the very least.

If you’ve ever been in a forum or thread about racism, you may have seen that one clown that demands of proof of racism. Evidence is presented from articles, excerpts from books or books themselves, videos, charts, data, statistics, graphs, scholarly writings from academia, stone tablets, whatever. You’ve given the doubter everything and anything you can find to make him/her see that you’re not lying.

To the doubter, that’s not enough. Nothing you can give enough. You’re just wrong. Your proof is wrong based on questionable or straight-up false sources, information and data. Either it’s from a right wing outlet or it was just pulled out of thin air just to not only discredit you but also make you look stupid and insane.

Another thing they could do is pull the old you-don’t-know-what-white-people-think dodge. Son of Baldwin at Medium writes how it’s done:

They will ask you if you can read the minds of white people. Yes. That’s their favorite one. That’s their standard of proof. The only way you will be able to prove racism to these white folks is if you’re telepathic. And even then, they’d question the accuracy of your telepathic abilities and will request a white telepath to verify your knowledge — and they will only believe the white telepath if they disagree with you and agree with them. Anything to avoid having to confront and admit that racism exists, that they benefit from it, and often participate in and perpetuate it…

Nothing you say will refute that. That’s a round-peg claim they will push through a square hole while getting folks to believe that they’re communicating in good faith. But as Son of Baldwin continues:

Beyond being a sign of intellectual laziness, psychological ineptitude, and a gross exploitation of unearned authority and privilege, it’s emotionally sophomoric and an insidious and pathological deflection strategy designed to protect white people from encountering any reality that doesn’t make them feel like the most special and innocent snowflakes at the dead center of the alabaster and crystalline universe.

And there are plenty of snowflakes that hate to melt but end up dripping with intense negative emotions. As such, they will revert to a childlike state, resort to immature name calling, bullying and an obsessive drive to break the patience of the people they’re confronting and will deflect and deny any accountability for their actions. It’s the lowest form of racist Jedi mind tricks to run down any conversation about racism and drive you mad and exhausted.

But as Toni Morrison says on the same piece:

“The function, the very serious function, of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language, so you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly, so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Someone says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”

And like the author of the piece, I WILL NOT put up with it anymore. They can cry about how their “freedoms” have been taken away. They can pat themselves on the back for winning the mental war on liberal PC culture. They can continue to bad mouth me, call me racist – which is another tactic they love to throw at you – and my blog. But I will NOT put up with any more drippy attitudes from a bunch of assholes running from the truths about racism like a thief running from the cops.

Click here to read the Son of Baldwin’s entire article.

There’s an excerpt:

The study’s researchers reviewed over 800 local and national news pieces published or aired between January 2015 and December 2016, sampling major networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC as well as major print publications such as The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.

The study — conducted by  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign communications professor Travis L. Dixon — found that national news outlets were more likely to show black families as broken and dysfunctional while white families were depicted as possessing social stability. 

These images are not only distorted, but contradict government data.

Dixon found that black families represented 59 percent of poor people portrayed in media, but actually only make up of 27 percent of Americans living in poverty. In contrast, white families only make up 17 percent of the poor representated in media, but make up 66 percent in reality. As far as criminal depictions go, black criminals represented 37 percent of the media’s criminals while only 26 percent of those arrested on criminal charges are black in real life. White criminals represented 28 percent the criminals portrayed in the media, but make up 77 percent of real life’s crime suspects.

The report argues that constant depictions of black people living in poor, welfare-dependent and broken homes due to absentee fathers has created a negative image of black families in general.

“This leaves people with the opinion that black people are plagued with self-imposed dysfunction that creates family instability and therefore, all their problems,” said Dixon.

If you want to read the entire article, click here.

Again, this observation has been an examined and discussed for years. TheGuardian writes about how negative media portrayals of black men have real world consequences.  The Huffington Post highlights racist stereotypes of black men in popular media.

The successes and accomplishments of black women have been eclipsed by many disparaging and disheartening images of black women in the media. It has prompt black women to combat these images as they too have to struggle in a world that listens to a racist and sexist media landscape as opposed to actually meeting and talking to real black women.

The funny thing is that whenever a black person reveals something so blatantly obvious, the racism in Western media being just one example, a study has to be done. Black folks are never listened to or believed when it comes to matters of racism and discrimination unless it goes along with whiteness and its many, many defenses. A study has to be conducted to see if we’re right if it’s not what a white person says.

Black people are always assumed that we’re wrong in the case of racism. I’ve seen white-laced attitudes that reject or destroy any and everything a black person says whether it’s actual data and evidence to personal experiences. Black people try their hardest to prove the unfair case against them, but to no avail. They refuse to listen and understand. Whiteness gives them the arrogance to think they know more about racism than the actual victims of racism, the ignorance to shield them from much-needed differing views and the cruelty to insult and guilt trip them all in an effort to avoid the reality that only black people know.

So, even though this study solidifies what was said all along and when it’s evidenced by constant, uninterrupted TV viewing, the problem will still be thrown out in favor of a half-baked explanation not rooted in facts or reality concocted by a someone who claims white people are victims of racism.

Yet, I’ve been accused of being racist…against whites by whites. Most entries in my blog are about the malign facets of whiteness: white racism, white supremacy, white fragility, etc. That alone is enough for passersby and devoted trolls to deliver more ruinous whiteness in the form of deflection, name-calling, condemnation, and denial. I’m called a racist. My opinions are delusional, silly and stupid, and the truth is fake.

The most important thing these white-minded individuals want me to know out of all of their banter is that white people are victims of racism. Either that or there’s more racism against them than nonwhites. So, one way or another, I’m wrong and – of course, racist – for blogging about all the shit whiteness has done and is doing. Discussing and criticizing whiteness is equivalent to attacking white people, and I’m fundamentally no different than the KKK.

But how oppressed are white people really are? Are they being pulled over by police in large numbers for “looking suspicious”? Are they followed around stores out of fear that they may shoplift? Are they passed over for jobs and careers based on white-sounding names? Are mostly white neighborhoods, especially poor ones, considered dangerous areas to live, especially at night?

I could ask more questions, present actual facts and data, but no matter what I ask or say, no matter what truths are given, white people will reject it as part of the fake news scheme, an unholy plot against white people, because they’re simply white.

This is why it’s not our responsibility to teach white people about ourselves or racism. Doing so is a full-time job with no pay or benefits, at least not for us.

No explanation or contest against their thinking is worthy of their attention. They’re really not interested in a discussion. They rather argue, put down and win by any means. They prefer apologies or better, that we agree with them and adopt their thinking. Nothing pleases whiteness more than people of color siding with it. As a black person, white people just don’t want to listen let alone hear about what you feel about racism unless if it’s from any of the broken records from the archive of whiteness.

Yet, some think going to spaces that weren’t meant for their comfort is somehow a good idea. They claim to want to add to the conversation and present “another side” to the issue which involves more hits from the broken record of whitenss. But in then end, all they’ll end up doing is intimidate, berate, shown hypocrisy, bully and threatened bloggers of color and white folks who disagree and tried to talk to these people and refuse to back down on what they know is right.

I’ve seen a lot of that while being a blogger. Self-proclaimed race realists, Tea Party members, Neo-Nazis, Trump supporters, cocky liberals and ignorant conservatives resort to being the worst kind of people just to get their points across. They will lie, deceive, gaslight and even threaten if they don’t get their way. Even more hair-pulling is when they claim that being a straight, white Christian male is the new homosexual, black Muslim female.

There would’ve been a slight chance for sympathy for these types as many of them are really struggling, but a lot of them prove, one way or another, that they are just horrible people, and they are living in a time where being horrible is somehow honorable. They don’t care that their hatred and deplorable attitudes harm others. Yet, they expect us to feel sorry that their precious people are somehow being oppressed.

They don’t deserve sympathy, because they truly don’t want it. And we should stop trying to reach out to those who would rather die than wake the hell up and realize who the REAL enemies are.

I talk about white racism…a lot. So, I’m assumed to hate white people, or so it’s believed. There’s nothing intricate about it. It’s an open-and-shut case, a zero-sum game.

Not to throw any puns, but it’s not that black and white.

One thing I’ve noticed when it comes to people with societal privileges, they seem to can’t stand it when the lesser privileged puts them in an unfavorable spotlight. Right away, the immediate response is that they hate them and has unfairly placed them all into a tight box. The comments usually range in between “not all of us” to “you hate us”, which hints that they’re feelings aren’t used to being pointed out. As such, their emotions appear fragile enough to initiate rejection, deflection and condemnation.

Some will go into an extensive diatribe, which can be plagued with guilt tripping and derailing, in an attempt to prove the lesser privileged wrong. They will throw them under the bus in order to protect their feelings, ego and keep their bubble from getting burst. As stated earlier, they’re not mentally or emotionally prepared to have their privileges check as they’re taught all their lives that they don’t have to do any secondary thinking from beyond their mindset. Asking them to do so, puts them in an uncomfortable position, a place there they don’t want to go, and they tend to not want to go on any journeys.

I’m black, but I’m also a male. I don’t have white privilege, but I have male privilege. Racism effects me, but not sexism or misogyny. I’m also straight. So, I don’t have to worry about homophobia. Yet, my straight male privileges have me think that I have authorities to talk about things that only the LGBTQ and women understand. It wasn’t until I “grew up” that I learn to check my privileges more often.

But being a person of color in this country, I’ve dealt with realities of racism and how it’s a part of every institution here. I know that white racism is still in existence and is still dangerous. I’m forced to deal with this truth everyday. All people of color have to.

White people dominate every institution in America. Politics, business, technology, even education. There are mostly white people in high positions. Yet, despite that, there are white folks who genuinely believe that they’re now discriminated against.

You would think that it would hint them at what people of color deal with on the daily and feel more sympathetic. Some do. Some don’t. Those who won’t end up becoming the problem, becoming racists themselves believing that people of color are racist against them and that white people are undergoing a racial genocide due to affirmative action and interracial dating.

With the growing crisis of sexual harassment in Hollywood and politics becomingthe talk of the media, it should come to no surprise that there are men who want to remind women that not all men are sexual deviants. Even though that’s true, women – and even men who are also victims – the point is not to condemn men but to speak out against a crime that powerful people, who happen to be males, have made a mission to keep under wraps to cover their asses and maintain high status.

Yet, we men think that those women, and feminists in general, simply hate men and are actively working to take down powerful ones. Our privilege make us suspect the worse, ignoring what’s fact and what must be done. Men have it better than women in a patriarchal society to where our crimes against women are usually excused or justified. What’s worse is that our privilege will turn us into defenders of the status quo adding to the problem and making it worse.

To make things as clear as crystal, most people of color don’t hate white people. Most women don’t hate men. Most LGBTQ don’t hate straight people. And so on. They – we are just sick of the truckloads of shit done to us for the lamest of reasons. It’s not the color of white skin, the penis or the attraction to the opposite sex. It’s the content of the character…or lack thereof.

That experiment didn’t end well; in fact, it was aborted prematurely. Peterman ended off the night going for 6 for 14 for 66 yards, no touchdowns, 5 INTs, and a lowly 17.9 QB rating. He was quickly taken out of the game in the second quarter. That means ALL of those interceptions came in the first half. While I try to figure out if that is a record (he is second in INTs for NFL debut starts), it has to be said that putting Tyrod Taylor in the game was a no brainer.

And that is the particular struggle of being a black quarterback. To be a black QB means a shorter leash and a career that may seem to be on borrowed time.

Tyrod Taylor Was The Victim of Quarterbacking While Black

To see where the problem is with the benching of Tyrod Taylor, one would have to look at his numbers for the season. Before the New Orleans game, Taylor never had a game where his QB rating was below 80 (average of 91 for the year thus far). Actually, many of his games were above 90. He has only thrown for 3 interceptions and his throwing percentage has an average of 64%. He has thrown for 11 and ran for 3 touchdowns. He is great? No. Is he suitable? Absolutely.

And yet, McDermott found it in his best power to bench a man that was actually being halfway productive in the middle of a playoff hunt? Senseless.

McDermott broke two rules of coaching in the NFL with this silly move. The first rule is that a coach should never go against their quarterback with such a move. It was hasty at best. Also, Taylor had been performing much better than previously. And then there is the other reason: no coach should give up on their QB in the middle of a playoff race. Who would take time to break up any momentum that could have been established? Sean McDermott would.

Think about this for a second: would this had happened with a white QB in Taylor’s position? In most cases, I would say no. The only time I recall anything like this was Alex Smith for Colin Kaepernick. And look at where Colin Kaepernick is now: black balled for reasons besides football. And this is the issue with black quarterbacks: there are so few of us that our performance has to be, at the very least, pretty damn productive. Otherwise, we will get pulled for any reason.

If anyone needs any further explanation on what I am speaking of, then think about what Nick Wright has to say about it all:

Tyrod Taylor, this year, is one of four different quarterbacks with 10+ touchdowns and 3 or fewer picks. The other guys are Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Alex Smith. Tyrod Taylor, for his career, has the lowest interception rate in NFL history…I’m gonna say what I thought right when this happened and it is gonna make people uncomfortable but I ask for you to listen with an open mind. This flatly does not happen to a white quarterback. The margin of error and “prove it” level for black QBs coming out of college and once they get to the pros is so drastically different than their white counterparts. That is why Russell Wilson falls to the third round behind a guy like Brandon Weeden. That is why Dak Prescott falls to the fourth round behind a guy like Christian Hackenberg. That is why Deshaun Watson is not even considered for the number one overall pick despite dominating in college year after year. That is why Tyrod Taylor falls to the sixth round and gets replaced by Nathan Peterman. In order for a black quarterback, even til this day, to be considered a blue chipper out of college, you know what you gotta do? Go win the Heisman trophy and maybe the national championship. Cam Newton did that. And then there was still debate whether or not Blaine Gabbert should have been picked ahead of him.

After all that Nick said, what is there really left to say? This isn’t guesstimation. This is historical context, facts, statistics, and real issues.

The Tyrod Taylor Saga Continues

At the end of the day, Tyrod Taylor did not get a fair shake. Sean McDermott made an obvious mistake and paid for it by losing a game that could have been won from the beginning. Then again, much of the mistake was corrected once they put Taylor back in. And this is the cycle of life for the black quarterback in the NFL: to be considered, we have to be extremely great and the shelf life is limited to being damn near mistake free. Then again, doesn’t this reflect how many black people are treated in real life?

‘Nuff Said and ‘Nuff Respect!!!

Actors, CEOs and politicians have been ousted as sexual predators who preyed on (often young) women and men for years. The accusations started pouring in after Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was exposed as a serious serial sexual deviant. After news broke of his disturbing exploits, more men were unveiled. The latest is, or was, a respected Democratic senator who used to be on Saturday Night Live, Al Franken. 

CNN reports:

In her post, (Leeann) Tweeden (morning news anchor on TalkRadio 790 KABC in Los Angeles) says the harassment occurred as the two rehearsed for a USO skit written by Franken in which he was supposed to kiss her. She writes that Franken repeatedly insisted they rehearse the kissing scene despite her protests. When she relented, she says, Franken “put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth.”

“Senator Franken, you wrote the script,” Tweeden wrote. “But there’s nothing funny about sexual assault.”

She also included a photo in which Franken appears to grab her breast while she’s asleep.

“I couldn’t believe it. He groped me, without my consent, while I was asleep,” Tweeden writes. “I felt violated all over again. Embarrassed. Belittled. Humiliated.

If you want to read her whole story, click here.

Understandably, this has let down a lot of people. Franken, to them, was thought to have been an actual righteous politician, one of the “good” ones. But this incident that occurred over 11 years ago shows that he’s not so righteous at all, and is fundamentally no different than the other fools accused of similar crimes and sins.

Robyn Pennacchia at Wonkette expresses her disappointment:

Al Franken has done a lot of good over the years, both as a senator and before then. It is a goddamned shame that he could not have backed that up by being a decent person otherwise. I am mad about this. I am mad for the people he represents who trusted him and needed him to be a better person. I am mad for and at myself, because my first reaction to this was “please don’t let it be true.”

Franken’s revelation of his past cruelty shows that sexual harassment is not a party issue. As you know, Alabama politician Roy Moore, a republican seeking for a seat in the Senate when he was accused of sexually abusing several women during his younger years. As expected, he has his defenders, particularly those on the far right with supporting silence from Grab ’em by the p***y Trump. (I don’t like using or spelling the p-word even if it’s about cats.) Yet, the jackass-in-chief went to condemn Franken who seemed to have owned up to his shit while not saying a word about Moore or holding his own orange ass accountable.

If this is to be weighed out, why should Senator Franken go down for one act of harassment (as fas as we know) while we got an incompetent, emotionally fragile testicle still in office for a long list of abuse for which society seemed to have moved on from? This isn’t to not hold Franken accountable. But this is one of the things that makes you go hmmm.

If some people are shortsighted enough to make it a political issue, that’s part of the problem. Some things aren’t politically based. This is a human rights issue, the rights of women and men who are victims of unwanted advances from men who abuse their privileges.

Slim palm trees stretch outward like fingers, but those, as spectacular as they are, aren’t what I’m interested in seeing. My tío has a banana tree that he harvests annually, and a special place packed with mysteries and natural wonders my tío chose to cultivate and preserve. At least, that’s what I’ve conjured whenever thinking about it. I’ve only seen it through photos; one with my nephew beaming with his straw jíbaro hat on as he prepared to discover the secrets locked within it for himself.

I remember dreaming about finally visiting them, seeing the majesty of El Yunque, hearing the melodic songs of the coquí that are almost indistinguishable from birds, seeing the shores of Puerto Mosquito glow brighter than neon lights while an ocean of stars shimmers above it every night in reciprocation. I feel my skin tingle as the tides tickle my feet, the first time I’ve ever touched water in years since the onset of my Epilepsy. I have no fear of drowning from a seizure as I swim through the currents, for I’m one with them; I become a mermaid, a child of Yemaya Herself, returning to my home.

I remember dreaming about the air’s stickiness, a mist that permeates it in the rainforests like a curtain, and waterfalls pouring through walls of moss-covered stone that towers above me in the shape of a cul-de-sac; foliage peppers its mountains and I imagine it’s an Impressionist painting. Then, I notice something moving in the trees, but it’s just a small gang of parrots with feathers evergreen like the canopy they’re perched within. My eyes never grow tired of seeing them.

I remember dreaming about visiting Cabo Rojo and Las Salinas with my cousins; giant dunes of salt are taller than any buildings dotted around them. There are lagoons there with rosy, crystalline water that reflects the clouds hovering above; the sky bleeds into its surface. I hear thousands of birds travel here, feasting upon shrimp in its mangrove swamps, and make it a point to observe them for myself. Fuck the gentrified tourist resorts; these natural wonders are the true marvels.

I remember dreaming about Loíza; there’s a building there painted in the likeness of the Puerto Rican flag, and countless others in barrios with murals on them. A sea of Black faces in myriad shades abounds here. Vejigantes in brilliant, dynamic costumes with intimidating trickster masks are present at a festival taking place. If my health ever improves and my Meniere’s diminishes, I’ve often thought about trying to become one. As an Afrolatin@, this place is especially important to me, because it, like many places in Puerto Rico, proclaims that our nation is just as Black as it is “Brown”.

I remember dreaming of Museo El Cemi in Jayuya, rife with histories and narratives preserved within a building carved like the idols of its namesake; Taíno hieroglyphs chiseled into la piedra escrita; portraits hewn in stone that remind me of the people whose presence is indelible in this space. It’s even named after a Cacique, like many of our nation’s places were: Hayuya. They, however, are not the only ones whose presence is felt in this municipality; a bombing occurred here. A revolution that could’ve been is woven into every street corner. Yet, there are some, it seems, who’ve forgotten it.

I remember dreaming of San Cristobal in Old San Juan, a fort centuries old that overlooks the sea. An old, ivory church is also found here, although I’d never visit beyond the sentimental. Instead, I find myself traveling past colonial walls and obscured pathways into La Perla while I sip juice from a coconut. This place has history as well; freedmen and other non-whites were once forced to live here, segregated from the rest of the city, and that legacy shows. It took a music video beloved internationally for people to actually care about it, and even then their interest is questionable. But that’s another story.

I remember my prima showing us an aerial photo of La Parguera in Lajas, covered in greenery that buried the town adjacent it. Then, I remember Maria, that wraith of a hurricane that stripped the region bare. All I saw were demolished trees amongst the soil and a town pummeled by it; nothing was spared.

I remember hearing that Aguadilla was “destruida”; wondering if my relatives in Caguas and other places were okay, many of which were flooded; homes without roofs being subjected to seemingly endless rain; ICUs failing in hospitals, many of which, like the rest of the island, lost power; nights without the Coquí­ to comfort us with their songs. The military and FEMA neglectingour people, despite claims otherwise; mothers without milk to feed their children; disaster Capitalism rearing its head.

Of course, there was also the legion of outraged articles written by people that claimed to care about Puerto Ricans, but did not care for our brethren in the rest of the Carib. They were amazed by diet-Underwood’s indifference, but we’d long known him to be despicable. They claimed to care about the Jones Act, but did not care about the people holding our infrastructure hostage. But these are their stories, not ours. This was not my dream.

My tía and tío have a home in Aguadilla. I’ve often dreamt about it since my childhood. In my dream it has finally been restored — we’ve even planted new banana trees — although it is forever changed. All of the island is. We reported, reimagined, and revived our community. We refused to allow our oppressors to tell our narratives for us. We survived, like we always do.

I walk beaches barefooted for the first time in many years, cherishing every grain of sand that sticks to them. They will not be privatized; they will always be free. I admire the sound of the coquí in the forests at night, the timeless music and voice of the Eggún heard in Ifa drumming sessions; the looks of approval my relatives give when eating my handmade pasteles and arroz con gandules — not to forget the recaíto I made just for them. I may or may not be enjoying my prima’s coquito.

The Union’s military will never have a presence here again, and any aid they offer will be at our discretion. A board of robber barons we did not elect will no longer close down our schools or slash healthcare and the minimum wage for the employed; the police will not operate like a mob in low-income, predominantly Black communities, more will accept those like me who are LGBT, and the politicians obsessed with assimilating to further their destructive Capitalist interests will no longer have a chokehold in the political conversation.

I remember dreaming that this place will not be a colony, a “Commonwealth”, nor a state. It will not even be Puerto Rico. It will be the nation it was meant to be, with a name its people once gave it. It will be the Land of the Noble and Valiant. It will be Borikén.

– Mwatuangi

From sexual harassment to mass shootings, white male crime has taken a troubling spotlight once again. Yet, the turnabout will be missed deliberately. This post, as well as its writer, will be called racist purposely ignoring the fact that the same message was delivered against black and brown communities while bitching about how this post is somehow harmful to white men and ignoring that dozens of lives have been taken.

In an Alternet article, it was mentioned how there’s still a question about why black folks don’t do more to stop “black-on-black crime” as opposed to say, kneeling during football games. People have been explaining painfully why “black-on-black crime” should be denounced and how black folks don’t have one-track minds and deal with multiple issues, including crime, in their communities.

But the fact that people still demand that we turn our undivided attention to a topic “they” consider is more important for us to tend to shows they don’t care to listen or actively help. Even though “black-on-black crime” is lower than some people think, it’s still a thing to them that, apparently only, us black people need to do something about.

Personally, I’m past the point of giving fucks about the hurt feelings of the woefully sensitive and blatantly ignorant.

Let’s examine what’s been going on recently in the latter half of 2017. Powerful men  – mostly white men – have been accused of sexual harassment by a countless stream of both women and men. And white males have been pulling triggers in different locations shooting and killing multitudes of people. Something has to be done to stop the damn violence, and white people need to start worrying about this before more white people, and other people, become victims. 

I’m not joking. I’m being sincere. White crime and white terrorism are out of control.

Yes, some people consider such coverage as fake news, a liberal conspiracy or even racist and sexist against white men. Personally, I see it as avoidance out of collective guilt, saving their frail feelings by resisting any hint of reality. If they’re not ashamed or guilty, then why go overboard in trying to downplay the bullshit?

Case in point, right-wing commentator Gavin McInnes tried to minimize white terrorism by arguing that they weren’t politically motivated. “Dylann Roof, Batman shooting, Columbine—those are mental midget lunatic drug addict psychos on crazy medication. That’s not terrorism.” Funny, because according to McInnes, if it’s done by Muslims, then it is terrorism. Simple.

And then, there’s Texas Governor Greg Abbot who seemingly tried to give the people dealing with another mass shooting that occurred at a church in Sutherland Spring, Texas that took the lives of over 20 people, crashed and burned when he reminded them that there were worse acts of evil prior, Hitler being one of them. Don’t believe me, check out his Fox News interview here. Apparently, taking the lives of over a dozen or so people at a place where such an act would be unheard of is nothing compared to holocausts and wars.

The media still refuses to consider such acts as terrorism, and people still believe that Muslims are a much more important threat. But of course, terrorism is an act that only Muslims do, and it’s much more problematic than angry white males with guns.

As far as the sexual harassment claims that have populated news coverage since the Weinstein scandal exposure, they’re still coming, and so far, most of the perpetrators are powerful white men. Let’s not get it twisted; misogyny is not limited to white men. Still, with years of men of color being portrayed as sexually deviant, karma seems to be partying right now as white males with wealth are the faces of sexual deviance.

There will be defenders as usual, and ordinarily in the past, I would gloat hard. But this shit is not something I take pleasure in observing. This is serious, deadly serious. America must do something about the culture of sexual abuse, crime and terrorism at the hands of white men.

And by America, I mean White America.

The stories of powerful men exposed as serial sexual predators reveals what some of us already know, society is awash with toxic masculinity with rape culture thrown in the poisonous mix. Some dudes with wealth and power believe they can do whatever they want to whomever they want and get away with it. But in recent years, they’re learning that all the money in the world can’t protect them from revelations bringing to light their predatory behaviors.

I wrote about how the New York Times reported on the numerous sexual assault allegations levied against former Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly and how the accusers were paid tens of millions of dollars by the network. He had long since been removed from the conservative media giant’s lineup.

After the legal troubles he’s been having, one would think O’Reilly would see the error of his ways. So, he apparently did some reflecting, and started to blame the cause of his problems. God.

“You know, am I mad at God? Yeah, I’m mad at him,” O’Reilly said on the latest episode of his web series, “No Spin News.” “I wish I had more protection. I wish this stuff didn’t happen. I can’t explain it to you. Yeah, I’m mad at him.”

You’re right, Bill. You can’t explain it, because it makes no damn sense!

But the thing I noticed with overprivileged males, including white and(or) conservative, is that they supposedly believe in a little something called personal responsibility. It’s that concept that only YOU are responsible for YOUR actions. That means that if you fuck something up, you only have yourself to blame.

A lot of us men (and many of those on the right) have missed out on that department, but on the other hand, we have no problem preaching it to others. We just can’t take it if we’re the ones that are the damn problem! And yet, we refuse to see the hypocrisy of it all.

So, it’s God’s fault that O’Reilly is a dirty old man that won’t control his urges. The Lord should’ve been more responsible handling O’Reilly’s situation. Oy vey!