Angela Davis and Michelle Alexander - End Mass Incarceration

 Mass incarceration is easily one of the top 5 issues affecting African Americans today. We absolutely must take immediate steps to insure that it doesn't get even worse and then take the next steps to dismantle this atrocious condition. 

 While on the surface this may appear to be a problem for racial minorities only, I believe that if this condition is not rectified, it could lead to nothing less than the complete undoing of the United States as we know it.

"Angela Davis and Michelle Alexander take part in a panel discussion on the issue of mass incarceration at Riverside Church in New York City on September 14, 2012. They answer the questions of, what is the problem of mass incarceration and what does it say about the United States society?"

Also see HISTORY IS A WEAPON by Kim Gilmore

The Battle of Isandlwana - Anglo-Zulu War 1879 - Zulu Kingdom

Battle of Isandlwana

The Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zululand in South Africa, a Zulu force of some 20,000 warriors attacked a portion of the British main column consisting of about 1,800 British, colonial and native troops and perhaps 400 civilians. The Zulus were equipped mainly with the traditional assegai iron spears and cow-hide shields, but also had a number of muskets and old rifles  though they were not formally trained in their use. The British and colonial troops were armed with the state-of-the-art Martini-Henry breech-loading rifle and two 7 pounder artillery pieces as well as a rocket battery. Despite a vast disadvantage in weapons technology,  the numerically superior Zulus ultimately overwhelmed the poorly led and badly deployed British, killing over 1,300 troops, including all those out on the forward firing line. The Zulu army suffered around a thousand killed.
The battle was a crushing victory for the Zulus and caused the defeat of the first British invasion of Zululand.  The British Army had suffered its worst defeat against a technologically inferior indigenous force.  However, Isandlwana resulted in the British taking a much more aggressive approach in the Anglo-Zulu War, leading to a heavily reinforced second invasion  and the destruction of King Cetshwayo's hopes of a negotiated peace

Arsenio Hall Is Supposed To Be Coming Back in 2013

I guess CBS decided that since we already have a black president, they may as well bring back Arsenio Hall.

On June 18, 2012, Hall and CBS Television Distribution (which now owns the Paramount Television library) signed a deal to produce a new late-night talk show, targeted to debut on September 9, 2013.  The new program will tentatively air on stations owned by CBS Television Stations, Tribune Broadcasting, and Local TV, in some cases on stations which also carried Hall's original program.

I tried to show a few youtube videos but it's hard for me to edit them. I want to put every one that I see in here. If you haven't seen this show before you're in for a treat. If you have seen it, you're also in for a treat. (What else can I say)

Gay Protestors

Farrakhan

Governor Bill Clinton

N.W.A.

Tupac 1993

The Arsenio Hall Show is an American variety/talk show that aired late weeknights in syndication from January 3, 1989 to May 27, 1994.  The show was created and hosted by comedian/actor Arsenio Hall, and took place at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles

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Useless Slaughter and Meaningful Action

Pastor Corey Brooks and Project Hood

Pastor Corey Brooks and Family

 I first heard about Pastor Brooks before the Trayvon Martin affair. He was known at the time, as "The Rooftop Pastor" because he had decided that, in order to bring attention to the senseless loss of life among the young people of his neighborhod and others he would camp on the rooftop of a South Side Chicago  motel. Pastor Brooks had vowed to remain on the roof until he raised $450,000, the amount needed to buy and tear down the building, which he says has become a magnet for drugs, prostitution, and violence. I followed his endeavour with interest and he finally came down after 94 days, after having received a donation of $100,000 from actor-producer Tyler Perry which put him beyond his goal. It wasn't just Perry though, he had also gotten donations of dollar, $5, $10, $100 and $1,000  and he sincerely thanked all who answered the call for assistance in his quest to eliminate gun violence which is epidemic in Chicago. 

 As amazing as this story sounds it doesn't stop there. Having torn down the motel Pastor Brooks still lacked the 15 million dollars needed to build a youth center on the site of the motel. To make a long story short, soon the word began to spread that "The Rooftop Pastor" was going to walk across the United States from New York City to Los Angeles in order to raise money and at the same time bring attention to the gun violence that is occurring all across the nation. I find it unfortunate that the mass media which appears to be so interested in the abolition of gun violence today, didnt find the story of Pastor Brooks walk across the nation, which he completed after 130 days of walking,  worthy of their time. What about all these folks now crying for gun control, very few of these voices were heard when Pastor Brooks was walking across America. Who knows how things might have gone if they had glorfied this persons intent to try defeat the violence.  Perhaps more would have been influenced to make an attempt to improve things or at least to help the good pastor towards his goal.  People are all too content to stand by and do nothing, not even comming to the aid of those who are engaged in the struggle. Then when something goes the way it had to under the circumstances they scream for the government to take charge and force things to change. They want to find a scapegoat for their own lack of action, never thinking that any direct government solution will be the equivolent of using a blunt object to get rid of a headache. No people, this is our problem and we have to get together to work out our own solutions. Then tell the government what we've come up with using rational deduction rather than media frenzy inspired quick fixes. 

 Look at Pastor Brooks for example, here's someone who's been working to solve the problem in his own way. Maybe there is something we can glean from this man's experience that holds a key to bringing this violence under control or at least reducing it's occurrence.  See Project Hood if you're interested in Pastor Brooks' brand of meaningful action. 

 Update January 10, 2013  BlackCelebrityGiving.com Awards Vote.

VOTE Pastor Corey Brooks BCG's CHANGE-MAKER OF THE YEAR http://www.blackcelebritygiving.com/2013/01/2nd-annual-bcg-awards-vote-online-now/

We can vote once every day on twitter and once on facebook 

I believe, vote until January 18th.

Advocate for Nonviolence and Community Empowerment - A Pastor, businessman, philanthropist, mentor and visionary, Pastor Corey B Brooks Sr. founded New Beginnings Church of Chicago, as an urban ministry. He took a personal mission to combat the crime and constant violence in our communities. Chicago may reach 500 murders in 2012 and too often people are silent, but Pastor Brooks is about action. He camped out on a rooftop for months to raise money for a community center, he walked all the way across the country coast to coast and has been recognized for his work by Steve Harvey and Tyler Perry. I believe without a doubt that Pastor Brooks is the BCG Change-Maker of the Year.

Where's The Outrage?

Drug Sentencing Disparities

• About 14 million Whites and 2.6 million African Americans report using an illicit drug
• 5 times as many Whites are using drugs as African Americans, yet African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of Whites
• African Americans represent 12% of the total population of drug users, but 38% of those arrested for drug offenses, and 59% of those in state prison for a drug offense.
• African Americans serve virtually as much time in prison for a drug offense (58.7 months) as whites do for a violent offense (61.7 months). (Sentencing Project)