Understanding the Culture

Theme Music: "Politics As Usual" by Hov

Peace, Pardon my delay, as things have been very busy. I had a interview with Wise Intelligent last week, and traveled out of town for the weekend, so I've had plenty to do. I'll cover those things in another post, b.u.t. for now, I'd like to present a email that was sent by my Earth, I Medina Peaceful Earth to a listserv regarding the dress code of women in our nation. In my unbiased estimation (sure), I think she did a great job of explaining the transformation that one goes through when growing into the knowledge of themselves.



Peace Queens, and especially Queen Shamika! Pardon me for the late response to this, but my hotmail was trippin. This has been an interesting topic and I thank all sisters who shared their understanding. This is how we learn and grow together.
Queen Shamika, thank you so much for sharing that wonderful jewel, as this is all of our history, those of us who are striving to be or consider ourselves true and living earths (it's a journey, not a destination), and knowledge me when I say that it has taken a minute for me to gain proper understanding within my own self of this jewel and history, and I'm still workin' at it cause the growin' don't stop. But what you posted cannot be denied in my own mind. You were there from damn near the beginning and helped build this nation and culture, especially in regards to sister's protocol, and you building how you do and lovingly sharing your understanding shows and proves the importance of the preservation of our culture. Many, and I would like to say most sisters throughout the world are refined and it is the devil's civilization and western attire that is the minority (although it has been spreading) and I have to constantly keep this in mind as a woman who strives to be the true and living Earth...not just a positive Black woman, but the Earth, the mother of civilization, who is 3/4ths covered (not hidden), as the only life bearing planet Earth is ( and please understand me when I say in the beginning, I heavily argued, challenged and resisted, so what I am saying now is a reflection of my gradual growth and development over the past year). If I chose this and acknowledge this as my nature, I have to strive to manifest it in as many ways as possible, through breath and depth, from the surface to the core.
So many of our people don't have a culture with principles that serve as a foundation to live out. A lot of cultural people don't live out a culture with identifiable principles that can be taught. But this is the gift that Allah, the Father gave us, and countless others have built, and without a foundation, we are lost in this wilderness and are more vulnerable to being influenced by the culture of America in the mental and physical (and it is powerful!). And I realized that as much as I spoke against America, as much as I detested the United Snakes, I was very American in my personal choices, and unconsciously at the time wanted to continue to reflect that culture, especially through my way of dress. And that's part of that schizophrenia or double consciousness that so many of us are conflicted with. I wanted to be that sexy, revolutionary sista who could speak at rallies, rhyme, spit poetry and rock a J. Lo catsuit at the club with the twins out, 1) because that's how I liked to dress at the time (unaware of the foundation of that), and 2) because I wanted people to see a different representation of a sista with cultural awareness (that you can still be "cute" and don't have to wear a mumu to have some semblance of cultural and political awareness). And I still don't wear mumus (no disrespect to those who do). But I was caught up in that 6 or limitation, thinking every sista had to look the same.
I can now take pride in knowing that I am striving to live out a culture which manifests itself in the mental and the physical. I can speak of cultural awareness and knowledge of self, knowing that I am a part of a living, breathing culture, and am engaged in getting true KOS and have an avenue to live it out wholistically. I can pride myself in knowing that I am a part of a culture that has its' own use of language and family system and that I do not look like everyone else does (although the "Earthy" look has been co-opted over the years to where nowadays, you can't visibly tell who is an earth and who is not). I have to remember that a lot of what is "in style' is dictated by gay white men! And rockin' 3/4ths does not have to separate me from other sisters (this is something I worried about...looking so different, that I would repel). But today, I get much positive acknowledgement from young sisters (who are my largest concern at this point) who know who I am and what I represent and have seen my change, because of how I wear it and the foundation it is built upon. You attract through your knowledge and wisdom, which can bring forth the understanding that my Allah Self Savior doesn't have to be out to be acknowledged, and if it needs to be, then I don't need that kind of attention (and this has been a struggle since middle school...Conscious and unconscious!)
This is our culture and history. It is what we do and how we distinguish ourselves, and I definitely strive to keep it funky. And I feel regal, whether I'm wearing a long skirt made out of some jeans and fabric with my adidas, a fly leather skirt below the knee with some boots, or a skirt with thin breathable fabric that blows in the wind with some sandals. And the response is definitely different, and I am acknowledged as a queen because I look and carry myself like one. First impressions give someone an entry into how they should address you. So what I project is what I will get. And I still have to fight within myself to take the devil off my planet cause those clothes still attract, when I know according to Supreme Mathematics and our history, they are not a right and exact physical representation of the planet Earth as it is seen and lived out within this culture that I advocate. What light am I trying to reflect? What world am I striving to manifest? The Devil's or Allah's? Can I live out Allah World Manifest as the Earth, which is 70% covered with water, with a halter top and a miniskirt? The two didn't add up, and my physical had to reflect more of my mental. I had to get to the root and really ask myself why I wanted to wear clothing that flaunted my hills and mountains. What part of my self-esteem was that serving and was it healthy? Was I objectifying myself and covering it up with shallow reasoning like, "I wear this because it's cute." I had to realize that the point was to be different, and to provide a different representation of a woman for the girls who are around me daily that look up to me. I had to realize that I could not let the Devil's civilization control me, and that I had to master and control my relationship to it.
What I had to come to after questioning and debating was, this is what we do and how we represent ourselves and I can either accept it or reject it, and I grew in to it. I thought I would have to sacrifice my sense of "style," but every thing that I wear is clothing that I choose, that I see as right and exact and fly! Every day, when I choose what to wear, it is a conscious decision to not let the colored man's laws or civilization colonize my mind and body. And I know there are sisters who are more refined or covered than me (i.e. showing no arms or skin at all) and I am thankful that there is diversity within 3/4ths so that every sister does not have to rock it in the same way, like a basic uniform. I am seeing that wearing 3/4ths represents the beauty of an original woman respecting her mental and her physical and distinguishing herself by being a physical representation of a queen, an Earth. Ever notice that in movies or pictures or representations of queens back in the day, they wore beautiful flowing long dresses with crowns? Those who dressed scantily were courtesans, concubines, or common. So I am now seeing the beauty in the historical correlation between past and present.