Jobs or Do for Self?

Jobs or Do For Self?

Tonight on 60 Minutes, the Federal Reserve Chairman told us the job situation may not improve until four or five years from now, if then, for surely he does not know, only pontificating in the manner of white supremacy spin doctors. He admitted that although the corporations and banks have been replenished from their pyramid schemes, to the tune of three trillion dollars, including banks around the world, the bankers are hording their wealth, their new found profits and bonuses.

They are making no loans, nor are the corporations hiring. Yes, they are hoarding the wealth. So the Fed Chairman is putting 600 billion more into the economy to entice the robbers to share the wealth. Will they do so? What will make them break down into civility? Mao told us the reactionaries will never put down their butcher knives, they will never turn into Buddha heads!
Not many have proclaimed they will do as Bill Gates and Warren Buffe't have done, agree to share their wealth. Of course, in their contempt for the people, the robber barons cannot conceive of sharing, not until they face the wrath of the people, when the lethargic, passive and pitiful Americans hit the streets in the manner of the Greeks, French, English and Irish, who've
been protesting the resulting austerity measures instituted after the economic meltdown caused by international finance, under the leadership of American capitalists, including the wicked Federal Reserve that is neither Federal nor the reserve of the people, but the bankers bank for the blood suckers of the poor around the world. Did the Federal Reserve bail out the suffering American people? Did they bail out those scammed out of their basic wealth? Do the corporations plan to rehire any of the laid off workers any time soon? No indeed.

And so what shall we do, meantime, stand around with our dicks in our hands and our hearts racing? Your President says he has jobs for terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, if they lay down their guns and pledge loyalty to one of the American protectorates in the above nations, yet the president nor the congress, Democrats or Republications, can come up with a solution to the job crisis in America, especially for the boyz in the hood, the perennially unemployed, underemployed, uneducated, criminalized and despised; those suffering from traumatic stress from violence in the streets, unresolved grief, disposed to sell dope, murder and pimp to survive, who soon find themselves incarcerated and suddenly a ward of the state wherein they are a commodity worth between fifty and sixty thousand dollars per inmate per year. And guest what, after incarceration, they suddenly find employment at 100%. The correctional officers tell them upon release, "Hurry up and come back. I got a yacht for myself, I need to get one for my son."

Perhaps we can find a solution to our economic conundrum from the program for American veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. They have a program for vets suffering post traumatic stress syndrome since they realize most of these men and women shall never be able to hold down a normal job. They are training them to be entrepreneurs that will be able to operate their own businesses. I maintain we must use this model for our young men and women in the hood who suffer traumatic stress from war in the hood, call it the war on drugs, the war against the poor, the war against the wretched and despised, but war none the less, a low intensity war that lingers on into the night and into the day.

I hate to sound repetitious and redundant, but the brothers and sisters in the hood can be given micro loans to come up, as people are doing around the world, based on the model established by Muhammad Unis who won the Noble Peace Prize for his effort at helping the poor.

But rather than help the poor, the bourgeoisie has a pattern of taking ideas for the poor and using them to uplift the middle class while the poor languish in poverty, ignorance and disease.
If we are to avoid a coming class war, the black bourgeoisie must decide to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
--Marvin X
12/5/10

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Child prostitution SHOCKING- CNN

Economic Growth versus Development

Economic Growth versus Development


In the world of economics, growth is the primary metric. It's all about the numbers, and so we try to reach the sky with growth, quarterly, annually. As long as there is growth, we know we are on solid ground. The assumption is that growth is infinite, for there are infinite possibilities for growth if we search for new lands to exploit the labor, resources and addiction to consumerism or things we have programed people to desire, even beyond their needs.

As we look at the global economic crisis and the slowdown in growth, perhaps it is time to ponder this wanton desire for growth, especially when it propels people to spend beyond their means to satisfy the bloody capitalist swine who perpetuate

Two friends enjoying a moment in time, Marvin X and Fahizah. Above: Cornell West with Nefertiti and Amira, daughters of Marvin X. Man on left is John Douimbia (RIP), Marvin X's mentor, founder of the Black Men's Conference, Oakland, 1980.



the world of make believe, including the addiction to growth as the only barometer of successful economic policy.

But we know a child may grow but not develop, thus perhaps we should consider development as essential to economic policy. How many people were employed with jobs at a living wage in the last quarter? How many had health insurance coverage on the job. Did we reach wage parity with Black and white men, white men and white women? How many claimed they were happy on the job in the last quarter or last year? How many feel secure?

What does it really prove to have increased growth and profits? Well, it's all about profit, right?
It's all about making a profit with the cheapest labor and resources, even if we need to start wars to obtain such, even if we must remain on a permanent war footing to satisfy the bastards in the military/corporate/university complex who earn mega salaries with bonuses while the workers are rapidly slipping into poverty or require two salaried persons in the household to make it.

And because the workers have become addicted to things or conspicuous consumption, their lives suffer underdevelopment while the bosses drive them to increase the growth metric, no matter the development metric, especially the human development, after all, we are not talking of abstractions.

We are entering an era, especially here in the Americas, where Latin American or Indigenous peoples are discarding the blatant free market capitalism of the Europeans. The peoples of the Americas want an alternative to naked exploitation of labor and natural resources. Some rather keep their natural resources in the ground rather than give away for little or nothing. Bolivia is considering such with its new found lithium deposits that is needed for batteries and electronic devices. Other nations rather keep their oil in the ground, after all, it is exploited yet the people remain in poverty, ignorance and disease.

And so we are at the precipice of a new economic order. Progressive minded people are urgently seeking alternatives to solve the present global crisis brought about from pure greed and arrogance by the white supremacy bandits.

Is more better or less? Having more is no guarantee of happiness. In the US, workers have two and three cars, closets full of shoes and clothes, yet mates are estranged, suffering physical, verbal and emotional abuse, and of course many chose to remain prisoners of love because they enjoy the golden handcuffs of material security, neglecting to consider their spiritual security.

And so we suffer psychosomatic diseases from stress, cancer, stroke and heart attack, only then do people realize things are an illusion of the monkey mind. They are horrified when they see the poor people pushing shopping carts down the street, yet expressing happiness and joy, yes, while drinking their rot gut wine, but the couple is passionate with each other, laughing and joking as if they were in a palace.

Some economists, Robert Reich, for example, say we have reached the limit of growth, that the only thing possible now in order to have peace in the world is for the rich to share the wealth, yes, return some of the ill gotten gain to the wretched of the earth. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are the example of what must be done. They have given back or plan to give billions back to the people. They are encouraging other rich persons to do the same. Perhaps these men understand it is not about growth but development and the transformation of the human spirit beyond the material. Call it joy and happiness!
--Marvin X
12/4/10

Brazil recognises Palestine - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Brazil recognises Palestine - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Mentors Meet at Marriott

Mentors Meet at Oakland Marriott

Last night black mentors gathered at the Marriott in Oakland, under the leadership of Susan Tayor, formerly of Essence Magazine. Ms Taylor said she got a vision for her mentoring project after reading stories of black trauma and grief in her magazine. Finally she got enough, finding her work with Essence totally exhausting. Welcome to the real world, Susan Taylor. I shared her exhaustion this week at my mentoring project, Academy of da Corner, 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland. I was promoting the release of my latest book, Notes on the Wisdom of Action or How to Jump Out of the Box, when a student/teacher arrived, and after seeing my new title, said he wanted me to hurry up and get all the nigguhs out the box so he could get in. Yes, the more we try to get up the mountain in the Sisyphusian tradition, the more we must descend the mountain with the rock in hand, only to begin again. Well, Susan declared we may be on the rough side of the mountain but we can get to the other side. It is not as difficult as it appears. After all, she noted, we are not on the slave ships, in the cotton fields, tarred and lynched for being uppity, hands chopped off for trying to read.

So her mission, in the words of ancestor Marvin Gaye, is to save the children. I had the same mission in mind until I was corrected at a book reading in Philly. As I concluded my reading, the great revolutionary Muhammad Ahmed (Max Stanford), came forward to tell me, "Marvin, we must not only save the children but the adults as well. We gotta save everybody."

And so my focus at Academy of da Corner is children and adults. I talk with weary mothers and fathers as well as discarded, homeless, rejected and despised children. Sometimes I talk with both, giving them advice and direction. Yes, many of the children who pass my Academy are in foster care, and many adults are in recovery, so they all need attention, a kind word, advice on how to handle a critical situation. Even professionals come by asking how to handle a job related issue before they go postal. Of course, a persistent problem is male/female relations. Youth and adults can be heard passing by or standing on the corner talking on the cell phone to a mate or to a friend about a mate they are ready to kill for some sexual or other impropriety. See my book for healing male/female relations The Mythology of Pussy and Dick, toward Healthy Psychosocial Sexuality, Black Bird Press, Berkeley, 416 pages, $49.95. You can obtain it at the Academy of da Corner, 14th and Broadway.

Academy of da Corner is a free speech zone, a sacred space for children, youth and adults suffering stress, trauma and unresolved grief. Sometimes when I am exhausted hearing their problems, I must persist because they look me in the eyes with a look that says simply listen to me for a moment, let me vent, please brother! A brother came up to me the other day and said the following, "Fuck the peckerwood, fuck the peckerwood, fuck the peckerwood." Then went on down the street.

Thus we must congratulate Susan Taylor and her brain trust of of educators, intellectuals and spiritual workers. As I write, they are in retreat in Monterrey , training a new group for mentoring. The leaders included Michael Eric Dyson, Dr. Wade Nobles, Joyce E. King, Rev. Andriette Earl, Asha Bandele, Dr. Na'im Akbar, George Fraser, Arnold Perkins, Louis Gossett, Jr., et al. Congresswoman Barbara Lee was honored for helping fund the project called CARES Mentoring Movement, subtitle: Healing What's Hurting Black America.

I shall continue mentoring at Academy of da Corner, since I am comfortable there. I have freedom of speech, although this week my life was threatened because of my mouth. My primary work is my writing so I am not going to stray too far from that. The Academy of da Corner gives me a chance to leave the world of my imagination to encounter reality up close and personal.

Persons interested in mentoring should contact Oakland CARES, otherwise you can come downtown and give me a hand with your children and friends. I've written a manual How to Recover from the Addiction to White Supremacy, a Pan African 12-Step Model to assist your own recovery so we can work with our people. Dr. Nathan Hare wrote the foreword, Ptah Allah El wrote the afterword. Peace!
--Marvin X
12/4/10

Marvin X ,Eight Books in 2010

Black Bird Press Books

Marvin X Writes Eight Books in 2010

The Wisdom of Plato Negro, Parables/fables, Volume I

If you want to learn about inspiration and motivation, don't spend all that money going to workshops and seminars, just go stand at 14th and Broadway and watch Marvin X at work. He's Plato teaching on the streets of Oakland.--Ishmael Reed

Hustler’s Guide to the Game Called Life, (Wisdom of Plato Negro, Volume II)

The Mythology of Love, toward Healthy Psychosocial Sexuality, 416 pages.

This book is the most wanted title in the Marvin X collection. Youth in the hood fight over it and steal it from each other. Girls say it empowers them, and the boys say it helps them step up their game. Mothers and fathers are demanding their sons and daughters read this. Paradise Jah Love says they fight over it as if it's black gold!

I Am Oscar Grant, essays on Oakland, $19.95. Critical essays on the travesty of American justice in the cold blooded murder of Oscar Grant by a beast in blue uniform.

Pull Yo Pants Up fada Black Prez and Yoself, essays on Obama Drama, $19.95.

Marvin X is on the mark again with his accurate observation of the Obama era. The black community was so excited with Obama being the first Black Prez that they forgot he was a politician-not a messiah. Marvin X brings the community back to the reality of what Obama stands for-at the moment! He has not given up on Da Prez, he simply wants people to see what he stands for and what he still has an opportunity to do for our communities. Make sure you put Pull Yo Pants Up Fada Black Prez & Yo Self on your to-buy list It will be the best book you will read in 2010!--Carolyn Mixon

Poetry Issue, Journal of Pan African Studies, Guess Editor, Marvin X, 480 pages

In honor of the Journal of Black Poetry, Marvin X collects poetry from throughout the Pan African world. This massive issue is a classic of radical Pan African literature in the 21st century. Amiri Baraka says, "He has always been in the forefront of Pan African writing. Indeed, he is one of the innovators and founders of the new revolutionary school of African writing."

Notes on the Wisdom of Action or How to Jump Out of the Box

In this collection he calls upon the people to become proactive rather than reactionary, to initiate the movement out the box of oppression by any means necessary, although Marvin X believes in the power of spiritual consciousness to create infinite possibilities toward liberation.

Soulful Musings on Unity of North American Africans, 150 pages

Marvin X explores the possibilities for unity among North American Africans.

Available from Black Bird Press, 1222 Dwight Way, Berkeley CA 94702. jmarvinx@yahoo.com. www.blackbirdpressnews.blogspot.com

Haki Madhubuti Honored

We are pleased to learn brother Haki Madhdubuti has been honored with a literary award. He and his Third World Press have been in the forefront of publishing black consciousness literature since the 60s when he was known as Don L. Lee and published Think Black. We wish him continued success in what he does of righteousness.
--Marvin X
Black Bird Press
Berkeley

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CHICAGO (Nov. 17, 2010)- Third World Press is pleased to announce that activist poet Haki R. Madhubuti, the Ida B. Wells-Barnett University Professor at DePaul University, is one of the esteemed winners of the 9th annual Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards. Professor Madhubuti was honored for his most recent book of poetry, Liberation Narratives: New and Collected Poems 1966-2009 published by Chicago-based Third World Press. For the first time in the history of the Hurston/Wright Awards two honorees, Professor Haki R. Madhubuti and the Pulitzer Prize winning poet Rita Dove were recipients of the award for poetry. Named for two geniuses of American and world literature, Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright, the Hurston/Wright Foundation presents the Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards annually to authors of African descent for the year’s best works in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. This year was the first time the Foundation named two winners for poetry. With more than 200 entries submitted each year, the awards are the culmination of a yearlong process involving 12 distinguished judges who serve on four separate juries. Six nominees are selected in each of the four categories. Notables from the literary community who serve on the organization’s advisory board include Toni Morrison, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Chinua Achebe, E. Ethelbert Miller, and Terry McMillan who served as Mistress of Ceremonies at the awards dinner held on Monday, November 15, in Washington D.C. Winners received a statue and a cash prize. The event also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, founded in 1990 by novelist Marita Golden and bibliophile Clyde McElvene as a resource center for writers, readers and supporters of African American literature. During a career spanning more than 40 years and as one of the prime movers of the Black Arts Movement (1965-75), Professor Madhubuti has published more than 28 books and is one of the world’s best-selling authors of poetry and non-fiction, with books in print in excess of 3 million. His Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?: The African American Family in Transition (1990) has sold more than 1 million copies. Popular titles include Claiming Earth: Race, Rage, Rape, Redemption (1994), GroundWork: New and Selected Poems 1966-1996(1996), HeartLove: Wedding and Love Poems (1998), Tough Notes: A Healing Call For Creating Exceptional Black Men (2002), Run Toward Fear (2004), and YellowBlack: The First Twenty-One Years of a Poet's Life (2006), a memoir of the people and places that were a part of his early life. His poetry and essays have been published in more than 100 anthologies. His most recent release, Liberation Narratives: New and Collected Poems 1966-2009, is the most comprehensive collection of his poetry to date and chronicles a tumultuous period in American history and provides an overview of emerging Black culture. The work borrows language from Black consciousness, hip-hop, political speeches, and motivational talks to help define and sustain a movement that added music and brash street language to traditional poetics. From the angry calls to action from Madhubuti’s earlier work, to spoken-word poetry (which recently garnered the author a Grammy nomination) and “message” poetry aimed at community healing, Liberation Narratives offers a complete collection of Madhubuti’s poetic journey through a troubled era. “This book represents my life’s work,” says Haki R. Madhubuti of the 500-page collection of more than three decades of his distinctive poetry. “This award confirms that reading Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston as a teenager was indeed my impetus for my life’s work as a poet, educator, institution builder and advocate for social and political justice. After reading Richard Wright’s Black Boy, I was inspired to not only find out who I was, but to start a lifelong search for that which is good, correct and just, not only for Black people, but for the great majority of the world’s people who are poor and oppressed. Art and literature are dependable and powerful weapons in the struggle for social equality.” A protégé of the late Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, with whom he shared a long friendship, Professor Madhubuti emerged from a long tradition of social activism via the Black Arts Movement to become a pivotal figure in advocating a strong black literary tradition. He is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, American Book Award and others. Professor Madhubuti founded Third World Press in 1967 and is co-founder of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing and Chicago State University’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. He is also a founder of the Institute of Positive Education/New Concept School (1969), and a cofounder of Betty Shabazz International Charter School (1998), Barbara A. Sizemore Middle School (2005), and DuSable Leadership Academy (2005), all of which are in Chicago. As the Ida B. Wells-Barnett University Professor at DePaul University in Chicago, he continues to challenge the status quo in pursuit of justice and peace and advocate for the necessity of art in a violent and discouraging world. Liberation Narratives: New and Collected Poems 1966-2009 is published by Third World Press, one of the oldest and most highly respected African American-owned book publishing houses. Founded in 1967, Third World Press has been dedicated to publishing culturally progressive and politically insightful works of fiction and non-fiction for more than four-decades.Third World Press has published the works of poet and publisher Dudley Randall, poets Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Mari Evans and Margaret Walker; editor Hoyt W. Fuller; historians, John Henrik Clarke and Chancellor Williams; Chicago writers, Sterling Plumpp, Useni Eugene Perkins and Jacob Carruthers; playwright and producer Woody King Jr.; writers, Kalamu ya Salaam, Pearl Cleage, Ruby Dee, Ruth Garnett, Keorapetse Kgositsile, Derrick Bell, Gloria Naylor and Lorene Cary; artist Murry DePillars; and continues to publish much of the work by the unforgettable Ms. Gwendolyn Brooks. For more information, please contact Catherine Compton at (773) 651-0700, ext. 30, or email ccompton@thirdworldpressinc.com. For more information on Third World Press titles, visit www.thirdworldpressinc.com