My Sincere Apologies – A Note to black Greeks at CSUS & Elsewhere

Dear Brothas and Sistas,

I know that the right now, the whole country is caught up in “Obama-Mania” and the message of hope and unity. I for one, generally pride myself on being the last one to fall for these “gospel like” messages that seem to get people all excited. Growing up in church my whole life, I’ve seen how people can react to the message without truly subscribing to its substance.

But over the course of the last few years, God has blessed me to truly gain some insight into myself and into life in general. And over the past few weeks, I have begun to understand that the message of unity is not one of rhetoric only. Although it’s not a new message, when it becomes real in our individual lives its potency can be lethal.

Now although I have a genuine love for humanity as a whole, I have a special love for my black community. I love being black, and I love offering of myself in service to the community. But I realize that up until now, even this “service” has been done with pretense.

Not long ago I lost a friend of mine who was very dear to me. As a friend, she planted some seeds of wisdom in me that to this day have greatly impacted my life and is at the source of my new perspective.

Something that she shared with me has impacted my life greatly. And although I’ve slowly managed to apply its lesson to some areas of my life, I realize that I hadn’t applied it to all.

Her message to me in response to my ongoing comments to her regarding the music she listened to and my feelings towards it, was simply “Who are you?” She began to help me see that I was condemning her for doing something, simply because I didn’t agree with it.

Now I know this is a simple message that is taught in elementary schools and Sunday schools across the nation; but it was one that I hadn’t truly applied.

Not long ago I had written some thoughts concerning black Greeks in general, and more specifically targeting those at CSU, Sacramento. And in reaction to some specific incidents, I said some things that although at the time I felt were justified, I now realize were misguided and overly generalized.

First off, I sincerely apologize.

Although it may be presumptuous for me to think that anyone actually cares that much about what I have to say, or that anyone may have even had an opinion about my words, I want to say that it’s not in this spirit that I apologize.

So then why?

I realize that unity is not obtained through division.

A well functioning body is one that understands the unique functions that each of its parts serve.

In my haste to “speak my mind,” I managed to ignore the many positive experiences that I have been fortunate to share with so many of my brothers and sisters in the black Greek community (as well as multicultural and Hispanic Greek organizations).I ignored all of the wonderful memories that contributed to my college experience, which were a direct result of the black Greek Organizations. And although I’ve had strong differences of opinions concerning certain practices and actions carried out by these organizations and members of these organizations (in representing their organizations), I’m sure that there are many who have taken issues with my own practices and actions over the years.

I have come to the understanding that each and every person and each and every organization has a special role that they can play in the unification of the black community.

I’ll be honest and say that with maturity I’m really just beginning to internalize this lesson. I’m accepting the reality that I’m not the arbiter of what methods are the most appropriate and whose views are inappropriate.

My judgment on black Greek Organizations was based on my own narrow minded perspective of what methods should be used to impact our community.

Listen…

I have finally come down from off of my pulpit, and I realize that true unity, and by extension the salvation of the black community, will only come from us realizing that we must appreciate the diversity of message, the diversity of mind, and the diversity of method that can be found in the black community and learn to work with anyone whose work is motivated by this shared love for our community.

I want all of my brothers and sisters to know that my commitment is for the development of our community. I pledge my love and solidarity with each and every one of you and your organizations. I am offering my services and assistance to support you all by way of volunteerism or any other way that I can be of service.

I truly love all of you and those organizations who have played a significant role in my college experience and beyond, and I believe that there’s a unique role that you all play in the overall landscape of the black college experience that myself or anyone else who has ever had a dissenting opinion has the right to take away from others.

Let’s all work together and break down these divisions that we’ve held onto for so long.

Because folks…

We got work to do.

Holla at a Schola!

km

The Making of Rock and Roll

CAST: Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Cedric the Entertainer, Mos Def, Beyonce Knowles, Columbus Short

WRITTEN by Darnell Martin

DIRECTED by Darnell Martin

Beyonce as Etta James in Cadillac Records

It’s probably safe to say that the history of Rock and Roll is not something that the majority of music listeners have taken the time to consider. If asked to identify the legends of the genre, most would easily identify the likes of Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and the Rolling Stones.

It has long been accepted as fact that Rock and Roll is the invention of these great musical legends. And although their musical genius is without debate, ignoring the influence of black blues, gospel, and r&b musicians in the development of Rock and Roll is just another example of how America’s racial past has contributed to the inaccurate transcription of our country’s musical history.

Cadillac Records brings this history to the screen by telling the story of one of the famed pioneering record labels responsible for bringing “race” music to the masses.

Without formally taking on the responsibility of “righting the wrongs” of historical inaccuracy, the film Cadillac Records introduces its audience to the story of  the legendary Chess Records and the many artists who helped the label garner its success as well as take the first steps towards bringing the Rock and Roll sound into the homes of Americans everywhere. The film subtly uses this fascinating musical storyline to explore the relationship between the evolution of black music and the evolution of blacks into American society.

Cadillac Records is told from the perspective of Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) an accomplished musician, songwriter, and producer who worked with Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) to create a treasure chest of musical gems for their talented yet troubled stable of musical statesmen.

Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess & Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters

Although the names of Chess legends, such as Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Howlin Wolf, and Etta James, may be familiar to some, this film offers a deeper look into the troubles that faced these black musicians in an era of legal discrimination and social segregation.

Jeffrey Wright gives a stellar performance in his role as the legendary Muddy Waters. Cadillac Records presents an even-keeled Waters as he goes from being a Mississippi sharecropper to a chart topping performer for the record label. But the film gives subtle attention to the disturbing similarities between life as a black recording artists and life in the sharecropping South.

Though Waters and the other black artists were the source of the label’s success, they seem to find themselves perpetually indebted to the label and unable to enjoy the wealth of their success as they receive pennies on the dollar for their musical contributions. And like Southern Sharecroppers, black artist of this era found themselves in a perpetual dependency on the record label that kept them from truly experiencing the freedom and wealth that experienced by their white musical counterparts.

In Hollywood films, A-list entertainers are cast primarily to provide the film with a boost in box-office ticket sales. But the film’s casting of Beyonce as the legendary songstress Etta James, adds more than just box-office appeal to the film.

As she adeptly displays her improved acting skills in this role, she manages to capture the pains of a person whose life was stained by a lifetime of rejection, brokeness, and the pursuit of something more than just commercial success. Although there are more than a few times when Beyonce’s singing  and acting sounds more like herself than the character she is portraying, she manages to distance herself  from her pop iconic persona to embody the soul of the pioneering blues legend, at the times when it is most critical to the film.

Actor Columbus Short holds nothing back in his role as the troubled Little Walter. The 26 year old entertainer took this role serious by learning how to play the harmonica, authenticating a Creole dialect, and losing 20 pounds in two weeks.

From the moment his character appears on screen he captures his audience with the complexities and challenges of his character. Like so many pioneering black entertainers of the era, the film displays the challenges that Little Walter faces as he is trying to balance becoming a popular musical entertainer with trying to maintain his identity as a black man.

Actor and Hip Hop performer Mos Def is able to find the perfect project to advance the message that he has been sharing through his music in his role as legendary musician Chuck Berry. Mos Def has used his own music career to ensure that his listeners understand that blacks played a pivotal role in the invention of Rock and Roll.

Chuck Berry’s influence on the creation of rock and roll is widely accepted amongst music historians and musicians alike, and the film goes as far as it can in such a short span of time to underscore this significance.

Cadillac Records provides a window into the complex nature that black musicians faced in their quest for musical representation in the midst of American segregation.

Where white entertainers may have enjoyed the luxury of performing their music as a beloved past-time, black entertainers were never offered the opportunity to explore their craft with that sort of comfort and mindlessness. The music of black entertainers was birthed out of the trials and circumstances of the times.

The film reminds its audience that for black musicians of the era, a move out of the Southern fields into the music studios of Northern cities and into the homes of white radio listeners and television audiences, most often symbolized  nothing more than a new way of sharecropping and offering ones labor for the benefactors that continued to own their livelihood and define their humanity.

For the black artist who participated in the making of Rock and Roll, they learned that it being accepted as an entertainer was permitted, while the real challenge lay in being accepted as a human being.

The Unemployment Crisis

Being unemployed sucks!

Not having an income (of any sort) means that you are always on the clock. I’m constantly wondering how long before I deplete my savings. And for me, if everything goes well, I will be staring homelessness in the face by the end of the month.

It can also be a source of great emotional stress as well. You begin to feel insecure when you don’t get a callback on the umpteenth resume you’ve sent out this month. You begin to question your direction and your talent. And you just want to find a way to deal with all of the stress!

But with no money you can’t buy groceries. Worrying about eating adds more stress. You can’t catch a movie or go on a date, because that costs money. Not only the cost of the actual entertainment, but the actual cost to get there!

When it’s the holiday season, then there’s the added frustration of not being able to celebrate your loved ones with gifts of appreciation.

The thing that one has to be aware of is that you don’t become so discouraged that it becomes more difficult to attain employment because you are not motivated to network, you lose your focus, and without money you have no clothes to wear on interviews!

Being unemployed is a crisis that if not managed appropriately could lead to a more severe personal crisis.

One of Those Days

Today is one of those days…Well, not quite “one of those days” (as the singer Monica  would say). But it’s a day that I am experiencing the frustrations that exist as a result of my current life situation.

Some days I am motivated and fully pumped up to “make it happen!” But other days, like today, it seems as if I have to push my way through just to make a single thing happen.

I think that it’s frustration as a result of being unemployed, not knowing exactly what I want to do in life, not getting any call backs from the resumes that I’ve sent out, and lastly the uncertainty that I experience every other day concerning my dreams and my goals.

During these days though, I normally give in to the weight of the “depression,” and allow myself to screech to a halting stop. If I’m at home, I usually cuddle into a ball and sleep for hours on end. But this year, I want to achieve the perseverance to work through these lulls and to continue to push forward to try and accomplish my responsibilities for the day.

I know that there will be more of “these days” ahead, so I might as well strap myself in and learn how to ride through the storm.

My First Love

My love of black women, began before I even knew what love was all about.

I am blessed to be the son of an independent thinking (and we all know what that means) enterprising black woman, who has always placed her family first.

Without knowing what lessons I was being taught, my mother helped me to understand personal responsibility as a young dude. This woman would wake us up super early on Saturday mornings to make sure that we completed our chores before we got out the house to play. And if we slipped out and she felt that our work wasn’t to her satisfaction, we would be right back in the house cleaning toilets and washing dishes.

I was fortunate to grow up in a household with my married mother and father. This gave me an opportunity to not only witness how a man should love a woman, but also how a woman should love herself. My mother wasn’t any different than any other women with their insecurities and what not, but she always maintained her self-respect.

Through my mother, I learned to value the independent thinking that many sistas can exhibit. Where some brothas see it as a threat, I see it as an opportunity for iron to sharpen iron.

My mother has been the personification of so many wonderful qualities and traits that I desire to have in my own future mate. And it’s not that I believe that beauty and virtue can only be found in black women; but what makes my mother so special to me is inextricably connected to her cultural identity.

I am thankful that I was fortunate to be brought up by such a positive example of the best of black women.