Tuesday, February 17, 2009

WE KNEW YOU WELL, JEANNETTE

WE KNEW YOU WELL, JEANNETTE

She's up there smiling down on us with that ever-loving, caring twinkle in her eye. If ever anyone deserved Heaven, it's Jeannette Layne Clarke.

And if ever anyone deserves to have a statue erected where the schoolchildren and other Barbadians and visitors can see her, it's Jeannette Layne Clarke. (I know there's statues of Gary Sobers and others in the island, but I can't recall seeing a statue of a woman like her who has given so much for so long to all of us)

This will be a short one - (and I won't 'lick my mout') the most important point is my suggestion that as soon as is huemanly possible (and the huemanely is not misspelled) that a grateful and loyal Barbadian public erect a Jeannette Layne Clarke Statue please.

I remember many productive meetings with Jeannette when we formed WOW womens' organization - charting the goals for equitable treatment of the distaff side of the popluation. I also remember her many efforts at ensuring that all of the news reached the Barbados public instead of 'only the positive' news chosen by a few.

The kudos and remembrances and roses about her will be many - Jeannette is already missed; there went such a talented, compassionate, insightful person which words just cannot do justice to - so I'll stop here and smile - as I remember some of the trenchant quips and 'right on' observances she shared with me and made my life all the more enjoyable.

Carol Taylor R.N.
First Black U.S.A. Flight Attendant
Jeannette Layne Clarke's Sister-in-THE-Struggle

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Keep On Keepin' On!

KOKO!
(Keep On Keepin' On!)

Guess what? I was 'killing sleep' this morning - had a late night - and was awakened by a remarkably beautiful phone call.

As I grumpily 'picked up' wondering who was calling so 'early' (it wasn't) my irritation turned into amazed delight. A woman's inquiring voice said, "Is this the number of Dr. Peter Breggin or Carol Taylor?"

Well! It turned out that somehow her brother, residing in a mental health facility, had asked her to contact us because he'd been helped by reading one of my articles mentioning Dr. Breggin's peerless work. How serendipitous was this?

To say I truly enjoyed our mid-morning conversation is an understatement: (You never know where or when or in what form the BlAcktivist work you do will come back to you)

To be mentioned in the same breath as Dr. Peter Breggin was high praise.. FYI, I learned about Dr. Breggin's fine work reading his thoughts, which inspired me to write about the untreated racism/colorism at the National Health Institute's launch of 'The Violence Initiative' - an irrational, color-profiling targeting of young Black males in the U.S.A.

Sometimes when we might be succumbing to feelings of 'weariness-in-the-struggle,' right at the lowest point, it is restorative to remember "It's not what happens, it's what you do about it" that matters and - to KOKO - "Keep On Keeping' On"- let that slogan filter through your thoughts; allow it to strenghten your reserve, support your determination to take positive action; make positive change (in spite of obstacles or 'nay-sayers') in any way you choose, not to let "them" win; gird your loins, straighten your back and feel blessed enuff to be able to KOKO!

That's what the 'early' phone call did for me this morning: The 'Struggle Continues' because we'll continue to struggle!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

ARM THE WOMEN!

ARM THE WOMEN!

Ever since I was a little girl, there's been a smoldering in my gut about being maltreated because I was born with more estrogen than testosterone, although in those early days I thought only in terms of being a non-favored girl instead of a favored boy. Brother was always allowed outside to do myriad 'interesting' tasks in and around the barn while I was sequestered in the house washing dishes and dusting).

As I matured, I became only too aware that the society in which I was raised automatically relegated its females into 'lesser than' categories in every single bloody arena of people activity: economics, education, entertainment, labor, law, religion, politics, sex and war! (Thanks to the eminent Black Female Psychiatrist Dr. Frances Cress Welsing for that list)

The enormity of this worldwide oppression/terrorism-by-gender has steadily and starkly encroached on my sense of entitlement as one of the Creator's Inventions in Her Infinite Wisdom & Mercy ever since. Let me count (some of) the ways:

Where Oh where to begin? With the actual slaughtering of females by males around the world because of specious judgements? Being deprived of your life for any reason, by anyone(s), of course is deplorable, but damn-it-to-Hell, it's double-deplorable when the deprivation of life hinges merely on being female! Like in those backward-ass places which males' 'sense of damaged honor' gives them the 'right' to kill 'their' women, even in some stink places, their own daughters and/or other female relatives because 'she brought dishonor' to his feeble behind!

Then, in some areas of this fatally-genderist world, females are killed, some buried alive, because of sexual activities (euphemistically called 'adultery').

I cite these atrocities by loss-of-life incidents first, although the untenable and gruesome fact is that in most cases, females themselves have been evilly-conditioned to believe in and to allow horrible physical, mental, spiritual, psyhological, psychic, intellectual unjustifiable, egregious, inhuemane incursions into their femaleness! At this point in my painful list of anti-female outrages, I digress in order to state categorically and without compunction:

"At each and every birth of girl babies, there should be a Contract drawn with her society that her parents/guardians will, as soon as is huemanly possible, enroll her in Martial Arts Instruction until she can efficiently defend her Creatoress-given body. Then, at whatever age she is allowed out of her parents'/guardians' sight, she will be trained in Gun Protocol and given a Glock pistol.

Female Survival Classes should be mandatory specifically for all girl children worldwide; first the soul-saving knowledge that they, in many areas, are the majority population; that everyone was at conception, female!- then, that they're endowed with brain cells which, when given adequate stimulation, can lead them to almost unlimited endeavors and accomplishments despite societal dissuasions; that they are as worthwhile as any, any other being on earth and as such are entitled to equal opportunity and equal pay: (females in the U.S.A. still in 200-bloody-9 only earn 78cents for every dollar paid to males - for doing the same ding-dong work!)

I now continue listing the worldwide gender-terrorism against those who've been born female, although when I point out that, biologically, every hueman is born female at conception, and then specialization occurs later on in some of the fetuses so that males can develop [the Creatoress's Largesse] societally-conditioned, mostly misogynist individuals - yes, Virginia - including too many females! - are appalled and generally in angry denial of this scientifically proven fact.

Then, let's consider the God-Awful dirty surgical excisions of the part of the female hueman body called the 'Clitoris!' To ensure that 'their' (possessions) females don't enjoy sexual intercourse, there are entire societies which engage in the disastrous destruction of little girls' private parts in order to contain their behavior for the benefit of males. (My brain hurts even to have to write about this evil tradition) The rest of the world mistakenly stands by generally allowing this outrageous hueman behavior to continue because of misplaced 'respect of their traidition/culture!'

As if this were not enough deprivation of hueman beings, know that some countries (which shall remain namesless herein) not satisfied in binding the feet years ago of those hapless beings born female, now allow in certain areas girl babies to be killed or abandonned because God forbid a nation becomes more populated with females than males! (I think it's too late to worry about that one)

Then, we turn to the worldwide 'national sport' of female rapine which includes the bestial belief that if a male has sexual intercourse with females as young as two and three months, the males won't contract HIV-AIDS! How does one spell ' p-r-i-m-i-t-i-v-e?' (negative p-r-i-m-i-t-i-v-e!')

The obscenely high incidence of men, 'soldiers,' politicians, fathers, brothers, uncles, boyfriends, husband, any male, in the U.S.A., Sudan, England, The 'Democratic' Republic of Congo, Brazil, Canada, Peru, China, Japan anywhere, forcing part of his body, or gun or stick or anything else into the body of a female is untenable. This is so devastatingly happening so often in formerly (and still) colonized-by-european-countries that clinics and hospitals expressly-geared to restoring battered and torn female genitalia have to be run to try to repair (often by multiple surgeries!) the gross physical damage done to females of all ages and in the unbelievable thousands!

The worldwide psychological damage done to huemans who've been born female is inestimable; every time I see a TV chase and the female (inevitably!) trips up and fall, I cringe, knowing that this male-dominated partriarchy has struck another blow for maintaining female 'inferiority!'

Every time I see the male-dominated media photos and descriptions of "Mr. John Doe and his wife" (possession? - she has no name?!) I wanna' puke! Another blow for the domination of the female body!

And don't even begin to reflect on the GIANT RED HERRING the mostly-all (white) males Congress of the United States of America intermittently drag across the political stage of this nation - you know, the bogus-doesn't-belong-in-Congress-Debates-by-males about whether I as a female have the right to my own bodily self-determination! The Great and False Issue of 'abortion.' Give me a freakin break! There would be riots if Congress tried to legislate that males have to get permission to have circumcisions and/or tubal ligations! (Lorena Bobbitt, where are you? - Giving CLASSES, I hope!)

Those arrant hypocrites are the first to prate about 'freedom' and 'equality' of man - (and generally they really do mean only man!) And don't even get me dealing with those self-righteous Black 'Brothers' who would practicallykill for Black Liberation, but have the unmitigated gall to continuously put on programs without even one Black female on their damn platforms! They forget their own Mommas? They've so aped (forgive it) the white male's misogyny, they continuously relegate Black females into near obscurity in their 'plans for liberating' Blacks and other people of color!

I have dealt in - believe me - limited fashion with the 'traditional' unfortunately worldwide wholesale gender-terrorism against females. I shall return to these thorny issues, including sex-slavery, marriage and male doctors another time: they way things are going, they will not've changed much by then anydamnway; in the meanwhile:-

ARM THE WOMEN!!!!

Friday, February 6, 2009

OPEN LETTER TO WBAI RADIO PACIFICA 99.5fm

OPEN LETTER TO WBAI RADIO PACIFICA 99.5fm

Dear WBAI:
Re: 'Obama Nation' Series

I thank you profusely for providing me the opportunity to concretize my concept of being a Black African in the United States of America. It was a thought-provoking Air Forum and us listeners surely need more of the same.

May I offer these suggestions, in an effort to have some rational standards of usage about us Black Africans set:

Firstly, if we are to assume that a person born in a particular country/nation, that that person is considered a citizen (and-so-named) of that country, then those probably millions of Blackfolk living in the U.S.A. born in other countries who do not call themselves 'African Americans' are not, strictly speaking, 'American' either.

So the appellation, so incorrectly and euphemistically bestowed, of "African American," and gratuitously, epidemically-conferred upon Blackfolk in this country - is insultingly incorrect. Yes?

Secondly, that first assumption, 'born-there-named-that,' is conveniently suspended when one is led to understand that folk that claim ancestry in their nomenclature of relatives who weren't born in their own 'native' country might validly conclude that "all huemans are of African ancestry" and so then, all huemans are African. (Refer to Cheik Anta Diop, Dr. Ivan VanSertima and Dr. Frances Cress Welsing cogent writings on the African origin of civilization)

The resulting confusion in the thinking of the masses is perpetuated by the idiot colorist U.S.A. Census Board's divisions of the ONE hueman race into ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN so-called 'races.' YIKES!

Y'all at WBAI and President Barack Hussein Obama in addressing 'carte ebon' everyone who wears skins of observable melanin as a collective "African American," are, I'm sure, inadvertently excluding those worthy millions of Blackfolk who don't call themselves 'African Americans.'

This euphemistic exclusion illustrates the dire necessity for a series of National (it is hoped) Forums on "The Dire Need For A U.S.A. Semantics Change."

Inclusive of that 'change' should be the discontinuance of such incorrect wordage - too freely-used by Esther Armah and Marta Vega on January 27th instant 'Wake Up Call' - as
"African American," "bi-racial," "raceS," (there's only ONE) "multi-racial," the idiot "post-racial," "different races" and other wishful (perhaps)-thinking ruptured rhetoric so artlessly utilized by folk who think that the term "traditional" excuses their unwillingness/inability to think/analyze for themselves when they're trying to communicate with others.

(And just because 'everybody uses these' is no reason to continue the colorism-perpetuating incorrect language. Masses of folk also practiced slavery)

Perhaps as a community service, WBAI could also present the Query to the Listeners: What and Who is an "African American?" Wow! Talk about 'controversial!
Let the www.discussrace.com and www.racismtest.org go forth & HEAL!

SEMANTICS CHART

The Institute For "Interracial"** Harmony, Incorporated

SEMANTICS CHART
"Semantics" - Branch of linguistics concerned with meaning

"TRUTHCENTRICITY COUNTERACTS DISUNITY"
For people of color to achieve our rightful place - True Liberation - in this hostile-to-color world dominated by war-mongering white males mistakenly scared-to-death of their own genetic annihilation because they've been so egregiously mis-educated about who they are (rinsed-out Black men) - the language folk use is going to have to reflect the truth: euphemisms will have to be scrapped:

Euphemism Accurate Word/Expression

Race, race'S' Not to be used to mean 'color' applied to
huemans* - there is only 1 'race!'

Racism Not to be used instead of 'colorism'

Reverse racism/discrimination What 'chu talkin' 'bout? 'colorism is colorism
discrimination is discrimination!

Non-Africans
Non-Blacks Mistakenly & too often used to mean 'white'

Blacks, whites Where's your Color chart?

Other/different/all/races, every race,
multi-racial, bi-racial, trans-racial,
mixed race, interracial, out of his/her race Impossible! There's only 1 'race!' All
huemans are African although some
skin color is more 'rinsed out' than others

Race Card Spell out what you really mean
Racial Profiling They really mean 'color Profiling'
Blacks-and-whites Racist/colorist to the core because it
excludes Red, Yellow, Tan, Brown & Olive
Self-reparations Oxymoronic contradiction in terms
"Reparations' in these times means
that traditional oppressors are to pay
the victims!
On the basis of race He/she means 'color!'

As long as folk utilize these incorrect, euphemistic expressions/terms, they will continue to perpetuate the artificial barriers which cause dangerous divisions within THE (one) hueman family. If you're reading this - your most distanct ancestors were Black - the first huemans on earth - in Africa.


www.Discussrace.com www.racismtest.org

**The quotation marks indicate that there's no meaning to the word 'interracial'
*The 'e' is inserted to refer to the melanin present to some degree in every hueman

'GETAWAYS'

'GETAWAYS'

This finely-crafted article was so insightful that I couldn't resist posting it: (aside from the fact that it was written by my own son) From the Caribbean Life Newspaper, January 28, 2009 Brooklyn/Staten Island page 12:

"OFFICER MEHSERLE MIGHT GET AWAY IN GRANT KILLING
By Laurence Legall Taylor

Make no mistake. I am not criticizing the video. There seems to be a disconnect between our youth and the slightly older population when it comes to remembering how this system handles black males and videos of them being brutalized and killed by the police. I criticized the system which had a clear video of Rodney King being beaten nearly to death; yet the police got off.
The system essentially sent a message to society that they didn't see police officers obviously beating a human being nearly to death; they didn't see what they thought they saw on the video and therefore it was not excessive.
As I am writing this, I am hearing an individual on radio grasping at the fact that Oscar
Grant's killing was videotaped, as if the targeting of black males by this hostile-to-color system will stop because it is being videotaped.
I hope we don't think that capturing the act on video is enough to stop the lynchings that this hostile-to-color justice system has been doing since way before the Dread Scott case.
We need to be vetting (testing and treating) the decision-making (individuals)at every step of this process to ensure that the racist/colorist conditioning they received from this society doesn't cloud their judgement which, unfortunately, it often does under the current circumstances.
However, as it stands now, a racist/colorist justice system that says through its actions and rulings that the videotape of Rodney King did not show a human being being nearly beaten to death ("it was a threatening black man"); that 41 shots with 19 hitting Amadou Diallo is not excessive against someone who is not part of the human race ("it was a threatening black man'); 50 shots at Sean Bell is not excessive against someone who is not part of the human race ("it was a threatening black man")/ and the many, many more cases where the immediate victim was a black male, but the system's target are all black males, who, because they are "breathing while black" are threatening, we could pretty much write t he verdict that a jury, who has not been tested and treated for their racist/colorist conditioning, will come up with in this case.
It will be interesting to see what propaganda follows in the Oscar Grant murder by police in the weeks to come.

Your Brother In The Struggle,
Laurence Legall Taylor
Vice President, The Institute for "Interracial" Harmony, Inc.
www.racismtest.org www.discussrace.com (718) 856 1271"