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Responses to Rashidi's experience, during his African History Presentation at Philly schools.
Hello, Rashidi, Ironically, this was the dilemma I faced last night, at the Magic Johnson Theater for the film, HOTEL RWANDA. I couldn't believe that two or three viewers were laughing at scenes of beatings and mass murder! I am a metaphysician and in the East Indian's tome, Bhagadvagita, the first chapter presents Arjuna asking Krsna why his kinsmen are fighting each other. Krsna consoles Arjuna by telling him that they are using their free will and this is what they chose to DO. He assures Arjuna that all is illusion. When you apply this lesson to black children in America, today, and to soldiers and rebels killing each other and women, children and elders in foreign lands, you cure yourself of the deep, dark depression that is possible for you to climb into. I was a substitute in South Florida schools for ONE WEEK ONLY. The third day I was suicidal and on the 7th day, I was homicidal, picking up a desk to throw it at the whole class. Needless to say, my place is not in today's classrooms. I also received several grants to present WOMEN IN JAZZ. I did this for a 2-week period, three years in a row, for Broward County Schools. Just me and a piano player. In one high school, the first year, we had a marvelous presentation. Two years later, the Principal had moved to another school and the presentation was terrible. The students were talking and disruptive and it was almost impossible to finish the presentation. http://www.fyicomminc.com/lecture.html Some of the contributing factors to bad behavior amongst our children results from
The computer industry, alone, is responsible for creating monsters of our children, who think they are superior to their parents simply because they know how to use Playstation and their parents do not. Teenage years are difficult, but the size of most teens, today, as a result of steroids used in fast food and chickens and beef, is staggering to a lot of parents who just don't know how to deal with their children. Then, when they get into school, bad behavior is promoted amongst and between the children, themselves. Takes us back to the classic - LORD OF THE FLIES. I believe this is a subject that we should ALL be concerned about because, before these children are the leaders of our Nation, they will be our caretakers. That is some very scary stuff. Joan Cartwright Greetings Family, For those of you who might not know what is going on let me tell you that I am spending the second week of African Heritage Month in the United States doing African history presentations in the Philadelphia Public Schools. So far I have been to eight different schools, and one of them, a high school, I have visited twice. The children, 99.9% African-American, have ranged from about seven years of age at the youngest to seventeen years of age at the oldest. These are "inner city" youth. So far I would say that I have addressed about three hundred of these young people. This is about the fourth time that I have been brought into Philadelphia to do these presentations and I am being hosted by an African rites of passage organization. In December 2003, these children almost drove me crazy. The most difficult things to get used to are the general lack of discipline, the sometimes blatant general disrespect, and the general lack of interest in global African history. One gets the impression that these young people have imported the culture of the inner city streets into the classroom. That is to say that there is the belief that they only need the survival skills to maintain in a hostile environment. Academia does not seem to have the highest priority. Given the times that we live in I suppose that this is only natural. There also seems to be a kind of latent violence that permeates the entire atmosphere. The first thing that you do when entering all of the schools is pass through a metal detector. And then there is the often belligerent attitude of the students themselves. This morning, for example, I had to push this eleven year kid of out my face! I, a noted scholar fifty years of age with a gray beard, had to push this little kid out of my face and even then he walked away threatening me! And this was one of the "good" kids. And then one picks up an all too pervasive attitude that excellence in the classroom is for sissies and wimps and punks. So this is just a part of what we are up against. Two other factors, on the negative side, also catch your attention. The first is the general perception of beauty. But wait a minute. Let me back up here. What I am doing are slide presentations that cover a great range of African history. I generally start out by asking the children "what do you think of when you think of Africa?" Typically they tell me wild animals, poor people, dirty people, and hot weather. This is generally how we get started. And then I attempt to break down all of these myths. I show pictures of early African humanity and then early African achievements. And then I give them an overview of ancient African civilizations, especially the Nile Valley. From there I introduce them to the the people of Africa today and I show quite a few images of African children from various parts of the Continent. And then I show them the spread of African people ancient and modern around the world, and finally I end up in the Americas with an overview of the African presence from the Olmecs to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. Now I think that I have learned over the last twenty-five years or so what kind of images Black children respond to and I consider very carefully what I am going to show them. But it can still be a disheartening experience. There is a tendency to laugh at Africoid people with dark skin, broad features, and happy to be nappy hair. That is something that I have never developed an immunity to. Most of them seem have developed such an immunity however. For they not only laugh at some of the most pronounced Africoid images, today a couple of children laughed at a photo of an African man in South America being tortured by slave catchers. I believe that the image is from Suriname and is about 285 years old. There is also the clearly implied understanding that the African children with the lighter skin are superior to the ones with the darker skins. This is a dynamic that is virtually constant. And then there other reactions that come through loud and clear. When I show the ancient Egyptian photo of the Black Christ the children seem either excited or stunned. There does not seem to be much middle ground. It is as though the whole foundation of their world has been rocked and they are not sure if they should be happy or angry or sad. The other photo that always evokes a powerful response is an approximately three hundred year old painting that I first saw in an art museum in Edinburgh, Scotland in October 2004. The painting is of a slave market in Cairo, Egypt during the period of Ottoman domination and I got a copy of it in a book while visiting Turkey last year. In the painting the slaves are all white women, the auctioneer is a dark skinned Black man in a turban, and the buyer is a white man of authority and wealth. The purpose of my showing this photo is to demonstrate that slavery and servitude has not been confined to African people. The children tend to like this photo and some of even clap with glee. So that is what Runoko has been doing this week. Do I regret it? Not for one minute. This is our future that we are talking about and I am not backing off one iota. I love these kids and I know that I am reaching some of them. Indeed, some of these young African geniuses embrace the information, and it is a wonderful thing to see that gleam in their eyes reflecting the dawn of awareness that they do indeed come from a great and mighty people. So tonight, African family, I thought that it was time for a bit of reflection and sharing. Tomorrow, back to the battle lines. There is a war going on for the minds of our children. In love of Africa, Runoko Rashidi In the Philadelphia Public Schools
joan: black kids think the "american" thing about themselves. they've absorbed it too. they see the same images, absorb the same values as do the white children - that they're ugly, laughable etc. as for effectively turning this whole thing around, i haven't a clue. power and blessings to those like rashid still out there trying. i guess trying to teach and save them one by one is the only forseeable and feasible answer. now to get radical on you: take the children out of socially deprived/criminal environments and put them in training camps where they can be socialized and indoctrinated into being all that they can be. now this is an area that that hypocrite cosby could
promote (not the camps - but studies, programs, projects, institutions dealing with the problem) instead of name calling.
FYICOMMINC (Joan C) writes: I am a metaphysician and in the EastIndian tome, Bhagadvagita, the first chapter presents Arjuna asking Krsna why his kinsmen are fighting each other. Krsna consoles Arjuna by telling him that they are using their free will and this is what they chose to DO. He assures Arjuna that all is illusion. When you apply this lesson to black children in America, today, and to soldiers and rebels killing each other and women, children and elders in foreign lands, you cure yourself of the deep, dark depression Joan C.: For this kind of reasoning I have embraced Buddhism because otherwise the depression would be overwhelming now. I have a cousin who retired after 30 yrs. in the DC school system and her stories and those of her colleagues are even more piercing. We will be leaving the planet in the hands of our young people who seem to be trying to gear up to fight the insane people who are trying to rule the planet. I feel for those living in the future. Joan Not much left to say - you hit it more or less on the head. I am always appalled and depressed by how little many of our kids know of our history. The ones who do, stand out like sore thumbs - it is painful to witness in light of the struggle that have preceded them. Miles to go before we sleep......................
My advice has never changed. If parents don't inject at least 30% - 40% fear in their children between the ages of 2 and 22, the child will always be in control without any semblance of discipline! Those who have followed my advice have successful children like me! It's just that simple! Dr. Spock dictates do not work on BLACK or WHITE children! Spare the rod and CREATE CRIMINALS! Silky My Dear, Gene |
WRITER,
HISTORIAN
RESEARCH SPECIALIST PROFILE OF A PAN-AFRICANIST SCHOLAR
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THE by In December 2003, these children almost drove me crazy. The most difficult things to get used to are the general lack of discipline, the sometimes blatant general disrespect, and the general lack of interest in global African history. One gets the impression that these young people have imported the culture of the inner city streets into the classroom. That is to say that there is the belief that they only need the survival skills to maintain in a hostile environment. Academia does not seem to have the highest priority. Given the times that we live in I suppose that this is only natural. YORUBA KING DIES
On the lighter side, here are some Interesting Tips A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.
(hmmmmmm...) ============ Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what
appliance it belongs to. ============ For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in
it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!)
============ Crayon marks on
walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).
============
Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
============ Whenever I
purchase a box of S..O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly
pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get
sharpened this way! ============ Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to
wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! Now, where to put the body? LOL
============ Use vertical strokes when washing windows
outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash
windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.
============ Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in
any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
============ Place fabric softener sheets in dresser
drawers and your clothes will Smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.
============ Candles
will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.
============ To clean artificial flowers, pour
some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new!
Works like a charm! ============ To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough
water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop. ============ Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before
pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains. ============ Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the
refrigerator and it will keep for weeks. ============ When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's
natural sweetness ============ Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go
away. ============ Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. Left over
wine? What's that?! :) ============ To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on
the area and you will experience instant relief. ============ Ants, ants, ants everywhere .... Well, they are said to never cross a
chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
============ Use
air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
============ When you get a
splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most
splinters painlessly and easily. ============ Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer: Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China. ============ Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets. ============ Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes. ============ Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary). ============ Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water. |
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