Black Angry Women

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Tag Archives: Racism


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A Black Woman’s Strength

Looking back at the 1960s – 1970s Black ‘Movement’ from my most-intimate and involved vantage point, I am now comfortable in stating that there were sacrifices – great sacrifices.

My Oregon parents and their neighbors were questioned regarding me.  There were threats from America’s law enforcement community to my livelihood, my life, etc.  I was offered money, a leadership position, and ‘protection’ to sell-out.  My home was entered while I was away.  At least one attempt was made on my life.  I was relentlessly followed.  And, yes, there was more.

It was not uncommon for me to look up from my paid job with the Neighborhood Legal Services Program and see FBI agents coming to take me into custody.  At times, I was placed in handcuffs.  At other times, I was not handcuffed.

I was often escorted from my job, driven away in a car, and questioned at a different location – usually in a downtown DC building.  There were sometimes veiled threats.  At other times, I was told outright that I could or would be harmed if I did not cooperate.  Needless to say, I NEVER knew anything.  Therefore, I was NEVER able to give any information to the FBI or any of the other law enforcement ‘agents’ assigned to follow and monitor me.

I recall one occasion when I was taken away by two FBI agents and interrogated relative to an ‘alleged’ relationship between Muhammad Ali and a ‘Chicken Man’….  Although I responded that I had never personally met Brother Muhammad Ali and I had no idea who ‘Chicken Man’ was, the futile questioning continued.  Finally, after repeated questions, I was told that my life was in danger ‘because of my refusal to cooperate’ with law enforcement.

My position in the ‘Movement’ commanded a keen sense of awareness.  I was trusted with ‘sensitive’ information.   At times, I had to make split-second decisions.  I can truthfully say that never did I waver nor have I ever regretted any of the decisions I made with respect to the ‘Movement’.

Encouragement – for me – came from a c.93+ year old Black woman who mailed us (Stokely ‘Black Power’ Carmichael and me) a note with two dollars to help in the ‘Movement’.  Her note expressed her gratitude and faith in us to keep up the struggle.  She wrote that she could ‘die in peace’ knowing that we were continuing the fight for our Black people….  Letters and sentiments like that brought heaviness to my heart and tears to my eyes.  Our elder sister’s words-on-paper reinforced my commitment to righteousness.  Indeed, I was privileged and ‘chosen’ by a power beyond man….

Because our lives were intertwined with the ‘Movement’, caution and awareness were employed.  I became an intimate confidant of Stokely’s and Martin’s (Martin Luther King) and David’s (Rev. David Eaton) and others’.

I recall being driven around DC by the son of the Ambassador from Pakistan.  I recall dinners in New York and at the home of Tanzanian Ambassador Gosbert Rutabanzibwa.  I recall dancing with Charles Diggs.  I recall contemplating a move to Cuba and changing my mind.  I recall reading Chairman Mao’s ‘Little Red Book’ and the passage regarding men and oral sex.

I recall being ‘almost’ raped by a well-known ‘Black’ man (deemed a “leader” by the White media) who I fought and struggled with to the point of sweat-ridden exhaustion.  The man finally stopped his vicious assault on my person only after I managed to say that if he stuck his ‘thing’ in my vagina, I would tell the ‘world’….

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Black Purpose and 2014 New Year

There are times when each of us should take leave of ‘self’ in order to truly see.  Our lives do have purpose even if we know not the purpose.  Have a useful, purposeful, and committed 2014 New Year.

In my thirst to learn and grow, I listen to what people say and I hear some things that are unsaid by others.  I see that which is oft-times unseen and I tap into my ancestors for overstanding.  I allow myself to hear and feel as I welcome and seek the wisdom that comes with Black consciousness.

We who are Black must be grounded in who we are.  The trappings of temptation abound and many of us wake up one night to discover that we, too, are lost in lascivious lifestyles that are void of purpose and commitment – void of Blackness.

Do not idolize or put on a pedestal any man, woman, or child.  None of us is perfect.  We are human and we are all capable of doing wrong and making mistakes.  Some of our mistakes and wrongs afford us and others additional opportunities to learn and grow.

Material possessions do not make any of us better than others.  Attributes that matter include involvement in and supporting us who give of ourselves for the betterment of future generations.

We who are Black must look at accountability and we must keep it relevant to who we ‘really’ are and what we should be about….  Excuses and apologies are not attractive; we must ‘keep it real’!

Offers to compromise our Blackness and to sell-out our fellow Blacks have been around for a long time.  The lures include money, sex, drugs, the facade of power, authority, stardom, celebrity status, a ‘position’ – you name it, the lures are plentiful.  Know that temptation can be a very powerful magnet.

So, we who are Black must be aware.  We must periodically give ourselves a self-constructed litmus test.  We must not get so caught up in ourselves that we become arrogant and think we are above temptation.  Strength demands awareness.  And, we must remember that ‘as long as there is breath, there is hope’.   We must love each other in spite of our mistakes.  Again, ‘as long as there is breath, there is hope’.  Undying Love for Black People!

My litmus test measures who I am.  And, it measures how far I have – or have not — progressed along the line of Black commitment.  As pointed out in an earlier post:  ‘many are called, few are chosen’….  I truly believe that I was ‘chosen’ and my life had — and continues to have — ‘purpose’.

I am in awe at the force that brought the likes of Marion Barry, Rev. David Eaton, Stokely ‘Black Power’ Carmichael (lka Kwame Ture), KoKo Hughes, Chuck Stone, Francis Welsing, Calvin Rolark, Betty Diggs, myself, and so many others together in DC during the 1960s.  Our commitment and work ignited a ‘Black’ force that reverberated throughout the world.  So many things were accomplished and we truly did ‘raise the bar’.  Many many people have benefitted as a result of the things we did and the actions that we took to bring about real change for Black people and all people.

In remembering the past, I think about Martin (Dr. King) and his ‘side’ trip to DC to speak with some of us before he returned to Memphis.  I think about Martin’s words – which I recorded — questioning whether or not White folk, in fact, had a conscience.  I think about the fact that Martin and I both knew that he would likely never return from Memphis and I remember that he was okay with whatever the future held for him.  I remember our talk and I remember that the ‘word’ was out that Martin would be killed if he returned to Memphis….

There are a lot of stories yet to be told.  Fact is, however, most of the stories from the 1960s and 1970s Black Movement will remain untold….

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Don’t Forget Our Reparations!

I am today reminded of ‘Black and Beautiful’ Queen Mother Moore!  I first had the privilege of meeting Queen Mother Moore during the 1960s.  Queen Mother Moore was a strong and determined Black elder – a woman who urged us Blacks in the ‘Movement’ to never forget our reparations.  It seemed that almost always after a Black convention or conference I attended, there would stand Queen Mother Moore waiting in the exitway to give me a big hug, embrace, and encouragement.  Queen Mother Moore ALWAYS exhorted me to not compromise our fight for righteousness.  And, Queen Mother Moore always spoke her famous words to me “Don’t forget our reparations”.

Queen Mother Moore was one of the many Black women who supported, encouraged, and lived the Black ‘Movement’.  She inspired me to always remember and to never forget – no matter the pressures and/or inducements to do otherwise.

As I share these words and memories with you, I reach beyond myself to publicly thank Queen Mother Moore and so many many other Black women who lovingly gave and continue to give of themselves.  They – and yours truly — were some of the Black sisters who fought and continue to fight for righteousness.  I am convinced that my life in the ‘Movement’ was and is deliberate and intended – ‘many are called, few are chosen’….

Be Aware!

A trend has developed and is developing that is unsettling at best.  The trend is to have a Black man with White women introduce and present race-related talks and training sessions.  The audience is almost always White or majority-White.  The Black man and White women team receives compensation for enabling the myth that particular Whites are ‘for real’ in their search for knowledge, growth, and racial healing.  Such presentations and discussions are designed to make Whites comfortable … plain and simple.  And, seldom — if ever — does anything significant change following such trainings and presentations.

The Black man with White women presentations almost always applaud those Whites present for their courage in turning out to engage in the ‘most-difficult’ discussion relative to race and racism in America….  The Black man and White women teams express that their presentations are NOT about blame or guilt.  They warn against loud voices (i.e. genuine emotion that could come from any Blacks present in the audience) and urge ‘civil’ dialogue and conversation.

Give me a break!

Applauding Whites for their courage relative to racism is akin to thanking a White arsonist for burning down ‘only’ seven hundred and three Black-occupied homes as opposed to seven hundred and four!  It is akin to thanking a White man for stabbing a 90-year-old Black woman eighty-seven times and not stabbing the woman eighty-eight times.  It is akin to thanking a White person for setting off a bomb at the Boston Marathon rather than setting off the bomb at the Pentagon near Washington, DC!

Reality is that Whites are both historically and currently guilty of racism.  Reality is that Blacks were and are the victims of White racism.  Reality is that Whites were and are the perpetrators of racism.  Reality is that White folk owe Black folk for 400 years of slavery and more….  Fact is that Whites will forever be faced with their own guilt and inhumane ways until they repent-in-earnest and atone.  Blacks are beyond entitled to reparations.  And, until Whites atone for their sins against Black people, Whites will continue on their journey towards hell.

Any ‘real’ attempt at Black and White racial healing in America must include reparations for America’s Blacks.  Individual Whites have the obligation and calling to ‘give’ as able and when able if they truly seek and desire racial healing, peace, and salvation.  The fact is that Whites will continue to condemn themselves and their progeny to perpetual guilt and condemnation as long as they ignore and dismiss their humongous debt to Black folk.  The curse that White folk function under will remain until they do that which is called for, that which is just, that which is right.  Know that the ‘sins of one generation follows the next and generations to come’.

White folk must begin the process of action with regards to reparations.  White folk can start by establishing a Reparations Body-of-Purpose, a body with the sole (soul) ‘initial’ mission of pressuring, influencing, and persuading the US government and US monopolies to pay reparations to America’s Black populace.  America’s Blacks are due reparations and, as a side note, each of us Blacks has the individual right to do with any and all cash payments as each of us chooses!

Do I expect Whites to eventually move in the direction of doing the right thing – to move in the direction of reparations for Black people?  Yes.  Do I expect to receive any of the reparations due me and mine in my lifetime?  No.

‘Don’t forget our reparations’.

Happy Kwanzaa!

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Undying love for Black people!

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