The Gullabiliity of African Americans on Facebook

Dear friends,

I've been engaged in the topic about Black folks, especially men, being lynched regularly Down South (as opposed to here Up South (Philly, NYC, and Boston) in years past. It started over a post called “10 outrages reason black people were incensed in America”. Why would anyone either want or need to read this?

Besides, if an intelligent woman sees a book with the title “Act like a lady-Think like a man”, why in the world would she or any female with a brain even look inside the cover?. Likewise, why would any African Americans with even the most infinitesimally small brain be interested in one single reason about why lowlife, scumbag European American s in their most despicable moments ganged up on somebody, whether African American or European American (because they lynched their own too), assault the fighting and screaming victim, until the person was unconscious, then hang the person?

Finally, you can believe that the moron who wrote the piece mentioned above never talks about that aspect. It reminds me of the stupidity on Facebook that has Black people believing that the word picnic, an old French term for such dining, was somehow, instead, derived from European Americans using the term picnic for “picking a nigger” to lynch. We must inform to inspire, not confuse and make people stupid and unaware of that which will allow them to move forward towards liberation. The post mentioned above is incredibly asinine!

G. Djata Bumpus Read full post

Love & Boxing

Dr. Erik Muten

Dear friends,

I am both proud and honored to share a short (five minutes long) video with you that was done by noted Swedish clinical psychologist Dt. Erik Muten back in March of 2008..

It was a spontaneous interview that he produced, using a few of his students as technicians and the like. You can view it by simply clicking on the link below.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv5fDqSex_0 Read full post

A Real Love Story

Dear friends,

Below is a short tale that was e-mailed to me, some years ago. I've slightly re-written what was originally sent to me by a very special friend of mine who lives in the Bronx (New York City). Nevertheless, the story always brings back memories to me, as a child who was raised inside of the Civil Rights Movement of the early- to mid- Sixties. It helps me recall the types of stories that we heard and the kind of songs that we sung. Moreover, at least to me, it represents a genuine love. Enjoy!

One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus
*****************************************

A cruise ship was sailing on an ocean. It was packed with people and their cargo.

At some point, the ship's bottom hit a large object. The ship began sinking.

The water filled the ship so quickly that almost everyone aboard either drowned while still on board or as they tried to flee by swimming away from the vessel.

Two men, one bald-headed, the other - hairy and bearded, did survive, however. In fact, they were able to swim to a small island that was nearby.

The island was completely barren. There were no trees, plants, or animals - only sand and a few boulders here and there. Fortunately, the weather was nice, not too cold or hot.

The two men, now seemingly bound together, decided that the only thing that they could do is hope for some divine intervention.

They agreed that prayer was the answer. However, the bald man said, "I don't know whether or not we'll be saying the same type of prayers or asking for the same things...Why don't we just split the island in half and each of us can pray for himself?"

The bearded man went along with him.

A line was drawn in the sand. Each man stood on either side of it. Right away, each man dropped to his knees and began to pray.

The bald fellow prayed aloud for food. Lo and Behold! Out of nowhere, a banquet-size amount of food appeared in front of him.

The bald man looked over at the bearded man who was still praying and seemed to have added nothing to his situation.

The bald man then said to himself, "I don't know who he's praying to or what he's asking for, but he better learn how to pray like me, if he doesn't want to starve to death."

It was now getting late and the sky was darkening. The bald man decided that he'd try his luck again by praying for some shelter. So, once again, he got down on his knees and prayed. Well, what do ya know? A small shack appeared out of nowhere. The bald fellow jumped up and down, and ran towards the shack for a good night's sleep.

Just as he entered the doorway of his new abode, he looked over and saw that the bearded guy was still praying, but had nothing to show for it.

When he got up the next morning, the bald man went outside and saw the bearded man still kneeling down and praying. He yelled over to the bearded man, "Hey, what's the matter?...You don't know how to pray?"

The bearded man said nothing. He just kept praying.

The bald-headed guy was really beside himself with pride and confidence, by now. He decided that he would pray for a woman, because he was lonesome in his little shack.

Meanwhile, as fate would have it, as he prayed, another cruise ship had a wreck nearby. The only surviving passenger was a woman. She ended up on the island.

The excited bald man invited her in for food and gave her shelter. She gladly accepted.

However, after a few hours, they both began discussing the need to get off of the island and return to their previous lives.

The bald man now got down on his knees, for a fourth time, and prayed. However, nothing happened right away, like it had previously, so he and the woman went to sleep inside of the shack.

The next morning when they got up, looking outside, they saw that a boat was sitting right there on the shore, in front of them.

The bald-headed guy started dancing and jumping around, once again, to see that his prayers had been answered. "I'm going home!", he exclaimed.

The woman, although excited too, asked him whether or not they were going to take the bearded man with them. The bald guy responded, "Nope...Let him pray his way out of this by himself - like I did."

So, over to the boat the pair went. The bearded man was still on his knees praying.

Just as they reached the boat, the clouds darkened. There was thunder and lightening.

A deep voice from the sky roared, "Where are you going?..Are you going to leave the bearded man?"

The bald-headed guy looked up and replied. "He's been on his knees praying for almost three days and nothing has happened...Why should I help him?"

The deep voice responded, "Do you know what he's been praying for?"
Still looking towards the sky, the bald man said "No, I don't...What was he asking for?"

The voice told him: "He's been asking that all of your prayers be answered." Read full post

10 Steps 4 Self-defense 4 Women and Girls

""1.) You are equal to all others! That, Male Supremacy, euphemistically called “sexism”, opposes.""

Dear friends,

As I, along with a number of other men, have been making an extra effort to join all females in ending Male Supremacy (euphemistically called “sexism”), below, I have listed what I know to be the necessary character traits that all women must possess in order to combat the world’s number one problem – violence against women and girls.

In everyday social interactions, racism, the cute term for White Supremacy, is much bandied about; however, the government- and corporate-controlled media stay away from talking about Male Supremacy. Yet, the latter system of oppression exists in every country, city, town, and village. Racism does not! That means that whether you are in oil-rich Nigeria or our own nation, the USA, the oppression and exploitation of females remains our biggest social problem, not our economy or “global warming”, for that matter. As a result, women and girls are not safe in any particular situation. Moreover, what good is having a thriving economy, if females cannot feel safe to be alone?

Finally, I ask any of the readers of this blog, regardless of your gender, to direct all females who you know to read the info below. The main point being made here is: It does not matter what fighting techniques that one knows, if she has not developed her inner powers so that she can both make and keep a promise to herself to not allow herself to be assaulted in any way; otherwise, she will not use the aforementioned techniques.

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
**************************************

10 Steps 4 Self-defense 4 Women
by G. Djata Bumpus

1.) You are equal to all others! That, Male Supremacy, euphemistically, called “sexism”, opposes.

2.) No one has a right to put his or her hands on you, unless you want that person to. Period! (battered wife)

3.) There are no tough guys out here. Perps are punks. (Tough looks mean nothing)

4.) You have nothing to prove to anyone, so don’t get into squabbles with people where you’re exchanging threats with each other.

5.) Whether you hit back or not, your opponent will attack you. Screaming “Get off of me” will get you nowhere.

6.) In a fight, you are confronting your own insecurities, not those of your opponent(s).

7.) You must have a “sense of self”. That means that you know what it’s like to be alone and accomplish goals on your own. In other words, if you only know how to get what you want with another person, you will not know what it’s like to go through life’s changes by yourself. So you really won’t know yourself. Furthermore, without knowing yourself, you won’t know how you’ll respond in any particular situation to whatever problem or circumstance that arises.

Please remember that any response messes the perp up, since he only wants you to “freeze” from not knowing what to do; that will allow him to walk you right through the victimization process. As well, that also means that you will not know what it’s like to keep a promise, not even to yourself. Therefore, you will not know what it is like to be able to depend on yourself to resist an attacker, much less being able to help those who need your protection like your growing children.

Additionally, you won’t truly appreciate other people, because you won’t really know what they went through just trying to survive in life by themselves. Besides, regarding having a “sense of self”, it allows one to possess the personal and divine power called “courage”. And, as the great Maya Angelou insists, “Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

8.) When you know how to fight, you know when to fight. Therefore, you will use tactics ranging from non-violent to extremely violent, according to the situation. For example, if someone is robbing you at gunpoint, let him or her have the money. You are not less for that. S/he is. On the other hand, you must not allow anyone to either rape you or make you go somewhere with them (usually to a place where they can kill you without being noticed). You have a great chance of surviving a gun assault (85%) and you will feel good about yourself, knowing that no one can take your soul.

9.) Always remember, you have both a duty and a responsibility to yourself and all of those who you love and who love you to maintain your well-being and existence.

10.) There are people who claim to be pacifists. However, those people are dishonest and cowardly (lacking courage). After all, people may very well claim to be civilized and obey the first of the Ten Commandments; yet, that’s obviously a lie, whether speaking of an individual or a government. Both the past and present behavior of humans reveals that simple truism. Therefore, if the so-called pacifists lived in a place where they could not depend upon either the violence or the threat of it by the police or military, they would be corpses – not pacifists.

Moreover, if someone was bringing murder or its equivalent (that is, rape) to one of your loved ones, while you stood there with a gun, and they refused your command to stop, would you shoot that person? No one’s a pacifist. That’s a lie! And I certainly don’t mean to sound like Senator Wilson of South Carolina. You must maintain! Ultimately, you may decide to run away from your attacker; however, you won’t even do that without a “sense of self”, as mentioned earlier, and the divine inner power called “courage” that you will discover within yourself as a result of having that “sense of self”. Instead, you’ll just cower and/or beg as you are being victimized. Don’t be a victim! Read full post

Drone rockets and Cell Phones - America's shame!

Dear friends,

It is extremely sad that so many Americans seem to have no concern for all of the innocent people that our government is murdering under the pretense of protecting Americans from future harm by "terrorists".

First of all, since when does any human being on this planet know the intentions of any other person? Secondly, if the logic of our government is true, then that means that, in fact, those who we are attacking are just as much warranted in killing Americans. In other words, why is the life of an American more precious than anyone who is not American?

Also, the term "American interests" is often used, instead of "American", as the reason for these vicious killings. Whose interests are being threatened? Obviously, the economic and financial interests of the American corporations and banks who sponsor the federal politicians, including our president, who themselves then order the military to make the deadly strikes.

Finally, the latest military strategy by our government to murder those who are allegedly a threat to either American or "American interests", are being targeted via cell phones, irrespective of whether the person who was actually holding the phone is the actual "terrorists" who is being sought.

G. Djata Bumpus
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/ Read full post

Dr. Norman Finkelstein on the "Holocaust" Industry

"We should not be swayed by the crocodile tears ad whining that allows so many well-intentioned people in this world to donate their resources to a bunch of scam artists."

Dear friends,

One of the world's foremost scholars on the effects of Zionism on the whole world, Dr. Norman Finkelstein, delivers some important insight into the rapacious practice of many Zionists, especially those who are based here in the US, to use the atrocities committed against Jewish people in Europe during World War 2, called the "Holocaust", a a money-making bonanza.

Of course, I find it quite curious that Zionists have somehow gotten the world to use a capital "H", when speaking of the aforementioned atrocities. After all, an upper case "H" denies or ignores that which has occurred against Africans and Early American Natives, for example. Also, some 22 million non-Jewish Russians alone died as a result of the murderous movement by ordinary German people who called themselves "Nazis". That's over 350% percent greater than the 6 million Jews that are said to have perished from the Nazi drive. What's wrong with this picture?

At any rate, in a 50 minutes-long interview, on the link below, Dr. Finkelstein talks about his book regarding what he calls the "Holocaust Industry". More importantly, however, at least to me, we should not be swayed by the crocodile tears and whining that entices so many well-intentioned people in this world to donate their resources to a bunch of scam artists.

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSwVz7JTRCA
Read full post

Nina Simone - "Four Women"

"From "Young, Gifted, and Black" to "Four Women", at least to me, Nina Simone is a real Queen of song."
Dear friends,

Except for Elaine Brown (who actually started after her), Nicki Mathis, and a few others, I can think of no single female singer who has contributed to both the Black Consciousness Movement and the overall movement of Female Liberation as Nina Simone has, from "Young, Gifted, and Black" to "Four Women", at least to me, Nina Simone is a real Queen of song.

On the link below, please enjoy a sample of her legend.

Cheers! G. Djata Bumpus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf9Bj1CXPH8 Read full post

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois - Their Ideas and Practice once met in Amherst, Massachusetts

Dr. W.E.B. DuBois (top)
and Booker T. Washington

"We choose to be free. Our choice is the determining factor, no one can be your master until you play the part of a slave." – Dr. Molefi Asante

African Americans are in no small part responsible for the sentiments of society that lead people to help one another. The choice of “free” African Americans helping their brethren, as well as humane early European Americans helping “white” indentured servants and others shows that the generosity of today’s Americans did not drop out of the sky, nor was it born in Us. Rather, it is directly connected to behavior passed on by people who came before Us.

It is always a special moment when an historian finds evidence of an event of significance that has received no apparent attention. Especially, when the evidence here-to-mentioned survives as a monumental physical representation of one of the most intellectually stimulating debates in USA history since the Constitutional Convention of well over nine generations ago.

Nonetheless, right in the little historical town called Amherst, Massachusetts lies the only tangible connection between both the theory and practice of two of the most influential people in North American history, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington.

It all began, about 170 years ago, with an African American minister named Reverend John A. V. Smith. Apparently, in someone's home and also, perhaps, outdoors (as he was also listed in town records as a laborer), Reverend Smith represents the first sign of a Black church. Of course, any preacher worth his or her bible knows that a church is not a "building." For religious worship it is an institution in North America as much as government itself. That is, neither bricks, stones, nor wood constitute the necessary elements needed to establish a church. Consequently, the combined faith of the congregation is the stuff of which a church is made.

The significance of Reverend Smith and his congregation forming their own body of worship is that, up until that point in the African American experience in Amherst, the only clergymen to which African Americans were exposed in the immediate area  (without going to nearby Springfield - as many Black folks here often did) were European American ones whose "divinely-imposed" purposes were to convince African Americans to be docile and accommodating to European Americans.

Of course, in Amherst, Massachusetts, as in African American communities all over Our country, churches have been the dominating institutions for these folks socializing within the context of a community (as opposed to individual socializing such as concerts and so forth.) A generation after Reverend Smith's appearance in Amherst, around the end of the Civil War, some European Americans, particularly the authorities from Amherst College, became concerned about "saving the souls" of African Americans around town. This parental attitude being directed towards African Americans was running rampant throughout the country as many European American rulers and their agents were trying to figure out how to deal with the newly-enfranchised African American man and his community. Recognizing the clear differences between African and European spirituality, said rulers knew that controlling religious expression was extremely important in controlling the thoughts and acts of African Americans.

Local historian James A. Smith wrote that about 143 years ago: "...the Amherst College Church and faculty finding an 'opportunity to show tolerance in matters religious and racial' sponsored the Zion Mission Chapel Sunday School at Amherst, to which they sent their own children to be with Black people." Smith continues that some four years afterwards, "...this chapel had use of a building at the Southeast corner of present day Woodside Avenue and Northampton Road. This organization later split to form the Hope Congregational Church and the present Goodwin A.M.E. Zion Church." (Smith, Blacks in Early Amherst)

In the October 12th edition of the Amherst Record newspaper (forerunner of the current Amherst Bulletin), 108 years ago, the following report appeared, in part: A large audience assembled at College Hall last Wednesday evening, attracted by the announcement that Booker T. Washington, the most distinguished member of the colored race now living, would deliver an address on "Negro education, the proceeds to go toward the building fund of Zion Chapel.

The appearance of Washington itself is a big deal, since he was internationally-renowned and well-traveled. What is also significant about his visit (which was actually his second such lecture held in Amherst) was the fact that for the two main African American congregations in town, both Washington and Professor W.E.B. DuBois had come here in order to help raise money to build a church for each of them. Washington came to raise money for what is known today as Goodwin Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church and DuBois came about six years later for the benefit of Hope Church.

Ruth Goodwin (now deceased), the last surviving member of the family after whom the church is named, says, " We pulled out from the congregational church because the Amherst College had charge of it and a lot of our people thought it was nice to have our own people have charge of the church." (see Ms. Goodwin's interview with James Smith and Mary Commager, Jones Library, Amherst, Boltwood Collection)

To people who have, at least, a fair amount of knowledge regarding African American history, the idea of these two great men becoming involved in what was actually an intellectual "split" is an historic event of great significance. It, therefore, must be greatly appreciated that these two leaders, who have formed the basic ideological structure for most mass African American political and social movements during the past five generations, actually squared off both intellectually and practically - in a small New England town.

Both Washington and DuBois were very sincere men. However, they disagreed strongly about what direction African Americans should take in order to achieve group freedom. Washington felt that African Americans should be accommodating to Our European American brethren. That is, he urged Us not to be so concerned about political and social rights, instead insisting that We concentrate on establishing a more firm economic basis, by shunning intellectual education and opting for vocational skills and knowledge. In Washington's own words, "A ship lost at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly vessel. From the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal, 'Water, water; We die of thirst!'... The answer from the friendly vessel at once came back, 'Cast down your bucket where you are.'...The captain of the distressed vessel, at last heeding the injunction, cast down his bucket, and it came up full of fresh, sparkling water...To those of my race who underestimate the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the Southern white man, who is their next-door neighbor, I would say, 'Cast down your bucket where you are'-cast it down in making friends in every manly way of the people of all races by whom We are surrounded. Cast it down in agriculture, mechanics, in commerce, in domestic service, and in the professions." (excerpted from the Atlanta Exposition Address)

Although obviously well-intended, while Washington was asking African Americans to cast down their buckets, the European American southerners who were supposed to retrieve and send back said buckets had been lynching African Americans at a rate of two-per-day for years (what DuBois called the 'Lynching Industry'). Consequently, even more interesting to that Booker T. Washington supported the church that appeared to be demanding separation from the talons of Amherst College.

Yet, a closer look at an article that Booker T. had published in the North American Review, nine months after his second visit to Amherst, reveals why he supported the A.M.E. Zion Church. Here is a portion of the abovementioned essay called “ The Religious Life Of The Negro” from the book, The Black Church in America, edited by Nelsen, Yokley, and Nelsen, “Negro people, in respect to their religious life, have been, almost since they landed in America, in a process of change and growth...The struggle to attain a higher level of living, to get land, to build a home, to give their children an education - gives a steadiness and a moral significance to the religious life...It is encouraging to notice that the leaders of the different denominations of the Negro church - under their leadership, conditions are changing...the (national) A.M.E. Zion Church alone, $2 million was raised..."

Washington was a man of action, not just words. Therefore, to his credit, he founded Tuskegee University, a school that still graduates African American professionals and others in abundance. On the opposite side of Washington's accommodationist approach was Dr. William Edward Burghardt DuBois. Professor DuBois was raised not far from Amherst - in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He attended numerous schools and universities, receiving his doctoral degree at 27 years-old from Harvard University. However, his learning was far broader than even his formal education suggests. Furthermore, Professor DuBois remains, to this day, the most accomplished scholar in North American history - bar none.

At any rate, DuBois was all for economic advancement, but he felt that it was no use learning how to use a hammer if the storekeeper would not sell you nails. Therefore, the great professor promoted the idea of resistance; that is, he felt that folks should protest those things that were unfavorable to their being. The following passage is from one of his many personal credos that he wrote throughout his life as a habit of "checking up" on his own work and ideals. This particular excerpt was written almost 100 years ago. It first appeared in The Crisis magazine, the organ of the NAACP (DuBois helped found both that long-standing civil rights organization and the aforementioned periodical.): “I am by birth and law a free black American citizen. As such I have both rights and duties. If I neglect my duties my rights are always in danger. If I do not maintain my rights I cannot perform my duties. I will listen, therefore, neither to the fool who would make me neglect the things that I ought to do, nor to the rascal who advises me to forget the opportunities which I and my children ought to have, and must have, and will have.”

Hardly a weekend goes by in Amherst without a political group of some sort standing in front of the town common with a huge protest sign. Professor W. E. B. DuBois once wrote, "Protest is the soul of democracy." Dr. DuBois was telling Us that being able to resolve conflicts in a non-violent manner must be at the heart of Our ability to live together, in spite of Our differences.

Starting in childhood, people are taught by their parents or guardians how they should respond to those who live outside of the family unit. That is, children learn when, where, and with whom they can express kindness or anger, acceptance or disapproval. The most prominent reason for this seems to lie in the essence of human relationships, which are, more often than not, political. And so it is Aristotle who is credited with calling humans “ politikon zoon” or political animals (see Landmarks of Tomorrow, by Peter F. Drucker.)

 Anyhow, especially for children, regardless of their skin colors, whose parents are not part of the ruling body in any particular community, learning early when, where, and with whom to be accommodating or resistant has largely determined said children's ability to survive in North America throughout life. Although there has been a tendency of late for parents from all cultures and non-ruling classes to teach their children to stand up for themselves at all costs, many parents still nurture their children according to the assumptions of various religions, that being, somehow yielding is a sign of "moral" Uprightness.

Further, while Professor DuBois was not an accommodationist, he did believe strongly that Our society's so-called racial problems would only be solved through integration (in other words, DuBois had his own version of "cast down your buckets.") Unfortunately, he and others both before and after him wrongly mistook integration for inclusion. For instance, Polish Americans, Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Jews and other European Americans often, by choice, live in homogeneous communities that are, in fact, quite segregated. Yet, they need not "integrate" in order to receive access to opportunity or responsibility in Our society. Why is that?

Worse yet, not only are African Americans requested to integrate, but We are also expected to give up some, if not all, of Our cultural habits in doing so. In light of everything mentioned above, that is, understanding DuBois' position on integration makes it easy to see why he supported the Hope Church - which was still believed by many African Americans in Amherst, at the time, to be connected with Amherst College. Hope Church has always had a "mixed" membership. However, in the early days, such amalgamation was only acknowledged in terms of "race." Yet, these days, the congregation is made up of various cultures, some of which would defy traditional anthropological definitions (for example, single parents - who choose to be, bi-ethnic families and homosexuals of both sexes.)

Nonetheless, a mere eleven years after what would be Washington's last trip to Amherst, and in spite of their differences, DuBois wrote a passionate obituary in honor of Washington in the NAACP's The Crisis magazine.  It read, in part: The death of Mr. Washington marks an epoch in the history of America. He was the greatest Negro leader since Frederick Douglass, and the most distinguished man, Black or White, who has come out of the South since the Civil War. His fame was international and his influence far-reaching. Of the good that he accomplished there can be no oubt...On the other hand, in stern justice, We must lay on the soul of this man, a heavy responsibility for the consummation of Black disenfranchisement, the decline of the Black college and public school and the firmer establishment of color caste in this land. What is done is done. This is no fit time for recrimination or complaint. Gravely and with bowed head let us receive what this great figure gave of good, silently rejecting all else."

The great Marcus Garvey initially came to the USA in order to meet his idol, Booker T. Washington. Unfortunately, Washington died before such an encounter ever took place. Nevertheless, out of Garvey, grew Elijah Muhammad. Out of Elijah Muhammad, grew men like Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Louis Farrakhan. As well, countless African American thinkers, of both sexes, have grown out of Professor DuBois’ massive intellectual capacity. In fact, it can be quite simply asserted that NO legitimate African American scholar or activist who has lived during the past 100 years or four generations can deny the relevance of the role that at least one of these two geniuses played, personally, in both his or her intellectual development and vision.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post