The Palestinian Holocaust

Dear friends,

When will the masses of Jewish people finally stand up and admit that an organize minority of Jews - including rabbis, businessmen, and politicians, has bamboozled the former into believing, under the guise of being their brethren, that they somehow have a right to murder and maim others solely based upon the illusion that they have been "chosen" specifically to do so by a mysterious world-ruling personality?

Liberation!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/7/21/breaking_in_latest_attack_on_gaza Read full post

Djata Bumpus is interviewed by radio personalit JD Houston about "Domestic Violence"

"...the bullying husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend who appears to suddenly change from nice to violent has lost confidence in his or her ability to effectively defend or justify his or her own selfishness, so s/he resorts to "changing the rules", in order to control the situation."

Interview with JD Houston of http://www.weibfm.com/ about Domestic Violence
(originally aired on Nov. 11, 2009)

JD: Good morning Djata.

Djata: Say Brother. How ya doin’?

JD: Hey Man, it’s all about you.

Djata: Yeah, me and them chickens.

JD: Djata, what is the primary point that people need to appreciate, so that they either stop being victims of domestic violence or so that they don’t become victims of it?

Djata: JD, the most important thing to understand about domestic violence has to do with your relationship with a loved one. That is, if someone loves you, that person never ever thinks of bringing violence your way. Consequently, if you have a beef with someone who you care about and who cares about you, the only thought that either of you will have is to cut off communication. So, you say to yourself, “I’m not gonna answer that phone call or e-mail”, or whatever. In other words, the thought is never to do something hurtful, much less harmful, to the other person. Again, one or both of you just cuts off communication.

In any case, if someone brings violence your way, whatever you thought your relationship was with that person, you were dead wrong. From there, you must deal with it. Otherwise, you’ll be victimized, in some way. And it doesn’t have to be male versus female. As a matter of fact, I’ve taught a number of women, over the years – and still do - who either were or are married to or involved with an abusive partner of either "gender". And we should be clear on how we define violence, since it isn't always “physical”.  It can be emotional, financial, and even spiritual,

Also, people need to understand that motherly, fatherly, sisterly, and brotherly love can be unconditional. However, erotic love can never be, since the whole way that a couple decides to enter into such a relationship is, at once, built on conditions of physical attraction and so forth. Therefore, when talking about domestic violence, we have to consider the fact that there are women marrying women these days. For years, I’ve been getting females at my school who are in abusive relationships or have been, so they want to learn how to fight. So it’s not so much an issue of the gender of the sbuser as it is understanding the nature of “erotic love”.

JD: This whole thing about Rihanna and Chris Brown has really brought the issue of “domestic violence” out into the open. Why do so many women put up with that kind of treatment?

Djata: There are a number of reasons for that, JD. And in fact, it really has less to do with gender, as it were, and more to do with people not having a “sense of self”, because they have not discovered their inner powers.

JD: What do you mean by a “sense of self”?

Djata: A “sense of self” means that you know yourself. That is, you know how you’ll respond to any particular situation that has to do with either helping you or hurting you, because you have the integrity to keep a promise to yourself, so you’re able to distinguish a good mate from a bad one. However, it’s not easy sometimes, even for those who really have a “sense of self”. Sometimes, people try to give a person more benefit of the doubt than he or she deserves.

JD: And what do you mean by inner powers?

Djata: Well, for example, capabilities like concentration, memory, and discipline are actual powers, not some type of character attributes. And if we exercise our powers regularly, we can have them for all of our lives. Of course, we have sensuous powers too that are often trivialized as being the so-called “five senses”.

Also, it’s through the development of their powers and the sense of the value of those powers that people begin to see their own potential to change, for the better, any environment in which they’re a part, not only for themselves but for the ones they either love or may come to love.

JD: Now, back to a “sense of self”, could you elaborate on that a little more?

Djata: Sure. A “sense of self” is a state of being as opposed to a state of possessing, that is based upon two premises. They are: 1) That a person knows what it’s like to be alone. And 2) That you know what it’s like to be alone and accomplish goals on your own. In other words, you have used your inner powers to overcome the lonesomeness and separateness that is an unavoidable part of human life and accomplished something with your own capabilities. That, of course, is about what real independence is. Independence is not a 16 yeas-old girl getting pregnant and getting her own welfare check, which has been the sentiment of far too many young girls, especially those who come from lower middle class families.

Another way of putting it is: you can sleep beside a person for twenty years; however, you each still feel lonesome and separate. After all, no one can either eat or go to the bathroom for you. Moreover, this lonesomeness and separateness makes us constantly attempt to form unions with each other. So, we join gangs. We accept abusive relationships. We give up our independence, just to be part of something that doesn't serve either ourselves or humanity.

So, by having a “sense of self” and using your inner powers, one begins to gain confidence in herself or himself. That allows this person to develop genuine self-esteem. And so in the area of self-defense that means the person will keep a promise to herself or himself not to be victimized by anyone.

JD: Earlier, you mentioned self-esteem. What do you mean by that?

Djata: That’s a good question, JD. A lot of people confuse self-esteem with self-pride. Self-pride is a silly, meaningless mask that people wear, in order to make people think that they are something other than who they truly are. And so the person who is beaming with self-pride wears fancy clothes and maybe has a fancy car or whatever. Yet, that same person may be engaging in the most devious kinds of behavior to pay for that stuff, be s/he a drug dealer or slumlord.

On the other hand, the person with genuine “self-esteem” bases her or his worth on the real contributions that s/he makes to her or his community and society. Do you understand?

Besides, getting back to “self-pride”, as Khalil Gibran insisted and I agree with him, “You can’t control what others think of you; only you can control what you think of you.” Dig?

JD: But what if the person fools them. In other words, what if the guy is usually nice or has never come off so aggressively before? I mean, a lot of times these girlfriend- or wife-beaters seem to be guys whose male co-workers or friends are in disbelief that their friend is that type of violent person. What’s that all about?

Djata: Well, that’s something that I used to wonder about too, JD. The answer came to me, back in the late Nineties. It was during the same time that women’s rights advocates were concerned about the affect that Welfare Reform would have on domestic violence. That is, there was concern that many women would stay in abusive relationships, if they couldn’t get any government support, for example, like welfare, if they left their abusive mates. Consequently, in September of 1997, a national conference was held on that subject on the campus of Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois, right outside of Chicago. I was asked to send an abstract, regarding my take on why abusers are often, especially, are men who don’t seem to be violent, at least with other men, that is. My abstract was accepted and I delivered a paper at the conference.

At any rate, JD, women are, generally-speaking, socialized to “not hit”. That is, they may pitch a fit, throw stuff, or whatever; however, if caught in a vicious physical confrontation with a male, most of the time, the female, unfortunately, will give in to the attacker.

Knowing this, the batterer, female or male, takes on a new role in her or his bid to gain control of the situation. Please remember, the whole battering thing is about control. Well, guess what? Boxing is about “controlled” fear. After all, you never see a boxer come out with the hands down. Rather, the hands are up, hiding the chin.

So, back to the batterer, s/he suddenly becomes either Muhammad or Leila Ali. Moreover, when a boxer is fighting, whether Leila or her father Muhammad Ali, s/he doesn’t just throw punches; rather, the entire time that the round is happening, s/he is thinking of things to do and saying to herself or himself things like, “I’m gonna sit down under that punch and come back with a left hook”, for example. In other words, every move and punch is planned ahead of time, just as one does when playing chess, checkers, or a card or board game. Therefore, just as Leila Ali will say to herself, “All right, I’m gonna slip the jab to my head and come back with a right cross to the temple”, the batterer says to herself or himself, “The next time she says that, I’m gonna knock her upside the head”. In other words, like Ali in the boxing ring, all of the sudden, the batterer sees herself or himself in control.

JD: So how can a woman or girl deal with a seemingly nice boyfriend, lover, or mate who suddenly starts giving off mean and aggressive vibes?

Djata: Well, first of all, never let a mean-looking expression scare you. It’s only a look, nothing else. That look means nothing. The purpose of the look is to intimidate you. If the person thinks that you’re intimidated, s/he may come closer to you, in order to do something. In that case, just stare back at the person, right in his eyes, to show that you’re not intimidated. In other words, “nip it the bud” from Jump Street, as it were, because there are plenty of guys, especially, who will try the same thing with other dudes too, not just females.

Also, at that time, that will make the guy begin considering the fact that there may be consequences, if the situation gets any deeper. There are more responses though. That’s where fighting techniques are good to know. And you can employ the techniques, even if you don’t like to fight. Remember, you have a duty and responsibility to maintain your well-being for all of those who you love and who love you. Again, this is where having a “sense of self” comes in.

JD: But what do you do, if someone just grabs you?

Djata: Well, strangely enough, the only reason that humans can grab is because we have thumbs. And that exposes a real paradox about human life, because apes were here millions of years before us, but they don’t have thumbs. If they did, then the Hollywood trilogy called “Planet of the Apes” would be a documentary, instead of a parody, as it is. Isn’t that funny? It’s an accident of nature. We have thumbs.

However, the laws of physics prevail. Two forces can’t occupy the same space at the same time, so you can break all holds, by simply breaking the hold at the point of the thumb. And it doesn’t require any more strength than that of a first-grader, in many cases, no matter how big the assailant is.

Moreover, whether it’s someone grabbing you or striking you with their hands or a weapon, please remember, whether you fight back or not, your opponent will still attack you. Therefore, you have to fight back, because, by doing so, the attacker has to be concerned about defense – not just offense. Ya, dig?

I mean, you may just run. However, you must never cower and beg! It’s better to risk being harmed by fighting back, than allowing yourself to be violated. I can assure you that you will feel good about yourself for doing so. You will be empowered! Plus, fighting back means that you’ll be harmed less, if at all.

By the way, anyone interested in learning some fighting techniques can contact me by phone at (413) 341-5550 or hit up my Website www.westernmassboxing.com and secure my e-mail address.

JD: Do you have many female boxers training with you right now?

Djata: Yes, I have a number of female students, right now. I usually do. In fact, out of over 2600 individuals who I’ve taught over the past 21-plus years, and that doesn’t include the troops that I trained in Iraq a few years back, I’ve taught over 600 females, ages 6 to 57, from “shrinking violets” to karate black belts. All of them can fight now, of course. As a matter of fact, when the award-winning movie “Million Dollar Baby” premiered in Boston several years back, the Boston Herald called me, 100 miles away, even though they have about 200 boxing trainers in the eastern part of New England. At any rate, 40% of the text of the article, which was featured on page 3 of the Herald, was from the interview with me and one of my students at the time, Colleen Ford, about the fighting female.

JD: So what is the message that you want to leave all of our female listeners with?

Djata: JD, women will have to raise their daughters, nieces, and female grandchildren to see themselves as equals to everyone else, male or female. By not feeling lesser, they will learn to take chances both physically and intellectually. That will cause them to develop a “sense of self”. Therefore, they will discontinue any relationship where their love is not appreciated, without fear of losing financial or social status, much less their physical and/or mental health.

JD: What you’re saying then is: the problem for abused women actually begins in childhood. So what should parents, guardians, teachers and other elders do?

Djata: Please remember, young people want to accomplish things because they want to express their love for those who love them. They want to be able to say, "I did good today!" and have someone praise them for it. So there’s no room in this for failure. That is, parents and teachers must not allow their charges to fail. I don’t allow my students to fail! I have never done that! Therefore, all three of my children and all of my thousands of students over the years, whether with academics or boxing, have only experienced success with me.

Most importantly, if a child is in school and trying, it is the responsibility of the teachers and parents to encourage, motivate and inspire that youngster. Doing so will give the child a successful experience. As a result, the child will have something upon which to build.

So, again, young folks need to look at their successes and build on them. It is not about comparing the child to someone else. It is about helping the child develop skills to accomplish something meaningful to herself or himself.

JD: So it’s about building confidence rather than ego.

Djata: That’s right. Besides, ego is something that someone deludes themselves into believing about themselves, based upon what s/he thinks that other people think about her or him. After all, Michael Jackson was struttin’ his stuff for years, then it came out that he was into molesting young boys. Suddenly, he was trying to stay out of the limelight. The ego doesn’t belong to you, because it shrinks real quickly, if you’re exposed in any way to embarrassment.

Confidence, on the other hand, as my brother Eshu likes to say, "provides a place for self- esteem to grow". It is having a sense of how to proceed in a given situation, whether that is defending oneself from violence or defending ones position politically or just accomplishing a task.

JD: Something that I wanted to mention has to do with the images and the ideas that young people are receiving from the mainstream media. Does the media play a role in the proliferation of domestic violence?

Djata: They have to. The main job of the mainstream media, after all, is to promote the entire economic and social system. To be sure, whereas the “market” controls what, where, when, and how people get whatever it is that they need or want, that means that people have to enter into specific relationships with others, in order to acquire those needs and wants just mentioned.

Consequently, everything is defined by the “market”. Therefore, how people relate to one another is included.

Moreover, all relationships in the “market” are based upon power and greed. And when I say greed, I mean sexual greed expecially.

As a result of the greed, many people in this society grow into the "survival mode". They’re barely making it. Y’know what I’m sayin’? So they become selfish and larcenous, trying just to grab whatever corner of the "pie" they can get. It's completely unnecessary.

So, for the most part, unfortunately, we’re raising a generation of "tricksters"; that is, people playing games with others, at the expense of the latter. Of course, it’s the “market” that desires this turn of events, because the “market” is insatiable. Therefore, it wants us to consume at all costs, because that serves the greed of those in control of the “market”, from lottery tickets to casinos to the Stock Exchange to violence against females, whether in the movies, tv, or hip-hop records. To the people in control of that stuff, it doesn't matter if it destroys the society, because greed is always short sighted.

JD: Finally, what message do you want to leave with women who may be listening and are currently suffering in an abusive relationship?

Djata: JD, men and women who play that role are punks. But what is a man and what is a woman? These are silly constructs that reveal nothing about either a person’s character or ability. The two sexes are different, but that difference has no bearing on the ability of someone from either sex to be a competent person for any family, community, or society.

So women should appreciate the fact that they never have to worry about these cowardly batterers to the point where you don’t act upon their aggression towards you. Besides, like my Daddy always told me, “When you’re angry, you can’t respect the other person’s anger”.

Most importantly though, women who are being abused should understand that the bullying husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend who appears to suddenly change from nice to violent has lost confidence in his or her ability to effectively defend or justify his or her own selfishness, so s/he resorts to "changing the rules", in order to control the situation. But, if you can't take the criticism, you deny the other person's right to criticize. And again, it doesn't even have to be “physical” violence. Regardless, it's the same lame game. Ya dig?

JD: All right, brother. Thanks, for stoppin’ by. It was a pleasure having you.

Djata: JD, the pleasure’s mine. I’m sure. Peace. Read full post

"Accompanied" or NOT, Child immigrants are Refugees!

Dear friends,

When a lost and confused Christopher Columbus was "discovered" by the indigenous people of a Caribbean island, then invited ashore, along with his fellow thugs, and treated well, who would've thought that over five centuries later the descendants of America's indigenous people would presently be both murdered, tortured, and imprisoned for traveling around the land upon which their predecessors have been doing so for thousands of years?

Moreover, now fleeing violence, why are children regardless of whether or not they are "accompanied" being treated as if they are unwanted criminals as opposed to being dealt with in the same way as the refugees who came here from Ireland, Poland, and Italy and whose descendants for the last four or five generations lie about being blood relatives of the original Pilgrim group?

G. Djata Bumpus Read full post

Matthew Saad Muhammad passes...

Dear friends,

In this photo taken 7/26/24, I am holding up the boxing trunks that WBC world light heavyweight champion Matthew Saad Mohammed gave to me prior to a two-rounds exhibition fight that we had before a packed house at the old Martin Luther King Arena, 46th and Market streets in West Philly, back in the fall of 1980… It was my final public appearance as a professional boxer.

"Love loves forever!" - Stevie Wonder

G. Djata Bumpus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Saad_Muhammad Read full post

Should Art be for Art's sake?

Dear friends,

This excerpt from a James Baldwin speech is only five minutes-long, but deeply thoughtful. Especially in an era when singers, actors, and hip-hop people often call themselves "artists", at least to me, those just mentioned need to understand that first and foremost one must be "human" (and all that that implies) in his or her artistic expression, in order to be an artist. After all, nonhuman animals and other creatures have no use for art.

Still, most of what is being passed off as "art" in this society is simply "pander" and has nothing to do with art. Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-IyamaAbxM Read full post

Australian documentary Exposes Murderous Zionism for what it is!

Dear friends,

On the link below is a 45 minutes-long video that is an Australian documentary about the totally thoughtless , spineless, and inhuman Zionist movement that continues to inflict a Holocaust on the Palestinian people.

The real problem lies with the fact that Israel only exists because of the United States. It is, in fact, what many have called the 51st state, although, at least to me, it is more like a vital organ that is crucial to the functioning of the whole exploitative and oppressive organism that is this country, the capital of Corporate Capitalism.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://israelsoccupation.blogspot.com.es/2014/06/2014-australian-documentary-exposes.html?m=1 Read full post

Dr. Finkelstein confronts "Holocaust" tears and Gaza

"...too many Jews who blame Nazis for atrocities against Jews on the one hand, but ignore the atrocities that Israeli Jews have committed against Palestinians."

Dear friends,

Dr. Finkelstein's comments, on the links below, in a short video, to a silly, poorly-raised girl are more important to me than Wikileaks material, because they destroy the fraudulent position of too many Jews who blame Nazis for atrocities against Jews on the one hand, but ignore the atrocities that Isrealu Jews have committed against Palestinians.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNQSV3BBtZ4 Read full post

New York Newspaper calls Pres. Obama a "Nigger"

Dear friends,

 I wonder what that fake scholar Michael Eric Dyson thinks about this? After all, Dyson says that he wants to bring back the word "Nigger", as if African Americans founded the word, because he finds it to be an endearing term.

So did the members of the Ku Klux Klan and other lowlife coward scumbags who lynched the battered corpses of men who were already dead while fighting their way to a tree.

To be sure, those great American heroes (the aforementioned Ku Klux Klan and others) were all screaming "Nigger!" And felt endearment. Dyson even had the audacity and complete lack of class to scream "Motherfucka Nigga! into the microphone at the end of his trivial speech at Imamu Amiri Baraka' s memorial service.

The term "Nigger"was invented by racist enslavers in order to make our ancestors feel inhuman, terrorized, humiliated, and demeaned. We ourselves began to use it against each other. And many of the top box office hip-hop folks use the word in a deferring context to draw racist European American fans/consumers. Imagine that! As one of my boxers put it a few months back, that so-called N-word is used like a gun/weapon against us. He added that when Africa American hip-hop performers use it, it is like taking a gun and waving it around the room. By the way, have you ever heard Gay-Z or any of the rest of those other Uncle Tom fairies in hip-hop use the word "crackers"? We all must stop using that term!

 G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/Newspaper_under_fire_for_calling_President_Obama_N-Word_in_headline.html Read full post

The Meaning of the 4th of July bu Frederick Douglas

Dear friends,

Frederick Douglass was a genuine leader of African American people, as well as the United States of America. The recording on the link below is a verbatim read of Douglass' accurate and informative account of both the suffering of Our ancestors as well as the greed and hypocrisy of the founders of this country.

Liberation!

G. Djata Bumpus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkzmn6UyaSA Read full post

Humans are Political Animals!

Dear friends,

Many academic disciplines analyze people as if We are talking insects. We are not! In other words, whether you place, for example, an ant or a bee either in the Sahel of Africa or on the North Pole, it will be the same creature and exhibit the exact same behavior. Again, people are not talking insects , because just the physical, intellectual, and emotional resources needed and interactions made to help us survive in different climates changes both our behavior and habits a great deal.

Consequently, humans are political animals (or as Aristotle put it "politikon zoon"). That is, We all either need or want whatever it is that We need or want; however, We must behave (speak and act) according to the circumstances in which We find Ourselves, due to the social interactions that will necessarily have to happen in order for Us to get what We either need or want from another person or nonhuman animal.

And this is where the political relations begin. In other words, since few of Us grow Our own food or make Our own clothes, and so forth, at the bare minimum, We must have contact with others who have what we need or want, and behave in a way that is favorable to the party who has what We need or want, in order to acquire whatever it is that We need or want. Ants and bees, for instance, do not have that need for social adaptation. Moreover, a person is being dishonest with herself/himself when s/he claims, "I am not political." Obviously, and unfortunately, even in erotic relationships this happens. Humans are political animals.Period!

G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post

Africans and African Americans Must Unite!!!

""The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” — President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , the 24th and current President of Liberia

Fear friends,

Starting back in the 1960s, young people of African descent began shedding the forms of identity that had been placed upon us like "Negro" and "colored". The term "Black" became the most popular moniker, while "Afro-American" and "African American" were used to some extent as well, as some of us were beginning to embrace both our historical roots and cultural evolution. Also and unfortunately to a smaller extent, a few of us, in the spirit of Marcus Garvey and Dr. W E.B. Dubois, began and have continued to insist upon the necessity of all people of African descent worldwide to see, think, and act in a way that will promote love and prosperity among us (called Pan Africanism).

Note: By the way, there are some of us who now refuse to use the term "African-American" for self-description. Of course, these are the exact same people who along with some of their brainwashed descendents refused to use "Black" as a way of identifying themselves well into the 90s. I have even recently been told that there is an entire Facebook page/club dedicated to those who claim that they are not African American, although the silly people who relate to that page are unaware of the possibility that someone from the Ku Klux Klan, for example, probably created that page. And unfortunately, at least in one instance, I met a seemingly educated African-American woman who calls herself a Negro, refusing to identify herself as either Black or African American.

In any case, during the past decade or so, usage of "African American" has gained far more prominence in our society than it once had. This is a good thing! However, simply calling ourselves that means little, at least to me, if we are unwilling as a people to strip away all of the vicious and decadent behavior to which we have been exposed by the Europeans and their offshoots in the Americas.

To be sure, many of us have been battling for decades, and in recent years many have joined us. Let us continue to move forward!

G. Djata Bumpus Read full post

A personal letter from Dr. Barbara Love about Nelson Mandela's passing

Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2013 23:18:28 -0500 Subject: Nelson Mandela Is Dead

Dear Djata,

I danced in Trafalgar Square the day Nelson Mandela was released from Robben Island.

After twenty seven years in prison, much of that time in solitary confinement, Nelson Mandela was released. The whole world rejoiced, and watched.

In prison, Mandela was a symbol of resistance to tyranny. His life was a statement of willingness to sacrifice everything, personal freedom along with access to open air and sky, to state to the world how precious he thought freedom, and how deep was his desire to obtain it for himself and his people.

In freedom, Mandela became ‘The Madiba’. His name, Mandela, became synonymous with “one who fights for liberation”, not only ‘one who resists oppression’. He became a living mandate for freedom and for peace, for himself, and for the whole world which had become his people.

After twenty-seven years of unjust, sometimes inhumane confinement, he called for truth and reconciliation. He called for humans, in South Africa and everywhere else, to reclaim their inherent love, care and connection. He became a living embodiment of humanity’s hopes and aspirations for a more just, peaceful world.

I was proud to proclaim my love for Mandela every chance I got. It gave me a chance to reach toward the spirit and essence of who he was, and to see what parts of my own soul could try to be like him. Mandela is dead. The Madiba lives. Forever, The Madiba Lives.

Dr. Barbara J. Love
Professor Emeritus, SJE, SOE, UMASS-Amherst
http://about.me/bjlove/#
The AKAR Institute LiberationWorks Read full post

Is the Government to Blame for Our Problems?

Dear friends,

It's not the government that's controlling the people. After all, the government is run by human beings… Nevertheless, we live in a market-driven, possession-oriented society, so our "values" are controlled by "the market". Moreover the corporations that control this market also control the government and the rest of society - and the way that we think and act.

Therefore, our energies are focused on "what we have" as opposed to "who we are". That means that our government is more of an illusion that we have about some kind of order to our society, when reality, we are all agents of the system whose values are based upon randomly using each other as means to ends, showing no empathy to anyone, be it personally or professionally.

G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post

Tavis Smiley interviews Cornel West about Success and Spirituality

Dear friends,

On the link below is a 5 minutes-long video of an interview done by Tavis Smiley with my longtime, dear friend and colleague Dr. Cornel West. In his usual smooth and intellectually powerful voice, Cornel points out the difference between loving one's self by being narcissistic, and loving one's self within the context of sharing love with others both emotionally and spiritually. Please take a listen.

Peace & Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAfxFEGF-wY Read full post

Obama and African American Spirituality

"Please remember that our spirituality should be a vitamin - not a drug."
(originally posted 9/14/08)



Dear friends,

According to almost all of the agencies of the mass communications media, if he is successful, which I believe he will be, Senator Barack Obama will become our nation's "first Black president". I do not like that moniker though. I find that notion bothersome, because, at least to me, it trivializes both the historical and present contributions made by African Americans to both the development and continued proliferation of the United States as an advanced world power.

In other words, to imply that Barack Obama winning this election is the greatest achievement of our cultural group, ignores the fact that the active protestations of African Americans have been at the lead, in enhancing both freedom and democracy, at every historical stage in this country, for all citizens. This includes the time when a "6-2' mulatto" man named Crispus Attucks, standing in the front of a group of English colonists, against British troops, on the Boston Commons, was the first one shot and killed that special day. That confrontation, of course, was the catalyst for the official start of the War of Independence that turned thirteen colonies into the nation in which we now live - and love.

African Americans are an African people, from many different African cities and villages, who were forcibly made part of an enterprise that initially began amongst Arabs and Eastern Europeans (from where the word "slave" came), about a thousand years or forty generations ago as the International Slave Trade. However, it deteriorated into being what Dr. W.E.B. DuBois described as the "hunting of black skins" not long after Christopher Columbus' famed voyage across the Ocean Sea, renaming that enterprise the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Yet, the institution now known as the "Black Church" did not begin when European enslavers used red-hot iron brands and scarred captive African workers, so-called slaves, while reading the latter verses from the Holy Bible, in a process called seasoning. Rather, the Black Church started in the holds of the aforementioned enslavers' hideous vessels. Again, people from different cities and villages, speaking different languages and having varied customs, were now forced to embrace that which they shared as Africans - their religiosity.

But when we talk about our "souls"/spirituality it seems to mean different things to different people. And so, in his work called After Many a Summer Dies the Swan, Aldous Huxley offered, "Our 'souls' are so little 'us' that we cannot even form the remotest conception how 'we' should react to the universe, if we were ignorant of language, or even of our own language. The nature of our 'souls' and of the world they inhabit would be entirely different from what it is, if we had never learnt to talk, or if we had learnt to talk Eskimo instead of English. Madness consists, among other things, in imagining that our 'soul' exists apart from the language our nurses happen to have taught us."

Huxley makes an observation here that helps to explain the photo above, which shows Senator Barack Obama, literally, surrounded, in a very private situation , by a group of fellow African Americans - engaging in a group prayer. To be sure, they are not concerned with whether or not he belongs to a particular religious denomination. There is something much deeper happening there. For African peoples have appreciated their spirituality, long before they had ever heard of Europeans, or even Asians, for that matter.

In his book African Religions and Philosophies, John Mbiti reveals, “Wherever the African is, there is his religion: he carries it to the fields where he is sowing seeds or harvesting a new crop; he takes it with him to the beer party or to attend a funeral ceremony; and if he is educated, he takes religion with him to the examination room at school or in the university...Traditional religions are not primarily for the individual, but for his community of which he is a part...What people do is motivated by what they believe, and what they believe springs from what they do and experience. So then, belief and action in African traditional society cannot be separated: they belong to a single whole.”

Up until the end of 19th Century America, religious institutions were largely community-oriented, among both African Americans and European Americans. Today, however, for the most part, in this possession-oriented society, the individual as a "believer", as opposed to his or her membership in a community of believers, is what is promoted as the greatest importance to the commonweal.

Still, the congregants of Black churches have always been at the forefront of our cultural group's social progress, by engaging in activities that deal with our outer as well as our inner liberation, such as church folks helping to free captive workers (so-called slaves) during the period of chattel slavery to organizing then leading protest marches and providing facilities for breakfast programs for school children, as they did in the Sixties and Seventies - to helping to lead the fight against apartheid in South Africa, during the Eighties.

Unfortunately, too often today, a lot of concentration is on “being saved” and using the word “God” in every other sentence as some type of password to have membership in "the herd". Many folks are even using religion as a narcotic - like heroin or cocaine; a common refrain from them is: "I'm high on Jesus!".

Also, having “fellowship” is another term that is being bandied about these days. I went to a church, quite recently, whose Sunday program sheet read at the bottom, after the hymns and prayers listed: Worship ends, Service begins. Unfortunately, and shamefully, this was NOT in a Black church.

Black preachers must imitate the life of the historical Jesus who fed the hungry and healed the sick - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The latter did not just sit around and pray. S/he "worked" for change. During 1963, in his now famous Letter From a Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King wrote, in part:

"There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators"' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide. and gladiatorial contests.

Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch-defender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are.

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.

Perhaps I have once again been too optimistic. Is organized religion too inextricably bound to the status quo to save our nation and the world? Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ekklesia and the hope of the world. But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom, They have left their secure congregations and walked the streets..."

While Dr. King's "letter" was largely directed towards "white" clergy, today, these words, very much, apply to most African American clerics across the nation, as well. That is a fact that should bring a feeling of shame to many who call themselves ecclesiastics. The Black Church has the power to change things! It is not up to "God" to make this world better. After all, if it is, then why does "He" need clerics?

Finally, to be sure, African peoples of the Americas, have a lengthy history of identifying with spiritual things. Had we not, then there would have been no way for us to have endured the long voyages crunched up beside - and stacked up on top of - one another in our mutual stench, for months at a time, much less being able to sustain ourselves, for centuries, in chattel slavery, as well as the continued impropriety directed towards us, even at this present date, by many of our fellows citizens, at all levels of society. Therefore, the real "spirit" of African American people is reflected in our legacy - a lengthy struggle for equality, dignity and justice. Friends, the power of love and its goodness will overcome the weakness of greed and injustice.

Moreover, please remember that our spirituality should be a vitamin - not a drug.

One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus Read full post

Asian Businesswoman Confronts Black Consumer

Dear friends,

I just saw a video on Facebook that showed an African American man/consumer arguing with an Asian woman who was managing a restaurant where apparently he and a number of other folks had purchased some food. When he asked her for some water, an argument ensued, regarding him having paid for food or something. When he accused her of being racist towards him, she rejected that claiming that she too is a "minority".

Actually, her argument is cowardly and racist. She used the same argument that many exploitative Jews have used against Black consumers for decades. In fact, many Asians and Latinos identify themselves as "white".

But there's something else that is very sad here. That being: language is thought. Have you ever said to yourself, "I can't think of a word for it.".

Calling yourself a "minority" is a vicious term that our racist government began using in the late 60s in order to trivialize the value of our presence in this country. Uncle Tom and Aunt Thomasina Negroes from groups like the NAACP and the Urban League started using the term "minority" and popularizing it among us, in deference to our aforementioned racist government.

Additionally, it was important to our enemies that we used such a demeaning term for self-definition, because of the burgeoning Black Consciousness Movement that had replaced the accommodating Civil Rights Movement that died with Martin King. Who wants to be a "minority"? And who is the "majority"? After all, the very basis of White Supremacy lies in the fact that a woman or man can come from Europe yesterday, claim herself or himself as "white" and automatically become part of an artificial "majority" group, regardless of her or his true historical and cultural past.

Please remember,s/he isn't "white" in her or his real homeland, only economic factors distinguish her or him from her or his fellow citizens. We are NOT a minority! Rather, African peoples by ourselves are 40 million strong in this country We can build our own communities that are based upon love and prosperity. We just need to learn to operate within the context of "we" and stop hating each other/ourselves.

One Love!

G. Djata Bumpus


Read full post

Is Redskins a Racist Term?

Dear friends,

The linguist here isn't too bright, in my opinion. Instead of pretending to be an historian, perhaps he should consider his craft: linguistics.

Just as everything else in the Universe, languages either evolve or cease to exist. That is why it is so imbecilic for people to argue against taking the so-called N-word out of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn novel, when in fact the King James version of the Holy Bible now has about a half-dozen versions of that text.

Even words that we used 20 years ago are no longer in use or they have a different meaning. Language is thought. That's why sometimes people will say, "I can't think of a word for it.".

But then, apart from linguistics and history, there is the issue of "morality" - a term that doesn't require religious guidance of any kind. All we have to do is be honest, reasonable, and imaginative. The term "Redskins" is offensive to millions, both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples of the Americas. Therefore, it's really an issue of White Supremacy, euphemistically called Racism. Please remember, "Everyone wants to inherit property - not guilt".

 G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/06/a-linguist-on-why-redskin-is-racist-patent-overturned/373198/ Read full post

Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy (trailer)

Dear friends,

It's really sad to hear Chris Rock give so much acclaim to Eddie Murphy. Yet, it's even sadder, because neither one of those guys has ever done anything but pander to "white" sentimentality, regardless of the colors of their audiences.

Red Foxx and Moms Mabley will far more responsible and showing dignity with their comedy… Meanwhile, Steve Harvey jokes: I know a girl so black that when she puts on a yellow dress, she looks like a traffic light. And Robert Townsend who produced and/or directed this one, and put out the beautiful movie "Hollywood Shuffle" did exactly that when he was given a TV program a few years back by ABC.

It's really sad to hear Chris Rock give so much acclaim to Eddie Murphy… It's even sadder, because neither one of those guys has ever done anything but pander to "white" sentimentality, regardless of the colors of their audiences.

All the Black comics these days are more or less cheap versions of Eddie Murphy, including Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle. That is, it's the same pandering mentality. Obviously, Dave Chapelle has far more integrity than Eddie and the rest of them, at least to me. However, the types of jokes that I hear from these guys makes me question just how many experiences they've had in life.

Many of the females, of course, have self-esteem issues as females that cloud their ability to be funny in an inspiring way. Unfortunately, almost all of the males share that same fate. If one has interacted with many types of people, under many types of circumstances then s/he will invariably find plenty of material about which to laugh. The problem is: for arts generally, African Americans must learn to distinguish art from pander, by gaining greater mental stamina so that they can think more deeply about what, why/what for, how, when, and with whom they want to share their thoughts.

Finally, for all of the pretentious comments being made about Black comedy on the link below, aside from the fact that too many people in this country, of all cultural groups, suffer from emotional despair that makes them need to be entertained as opposed to entertaining themselves through activities like, for example, simply sitting by themselves and enjoying their thoughts, reading, writing, singing, involving themselves in any variety of sports activities - be they mental like checkers and chess or physical like basketball or soccer,what over 99% of all of today's African American comics don't realize is: there is a huge difference between self-deprecation and self degradation. 

We must inform to inspire, in order to win the war. And the war is: to win the minds of Our people.

G. Djata Bumpus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEmGyRBmohI Read full post

Human Evolution - Cheap Sex and Homosexuality?

Dear friends,

Have you ever been asked the super dumb question, " Do you believe in evolution?". After all, if we hadn't evolved as a species, then one wouldn't be able to ask that question, because s/he would still be only grunting, as our earliest ancestors did.

Moreover, just as there is a biological mechanism/drive to make us eat for self-preservation, for reproduction we have a sexual drive for heterosexual sex (i.e., between the opposite sexes of our species). In other words, there cannot possibly be a "natural" gene or any kind of mechanism for homosexual sex, because that would have meant that we would have ceased to exist as a species long ago.

To be sure, at this point of the discourse there will be some reader who attacks me with a kind of moral terrorism by calling me "homophobic". However, my response to that is: that person is being "heterophobic" - afraid that s/he is really not a homosexual at all.

Finally, sex has been so cheapened in our advanced corporate capitalist political economy or process of social reproduction that far too many people are willing to relinquish their humanity, just as some folks do when they have sex with cows, horses, dogs, and chickens (called "zoo"), in order to have a cheap thrill, then argue that what they are doing is "natural".

One Love!

G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post

Letter about Reparations

"Letter to the editor" to the Philadelphia Daily News, published on Wednesday, June 18, 2014:

As it has been said, "Everyone wants to inherit property - not guilt." Stu Bykofsky's piece called "the case against reparations" in some ways appears to be well-meaning, even though he compares the issue of reparations for African-American people to "dirty laundry" that has been soiled so by our past sufferings and "remnants of racism today."

However, the "dirty laundry" that Bykofsky wants to bring before a South African-type Truth Commission shows his complete naivete regarding how one group retains power over another. In fact, the so-called Truth Commission was more about the arrogant apartheid government flexing its muscles at the South African people in order to remind the latter that the former would still be running things, long after the great Nelson Mandela had ceremoniously served in his position as president.

To be sure, Bykofsky does admit that African-Americans generally have a far longer history in this country than most European Americans or so-called whites. Yet, he conveniently fails to mention how boatloads of millions of European immigrants were brought here and ultimately evolved into being "working white people," when there were already millions of African-Americans here who were deliberately excluded from the burgeoning political economy of capitalism and, for the most part, remained in a state of peonage as sharecroppers on the same plantations of their former enslavers.

However, there is something much more pernicious about Bykofsky's platitudinous assault against the right of African-American people to express our well-deserved resentment and hostility toward centuries of white supremacy, euphemistically called racism, when he says, "What (white) Americans fear is being called racist every time that conversation starts."

How dare he!

The issue of reparations was settled long ago. Therefore, for the life of me, I can't understand why this topic still exists. For example, Gen. William Sherman, during the Civil War, was redistributing land that had once been owned by enslavers and giving it to freed African-Americans. Unfortunately, as he did with the first two Emancipation Proclamations, the first one by Gov. David Hunter of South Carolina and the second one by Gov. John Fremont of Missouri, President Abraham Lincoln rescinded Sherman's orders and the land was returned to the former slave owners.

And please let us not forget the Freedmen's Bureau that was specifically set up by the U.S. government to aid the former captive workers. Of course, in 1876, Republican Party presidential candidate Rutherford Hayes promised "white" Southerners that he would abolish the Freedmen's Bureau and withdraw federal troops that were protecting the gunless African-Americans, if the aforementioned Southern voters gave him their support. They did. He won, and was placed in office. And he kept his disgraceful promise.

Finally, Bykofsky claims that he wants to help. He even went as far as making an unauthorized offer, "I believe that most Americans, if given a sensible and effective way to make amends, would take it."

If he really means that, then he should stop calling himself "white" and urge his readers to do so as well. Certainly, most of his fellows will not go for that. You see, claiming to be "white," regardless of one's social status, or cultural/historical past, not only makes a person part of an artificial "majority" group, but it also gives that person a sense of power. The brave words of freedom, equality and democracy that are constantly bandied about by U.S. politicians, newspaper columnists and others are only done so within their comfortable embrace of whiteness.

G. Djata Bumpus

Philadelphia
Read full post

Is Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson a One- trick Pony?

Dear friends,

The more that I listen to Neil Degrasse Tyson, the more that I see him as a one-trick pony. While he talks a good game about the stars, he never reflects upon human beings and how we even get access to appreciating science, especially African Americans and Latinos who are, unfortunately, for the most part, trapped as both individuals and groups by the narcissistic spirit of their own self-indulgence called "religion" (with its childish illusion about a world-ruling personality named "God").

Even worse, Tyson's very trite and unoriginal remarks about how he let(s) his kids explore - circumventing the question that was asked to him - also shows how little he has thought about making them aware of the relationships between themselves, their parents, other people, and non-human phenomena. For example, he makes absolutely no reference in the question about American children failing in science and mathematics to the role of education, generally, in perpetuating "the market" that thrives upon war and cares nothing about life, human or nonhuman, or for that which is inanimate.

G. Djata Bumpus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiOwqDmacJo Read full post

About Erotic Relationships between African American Men and Women

Dear friends,

Prior to the Civil War, it was not uncommon for a free Black man who was in love with a woman who was held captive to sell himself to a slave master, whether that slave master was Black or white (and yes there were thousands of Black slave masters in the antebellum South), with the promise from the aforementioned slave master that he would free his female captive who that Black man wanted to marry, after a term of however long upon which they'd agreed.

After the Civil War the relationships between African American men and women remained fairly secure… However, especially starting with the first massive migration to the north (or here up South as opposed to down south), during WW1, the new northern African American male began taking on the traits of his European American counterparts. It became even worse after the second massive migration to the north (or here up South) during WW2 by African American males.

Still, the idea that females, regardless of skin color, are socialized from a very early age that their primary objective in life is to maintain the approval of boys and men, and having babies in order to "hook" a man, so that he will care for her for the rest of her life is the biggest problem. Of course, once most men - African or African American, Caribbean, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, European or European American, are able to get past their pathetic insecurities and inadequacies that have them  needing to find self-worth at the expense of females, then they will do as I did, that is, raise their daughters to be independent yet cooperative, self-sufficient, competent, loving, caring, and prosperous adults. That will also have a huge affect on how boys are raised. But this will require that both males and females embrace value judgments that are not based upon using each other as means to ends so that they can collect as many trinkets and baubles as possible.

G. Djata Bumpus Read full post

Time and the Choices we make

Dear friends,

In The Character Of Physical Law, author Richard P. Feynman explains, "Remorse and regret and hope and so forth are all words which distinguish perfectly obviously the past and the future". Moreover, whatever remorse or regret one has from the past, s/he shouldn't waste time getting stuck in the past, because no one can resolve, much less undo, the past.

However, one can look to the future and act accordingly by having hope inside of one's self. Because having that type of emotional factor (hope) attached to his or her choices, as all choices are accompanied by emotional factors like greed and envy or generosity and kindness, one can move forward in life with a positive attitude towards one's self, life itself, and other people. Otherwise, one ends up suffering from any number of addictions, since an addict is a person who allows, especially, the emotional factor of greed to overshadow any feelings of remorse or regret. So s/he remains stuck in the past.

G. Djata Bumpus Read full post

Black Music Month and Our Contributions to the World!!!

Dear Friends,

During Black Music Month, we should remember that, to be sure, for African peoples everywhere, being musicians has been part of Our cultural and psychic structures or internal labor processes, for millennia or scores of grandmothers' lifetimes. Lorenzo Johnston Greene further confirmed this assertion in his timeless book, The Negro In Colonial New England, "Zelah, a Negro of Groton, Massachusetts, who later fought in the American Revolution, became famous in his neighborhood as a musician." Greene also refers to Newport Gardner, "...the slave of Caleb Gardner of Newport, Rhode Island, was given music lessons. He soon excelled his teacher and later opened a music school of his own on Pope Street where he taught both Negroes and white persons." (Certainly, the music school that Gardner opened was made possible after he had freed himself from chattel slavery. Greene indicates that, a little more than 200 years or four grandmothers ago, Gardner "purchased" the liberty of himself and most of his family members after winning two thousand dollars in a lottery.)

The trend of African American musicians has continued since those colonial days, with African American musicians still having major influence on the music of which North Americans like to listen. In Amherst, Massachusetts the now late Ruth Goodwin remembers Mr. Arthur Andrews, a pianist who, she says, was without an equal. the now late Bill Russell, whose family has owned the liquor store in the center of the town for decades, recalls that, during World War II era, his father hired a local African American music group, the Roberts Brothers, to play at the elder Russell's 25th wedding anniversary. Today, Amherst's two colleges and its state university (UMass) boast to have had some of the most respected music professors/musicians in the world, from a variety of musical genres, but particularly those artists who play Black classical music (some of which is often called "jazz". - legendary musical giants with names like Archie Shepp, Max Roach, Yusef Lateef, Clarence Horace Boyer, Ray Copeland, Billy Taylor, and Fred Tillis, to name a few, and all of whom I know have known (because there are now deceased) personally. The aforementioned schools also
had such visitors as Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Mary Lou Williams, Hugh Masakela, Modern Jazz Quartet, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and the list goes on and on.

G. Djata Bumpus Read full post

Elaine Brown - A Woman of the People!!!

Dear friends

My old comrade Elaine Brown always keeps it real, unlike Angela Davis, the former Communist Party member (she was never a Black Panther) who, although it's kept real quiet these days, along with Jim Jones of the People's Temple cult group, by giving the latter strong support, helped lead hundreds of African American people to their slaughter in Guyana, Elaine Brown, on the other hand, has consistently fought for both the empowerment and enrichment of life for African American people, for a half-century. As you'll see on the link below, she has never either made excuses or apologized for that!

Liberation!

G. Djata Bumpus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NmT2hCqv-Q Read full post

Remembering - Interview with the late, great Teddy Pendergrass

He needs no introduction!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSE6QQUHUME Read full post

Remember what Curtis said, "Keep on keepin' on"

"There' still a lot of love among us, and there's still a lot of faith, warmth, and trust..." - Curtis Mayfield








Dear friends,

As is made so obvious by the song on the link below, Curtis was truly a prophet.
Enjoy!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-l91O9VxN0 Read full post

Curtis sings live - We Got To Have Peace

"We gotta have peace to keep the world alive...." - Curtis Mayfield

Dear friends,

With all of the taxpayer funds that the US military/industrial/congressional complex uses to promote Corporate Capitalism and enrich its proponents worldwide, we must embrace the fact that the result of genuine economic development is human - not technological  much less pecuniary. On the link below, our dear legend Curtis Mayfield reminds us that the greatest relationship between either two people or many people is first and foremost: Peace.

Peace, Love, and Light,

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QglEbgON9o&NR=1 Read full post

"Our Sacred Earth" a ooem

 

“Our Sacred Earth”
by G. Djata Bumpus

What is
Sacred?
Is it that which
Creates
&
Maintains
Life – and Love?

What is
Un-Sacred?
Is it that which
Destroys

&
Abolishes
Life – and Love?

Read full post

Art is a the only Method of Translating Our Unconsciousness

"Nobody gives us a rhyme or reason. Half of one doubt, they call it treason." - Les McCann



Dear friends,

Music is art, and art is the only method by which humans as a species have the power to retrieve both information and images from the subconscious/unconscious content of Our minds Our thoughts are immaterial, including our spirituality. Consequently, since Our ideas are not material,,science does not have either the  instrument(s) or person(s) to reveal, much less measure, the aforementioned thoughts, of any kind: good, bad, smart, or dumb. Nevertheless, as well, art allows Us to recollect, and share with others, Our past, present, and future experiences, visions, insights, smells, tastes, physical and/or emotional feelings, and touches. Listen up!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvJzCdgB3Tc Read full post

Muhammad Ali and the Jackson Five - 1977

Dear friends, 

On the link below is a 7 minutes-long interview with Muhammad Ali, where he is joined by the Jackson 5. The main point that he raises here is the need for African Americans to begin thinking about how we can come together and uplift ourselves from our historical lower middle class status. Enjoy! 

G. Djata Bumpus  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM8IP5d9GO8&NR=1 Read full post

Email from my 89 years-old Mother about Maya Angelou (5/28/14)

Dearest Djata,

It is a joyous life that has passed from this earthly realm. Some may say, "Our dear, wonderful Maya Angelou is no longer with us in the physical sense." Yet her life and victorious triumphs will live on long after the lives of those heroes and icons who die without saying, "I am a Black woman, yet 'Still I Rise'."

Much love and thanks to you and your realization that we Black women will continue to rise as long as we have Black sons like you, and all the Black mothers who gave unselfishly to raise their families in America.

Mom
Read full post

Dr. Maya Angelou - Still I Rise

Manifesto of ALL Black woman...Long live the African Spirit!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqo50LSZ0 Read full post

What is Courage? - a quote from Dr. Maya Angelou

“…this beautiful and incredibly powerful quote, below, from Dr. Angelou says it all.”

Dear friends,

It seems, at least to me, that the issue of courage comes to mind, when analyzing so much of what happens in our society daily. I help people discover the power that is called courage. And, although I have been doing it for a living, for the past twenty-five years, I have been doing it generally, for almost all of my life - literally.

Moreover, while courage seems to usually relate to how humans confront either unfavorable or even violent people, things, or circumstances, it is far more significant as an exercise of one’s many inner strengths (powers).

In any case, not long ago, I was scanning through some old computer files and found a quote from the great Dr. Maya Angelou. Of course, I am a little more assertive about the origin of courage in a person than she seems to be, due to my expertise in this area . That is, humans are not born with courage. Period. Rather, they acquire that power through careful nurturing. Otherwise, this beautiful and incredibly powerful, although brief, quote below, from Dr. Angelou, says it all.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
*************************************
"One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest."
MAYA ANGELOU, in USA Today, 5 March 1988 Read full post

Maya Angelou writes a poem for Mandela

Dear friends, This poem on the link below from Maya Angelou is a gracious tribute to Nelson Mandela. However, to me, it misses mention of the South African people who maintained a connection with him, while continuing to fight and die, like Steven Biko, for example, during Mandela's time in prison. For if it had not been for them, Mandela would have gone mad, as 27 years in confinement always does. The black people of South Africa are still not free. The racists have simply replaced themselves with black stooges!

Amandla! (Power)!

G. Djata Bumpus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2w4UGKEffA&list=PLmpmr41LhUA-ploCCn_OO0JzK49hOoejF&index=1 Read full post

Our Fighting Men!

The following is a true story about a young Amherst girl who faced enslavement. It was written by nationally-renowned Amherst storyteller Eshu Bumpus and his brother Djata (this book's author). It shows evidence of the operation of the Underground Railroad in the Amherst, Massachusetts area. Of course, the Underground Railroad is the “romantic”c term that is used in US history school books for an alleged system of escape for African American captives. However, there was no actual “system” as such. Rather, there were many ways that folks left the South. For example, some hid in wagons, while others earned or were given money and simply hopped on trains.

It was a seemingly ordinary Spring day, in the month of May, 152 years or three grandmothers ago. Angeline Palmer was an 11 years-old orphan. She was so poor that, in Amherst, where she had been born and raised, the townspeople decided to find a family that would care for her. She had an older brother named Lewis B. Frazier (her late mother's son from a previous marriage) who lived in Amherst. But he was only twenty years-old and could not afford to take care of her by himself.

Mason and Susan Shaw, a European American couple from nearby Belchertown, offered to take Angeline to live with them. They seemed like a nice couple, so Amherst town officials were satisfied to have found a home for Angeline.

But things were not as pleasant as they seemed. The Shaws had a secret reason for taking Angeline. They had been planning to visit one of the Southern states where many African Americans were still being held in slavery. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw decided to take Angeline with them in order to sell her to a slave trader, because captive workers could be sold for lots of money. To complete their scheme, when the Shaws returned to Massachusetts, they would tell people that Angeline ran away.

Luckily, a woman overheard Mason Shaw telling some of his friends about the scheme. She did not like what the Shaws were planning. So she made sure that Angeline's brother, Lewis, found out about it.

Lewis Frazier was a brave young man. He was not going to let anything happen to his sister. Lewis got two of his friends, Henry Jackson and William Jennings, to help him. The three young African American men broke into the Shaw's house and rescued Angeline. They brought Angeline to Spencer and Sarah Church's farm in North Amherst. The Church family was European American. Although she had eight children of her own, Mrs. Church agreed to care for Angeline and hide her when necessary.

Of course, Lewis knew that his sister could not stay in Amherst. He and his two friends sought the advice of an African American woman named Huldah Kiles who also lived in North Amherst. She brought Lewis and Angeline to her brother, Charles Green, who lived in Colrain, a small town next to the Vermont border. At last, Angeline had found a real home. > Because of how and from where they rescued Angeline, the three men were wanted by the legal authorities. So, about two weeks after bringing her to safety, Jennings, Jackson and Frazier turned themselves in and were put in jail. Fortunately, because they all had jobs, the men were immediately able to obtain bail bonds and, therefore, freed from jail, until their case was brought before a judge. When the trial came up, several months later, the judge offered to dismiss all charges if the trio would reveal Angeline's whereabouts. But the young men knew that they were right and would not say a word. So, they were sentenced to three months in the Hampshire County Jail of neighboring Northampton.

Knowing their story, however, Mr. Clapp - the Jail Keeper, did not take their sentence seriously. He let them leave the jail during the day as long as they promised to return at night, which they did. They were also allowed plenty of visitors who brought them food and clothes. When finally the three returned home to Amherst, they were received as heroes by both African Americans and European Americans alike.

Although Lewis Frazier died about ten years later from a hip complaint. Henry Jackson, who lived out his life in Amherst for over 60 years after the abovementioned incident, went on to become one of the town's most distinguished citizens. William Jennings also remained in Amherst and - a little more than 20 years later - became a hero of the North American Civil War. Jennings served first in the all-African American 54th Regiment, then later he re-enlisted in the 5th Massachusetts cavalry. Both of these fighting units were depicted in the Hollywood production called Glory. The very brave Angeline Palmer continued to live a secure and happy childhood in Colrain, before reappearing in Amherst, eleven years after her escape/rescue, as a married woman with children. Read full post

Our Fighting Women!

Dear friends,

On this Memorial Day holiday 2014, please do not let us to get that there have been women, especially African Americans ones, who have truly served as militant liberators in the history of Our country.

Lately, there has been a cry by Western feminists regarding all women being allowed to join active fighting units in the military. Of course, African American women have a long history of taking part in North American warfare, long before names like Harriet Tubman became widely known, and ever since, in groups like the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army.

A generation ago, during the early 90s,in the Amherst, Massachusetts area, Ingrid Askew and Nefertiti Burton, were two remarkable local performing artists who remind Us that African American women have never been pushovers. The duo's uplifting portrayals of African American liberators such as former Pioneer Valley resident Sojourner Truth and their popular dramatization of the life of Ida B. Wells stress the need for all people to take personal responsibility for fighting against their own oppression.

While the name of Sojourner Truth is fairly recognizable, few are familiar with the story of Ida B. Wells. She was a genuine gun-toting liberator (in fact, she carried two guns.) After the lynching of three African American businessmen in her native Memphis, Tennessee, 100 years or two grandmothers ago, Wells began a personal crusade of justice for her people that included lectures, rallies and other forms of protest. Additionally, readers should be reminded that Ida received a great deal of support from her African American sisters. She was no lone nut. Her fight lasted for decades (see When And Where I Enter by Paula Giddings)

While African American women have proven to be unafraid of physical confrontation, one of their greatest contributions to Our country has been their generations of pioneering efforts to make feminism a relevant movement, in spite of the negative actions by most European American feminists to exclude them.

It was around 185 years or not quite five grandmothers ago, when a woman named Matilda wrote to the "Freedom's Journal", an African American newspaper: "Messrs. Editors...Will you allow a female to offer a few remarks upon a subject that you must allow to be all important? I don't know that in any of your papers, you have said sufficient upon the education of females. I hope you are not to be classed with those, who think that Our mathematical knowledge should be limited to 'fathoming the dish-kettle,' and that We have acquired enough of history, if We know that Our grandfather's father lived and died...I would address myself to all mothers - it is their bounden duty to store their daughters' minds with useful learning. They should be made to devote their leisure time to reading books, whence they would derive information, which could never be taken from them. ( A Documentary History of the Negro People in the U. S. edited by Herbert Aptheker)

And The Struggle continues!

G. Djata Bumpus
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