Ascension

Theme Music: "Just one of those days" - Sizzla

Peace,

Many people regard the NGE as a New York/East Coast movement that doesn't have any members in other parts of the country, much less internationally, so it may surprise you that I spent the weekend with NGE members in Buffalo, New York; Niagara Falls, New York; and Hamilton, Ontario. I plan to give a more in depth account of my trip later in the week, b.u.t. I can safely say that Gods and Earths all over North America are strong and growing. The NGE in Canada is particularly interesting, as it allows you to see things outside of American racial politics. In America, the NGE is thought of as a "Black"(African-American) thing, while in Canada, the population is diverse and represents a large cross section of original people, which underscores the reality that the NGE is not for just one segment of the population. Canada paints itself as a "mosaic vs. A "melting pot", so it allows you to see Culture as dynamic and constantly shifting vs. Stagnant and uniform.

Understanding this I now utilize the term "polycultural" versus the commonly used term "multicultural". To me, polycultural indicates that we are affected and influenced by a variety of ideas that shape our worldview and values, while multicultural communicates the concept of a host of equal b.u.t. separate cultures that exist among each other. Multiculturalism says respect the history and values of the indigenous people of the land, while polyculturalism shows you that everytime you have a piece of cornbread at a soul food joint, you are acknowledging the Black-Native connection in our country, as Native Americans introduced that food to what we now know as America.

Understanding that Cultures interact and share ideas, influence, and values with each other can lead lead you to research and study what you do and how you live, which will aid you in self knowledge. Do enough research, and you'll see that most of the Cultures on the planet have much more in common than you think, and when you connect the dots, you can identify the values that are found within most civilized cultures of antiquity. Armed with that, you can know yourself as you know the world, and know the world as you know your self.

What does Victory look like?

Music: "Wrath of Kane" - BDK

Peace,

I visited Black Electorate today (www.blackelectorate.com) and found an article on Roland Fryer a 27 year-old assistant professor at Harvard. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/20/magazine/20HARVARD.html) Fryer is an up and coming economist who has impressed many within the halls of academia with his research on the relationship between economics and social behavior. Basically, Fryer is trying to identify where Black folks went wrong, and the root of the myriad of social and cultural disparities that exist between Black people and other races within America. Anybody worth their weight in Black studies has a theory on the destruction of our people, ranging from slavery and PTSD to Capitalism to divine decree. Regardless of the view of the root, the solution will have to be multi-pronged and comprehensive in approach.

After thinking about that issue, I started to think "with all the focus on our current situation, what does the solution look like"? What does Freedom look like? Is it Zion-like? Is it scientific socialism or distributive black capitalism? Is it the freedom for everyone to live how they see fit, even if it's counter productive in the long term? Is it reform or revolution? Is it total participation in American society, or is it sovereignty? These are the hard questions that have to be answered if we intend on seeing a new day for ourselves specifically and all people generally. In the Supreme Alphabet, today's degree is Victory, and the first key to achieving victory is to be cognizant of what it looks like so that you can create a blueprint for success. We need to come up with individual and collective recipes for the the results that we want to see.

I Wanna Be Like...

Music - "Baltimore Love Thing" by 50

Peace,

First thing on the update side is that my brother Supreme Scientist Allah now has a blog located at www.thescientificcommunity.blogspot.com that I build will provide more insight into why we espouse certain positions and viewpoints. At the end of the day, it is important to understand that the bottom line of our Culture is responsibility and self-determination on a individual and collective level. When you acknowledge that you hold ultimate responsibility for success or failure on a individual & collective level, you can start to become focused on the reality that you wish to bring into existence. Whle some may take issue with us for different aspects of our value system, it is my perspective that those things can be explained if one is a serious student of history and Culture.

As C'BS explained in one of his posts(www.Allahsfivepercent.blogspot.com) , Man proclaiming himself as God and Woman identifying herself with the Earth is nothing new, and actually can be well documented throughout history. If you agree or not is another story, however the position has precedent and logic behind it. I may not agree that a man named Jesus was nailed to a cross, died and ascended to "heaven" three days later, b.u.t. I understand the history of the story of crucified saviors. Many people have a misunderstanding of our Culture in theory as well as in practice, so that contributes to minimizing the positive effects that our Culture has had in the Black community and all over the world. That's not to say that people haven't been given the wrong impression by members of our nation, b.u.t. all Cultures, religions and value systems have a wide spectrum of people who claim to represent them, and we are no different.

Because of the work we do amongst the most disaffected populations within our community, our principles can be evidenced in many places within the original communities within America. For that reason, many consider us to be a gang or gang-like. The funny thing is how many gangs do you know with bloggers, writers, policemen, and scientists among their population? I'm a case manager and a intervention specialist for a CBO (Community Based Organization), so what interest do I have in perpetuating that which I'm trying to stop? Criminal populations exist within all the different populations in this country, and the NGE is no different. To be defined by that small population of Gods and Earths who may have committed crimes is laughable. Allah taught us to end crime and to be good citizens of this country as long as it doesn't involve force or coercion.

Earlier this week, I picked up the DVD on the "original" 50 cent. On the DVD was a expose on the Sex, Money and Murder Bloods out of Brownsville. On it, the leader of the set was asked why young people get into gangs and he replied that young people are looking for something to get into, and they don't care if it's positive or negative, as long as they feel like they're part of something. That simple fact is something that we all need to face. When it's all said & done, would you rather the young want to be Gods & Earths or Bloods & Crips?

Was he right? So what?

Music - "Reasons" by Earth, Wind, and Fire

Peace,

If you've been keeping up with the news lately, you've seen the protests in Lebanon calling for Syria to leave, The talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and the "success" after the elections in Iraq. These events have some journalists proclaiming that Bush was "right" about his hunches in pushing for "democracy" in the Middle East. For one, the jury's still out on all three, as time will have to tell if the events of the last month will really lead to an increased quality of life for residents of that region. Two, you spend $160 Billion with another $80 Billion in the chamber on a hunch and a hope? If that's the case, please get a "hunch" and spend that kind of money on education, workforce development, and health disparities in the distressed communities in America. As you could glean from my earlier entries,I'm for the development of humanity, b.u.t. it boggles me to think that youth in countries with rich oil reserves are getting access to health care that is restricted to the indigenous people of this land who have been forced to live on "reservations" as if it was a good table at a restaurant!

Secondly, I don't like to beat dead horses into the ground, b.u.t. isn't it amazing how contemporary Hip Hop is so intent on dumbing the children down and speaking to their base instincts? I'm speaking specifically of "Crunk" and it's Northern California counterpart "Hyphy"(Yay Area!). Now, I'm well aware of the power of music in the lives and cultures of original people all across the world, and I'm not trying to "hate" per se, however, when the music encourages you to not "give a f@3%" or to "go dumb", and you don't have any other influences, that's a recipe for disaster.

In this day and time when the world hangs in the balance and varying populations are vying for economic, social and political control of land, resources, and people, we can have fun and release stress, b.u.t. we damn sure can't get any dumber than we already are. I actually like some of the music (More Hyphy than Crunk), b.u.t. as a adult with discipline and self control, I can put it in it's proper context. The subtle implication of this is that we are to exercise force and energy over intelligence. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and the developing trend of Hip Hop that is less challenging is no accident. When a people lose Knowledge of their Culture (and therefore themselves), they can be pushed around by any force that is moving in a determined direction
Let's keep it funky, b.u.t. let's keep it on point as well.

Peace,
I Majestic Allah

It's been a long time...

Music "Can't go on this way" by Beans, Freeway, and Young Chris

Peace,

Pardon for the delay. Things have been rather productive, and hence busy for me the last week. Here are my thoughts on the following topics:

1) 50 vs. Game

Hip Hop has truly become a circus at this point, and nothing underscores this fact like this new Hip Hop "beef". The lines have become so blurred between what's "real" and what's entertainment that everyone's just confused at this point. 3 weeks ago Game is screaming G-Unit to who ever will listen, and now those same people are sending subtle character attacks his way. Another huge point is the power of the Hip Hop industry in determining what's real to the youth of the world who take this as life and death. The fact that Jimmy Iovine(Interscope chief & major power player) made the recommendation for Game to join G-Unit is mind boggling for a crew of supposed gangstas and killas. Hopefully, things like this can be used as ammunition to explain to the babies that it's all a big circus and when you go see Ringling Bros., you shouldn't take the show as real. The unfortunate thing is that there has been some violence associated with this whole debacle that could turn it into something serious. Hip Hop as a industry is in serious need of values beyond short term vision and financial comfort.

2) The Lecture Tour Model

The past weekend, I attended a Black Male Development Symposium in Philadelphia. The symposium consisted of nationally noted speakers on a variety of subjects, and workshops covering topics including youth, economics, health, and male-female relationships. The conference was relatively well attended and served as a opportunity to network with those who are stakeholders in the success of Black Males. That being said, I have a serious problem with what could be called the "Lecture Tour Model". This is the model when well-known lecturers from across the country come and wax eloquently about the crisis in the Black community and seek to inspire people to action. In the lecture tour model workshops, you discuss the problems in the Black community and say things like "we are at war!" My issue with this is it's not solution based, and if you're at the conference you already see the problems, and don't need a battery in your back.

At this point, we need information vs. Inspiration. If I come to a conference, I want to hear your best practices, and see what you've learned from your years of experience and implementation. If you're going to speak, please keep it at about 20-30 minutes and make sure that you have visuals to go along with the speech. At this point, we need to be action based and methodical in the way that we go about re building our communities. If not, we'll be having the same conferences in 10 years with a new set of "lecturers" and "workshop presenters".

Peace,
I Majestic Allah