Pondering Prospects

By John Burl Smith

Pondering prospects of a humane existence, Yohannes Sharriff’s first solo compact disc, The Comic Possibilities of Father Time, rides the tail of war, like Mark Twain with Halley’s Comet. Today’s dilemma of war in Iraq poses the question - will humanity’s evolution to a higher consciousness continue amidst imperialism? Yohannes’ album kicks off a world tour of conscious hip-hop based on T.H.I.N.C. (Teaching Humanity In New Consciousness). An outrider at the boundaries of hip-hop, Yohannes’ cutting edge concept is a powerful adjunct for young people who speak out against racism, discrimination, war, hunger, disease and ignorance.

The children of this new millennium are not interested in maintaining a system that rested on the backs of their ancestors. Conscious hip-hoppers have created a collective of artists, producers and distributors, who strive to elevate the traditions of black artists. They visualize hip-hop as an international platform that provides a common approach or opposition to inhumanity on a global scale.

The Comic Possibilities of Father Time resonates with young people’s struggle to find a place to Breathe. Their search to validate personal truth through clarity can reduce the distance between individuals and nations adrift in dire straits. Maybe not bringing them quite close enough to embrace, but they will no longer pass like ships in the night. On this voyage as "Father Time," Yohannes torches a beacon and throws out a lifeline for those treading perilous waters. If grasped, his message can serve as the buoy to which all precariously cling during dark and desperate times.

Poets for Peace believe this black arts movement answers Elizabeth Catlett’s call to create a uniquely black aesthetic. With The Comic Possibilities of Father Time, Yohannes takes the point for young black artists seeking greater access to markets. Sixty years after sister Catlett was blackballed during the McCarthy era, black artists and those who speak out against war and George Bush’s policies are still being attacked in the USA.

Generally, outspoken artists are being denied commercial opportunities, labeled un-American and targeted for government surveillance. Particularly in Atlanta, black artists are being denied grants based on the content of their expression. Atlanta’s arts funding groups demand black artists and producers appease whites no matter how irrelevant their complaints before granting funds or access to venues. In response, Yohannes said "The process renders the sweetest juice so polluted, so diluted that by the time our expression reaches the shelf only 10% of the real is left. Take back your freedom!" Ponder those prospects. Hood Notes Homepage and Essays by John Burl Smith

Unite for Peace

UN Resolution 1441, under which the United States and Great Britain launched an attack against Iraq, neither calls for regime change nor authorizes military force. For your convenience, it can be accessed at www.thedish.ws; click on Resolution_1441.htm.

Because there is no UN Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force, Network against War at http://www.motkrig.org/is calling on the UN General Assembly to invoke Resolution 377, which gives it the power to restore peace. Adopted by the UN in 1950, it is ideal for situations in which there is a lack of unanimity among permanent Security Council members (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States).

Write, telephone, fax and email GA members and urge them, for the sake of peace, to immediately convene to consider a resolution to condemn the act of aggression in Iraq and undertake the necessary measures to secure the peace. It is time to unite for peace.
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Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (1939-1984)

  Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. was born April 2, 1939 in Washington, DC. Songwriter and recording artist, he was one of the most popular USA vocalists in the 1960s and 1970s. His musical career ran the gauntlet of black music from gospel to gritty rhythm and blues through soul to political commentary and personal sexual matters.

Named after his father, a poor minister, Gay was rumored to have had an unhappy childhood. He learned to play the piano and drums, and became a soloist in his father’s church choir. Gospel music, the blues and jazz influenced his work. Throughout his career, Gay’s recordings shifted between secular and religious themes.

Ostensibly to escape an unhappy family life, Gay enlisted in the Air Force after graduating from high school. Once discharged, he returned to Washington, D.C. and sang with the Rainbows, Marquees (1957) and Moonglows (1958). Gay accompanied producer and singer Harvey Fuqua of the Marquees to Detroit (1960). When Fuqua joined forces with Berry Gordy at Motown Records, Gay signed on as a drummer and vocalist.

In 1961, Gay married Gordy's sister, Anna, and signed a solo recording contract. Renamed Marvin Gaye, his first top ten hit had an up-tempo dance beat. "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow"(1962) was followed by a series of such songs over the next three years. These included the gospel inspired "Can I Get a Witness" (1963), "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (1964), "Ain't That Peculiar" and "I'll Be Doggone" (1965). Behind the scenes, he co-wrote Martha and the Vandellas’ hit "Dancing in the Street," and played drums on several Little Stevie Wonder recordings.

Motown teamed him with Mary Wells for some romantic duets. When she left Motown (1964), Gaye recorded with Kim Weston (1967), who was succeeded by Tammi Terrell. The Gaye/Terrell duo recorded the hits "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (1967), "If This World Were Mine" (1967), "You're All I Need to Get By" (1968), "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (1968), and "What You Gave Me" (1969). In 1970, Terrell died.

Given the social upheaval of the era, Civil Rights Movement, opposition to the Vietnam War (1959-1975) and Watergate, Gaye sought to address these social concerns in What's Going On (1971). The album’s hit songs, "What's Going On," "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues" combine Gaye’s spiritual beliefs, concern about poverty, discrimination and USA political corruption.

In 1972 Gaye followed up What's Going On with the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Trouble Man, and in 1973 he released the deeply erotic Let's Get It On, and "I Want You" (1976). Gaye agreed to pay the entirety of royalties for his next album to Anna in their divorce settlement. Here, My Dear (1978), a painfully honest self-portrait proved to be a flop.

With his career in decline and his personal problems mounting, Gaye retreated to Europe, where he recorded "Sexual Healing" (1982). He returned to the US. After a disappointing musical tour, Gaye moved in with his parents. In the midst of a heated quarrel, his father shot him. Marvin Gaye died April 1, 1984. Winner of two Grammy Awards for "Sexual Healing" (1982), Gaye was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. (Sources: www://encarta.msn.com, www.findarticles.com and www.vh1.com/) History Homepage

Spoken Soul: A Celebration of Female Voices!

March is International Woman's Awareness Month and the climatic celebration is going down at Earthshaking Music this Friday, March 28th. Bonnie, Knyte and Chezon present Spoken Soul: A Celebration of Female Voices! Earthshaking Music is located at 543 Stokeswood Avenue. Doors open at 7! The show begins promptly at 8 P.M.! Pay $7 at the door, and walk into a world of feminine artistry at its finest. Walk home with a full soul, an embraced spirit and possibly one of many door prizes. Don’t hear about it! Be about it! Call (404) 577-0707 for directions. Atlanta Vibe Homepage

Disgruntled says: During former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment hearings, "the rule of law" was uttered so often it became ingrained in our lexicon, much like weapons of mass destruction. Under the rule of law, Republicans could not remove Clinton from office. Republicans control both Houses of the best Congress money can buy. The nation’s new CEO was not elected, but Republicans have not objected. Thanks in large measure to corporate malfeasance, the economy is in tatters, but it is okay, because large campaign contributions negate poor governance. As the war against terror degenerates into an obvious oil grab and the US wages war without specific UN authorization, Republicans are silent on the rule of law.

Disgruntled wants to know: The Middle East "road map to peace" is a ruse to deceive a few Palestinians into believing they will be able to declare statehood within three years. At first, George Bush delayed the map's publication until after the Israeli election. When he could not get his way on war against Iraq in the UN, he threatened to delay publicizing the road map until the Iraq matter was settled. Needing Britain's Tony Blair's support on the Security Council, Bush tied publishing the road map to the appointment and confirmation of a Palestinian Prime Minister. When that happens, what excuse will be used to keep Palestinians waiting

Disgruntled feels: Blitzkrieg! For twelve years, the US and Great Britain bombed Iraq in maintaining the northern and southern no-fly zones. During most of this time, Iraq was crippled by UN economic sanctions and largely disarmed under pervasive inspections. Now, that Iraq has little to nothing with which to defend itself, the coalition forces are conducting a blitzkrieg to overthrow the government, occupy the country and control its natural resources. This Middle East blitzkrieg is reminiscent of Hitler’s European aggression. More Disgruntled Moments

Performed by Marvin Gaye

Mother, mother

There's too many of you crying

Brother, brother, brother

There's far too many of you dying

You know we've got to find a way

To bring some lovin' here today - Ya

Father, father

We don't need to escalate

You see, war is not the answer

For only love can conquer hate

You know we've got to find a way

To bring some lovin' here today

Picket lines and picket signs

Don't punish me with brutality

Talk to me, so you can see

Oh, what's going on

What's going on

Ya, what's going on

Ah, what's going on

In the mean time

Right on, baby

Right on; Right on

Father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong

Oh, but who are they to judge us

Simply because our hair is long

Oh, you know we've got to find a way

To bring some understanding here today

Oh

Picket lines and picket signs

Don't punish me with brutality

Talk to me, so you can see

What's going on

Ya, what's going on

Tell me what's going on

I'll tell you what's going on - Uh

Right on baby

Right on baby

 §

About Me: Written by Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye and Renaldo Benson, this is the title song from Marvin Gaye's landmark album, What's Going On. By far his most successful album, the 1971 recording revolutionized soul music by freeing it from the limitation of simple love ballads to include a wide spectrum of topics, including the formerly taboo realm of political commentary. To match the shift in subject matter, Gaye created a new musical style that continues to influence performers. Recorded at the height of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, What's Going On gave voice to the socioeconomic and political concerns of a generation. Venue Homepage

The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro attends a DeKalb County, Georgia elementary school. The black superintendent has instituted a uniform dress rule. After months of wearing braids, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro released his Afro. Dressed to please himself, he incurred a boatload of wrath for being out of uniform. Ironically, he has gone to school out of uniform before, and no one noticed or objected. When asked how he responded, he said with pride, "They tried to get on my nerve, but I ignored them, because I know I looked good!" Back to the Bat Cave

By John Burl Smith

My great grandfather, the Circuit Rider, Rev. Burl Lee relished teaching lessons. One of his favorites was about accepting certain things. He would say, "You cannot speed up the harvest no matter how quick seedlings pop out of the ground or how full the fruit in summer. Fall is the time of harvest. Never go against the season; you will always find you are overmatched."

A farmer’s farmer, the Circuit Rider relied on natural signs to regulate his yield in life. Clearing his fields in the late fall, he worked them up in the early spring. Watching the leaves, he planted on the new moon. Done plowing and chopping by the boiling heat of July, he would say, "Now it is up to the Almighty." Early October, he became a sky watcher, scanning the heavens for storm clouds and Canadian geese heading South, while he raced against time.

"Nature has worked out this rhythm and it has worked for thousands of years. If you follow her lead, it is a beautiful dance. First, cultivate well, plant at the right time, struggle through the heat and harvest when the fruit is rip. Humans are often tempted to tamper, looking for short cuts, trying to improve on nature by speeding up the harvest. Efforts to manipulate this cycle court disaster."

Psychology is a lot like farming in that growth is the objective and producing a desired result is the aim. The Circuit Rider’s maxim dealt with laws he gleamed as a natural process. For instance, learning theorists have figured out the most important steps in the learning process. Moreover, we know the conditions that facilitate, promote and strengthen it. We have even isolated the best techniques, practices and material that maximize communicating information. With such powerful tools at our disposal, educating children should not be a monumental task for such a wealthy society.

After spending years developing knowledge about learning, public educators are like farmers, who "go against the seasons." Most public schools try to plant seeds in un-plowed ground. Many of the seeds that germinate are choked by weedy concerns, much like the regulation of students’ behavior and appearance. Beyond weeds, most inner city children endure problems that impinge on the learning process before entering school. No one wants to acknowledge or accept responsibility for addressing these very real needs of children.

Missing from today’s approach to educating children is the realization that, if there is to be a harvest, it is going to come from the crop that is presently in the field. Educating children requires the understanding that you cannot create the children you teach, anymore than a farmer can select the weather. To a farmer every seed sowed has the same value, because you never know which ones will mature. T.H.I.N.C. about it! Essays by John Burl Smith

By Dot

On January 8, 2002, George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act. Its basic goal is to have ALL children performing on grade level within 12 years. With the federal deficit at more than $300 billion and rising, the program will not be fully funded. Coupled with state revenue shortfalls, the children that will be left behind will most likely be black and Hispanic students currently in inferior segregated public schools.

The US Supreme Court's landmark decision - Brown v. Board of Education (1954) - outlawed the doctrine of "separate but equal." The court called for all deliberate speed in desegregating schools. The ruling was met with overwhelming opposition. In the South, state legislatures vowed to maintain separate black and white schools. The Georgia legislature changed its state flag to underscore its opposition to Brown. In the US Congress, 96 members signed the Southern Manifesto, which condemned Brown, commended states with a resistance policy and declared its intention to use "all lawful means" to bring about a reversal of the decision.

Lawsuits filed on behalf of black students to force school systems to honor Brown were met with delaying tactics by conservative courts and school systems. The experience of blacks in Fulton County, Georgia is a microcosm of the national experience. Black parents filed suit in Hightower v. West. The 1970 court order required that student assignments be based on geographic proximity, a majority-to-minority program, maintain racial balance within the faculty and staff and submit annual reports to the federal court.

After more than 30 years, conditions that existed when Hightower was filed remain basically unchanged. The county maintains two separate and unequal school systems, one black and the other white. Yet, a tentative settlement will terminate the Hightower court order. Scheduled for a May 2 hearing, indications are the court will rule in the affirmative, leaving the status quo intact. DISHing It Up Hot! Home

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