Sunday, October 25, 2015
Marvin X on the Parable of the Haters
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MARVIN X ON CRACK: "I BELIEVE IN THE HARM REDUCTION MODEL OF RECOVERY.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A DOPE FIELD, BE A GOOD DOPE FIELD, Take care of your business, wash your ass, love your woman, go to work, take a bath, pray to your Lord.
We were told there are two kinds of people in the world: those who want to be alone and those who want to fuck with you. I am one who wants to be alone, yet I have those who want to fuck with me and fuck up my high. I recall them in the Crack House. If you were in the Crack House, most people just wanted to get high, but then then there were those who came into the Crack House with another agenda, they wanted to fuck with those who wanted to get high. Those who wanted to get high didn't want to be fucked with, didn't want to talk, didn't want to hear music, didn't want to do shit but hit the pipe. The devils came into the Crack House to fuck with those who wanted to get high, i.e., they wanted to fuck up the high of those who wanted to get high by talking bullshit nobody wanted to hear.
The haters were rats of the worst kind for they did not care about Crack, they just wanted to fuck up the high of the Crack heads. Some of you cannot imagine such people but they exist and they are real and they will fuck up your high even after you have spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars to get high with them, yes, the haters!
Syrian Prez Assad considers 'Resignation'; Poets Mohja Kahf and Marvin X on Syria
Syria Wants Russian Businesses To Help Rebuild Country, As Assad Considers 'Resignation'
Contributor
“(Syrian leader Bashar) Assad specifically stated that when rebuilding Syria the Syrian people will rely on Russia’s help. He asked (Russian oil) companies to cooperate with Syria,” Russian Communist Party member Alexander Yushchenko told RIA Novosti news wire on Sunday.
Syria is not a big oil and gas player in the Middle East. Russia’s interest in the country may have as much to do with protecting its only Mediterranean naval port in the country as it does pounding the smithereens out of jihadis, both of the ISIS variety and of the anti-Assad ilk, whom have been known to intermingle with the terrorist group. Most Russian companies in Syria operate in the oil and gas space, like publicly traded firms Tatneft and pipeline product maker TMK . Russian airline Aeroflot also has a hub there, but most flights have been grounded because of the ongoing civil war in the country.
Russia’s involvement in Syria surprised Washington when it came late last month. But now, both the U.S. and Russian military are running separate bombing missions of ISIS strongholds in Syria. And the U.S. has suspended tactical and weapons support of the anti-Assad Free Syrian Army following word that many of these fighters have jumped ship for ISIS, as Vladimir Putin warned.
The U.S. is hell-bent on kicking Assad to the curb, in Washington’s cookie-cutter Middle Eastern foreign policy of regime change. Assad, speaking through the state run Russian media, allegedly said he would allow for democratic elections or even resign if it would help Syria heal. That would give someone the chance to challenge Assad for the first time ever. This may very well be lip service, in order to show the West that Russia has Assad eating out of the palm of their hands.
Assad met with Putin in Moscow last week to discuss the possibility of the Syrian government sitting down with so-called moderate opposition leaders; read: non-jihadis who will go Osama bin Laden on the West once in power.
While the Syria crisis has entangled Russian in U.S. foreign affairs,
it does not threaten Russian sanctions. Sanctions on Russia stem from
the 2014 annexation of Crimea in Ukraine. The removal of sanctions is
dependent on successful adherence of the Minsk II Accord, agreed upon by
Ukraine and Russia, to put an end to the fighting in eastern Ukraine
and hold elections that will most definitely go in Russia’s favor.
Crimea is not part of the Minsk agreement, meaning that the E.U. will
likely lift sanctions on the Russian economy if the accord is held lock
tight, regardless of Crimea and surely regardless to the situation in
Syria at this time.
Syrian poet Mohja Kahf and poet Marvin X. Both poets
have written on the Syrian quagmire. Marvin's late son
Darrel (Abdul El Muhajir) won a Fulbright fellowship to
study at the University of Damascus. He told his father about
the dire conditions in Syria while studying there. The secret
police interrogated him frequently; they wanted to know why
he was swimming at the American embassy and handing around
those "filthy Palestinians." Abdul graduated in Arabic and Middle
Eastern literature from the University of California, Berkeley. He
did post graduate work at Harvard. He suffered mani-depression and
took his own life in 2002. Maybe he could have solved the Syrian conundrum.
Marvin X says, "Along with fellow poet Mohja Kahf, we hope the Syrian
suffering will end soon with a more just and democratic regime taking power,
regime that will respect the consent of the governed. For sure, the suffering of the
Syrian people will continue for some time no matter if President Assad resigns. ISIS
controls much of the country and with all the geo-political players jockeying for power,
who knows how long the bleeding shall continue, even if Assad resigns. Final question, do we want another Libya? Because of my son's sojourn in Syria, I have a special connection to this wretched land so full of Biblical history. I am happy my beloved son reported his experience in Syria. He told of how Africans are treated in the land. But Africans are treated the same all over the world. My friend Minister Farrakhan once said, 'Wherever I went around the world, the Black man was on the bottom, whether in Muslim countries, Christian countries, Communist countries, Socialist countryies, Democratic countries, he was on the bottom.' Sister Cynthia Mckinney informed us when she visited Israel, the jails were full of Africans!"
Two Poems for Syria by Marvin X and Mohja Kahf
Oh, Mohja
how much water can run from rivers to sea
how much blood can soak the earth
the guns of tyrants know no end
a people awakened are bigger than bullets
there is no sleep in their eyes
no more stunted backs and fear of broken limbs
even men, women and children are humble with sacrifice
the old the young play their roles
with smiles they endure torture chambers
with laughs they submit to rape and mutilations
there is no victory for oppressors
whose days are numbered
as the clock ticks as the sun rises
let the people continue til victory
surely they smell it on their hands
taste it on lips
believe it in their hearts
know it in their minds
no more backwardness no fear
let there be resistance til victory.
--Marvin X/El Muhajir
Oh Marvin, how much blood can soak the earth?
The angels asked, “will you create a species who will shed blood
and overrun the earth with evil?”
And it turns out “rivers of blood” is no metaphor:
shiny with blood hissing from humans? Dark
and dazzling, it keeps pouring and pumping
from the inexhaustible soft flesh of Syrians,
and neither regime cluster bombs from the air,
nor rebel car bombs on the ground,
ask them their names before they die.
They are mowed down like wheat harvested by machine,
and every stalk has seven ears, and every ear a hundred grains.
They bleed like irrigation canals into the earth.
Even one little girl in Idlib with a carotid artery cut
becomes a river of blood. Who knew she could be a river
running all the way over the ocean, to you,
draining me of my heart? And God said to the angels,
“I know what you know not.” But right now,
learn the names of all the Syrians.
See what your species has done.
--Mohja Kahf
how much water can run from rivers to sea
how much blood can soak the earth
the guns of tyrants know no end
a people awakened are bigger than bullets
there is no sleep in their eyes
no more stunted backs and fear of broken limbs
even men, women and children are humble with sacrifice
the old the young play their roles
with smiles they endure torture chambers
with laughs they submit to rape and mutilations
there is no victory for oppressors
whose days are numbered
as the clock ticks as the sun rises
let the people continue til victory
surely they smell it on their hands
taste it on lips
believe it in their hearts
know it in their minds
no more backwardness no fear
let there be resistance til victory.
--Marvin X/El Muhajir
Syrian poet/professor Dr. Mohja Kahf
Oh Marvin, how much blood can soak the earth?
The angels asked, “will you create a species who will shed blood
and overrun the earth with evil?”
And it turns out “rivers of blood” is no metaphor:
shiny with blood hissing from humans? Dark
and dazzling, it keeps pouring and pumping
from the inexhaustible soft flesh of Syrians,
and neither regime cluster bombs from the air,
nor rebel car bombs on the ground,
ask them their names before they die.
They are mowed down like wheat harvested by machine,
and every stalk has seven ears, and every ear a hundred grains.
They bleed like irrigation canals into the earth.
Even one little girl in Idlib with a carotid artery cut
becomes a river of blood. Who knew she could be a river
running all the way over the ocean, to you,
draining me of my heart? And God said to the angels,
“I know what you know not.” But right now,
the angels seem right. Cut the coyness, God;
learn the names of all the Syrians.
See what your species has done.
--Mohja Kahf
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Cynthia Mckinney on Dialogue of Civilizations
Dialogue of Civilizations: Imagining a world beyond global disorder
Published time: 12 Oct, 2015
© Fotis Plegas G / Reuters
After Samuel Huntington’s popular article, “The Clash of Civilizations?” (1993) appeared in Foreign Affairs, some individuals
proposed that what the world really needed was a dialogue of
civilizations, not a clash. Twenty-two years later, the dialogue is as
relevant as ever.
The annual World Public Forum – Dialogue of Civilizations
brings together scholars in an effort to promote dialogue and peace instead of clashes and war. The approach is multidisciplinary and promotes evidence-based discussions. I feel empowered and greatly enhanced by the learning and cross-fertilization of ideas that takes place in venues such as the World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilizations.
This was my first opportunity to participate in the Forum, held on the Greek island of Rhodes. Sharing novel ideas and experiences from around the world, it becomes clear that the world’s current chaos is neither normal nor necessary. Therefore, in support of pluralism, the Forum seeks to introduce to the academic community rigorous knowledge that opposes war.
brings together scholars in an effort to promote dialogue and peace instead of clashes and war. The approach is multidisciplinary and promotes evidence-based discussions. I feel empowered and greatly enhanced by the learning and cross-fertilization of ideas that takes place in venues such as the World Public Forum Dialogue of Civilizations.
This was my first opportunity to participate in the Forum, held on the Greek island of Rhodes. Sharing novel ideas and experiences from around the world, it becomes clear that the world’s current chaos is neither normal nor necessary. Therefore, in support of pluralism, the Forum seeks to introduce to the academic community rigorous knowledge that opposes war.
It
also serves as a place where peace-oriented research can be shared by
like-minded scholars. The Forum recognizes that it has a role to play
not only in the generation and support of knowledge about peace, but
also in support of action for peace. Toward the former, the Forum has
held discussions about starting a peer-reviewed journal to sustain its
generation of knowledge for peace. The question that remains is the
extent to which these scholars at the Rhodes Forum will be able to
translate their ideas into political action and ultimately into public
policy.
The Forum addressed many issues of today, including
European Security, Digital Media, The Current Migration Crisis, and the
use of Hybrid Wars as a Subversion Tool; but took immediate action to
address the crises in Syria calling for a ceasefire and recent events in
Turkey, when demonstrators were attacked by government police.
On Day One of the Dialogue, I addressed the audience about the need inside of the United States for international support for our local peace leadership. I mentioned that the US is full of authentic peace leaders, but going against the call for war means personal risk, personal insecurity and oftentimes personal penury.
On Day One of the Dialogue, I addressed the audience about the need inside of the United States for international support for our local peace leadership. I mentioned that the US is full of authentic peace leaders, but going against the call for war means personal risk, personal insecurity and oftentimes personal penury.
© Hosam Katan / Reuters
Among the attendees was President and Co-Founder of World Public Forum, Dr. Vladimir Yakunin,
a former head of Russian Railways who currently serves as president of
the International Union of Railways; former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal; and former Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Alfred Gusenbauer. Other notables scheduled to speak are Johan Galtung, Richard Falk and Mazin Qumsiyeh. I am particularly happy to meet Walter Mignolo, who also spoke on Day One about "coloniality" of power—a topic that I wrote extensively on in my dissertation on Hugo Chavez.
One particularly interesting presentation was made by Professor Anatoli Antonov, from Russia, who made a comparison between the Soviet Union and today’s economy, showing how the capitalist system opposes the family unit. He pointed out that salaries paid today are only to sustain individuals and that families cannot be sustained on the wages paid. He suggested that corporate profits should be cut by two-thirds, providing the opportunity to pay a family wage, protect the environment, and then with the final one-third going to profit. Antonov suggested that capitalism provides the wrong incentives, concluding that this is so because “family doesn’t produce profit.”
Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics from India, deviated from her pre-assigned topic of international development economics and spoke passionately about Europe’s immigration crisis. Her poignant words rang throughout the hall, “The migrants are here because you are there.”
One particularly interesting presentation was made by Professor Anatoli Antonov, from Russia, who made a comparison between the Soviet Union and today’s economy, showing how the capitalist system opposes the family unit. He pointed out that salaries paid today are only to sustain individuals and that families cannot be sustained on the wages paid. He suggested that corporate profits should be cut by two-thirds, providing the opportunity to pay a family wage, protect the environment, and then with the final one-third going to profit. Antonov suggested that capitalism provides the wrong incentives, concluding that this is so because “family doesn’t produce profit.”
Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics from India, deviated from her pre-assigned topic of international development economics and spoke passionately about Europe’s immigration crisis. Her poignant words rang throughout the hall, “The migrants are here because you are there.”
© Antonio Bronic / Reuters
Karl-Theodore von zu Guttenberg, the former German defense minister, warned of the problem policymakers face in a situation from government to “google-ment” having to make decisions in the context of the influence of Google. Richard Werner, Professor at the University of Southampton Business School, maintained that international borrowing for smaller countries is not even necessary and advocates instead public banking and cooperatives for real growth and development.
Vaclav Klaus, former president
of the Czech Republic, also spoke, adding a note of experience against
the current global financial infrastructure of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund. Professor C.P. Chandrasekhar,
of India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, argued that environmental
degradation is the by-product of today’s neoliberal economic strategy.
Echoing my own writings here on RT, Chandrasekhar concluded that
inclusiveness is not on the trajectory of neoliberalism and can never
be. He cited Thomas Piketty’s research as having put the discussion of
inequality on the table for discussion.
Beatriz Bissio, professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said that the former colonized world really doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel: The 10 principles of the Bandung Conference, according to her, are quite sufficient for taking the countries of the Global South where they need to be. She began her remarks talking about her own vivid memories of the cost of war and how the Bandung Conference was a turning point for the world whose principles for peace, against racism, colonialism and imperialism are still needed today.
Beatriz Bissio, professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said that the former colonized world really doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel: The 10 principles of the Bandung Conference, according to her, are quite sufficient for taking the countries of the Global South where they need to be. She began her remarks talking about her own vivid memories of the cost of war and how the Bandung Conference was a turning point for the world whose principles for peace, against racism, colonialism and imperialism are still needed today.
© Carlo Allegri / Reuters
Finally, professor of philosophy at Columbia University Akeel Bilgrami noted: “One can only resist a master, not dialogue with it.”
This, briefly, is a recap of Day One of the Rhodes Forum. I hope you agree with me that it sounds exciting. It was a great experience for me to be present and I hope to continue this relationship with like minds and like souls. Next week, I’d like to continue my discussion of the research and opinions put forward at the Forum.
This, briefly, is a recap of Day One of the Rhodes Forum. I hope you agree with me that it sounds exciting. It was a great experience for me to be present and I hope to continue this relationship with like minds and like souls. Next week, I’d like to continue my discussion of the research and opinions put forward at the Forum.
The idea of
resistance was very much in the air in Rhodes, Greece. The question is:
What can this dedicated group of scholars do to take their ideas to the
next level? I definitely want to be a part of that.
Cynthia McKinney, former member of the US House of Representatives and Green Party nominee for the 2008 presidency, for RT.
The
statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely
those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
----------------------------------------------------------+
| __o CONTINENTAL CRITICAL MASS
| _`\;,_ come ride with me
| (*)/ (*)
| Bike4Peace Across the USA
-----------------------------------------------------------+
http://claritypress.com/McKinneyII.html
http://www.claritypress.com/McKinney.html
https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaMcKinneyOfficial
http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/CynthiaSpeaks
Silence is the deadliest weapon of mass destruction. OPEN SOURCE EVERYTHING!
| __o CONTINENTAL CRITICAL MASS
| _`\;,_ come ride with me
| (*)/ (*)
| Bike4Peace Across the USA
-----------------------------------------------------------+
http://claritypress.com/McKinneyII.html
http://www.claritypress.com/McKinney.html
https://www.facebook.com/CynthiaMcKinneyOfficial
http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/CynthiaSpeaks
Silence is the deadliest weapon of mass destruction. OPEN SOURCE EVERYTHING!
"My weapon is media, lectures, protest, organization." Kenneth S. Carr (Dedon Kamathi)
"The Bush family has a political dynasty that the Kennedy family was not allowed to have."
Steve Cokely
"We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."The Bush family has a political dynasty that the Kennedy family was not allowed to have."
Steve Cokely
"Be true to who you are. Don't worry how others may view you. Society is
ill, infected with racism, homophobia, and violence. Always remember, it
is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to such a profoundly sick
society." Coretta Scott King
"The biggest weapon in the hands of the oppressors is the minds of the oppressed." Steve Biko
"Make your spirit flexible, and nothing will ever bend you out of shape." Wisdom by Taro Gold
Friday, October 23, 2015
Letter to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Black Arts Movement District Petition
Dear Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf,
I started a petition to you titled
Black Arts Movement Cultural District for downtown
Oakland. So far, the petition has 506 total signers.
You can post a response for us to pass
along to all petition signers by clicking here: http://petitions.moveon.org/target_talkback.html?tt=tt-101846-custom-63312-20251023-nNL3g3
The petition states:
"We demand the City of Oakland proclaim the
Black Arts Movement Cultural and Business District along the 14th Street
corridor, from Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to Alice Street and beyond. It will
be an Afro-centric sacred space for people of good will and positive
consciousness to gather and express themselves freely as divine beings in
human form. Gov. Brown recently signed legislation to establish cultural
districts throughout California."
To download a PDF file of all your constituents who have signed the
petition, including their addresses, click this link: http://petitions.moveon.org/deliver_pdf.html?job_id=1652344&target_type=custom&target_id=63312
To download a CSV file of all of your constituents who have signed the
petition, including their addresses, click this link: http://petitions.moveon.org/deliver_pdf.html?job_id=1652344&target_type=custom&target_id=63312&csv=1
Thank you.
--Marvin X
The People comment on the petition
- Doris Davis from Cleveland, OH signed this petition on Oct 20, 2015.I lived there late 80's and early 2000 coming back seeing the growth was sign of consciousness KEEP CONSCIOUSNESS ALIVE.
-
Kim McMillon from Merced, CA signed this petition on Oct 20, 2015.This is very timely and important to Oakland's history and community.
-
Askia M. Toure' from Roxbury, MA signed this petition on Oct 20, 2015.This will be a firm example of democratic good will by the City of Oakland. I do hope that you keep your word on this honor.laniece jones from Oakland, CA signed this petition on Oct 20, 2015.
-
YES
- Thomas Simpson from San Francisco, CA signed this petition on Oct 20, 2015.Having such a district will add to Oakland’s reputation as a cultural Mecca. It will also pay homage to the founders, leaders, participates and future activist in the Black Arts Movement. Although Afro-Centric in nature, it will provide a space to bring people of all ethnicities together to explore and share the human spirit that binds us all. The time has come for Oakland to create such a dedicated district. It promises to become destination that will add to Oakland’s business an economic development.
-
Jalil Muhammad from Sacramento, CA signed this petition on Oct 20, 2015.I'm in full support
-
GoddessMother SupaQueen from Emeryville, CA signed this petition on Oct 20, 2015.We don't need help from non melinated ones.
Sylvia Hawkins from Kenel, SD signed this petition on Oct 24, 2015.
-
Lived in San Francisco for 45 years.Loved to go to Oakland for all the culture differences they had there.That is what Oakland is about.I loved the diversity in the bay area.there are no other cities like that.would love to come back but we retired and can't afford the cost of living there.
-
Jamaal Jenkins from Oakland, CA signed this petition on Oct 24, 2015.Great idea!
- Laura Matteliano
from Oakland, CA
signed this petition on Oct 23, 2015.
Dear Mayor Schaaf, As a white citizen of Oakland, I find it critical to preserve the people and traditions of this beloved community. The multicultural traditions is what makes this an extraordinary place to live but also helps us all build tolerance and respect for different walks of life. At a time where people of color are being marginalized for practices that have taken place over generations i.e. drumming, singing in church, living in the community with affordable rent, safe spaces are not only needed but demanded of the community you serve. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our request. With Respect, Laura Matteliano
- Kate Raphael from Oakland, CA signed this petition on Oct 23, 2015.I live near downtown and this is very much needed.
-
eddie gesso from Oakland, CA signed this petition on Oct 23, 2015.!!
-
ED GILLIES from Oakland, CA signed this petition on Oct 23, 2015.MUCH NEEDED
-
Ginger pepper from San Francisco, CA signed this petition on Oct 23, 2015.Revitalize Oakland. All the cool artists have moved there from SF.
R. Calloway from Oakland, CA signed this petition on Oct 23, 2015.
The restoration and advancement of a Black Cultural Arts Movement and Business District is vital to not only the Soul of Oakland, but the moral character of the City. #RiteOn #CSQwest10
David Oertel from Oakland, CA signed this petition on Oct 23, 2015.
Culture is the true wealth of Oakland and should be showcased. Let's not turn Oakland into a dull suburb of SF.
Julie spiegler from montara, CA signed this petition on Oct 23, 2015.
the malonga center has been an informal cultural epicenter for the entire bay area. let's make it official!
Laura Diamondstone from Boonville, CA signed this petition on Oct 22, 2015.
This is an exciting alternative to destroying the cultural legacy created by the people of Oakland.
-
Please sign this petition: Black Arts Movement Cultural District for downtown Oakland
Hotep,
To raise cultural, economic and political consciousness in Oakland CA.
That's why I created a petition to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf which says:
"We demand the City of Oakland proclaim the Black Arts Movement Cultural and Business District along the 14th Street corridor, from Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to Alice Street and beyond. It will be an Afro-centric sacred space for people of good will and positive consciousness to gather and express themselves freely as divine beings in human form. Gov. Brown recently signed legislation to establish cultural districts throughout California."
Will you sign this petition? Click here:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/black-arts-movement-cultural?source=c.em.mt&r_by=7558031
Thanks!
To raise cultural, economic and political consciousness in Oakland CA.
That's why I created a petition to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf which says:
"We demand the City of Oakland proclaim the Black Arts Movement Cultural and Business District along the 14th Street corridor, from Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to Alice Street and beyond. It will be an Afro-centric sacred space for people of good will and positive consciousness to gather and express themselves freely as divine beings in human form. Gov. Brown recently signed legislation to establish cultural districts throughout California."
Will you sign this petition? Click here:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/black-arts-movement-cultural?source=c.em.mt&r_by=7558031
Thanks!
Marvin X, Black Arts Movement
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Black Bird Press News & Review: Marvin X poem: Apology to my Higher Self and Miles Davis - Time After Time (Live 1985)
Black Bird Press News & Review: Marvin X poem: Apology to my Higher Self and Miles Davis - Time After Time (Live 1985): Apology to My Higher Self
Oh, Higher Self
I apologize to you
Greater Self
Holy Self
Righteous Self
I seek to harm no one
but to glorify You always and forever
Have mercy on me
have mercy on myself
Oh, Higher Self
pleae forgive me for allowing my lower self to rule
Please have mercy on me Higher Self, Divine Self
If I will only flow in the flow of You
pick me up Higher Self
when my lower self comes to call
the whispering devil whispers into the hearts of men
and women and children
to take us all down under
to the thrashing floor
the road where wise men fear to tread
down in the dungeon
rat hole
I become the rat
associating with the rats
dwelling in the dungeon
of my mind
Lift me up Highter Power
let me dwell with You forever
in the Upper Room
surely I know truth from lies
surely I know fire from water
yet I walk into the fire
I am burned again again again
easy to lead in the wrong direction
hard to lead in the right direction,
the Elijah lesson teach us
And why do we love the devil
because he gives us nothing!
Take me Higher Power
into your loving hands
save me from the fire
whose fuel is men and stones,
Qur'an.
let not the weakness of my lower self
ontrol me
let me cast away illusions
a donkey is not a stalion
Oh Higher Power
catch me if I fall
take me forward faster
time after time
time after time.
--Marvin X
9/28/14
Oh, Higher Self
I apologize to you
Greater Self
Holy Self
Righteous Self
I seek to harm no one
but to glorify You always and forever
Have mercy on me
have mercy on myself
Oh, Higher Self
pleae forgive me for allowing my lower self to rule
Please have mercy on me Higher Self, Divine Self
If I will only flow in the flow of You
pick me up Higher Self
when my lower self comes to call
the whispering devil whispers into the hearts of men
and women and children
to take us all down under
to the thrashing floor
the road where wise men fear to tread
down in the dungeon
rat hole
I become the rat
associating with the rats
dwelling in the dungeon
of my mind
Lift me up Highter Power
let me dwell with You forever
in the Upper Room
surely I know truth from lies
surely I know fire from water
yet I walk into the fire
I am burned again again again
easy to lead in the wrong direction
hard to lead in the right direction,
the Elijah lesson teach us
And why do we love the devil
because he gives us nothing!
Take me Higher Power
into your loving hands
save me from the fire
whose fuel is men and stones,
Qur'an.
let not the weakness of my lower self
ontrol me
let me cast away illusions
a donkey is not a stalion
Oh Higher Power
catch me if I fall
take me forward faster
time after time
time after time.
--Marvin X
9/28/14
Coming Soon in Concert: Marvin X reads the poetry of Amiri Baraka and Sonia Sanchez in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Black Arts Movement
Coming soon to a venue near you, Marvin X in Concert reading the writings of himself and his comrades in the Black Arts Movement: Amiri Baraka, Sun Ra and Sonia Sanchez
Black Arts Movement's poets/organizers Amiri Baraka and Marvin X
Marvin X presents
a reading of BAM Masters
Amiri Baraka, Sun Ra and Sonia Sanchez
plus
his original poems, parables & fables
Marvin X
raw/uncut
stay tuned for time/date and location
tentatively
Berkeley Black Repertory Group Theatre
for more information
510-200-4164
Black Bird Press News & Review: Marvin X poem: Apology to my Higher Self and Miles Davis - Time After Time (Live 1985)
Black Bird Press News & Review: Marvin X poem: Apology to my Higher Self and Miles Davis - Time After Time (Live 1985)
Attorney Amira Jackmon, third and baby daughter of Marvin X, Yale and Stanford Law graduate. She has won cases against Burger King and presently in litigation with the Port of Oakland; has won several rounds as reported in the Eastbay Express. Attorney Amira Jackmon has authored and published her book in China on how to reward children for good behavior, Ki Change, see Amazon.com.
She suggests brothers trying to do something for self consider selling bonds. She will advise.
Attorney Amira Jackmon, third and baby daughter of Marvin X, Yale and Stanford Law graduate. She has won cases against Burger King and presently in litigation with the Port of Oakland; has won several rounds as reported in the Eastbay Express. Attorney Amira Jackmon has authored and published her book in China on how to reward children for good behavior, Ki Change, see Amazon.com.
She suggests brothers trying to do something for self consider selling bonds. She will advise.
Historical sights along the route of the Black Arts Movement District, 14th Street corridor
The Black Arts Movement District begins at the African American Museum/Library, Martin Luther King, Jr. Way and 14th Street.
At 14th and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, The C.L. Dellums Apartments, in honor of the man who headed the first North American African Union, The Pullman Porters. Statue of C. L. Dellums at the Oakland Amtrak station.
14th and Clay, The Elihu Harris state building in honor of Oakland's mayor and state official.
14th and Clay, the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, in honor of Congressman Ronald V. Dellums, an icon of Oakland's Black radical tradition, along with his uncle, C.L. Dellums.
14th and Broadway, Frank Ogawa Plaza, in honor of City Councilman Frank Ogawa, Asian American we fondly remember was sensitive to the needs of ethnic minorities. The plaza is also called Oscar Grant Plaza in honor of the young man slain by BART police.
14th and Broadway, Black Arts Movement co-founder Marvin X's Academy of da Corner, the most dangerous classroom in the world. Oakland rebellions happen in his classroom, i.e., Oscar Grant, Occupy Oakland, General Strike, Ferguson, Black Lives Matter. Ishmael Reed says, "Marvin X is Plato teaching on the streets of Oakland." photo Adam Turner
14th and Broadway, City Center BART station, Bust of John B. Williams. Williams
was the first Black Redevelopment Director of Oakland. Williams is celebrated for
revitalizing West Oakland, Old Oakland and portions of Chinatown along with the
George Scotland Convention Center housed inside the Marriott Hotel, which is
diagonal to the Key System Building where Josephine Baker led a protest for workers.
Legendary dancer, singer Josephine Baker performed at Slim Jenkins in
West Oakland. "My dream is to see a resurrection of West Oakland's 7th Street,
Harlem of the West, where I grew up. I'm saddened Oakland youth have no knowledge of West Oakland as the cultural and economic district of North American Africans," says BAM organizer, planner Marvin X.
14th and Franklin, BAM artists/activists gather at Joyce Gordon's Gallery in honor of slain journalist Chauncey Bailey. Joye Gordon standing far right. photo Gene Hazzard/Adam Turner
14th and Franklin, Geoffrey's Inner Circle, building owned by Geoffrey Pete,
a North American African.
The building at Franklin and 14th Street, 405 14th, Suite 1215, is office of the Post News Group, Published by Paul Cobb. We demand the owners not evict the Post News Group from their BAM District location. Power to the People! We want to buy the building housing the Post. Let's make a deal!
14th and Alice, The Malonga Arts Center near the end of the Black Arts Movement District along the 14th Street Corridor.
14th and Alice is also where journalist Chauncey Bailey was slain. We demand a statue in his memory. Chauncey was a journalist in the BAM radical tradition. Alice Street should be renamed in honor of Black Arts Movement worker Michael Lange.
Mural of ancestor Michael Lange at 14th and Alice. Michael directed and performed at the Malonga Arts Center. Alice Street should be renamed in honor of Black Arts Movement worker Michael Lange.
From the archives of the Oakland Post Newspaper
Friday, November 21, 2014
BAM Artists seek "Black Arts Movement District" in Oakland
Caption: Left to right, Amiri Baraka, chief visionary of the Black Arts Movement; Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party; theatre director Dr. Ayodele Nzinga; Ahi Baraka; and Marvin X at his Academy of da Corner at 14th and Broadway in downtown Oakland. Man in background is NOI fan of Marvin X. Photo by Gene Hazzard.
By Ashley
Chambers, Associate Editor, Post News Group
With plans underway for BAM’s ,(Bay Area Black Arts Movement) 50th
anniversary celebration, BAM producer Marvin X Jackmon and Post Publisher Paul Cobb are proposing that
the City Council and Mayor-elect Libby
Schaaf declare 14th Street,
between Martin Luther King, Jr. Way and Alice Street in downtown Oakland, as
“Black Arts Movement District.”
The movement revolutionized the
arts, literature and ethnic studies in America. Leading artists include Ed Bullins, Nikki Giovanni, Woodie
King, Haki Madhubuti, Sonia Sanchez, Askia Touré, Marvin X, Val Gray Ward, and
others.
“I
think what Black Arts did was inspire a whole lot of Black people to write,”
said author Ishmael Reed. “Moreover, there would be no multiculturalism
movement without Black Arts. Latinos, Asian Americans, and others all say they
began writing as a result of the example of the 1960s,” said Marvin.
“When the Post
Newspapers were founded 50 years ago, we also founded El Mundo, a Spanish language
paper as well. Many artists, writers and musicians have been covered and
promoted by our publications,” said Cobb.
Cobb is optimistic that the
city could designate the district because while he was Religion Editor and a columnist
at the Oakland Tribune and at the Post, he proposed the renaming of 20th Street
to Thomas L. Berkley Way, to honor the late Post Publisher. And now, ironically, the Oakland Tribune offices
are located at Broadway and Thomas L.Berkley Way. Cobb also proposed the
renaming of Cypress Street to Mandela Parkway after the freeway collapsed
during the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.
Marvin and Cobb said the BAM district could start at 14th and Brush
Street location, at the off ramp of the John Miller Freeway, which also borders
the Oak Center District championed by the late Lillian Love. From Castro Street to Martin Luther King, Jr. Way sits the
Preservation Park Development which was organized by the late Black Chamber of
Commerce leaders Oscar Coffey, Leon
Miller and C.J.Patterson along with the OCCUR organization led by Paul Cobb.
The home of Ellen G. White, the Black prophetess of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, is located inside Preservation Park. Writer Jack London, who was raised and
breast-fed by Jennie Prentice, his African American surrogate mother, studied
at the Charles Greene Library, now renamed the African American Museum/Library
(AAMLO) at 14th and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.
Walking up 14th are the C. L. Dellums
apartments, across the street from AAMLO, in honor of the Pullman Porters
Union, the first Black union in America.
At 14th and Brush Streets which is at
the edge of the Oak Center District and at the off ramp of the John Miller Freeway
stands the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building with a statue of the late NAACP
leader and Judge Donald McCullum in the plaza area adjacent to the Post Office
named for the late Pharmacist and Senator Byron Rumford. The Elihu Harris State
Building is also located on Clay Street.
City Hall
Plaza which honors Japanese American vice Mayor Frank Ogawa, is adjacent to the
Lionel Wilson office Building named after Oakland’s first Black Mayor
At 14th and
Broadway, we enter the outdoor classroom of Marvin X, a literacy center, site
of mentoring and grief counseling. Readings and dramatic performances happen there.
The Oscar Grant rebellion and Occupy Oakland occurred in his classroom, which
is located above the bust of the late John B. Williams, the first Black
Redevelopment Director of Oakland. Williams is celebrated for revitalizing West
Oakland, Old Oakland and portions of Chinatown along with the George Scotland
Convention Center housed inside the Marriott Hotel, which is diagonal to the
Key System Building where Josephine Baker led a protest for workers.
Marvin plans to help conduct
walking tours similar to those led by the City of Oakland’s Anna Lee Allen. The
sites will include Geoffrey’s Inner Circle the premiere Black Entertainment
Complex at 14th and Franklin, which faces the offices of the Post
Newspaper in the Financial Center Building. Historically Geoffrey Pete’s building, the
Niles Club, once denied entrance to Blacks. Other Black venues at Geoffrey’s
include: The Joyce Gordon Gallery, Imagine Affairs special events, Exhale Hair
Salon, Oakland Tattoos, Central Nails, When Harlem Was In Vogue, Club Vinyl, a
nightclub and Halftime Sports Bar
Walking eastward toward Webster Street is the site of former Black owned Bank of Oakland, now owned by the Greenlining Institute.
The tour moves past the
Club Caribee towards the Malonga Arts Center at 14th and Alice
Streets, which is across the street from the site of the assassination of Post
Editor Chauncey Bailey. At the end of the walking tours Marvin said they would
visit the Rene C. Davidson County Courthouse where the trials Bailey’s Murderer
and Black Panther co-founder Huey Newton were conducted. Davidson was the first countywide elected
Black official.
Walking eastward toward Webster Street is the site of former Black owned Bank of Oakland, now owned by the Greenlining Institute.
The tour concludes with
visits to the once Black-owned Tribune Building. Robert C. Maynard was the first Black
publisher of a major metropolitan daily newspaper. Many Black editors, writers,
photographers and columnists worked for the Tribune, including Delilah Beasley,
Chauncey Bailey, Martin Reynolds, Pearl Stewart and Paul Cobb. The building now
houses offices of the African American Chamber of Commerce and the offices of
Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
For information call 510-200-4164 or email: jmarvinx@yahoo.com.
Please sign this petition: Black Arts Movement Cultural District for downtown Oakland
Hotep,
To raise cultural, economic and political consciousness in Oakland CA.
That's why I created a petition to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf which says:
"We demand the City of Oakland proclaim the Black Arts Movement Cultural and Business District along the 14th Street corridor, from Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to Alice Street and beyond. It will be an Afro-centric sacred space for people of good will and positive consciousness to gather and express themselves freely as divine beings in human form. Gov. Brown recently signed legislation to establish cultural districts throughout California."
Will you sign this petition? Click here:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/black-arts-movement-cultural?source=c.em.mt&r_by=7558031
Thanks!
Marvin X, Black Arts MovementTo raise cultural, economic and political consciousness in Oakland CA.
That's why I created a petition to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf which says:
"We demand the City of Oakland proclaim the Black Arts Movement Cultural and Business District along the 14th Street corridor, from Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to Alice Street and beyond. It will be an Afro-centric sacred space for people of good will and positive consciousness to gather and express themselves freely as divine beings in human form. Gov. Brown recently signed legislation to establish cultural districts throughout California."
Will you sign this petition? Click here:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/black-arts-movement-cultural?source=c.em.mt&r_by=7558031
Thanks!
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