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Vol. 8 Issue 8…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…February
25, 2004
Bit of History
Mary Burnett
Talbert (1866-1923)
Educator, lecturer and human rights advocate,
Mary Burnett was born on September 17, 1866 in Ohio. After graduating from
Oberlin College (1886), Burnett moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where she
taught at Bethel University. In 1887, Burnett became principal of Union High
School; she was the first black to hold such a position in Arkansas.
Unfortunately, following her September 8, 1891 marriage to William Herbert
Talbert, she was forced to give up her teaching career; married women were not
allowed to teach at that time.
The couple moved to Buffalo, New York. An active
member of the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church, Mary Talbert presided over the
Christian Cultural Congress, which organized many educational and cultural
activities. In 1899, she became a founding member of the Phyllis Wheatley Club
of Colored Women. In addition to establishing girls' clubs, conducting
community seminars to empower black women and organizing "get the vote out"
efforts, club members visited jails, established kindergartens, and supported
homes for wayward girls and the elderly. In November 1901, the club members
demanded that the Pan American Exposition include an exhibit that presented
black achievements since Emancipation.
Talbert opened her home for Niagara Movement
(1905) meetings, at a time when it was illegal for blacks to congregate outside
church. The Niagara Movement, which became the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), renounced the accommodation policies
espoused by Booker T. Washington in his 1895 "Atlanta Compromise"
speech.
In 1910, she presided over the organization that
led efforts to restore the Frederick Douglass Home in Anacostia, Maryland. A
charter member of the Empire Federation of Women's Clubs (1911), she served as
its second president (1912-1916). In 1916, Talbert became president of the
National Association of Colored Women (1916). A founding member of the NAACP,
Talbert served as president, vice president and director of the civil rights
organization.
At the outbreak of WWI, she assisted in the drive
to sell war bonds and was a Red Cross nurse with US forces in France. After the
war, she returned home to find that the idealistic slogan of fighting to make
the world safe for democracy was false for black Americans. Talbert toured
Europe giving lectures on women's rights and race relations and served as a
delegate to the International Council of Women in Norway (1920).
Throughout most of 1922, Talbert helped raise
funds and garner political support for the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill. Republican
inaction and a filibuster by Southern Democrats prevented the Senate from
voting on the measure. While opponents successfully cited "states rights"
to kill the bill, the anti-lynching crusade brought much needed attention to
the barbaric practice.
For her tireless efforts on the behalf of black
people, Talbert became the first black women to receive the prestigious NAACP Springarn
Award (1922). Mary Burnett Talbert died in 1923. (Sources: www.math.buffalo.edu
and www.aaregistry.com)
The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro has
learned a great deal about the contributions and sacrifices of his ancestors as
part of the Black History Month activities at his public school. Since the
beginning of February, he has been a virtual font of information, very little
of which can be found in his textbooks. When asked what he thought about black
history after watching an episode of the PBS series "Slavery and the
Making of America," the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro rhythmically bounced like
Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the movie Jerry Maguire and exclaimed, "Show
me the money!"
Good Daze: da Cipher
By Yohannes Sharriff
Smith
Half-naked and tight
as hemp
We huddled together
desperately
Hoping to survive the
cold wind of this season.
A draconian awakening
yearning to touch
The soul of any sleeping body.
How strange!
In such a corrupt
republic conscious
Populated by immoral
behavior and unethical practices,
True intimacy would
find a place
Where even words seem
to mean so much.
Here, in our misty
sanctuaries,
A single touch of
sincerity carries
A magical weight,
Ringing sober and
clear in the open mind.
Urban guerillas
transcend the secular nothingness
With prophetic
ebonics,
Attempting to make
sense
Of the wrong in the
world we inherit.
On the stage of
imagination,
We employ coded
language
And a warehouse of
hallucinogens
To counteract the
Conditioned Subordinate Psychology.
These nameless faces
weather the change
Of love’s violent and
bitter pain,
Sculpting heroes from
what remains.
Guardians place no
blame, or fear shame.
Our ascension is
inevitable.
Beautiful is the
dance we do in the flames of this fire.
The phoenix rising
higher
In the learning of
this burning empire.
Now, we cipher,
Showcasing lyrical
talent in rhythmic poetry.
Harmonic edification:
360 degrees of education,
From the generation
hexed with an X.
Manifest neo-poets
waxing sublime rhetoric,
With a hidden message
in every line.
Casting the
metaphoric instinct
To shine links each
point.
The sphere form keeps us warm
As we learn how to THINC.
Reprinted from THINC (Teaching Humanity In New
Consciousness): The Chrysalis of Evolution (1997)
Atlanta Vibe
The Millennium
Funk Tour
Standing at Gate 102, awaiting
Japan Airlines' Flight 69, the reality of our destination began to really sink
in. From the first missed flight out of Atlanta, seeing Mount Fuji from the
airplane and the bullet train from Osaka to getting lost in the streets of
Tokyo, performing "Flashlight" live on stage with the Original P Funk
and being stuck in San Francisco because Atlanta was covered in four inches of
snow, the Millennium Funk Tour was an incredible adventure.
Headlined by The Original P Funk and Zapp, The Millennium Funk Tour brought
"More Bounce" to Japan. With one show in Osaka on January 26 and two
in Tokyo on January 27 and 28, classic jams like Computer Love and Atomic Dog
had the crowds on their feet all night, screaming and singing along.
Long-time lover of funk and owner of Jenesis, the Japan-based company promoting
and producing the tour, Ugi was excited by the nonstop energy of each
performance. Breeze, president of Smooth As Kappiccino (SAK), the US-based
company, booked acts and promoted the tour. The performances were excellent,
and the crowd at each venue had a great time. As evidence of the tour's
success, plans for return trips were already solidified before the tour left
Tokyo.
One of the many highlights of the Millennium Funk tour was the new spoken word
collective, The Fifth Element. This all-star group of poets includes the
aforementioned Breeze, Jessica Care Moore, Aqiyl Thomas, Tethut Nine, Carlos
Mena, Dj Kevi Kev and Yohannes Sharriff. Treated with a fresh dose of spoken
word, peppered with DJ-ing, breaking, MC-ing and a tribute to Bob Marley, the
Japanese audiences enthusiastically embraced The Fifth Element. Members of both
Zapp and Original P Funk were supportive in their praise and encouragement of
the new group.
So well received, The Fifth Element returns to Japan on March 23 for a festival
and again in May to open for Usher. Information about the upcoming tour dates
and venues will be posted later.
Big ups to Ugi and Maki, from Jenesis, and the entire crew of Smooth As
Kappiccino for taking care of everyone while we kicked it in Japan. Special
thanks to Maki for the samurai shirt from Harajuku. And, to all the beautiful
women of Japan, The Fifth Element says don't cry; we will be back soon!
Black History Cipher: World of Tomorrow
By John Burl Smith
Ciphering Black History Month, civil rights icons
are on display like fossils in a museum. Dissecting yesterday, they pat
themselves on the back proclaiming black progress. Lamenting Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.'s assassination, they sheepishly admit, "We still have a long
way to go." However, fact of the matter is, the black/white socioeconomic
and political chasm of inequality has grown under their leadership.
On the evening of his assassination, Dr. King
discussed march strategy with members of The Invaders. He explained his
decision to transform the civil rights struggle by merging it with the black
power movement. Envisioning the world of tomorrow, he planned to expand the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) into a national movement.
Fearing Dr King's vision, Richard Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover created
Co-Intel-Pro to kill, jail or otherwise neutralize anyone advocating black
power. One of the few targets to survive Co-Intel-Pro, while serving time in a
Tennessee prison, I watched Dr. King's prophetic vision unfold.
Dr. King foresaw the day when his contemporaries
would be gone and the black fight for freedom, justice and equality would rest
on untested shoulders. He recruited The Invaders for a role in his world of
tomorrow, not simply as organizers, but to build a cohort of leaders capable of
developing a new psychology and philosophy of action. By merging civil rights
and black power, Dr. King hoped to avoid factionalism and fighting over power.
Prophetically, after his death, Dr. King's worst
fears played out, as SCLC chose new leadership. Factions led by Reverends Jesse
Jackson and Andrew Young opposed Dr. Ralph David Abernathy and Rev. Hosea
Williams' leadership. Their power struggle split SCLC. They attacked black
power leaders, claiming The Invaders were a part of the assassination.
Nixon's plan to destroy black power, not only
worked, it continues today. Reminiscent of the villain Dr. Totenkopf in the
movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Nixon's racist Southern
strategy was a doomsday plan. Creating and programming an army of machines to
destroy the world in order to replace it with one of his making, Totenkopf's
machines continued to follow his plan twenty years after his death. Like
machines programmed to carry out Nixon's Southern strategy, Republicans
relentlessly destroyed Dr. King's vision of the world of tomorrow.
Unlike the movie, blacks do not have an heroic
Sky Captain that will destroy the machine. Completely at the mercy of the
mechanized infrastructure, our "black leaders" are chosen by
corporate America. They crushed black power and bought civil rights leader, so
that marketers of bling-bling and gangsterism could lead blacks in their
"world of tomorrow." No longer about freedom, justice and equality,
bling-bling icons now set the black agenda. Before real hip hop leaders were
assassinated, just as civil rights and black power advocates, women were the
backbone of the movement. Today's hip hop icons rake in profits degrading
women.
Early hip hop artists picked up on the messages
of Malcolm X and Dr. King, now spoken word artists echo their themes. Pushed
underground, artists like Yohannes Sharriff and Aqiyl Thomas tour with P-Funk
and Zapp showcasing positive hip hop with a funky beat. International promoter
Smooth As Kappuccino (SAK) believes using beats, rhythms and rhymes with this
spoken word/hip hop/funk fusion is the new element that will power the world of
tomorrow. For today's diaspora, this is a black history cipher.
Disgruntled
says: According to unofficial sources, rap mogul Russell Simmons is
at the top of the list of contenders to replace Kweisi Mfume, recently retired
president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP). A call to the NAACP Atlanta regional office for verification proved
inconclusive; "the search for a replacement is ongoing." In the
meantime, Simmons is getting mad press, as if he is the new head of the most
famous black civil rights organization in the nation. He recently joined others
in boycotting Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) for its inhumane treatment of
chickens." Adding to the perception that Simmons has the job, Abraham H.
Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), in a letter
making the rounds on the Internet, has asked Simmons to publicly distance
himself from Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan. Simmons could
conceivably bring a generation of young people into the aging civil rights
organization. However, if he gets the position and follows in the footsteps of
former NAACP leaders and those of other civil rights organizations, he will
support the status quo and become a shakedown artist, dancing for pennies from
corporate America.
Disgruntled wants to know: Inside the Beltway and across the
Internet, the hot topic is Gannongate, which could provide the ultimate test of
whether or not there is a "liberal bias" in US media. Thus far, the
story of Jeff Gannon (real name James D. Guckert), a homosexual prostitute that
gained routine access to the White House press office and lobbed softball
questions to White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and George W. Bush,
has failed to create the firestorm of media attention that would suggest
"liberal" or "independent" is an adjective that describes
US media. So, the question remains, is there a "liberal bias" in
mainstream media or is the accusation a conservative red herring?
Disgruntled feels:
Miseducated! As a young person, I was taught to move to the back of the bus,
work twice as hard as my white counterpart to get half as far and not complain
about the injustice. It was the way things were and complaining would not
change anything. Moreover, vocal complaints were viewed as disrespectful to
elders imparting valuable information on how to make the most of a bad
situation. We were conditioned to have the proper perspective and follow rules
that kept blacks in their place of inferiority. Miseducated to believe they had
been liberated from slavery, my elders were still enslaved in every way that
mattered, and they invested time and energy miseducating the next generation to
be subservient in order to continue the status quo of their socioeconomic and
political enslavement.
DISHing It Up Hot!
On the 3/5
Compromise!
By Dot
In the scientific method, the first step to
solving a problem is identifying it. It pains me to admit that after centuries
of struggle to be free and treated humanely, my people still do not understand
the nature of the problem we face in the United States of America. Acting as if
slavery ended, they seem to assume that the racism and discrimination that are
facts of our daily existence are the random acts of individuals.
In reality, the socioeconomic and political slavery to which blacks have long
been subjected and codified in Article 1 Section 2 of the United States
Constitution, better known as the Great or 3/5 Compromise, was never repealed.
It is alive and well and continues to dictate outcomes in the US market for
goods and services. Contrary to what we are taught in public schools,
subsequent amendments to that great document did not dismantle the apparatus or
machinery for carrying out the tenets of that unholy agreement.
For example, every national election, including the most recent, millions of
black votes are not counted due to "spoilage." Fact is, under the
Electoral College system, there is no individual right to vote for president.
In Ohio, a black man with political ambition led the way in disenfranchising
black voters. He committed no crime, because it is legal not to count a certain
amount of black votes. The Electoral College is the machinery or apparatus, a
direct outgrowth of the 3/5 Compromise, designed to prevent states with heavy
slave, i.e., black, populations from electing the president.
Ironically, Jesse Jackson and Greg Palast did an article, which appeared in the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, titled "Jim Crow Returns to the Voting Booth:
Does America Have Apartheid Vote-Counting System?" Clearly, Jim Crow never
left. The entire system is based on not counting all black votes. By now
Jackson should realize this, and as a "black leader" be actively
working to dismantle the apartheid system.
Other examples of the 3/5 Compromise abound. There is the redistribution of
federal dollars from blue states, where the majority of blacks reside to
sparsely populated red states where few blacks reside and Southern states,
where there remain large numbers of blacks that do not control any aspect of
their socioeconomic and political lives. Then, there is the economic welfare
gap or chasm of inequality, which can be measured using median family incomes,
that mimics the 3/5 Compromise. Last hired and first fired, blacks earn less
than their white counterparts at every educational level. Thus, the disparity
in income from wages, which is the chief source of income for the vast majority
of Americans, is not explained away as the result of differences in educational
achievement.
When all the measurable factors that influence income from employment are
quantified, an unexplained income difference remains. For the sake of
discussion, this unexplained disparity can be called institutionalized racism.
It is the 3/5 Compromise that continues to shape the lives of black and white
Americans.
As the curtains close on another Black History Month, let us admit that
socioeconomic and political slavery still exists in the USA. Cognizant of the
problem, let's work to be free and demand reparations.
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