History Has Been Made

Today was simply  a beautiful day today was the annual Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday that many celebrate and reflect the life and legacy of the civil rights leader. He was known for his non violence philosophy although he was violently killed on April 4, 1968. The work of Dr. King and many other civil rights activists worked and gave for their lives for generations to follow. It has been 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation and 50 years since the March on Washington where Dr. King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. On this day the nation celebrated the inauguration of its first African American President for his second term.








Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

And so I'm happy, tonight.

I'm not worried about anything.

I'm not fearing any man!
 
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!


Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.







"We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us at any time may face a job loss or a sudden illness or a home swept away in a terrible storm." President Barack Obama






Toni's Thoughts: I do not agree with all of  Dr. King's approaches but on  this day his day I will honor and respect him if I met in person I would still give the respect he deserves. I am proud of President Obama and I will be praying  for him during his second term. As an African American when I see the First Family  a smile appears upon my face I admire them they give me hope that I can achieve my dreams of becoming a lawyer. Considering the history of African Americans in this country Obama's Presidency is a blessing we are not perfect, nothing is perfect, but we are making progress as a people, we are making progress as a nation.

(L)adies (L)ove (C)ool (J)ames

Aaaahhhhhhhhhh
No rapper can rap quite like I can
I'll take a musclebound man and put his face in the sand
Not the last Mafioso I'm a MC cop
Make you say "Go LL," and do the wop
If you think you can outrhyme me, yeah boy I bet
Cause I ain't met a motherfucker who can do that yet
Trendsetter I'm better my rhymes are good
I got a gold nameplate that says I wish you would
And when rappers begin then I gotta join in and
Before my rhyme is over, you know I'mma win
Cool J has arrived so you better make way
Ask anybody in the crowd they say the kid don't playSlaughter competition, that's my hobby and job
I don't wear a disguise because I don't owe the mob
Got a pinpoint rap that makes you feel trapped
So many girls on my jock, I think my phone is tapped
I'm bad
LL Cool  J "I'm Bad








I wanted to take the time to celebrate and show love to Hip Hop pioneer LL Cool J which stands for Ladies Love Cool James. Born on January 14, 1968 in Bay Shore New York. He has released thirteen studio albums and two compilation albums and currently has a new one in the works called "Authentic Hip Hop." He currently stars on NCIS: Los Angeles. His music has been apart of my life not to mention he is very handsome. I respect his work ethic that is why his career has lasted for so long. When it comes to being the sensitive rapper that shows his feelings LL is the original not Drake he was the first to make rap ballads and charm the ladies.

Larry Ward...... Is This a Joke?

Ever since the Newton, Connecticut and the shooting in Aurora, Colorado last summer the government has made plans to pass legislation on "Gun Control" and the NRA, many gun activist are speaking their minds. In a nutshell they are pissed. Did you see that guy snap on the Piers Morgan Show?








I just learned something new, there is a " National Gun Appreciation Day" anyway Larry Ward,chairman of National Gun Appreciation Day made an appearance on CNN to defend the nationwide gun rally, which is scheduled for Jan. 19 just two days before Martin Luther King Jr,. Talking Points.






Ward believes that if African Americans had been given "the right to bear arms" slavery would have never existed. African Americans were taken from their homeland and held captive they were stripped of the culture, history, religion, and basic human rights so with that being said there is no way in the world they have been able to own a gun at this time. Slave owners did not want their slaves to become educated it was against the law for them to read and write.





Ward insists that Gun Appreciation Day, which calls on gun activists across the nation to rally in support of the right to bear arms and against President Barack Obama's “post-Sandy Hook assault on gun rights," actually "honors the legacy of Dr. King."





We are looking for a peaceful protest," Ward said. Continuing, "I think Martin Luther King, Jr. would agree with me if he were alive today that if African Americans had been given the right to keep and bear arms from day one of the country’s founding, perhaps slavery might not have been a chapter in our history."





Maria Roach, founder of United for Change USA, an organization dedicated to prison reform and gun violence prevention, called Ward's comments simply "ridiculous."
"Slavery means that you are a possession," she said on CNN. "Slaves were a possession, just like a gun." She continued to criticize Ward for celebrating weapons just two days before celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated in 1968 by a single shot.






Maria Roach made a historical connection to Ward's comment: Ward also neglects to mention that in fact there were many armed uprisings by slaves, as early as 1526. Armed revolts almost always failed, and often led to retribution by the slave owners, who had the justice system on their side. Most famously, Nat Turner led a rebellion that resulted in 60 white deaths and 100 black deaths. The state later executed 56 blacks accused of being involved in the insurrection, and white mobs beat and killed at least 200 others in revenge.



Things to Keep in Mind: Gun Appreciation Day, backed by a coalition of conservative groups, not only coincides with MLK Day, but also President Obama's Second Inauguration. Maria Roach's organization United for Change has launched a petition to stop Gun Appreciation Day, according to ABC News. "Gun groups are planning to have a National Gun Appreciation Day on January 19th, the same weekend that Americans celebrate the life and service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an American leader who was assassinated by a rifle's bullet," reads the petition. "This is an outrage and a slap in the face to Americans who value life and freedom!"




As of Friday, the petition had garnered more than 26,000 of the 30,000 signatures needed on SignOn.org.


Toni's Thoughts: I do not appreciate Ward's comments they  simply sound foolish but the sick part he feels justified in what he is saying and promoting. If you want to keep guns that is fine although I do not agree with how simple it is to obtain an assault rifle I also feel as though it is disrespectful to hold this Gun Appreciation Day celebration during the Inauguration and the King holiday but clearly these people are doing on purpose so the attention can be focused on them. Here is something to think about.  In Wal Mart they will not sell rap albums with lyrics that mention the word "gun" but you can purchase guns in the store. This comment is foolish leave African Americans and slavery out of your propaganda most people believe "we" African Americans are the reason behind violence in this country especially "gun violence." If you have a gun in your home to protect you family from an intruder trust me I'm okay with that. Although I will say it is scary to know that assault rifle weapons like the ones in the Newton  and Aurora shootings were so easy to purchase there is no way a police officer could have stopped them.

That Sh%*t I Don't Like aka Quentin Tarantino

Katt Williams I hope you get the chance to slap the taste of out Quentin Tarantino's mouth if and when you ever see him. I was already pissed about his latest flick but now I'm really mad.









“When you look at Roots, nothing about it rings true in the storytelling, and none of the performances ring true for me either,” said Tarantino. “I didn’t see it when it first came on, but when I did I couldn’t get over how oversimplified they made everything about that time. It didn’t move me because it claimed to be something it wasn’t.”  Quentin Tarantino




Toni's Thoughts: You got some nerve real talk. If the subject matter is not pleasing in the sight of white America, it must be incorrect. Alex Haley did extensive research about his family's history and I'm not just getting mad because I'm an African American. I'm mad because he does not know what he is talking about but you got the film "Django Unchained" looking a Western film of the 1960s. The African American slave experience is very inaccurate in this film. I have only seen Kill Bill Vol 1. and Vol 2 other than that I never gave a damn about his work anyway I was planning on seeing Kill Bill Vol 3. but after "Django Unchained" and this comment middle finger all day because that's the shit I don't like. Take your happy ass back to Knoxville, TN.

 

Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose aka The First Black Town in America

As the we continue to celebrate and acknowledge the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation I saw an article on The Root that caught my attention. According to the article decades before the United States of America was formed, African Americans lived free in a town of their own for a brief moment in time.





Inception: In 1681, African and African American runaways established Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, the first free black town within the present-day borders of the United States.  "Fort Mose" was a frontier community of homesteaders who incorporated incoming fugitives, slaves from St. Augustine, and Indians from nearby villages into a complex family network.Spanish settlers in Florida formed a town named Gracia Real De Santa Teresa de Mose, two miles to the North of St. Augustine. The population was made up of 38 men, all fugitive slaves, " most of them married," who had fled to Florida for sanctuary from enslavement in the Carolina's and Georgia, it came to be known as Fort Mose. Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, or Fort Mose, was the first legally sanctioned community of freed slaves in what is now the United States.





What Else Happened ? The enclave was the first line of defense between the Spanish settlers in Florida and their enemies, the English colonists to the north in Carolina (which did not officially split into North and South Carolina until 1729, and then the Southern part of South Carolina split in 1732 to form Georgia). Fort Mose was manned entirely by armed black men, under the leadership of Francisco Menendez, who became the leader of the black militia there in 1726. It deserves to be remembered as the site of the first all-black town in what is now the United States, and as the headquarters of the first black armed soldiers commanded by a black officer, who actively engaged in military combat with English colonists from the Carolina's and Georgia.







Military Figure: Menendez, the first African-American military commander, was a colorful character. Historian Jane Landers is at work on a full-length biography of him, which I hope will be the basis of a documentary or a feature film.
Menendez was born a Mandinga in West Africa at the end of the 17th century. He was captured and served as a slave in South Carolina until the Yamasee Native Americans fought the British settlers in 1715, during which Menendez managed to escape to St. Augustine, Fla. In 1738, he became the leader of the free black town, and was formally commissioned as captain of the free black militia of St. Augustine.








Spanish Florida exercised a powerful draw on the Carolina slaves' collective imagination, starting in the late 1600s. It was the African-American slaves' first Promised Land. At least since 1687, if slaves made it down to Florida, and professed belief in "the True Faith" -- Roman Catholicism -- they were declared to be free. News of this haven from enslavement spread through the slave grapevine. And the concentration of these fugitive slaves in St. Augustine led to the creation of the first black town and fort in the U.S.  Landers observes that "As news of the foundation of Mose spread through the South Carolina plantations, groups of slaves broke loose and tried to make for Florida." And, indeed, in November 1738, 23 men, women and children escaped from Port Royal, S.C., to St. Augustine. Gov. Montiano refused to return them to their supposed "owners," just as his predecessors had done since 1687. In March 1739, four more slaves and an Irish servant also made their escape to St. Augustine using stolen horses.





  The Spanish encouraged enslaved Africans to flee English settlements in the Carolinas, promising them freedom if they converted to Catholicism. Fort Mose was a diverse community made up of people from widely varied backgrounds: Mandingos, Congos, Carabalis, Minas, Gambas, Lecumis, Sambas, Gangas, Araras, and Guineans.








Toni's Thoughts: I feel as though this is a piece of history that needs to be taught if you live in Florida you might know more about this than I do. I am glad that I had a chance to read the article this is so interesting because this was something I did not know about. I cannot and will not take credit for this article. If you want to know more about this article you find it on http://www.theroot.com  under the title
What Was America's 1st Black Town?  by Henry  Louis Gates Jr.

Where Did They Go? Part II...... H-Town Forever

A late night I thought to back to when we made good love
Listening to some Marvin Gaye all night long
But I want that whole thing back
Make these moments once again go right
So wontcha, so wontcha, do it for us babe

Good loving body rockin' knockin boots all night long, yeah
Making love until we're tired, till the break of dawn.oh come on
Oh come on and turn the lights down and let me get on it yeah
Cause when I do just me and you, it'll be so right

Give me some good love (some body rockin, knockin da boots)
Give me some good love (some body rockin, knockin da boots)


H-Town "Knockin Da Boots" 1993








Twenty years later I still listen to H-Town's music they were similar to Jodeci they had a little bit of the bad boy image but they could sing their butts off.  As a kid my mother played their music in the car around the house and she still does to this day. They were three guys born and raised in Houston, Texas the group was originally founded by twin brothers Keven “Dino” Conner, Solomon “Shazam” Conner, Adrian "Flash" Washington and their longtime friend Darryl “G.I.” Jackson in 1992.





Brief History: Growing up in a family of singers, brothers Keven and Solomon Conner began their careers singing in talent shows and plays before a local producer sent their demo tape to 2LiveCrew rapper and record label executive Luther "Luke" Campbell. After an audition Luke signed to his label Luke Records. They took the name of the group, "H-Town," from the local nickname for the city of Houston, Texas, in which they grew up.










The group has released four albums although the 2004 album Imitations of Life was not as successful as previous as albums most fans believe that was because of bad promotion and the death of Keven "Dino" Conner.









H-Town Hit Singles: "Knockin Da Boots," " Lick U Up," " Part Time Lover," "Emotions," "Full Time" "A Thin Between Love and Hate," " Natural Woman," " They Like It Slow,"  "Pink Sky" and " Nothing in Common."






Death of Dino
On January 28, 2003, Dino was killed in an automobile accident in Houston, Texas. According to police, Dino had just left a recording studio and was a passenger in a car being driven by his girlfriend, 22-year-old Teshya Rae Weisent. Their vehicle was struck by an SUV that ran a red light, and both Dino and Weisant were killed.
Three people were in the SUV, all of whom fled after the accident. One of them, Juan Diaz, was later apprehended, however, and faced a felony charge of failure to stop and render aid. One thing about Dino was not only was he a great singer but a very talented songwriter that told great stories. I feel as though he had a premonition about his own death because the song and video for "The Day I Die" is exactly how he died.





Recent Years: Shazzam and G.I. have released mix tapes and still tour they  are working on an album now. I feel as though they are an "Unsung" group.

Long Journey...114 Years

Mamie Julia Reardean was a southern African American woman that passed away at the age of 114 on Jaunary 2, 2013 she was born September 7, 1898. I thought this was fascinating and beautiful that she was able to live such a long fulfilling life. Mamie was a supercenterian at the time of her death she was who, upon her death at the age of 114 years and 117 days, was the world's 4th oldest living person, the oldest living American, and the oldest living person of African descent.





Telling Her Story: Rearden was born on September 7, 1898, in Edgefield, South Carolina, where she was raised and lived all her life, her daughter said. She was a school teacher early in life, but after getting married and starting a family she left the job to become a homemaker, and went on to have 11 children in all. She obtained her first driver's license at age 65, and at about the same time became a case worker for an anti-poverty program, according to her daughter. Her husband, Oacy Rearden, died in 1979 at the age of 88. She was a devout Southern Baptist.

 Rearden received her education at Bettis Academy Junior College, Log Creek Community School.


Longevity milestones

July 15, 2012, Mamie Rearden aged 113 years 312 days entered the list of the 100 oldest people ever.

September 7, 2012, Mamie Rearden became the 91st person in history to reach age 114.

December 4, 2012 Besse Cooper died, Mamie Rearden aged 114 years 88 days became the oldest living person that was born in the United States.

December 10, 2012, Mamie Rearden became one of the 70 verified oldest people ever.

December 17, 2012 Dina Manfredini died, Mamie Rearden aged 114 years 101 days became the oldest living American.

January 2, 2013 Mamie Rearden died, age 114 years 117 days as the last American born in 1898.

Toni Thoughts: If that  was my grandmother I would have so many questions to ask her. She lived through so much history and since she was from the South that makes this story even more special. She has seen it all the social and political movements  as well as challenges African Americans had to face.

Bright Like A Diamond

"Swag never sleeps." Paul Beasley







Two years ago I dedicated  a post to Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. this organization will is celebrating 102 years of Achievement In Every Field of Human Endeavor today. This young man is a member of this organization and he lives up to that motto. Paul Beasley is a senior at Western Kentucky University majoring in Design, Merchandising, and Textiles. Paul has truly made a made an impact on campus and continues to strive for excellence. Paul is also the person inspired me to create and my blog and he came up with the name.









The Sky is the Limit...... Paul Beasley remember this name you will see him in a history book before its all said and done. Paul is heavily involved in the WKU community as well as his hometown Louisville, Ky. Paul is a member of the student board for the WKU Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility. Paul works as an Resident Assistant in Peace Ford Tower and serves on the Social Justice Committee for Housing and Residence Life. He currently serves as Keeper of Records for his fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi. He is also a member of Phi Upsilon Omicron Family and Consumer Sciences Honor Society and Vice-President of the WKU NAACP Chapter. He plans on graduating in the spring of 2014. 







Earning Awards Left and Right..... Paul received an Award of Merit from the Louisville Metro Council for Summer Community Work in the Lead-Safe Neighborhoods Project,  the John E. Jones Award from the Black Student Alliance as well as being a scholarship recipient of Fashion Inc.









They Call Him "Kappdemic"... Paul has made the Dean's List 4 times, made the President's List, and as of Fall 2012 his GPA is a 4.0  a goal he strived for the entire semester.










Paul is a diamond hence why he is my best friend.

Don't Believe the Hype

"Lincoln is theology, bot historiology. He is a faith, he is a church, he is a religion, and he has his own priests and acolytes, most of whom have a vested interest in him and who are passionately opposed to anybody telling the truth about him."    Lerone Bennett Jr.
 Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln White Dream p. 114

Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, U.S. the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states" are, and hence forced shall be free."

What Did That Mean? The Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that head seceded from the Union leaving slavery exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Therefore the freedom that was promised depended upon Union military victory.




The Truth About Abraham Lincoln and His Intentions: Okay it is time to break things down Lincoln did not oppose Southern slavery he initially did not support the extension of slavery into the territories. In fact during his first inaugural address he pledged by making it explicitly constitutional with the " Corwin Amendment," that had already passed the U.S. House and Senate.



What Did Lincoln Want? Lincoln opposed the extension of slavery, in his own words  he did not want the territories to "become an asylum for slavery and N-word, plural." Lincoln also said that he did not want the white worker to be "elbowed from his plow or his anvil by slave N-word plural."



Lincoln signed to this document for economic and political reasons and he was indeed a racist.





Facts About Lincoln You Didn't Know: During his time as a state legislator he supported myriad laws and regulations in the state of Illinois that deprived the small number of free blacks in the state, Lincoln supported "Black Codes" that made it impossible for free blacks to earn a living, he also supported the 1848 amendment to the Illinois Constitution that prohibited the immigration of blacks into the state.


Words from Toni: It has been a 150 years since this document was written and passed and it still took sometime to be enforced and after the Civil War things only got worse. The birth of the Ku Klux Klan and the Jim Crow laws made life in America a living hell for African Americans.  Let's get one thing clear the Thirteenth Amendment initially ended slavery. I am tired of people trying to compare President Obama to President Lincoln.  I am tired of people teaching a lie,In school I was taught to love and appreciate Abraham Lincoln and that would not be a surprise since I grew up in Kentucky. We were taught to view President Lincoln as a benevolent man as I got older I learned the truth about him and the whole situation. But even as a kid I always had a feeling he really did not like African Americans anyway. If you want to know more information about this topic I have a suggest a book for you to read.  The book is called Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln White Dream by Lerone Bennett Jr. 

We Are Not About That Life

Spike Lee and Katt Williams have one thing in common besides being famous African American actors and producers. Both of them have expressed their contempt with the new film"Django Unchained" and I am on their side. I refuse to go see this movie the same way I refused to see "The Help" I'm not brainwashed with the bullshit. Excuse my language but I must be frank about this.




Django Unchained is nothing but a White filmmakers romanticized version of the African American slave experience in America, 2013 marks the 150 anniversary since my ancestors were set free and when you think about it that is really not a long time ago. I refuse to see this movie for a brief stupid moment I thought about seeing this movie but then I realized there is no hell I'm paying my hard earned money to see a film that would be similar to the Western films of the 1960s. 

What Did Spike Lee say? “American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves.Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them,” Lee tweeted.

What Did Katt Williams say? Katt Williams said he would punch the filmmaker in the face. The ‘Scary Movie 5′ actor said “Quentin Tarantino thinks he can say the N-word. But I checked with all of Ni**adom and nobody knows where he got his pass from. I hope he didn’t get it from Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx cause they aren’t going to help you when I see you.”

 
When a TMZ photographer tried to compare Tarantino to Steven Spielberg, who used the word in his 1997 historical drama ‘Amistad,’ Williams said “Quentin Tarantino is no Steven Spielberg. Steven Spielberg doesn’t wanna be black, Quentin Tarantino thinks he is. So when he meets a real ni**a, we’ll see if he is or not.”




 


The Original "Django"..... Django is an 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci. The gist of the plot is Django is a drifter who drags around a closed coffin. He rescues a young woman, María (Loredana Nusciak), from being murdered by bandits led by Major Jackson (Eduardo Fajardo) a man on whom Django is seeking revenge for the murder of his wife. The film spawned many sequels and was considered one of the most violent films of its time.

Toni Thoughts: All I have to say wake up pay attention do not be so naive.

Happy New Year 2013

Goodbye 2012 we survived Hello 2013.
What are your New Years Resolutions will you keep them?
Cheers :)