The Practical Politics of PanHoodism

The Practical Politics of Pan-Hoodism:

Why it is our only solution in 2019



         Min. Paul Scott








Recently, there was a great debate held in Harlem to determine the political destiny of African Americans. On one side, you had people who ,vehemently, argued that only black folks whose ancestors were slaves should be paid reparations in Bitcoins. On the other side, folk countered that our efforts would be better served building a sneaker empire and establishing international trade with Africa.


After arguing for over five hours but failing to reach a consensus ,the participants exited the building, barely noticing the body of a 13 year old girl who had just been killed in a drive-by shooting a few minutes earlier…


Recently, there has been an ongoing debate over the political direction of black people in this country and what our focus should be as we enter the presidential election season. All this happening during a time when Reparations has gained ,well past due ,media attention.





Today , new movements are popping up such as ADOS ( American Descendants Of Slaves) created by social media personalities and Antonio Moore aka Tone Talks and Yvette Carnell and heavily advocated by Tariq Nasheed , the producer of the Hidden Colors documentary series. They are proponents of the idea that our collective focus should be on the affairs of black people in America whose ancestors suffered the horrors of continental US slavery.



While others are true believers of the traditional Pan Africanist approach that we should connect with the Motherland , as espoused by scholars such as Dr. WEB DuBois.






I believe that both ideas have merit and still fall under the Black Nationalism ideology advanced by Martin Delaney and Marcus Garvey. So I am not opposed to either of them.


For me, it’s just a matter of priorities.


As I look at my city , Durham NC and see the young black men being murdered in the streets, not to mention the spiked walls of gentrification that are rapidly closing in on a town formerly known as “Black Wall Street,” I have to ask, how can we bottle the various “solutions” that have presented to African Americans and pour a little out for the homies in the hood?


This is where “Pan Hoodism” comes in.


Pan Hoodism is the idea that your journey to uniting Black people globally does not begin 2,000 miles away , but in the hood down the street in your own city.


As African Americans, we have had no shortage of ideas that are good in theory. What we have lacked is application. How do we use all the black history books we have read, lectures we have attended and YouTube videos that we have binge watched to create a brighter future for the dismal reality in the less affluent black neighborhoods that are in virtually every city in America ?


The problem is that there is nothing glamorous nor sexy about community activism. We are a people who like entertainment and many of us would rather pay $30 and drive 100 miles to hear a Youtube scholar discuss whether the earth is round or flat than to take that money and give out free black history books to the youth in public housing. Not much different than the avid church goer who will plop a $100 bill in a collection plate to hear “Reverend Whoop and Holla” yell about a paradise in the sky while the people outside the doors of the church are living in poverty here on the ground.


Under Pan Hoodism we will use the macro-cosmic black liberation theories and apply them micro-cosmically to our local black communities.


The same strategies that we, theoretically, would use to stop tribal wars in Africa will be used to stop the gang wars in the hood. Also, the economic programs that we would invest overseas, would be diverted to improving the third world type conditions in public housing.



If we don't practice Pan Hoodism in our cities, now, even if we do receive reparations, a whole generation will be wiped out before the first check hits the mailbox.





Ecclesiastes teaches “there is a season for everything and a time for every purpose under Heaven.” In 2019, it is the season to use Pan Hoodism to get black folks out of Hell.






Minister Paul Scott is the founder of Black Messiah Media based in Durham NC. He can be reached at (919) 972-8305. Follow on Twitter @truthminista

Dirty Dancing With the Developers

Dirty Dancing with the Developers:

Makin’ Dollars or Manifest Destiny ?

                                              Paul Scott

Dirty Dancing with the Developers:

Makin’ Dollars or Manifest Destiny ?

                             Paul Scott



“If you dance with the devil, the devil don't change. The devil changes you..."
                        Joaquin Phoenix from 8mm       



When the owner of Dick Dastardly Development first came to town  he was met with hisses and boos by politicians and their constituents who cried foul at the mere thought of citizens in their
city being displaced. But when he promised to build a much needed, affordable combination golf course and ski lodge in the hood, the boos quickly turned to cheers and he was awarded the key to the city….


One of the most difficult issues facing the Bull City in 2018 is gentrification. After all, who doesn’t want their modest southern town transformed into a more ritzy area like downtown Manhattan. Well, it depends on who you ask, those who stand to make a load of money from the transformation or those who may lose their be- ever -so -humble homes.


The well off and the poor see gentrification through different lenses. As the old saying goes “whether the glass is half empty or half full depends on who’s a-drinkin’ and who’s a-pourin’.”


Even those who, vehemently,  oppose the process have different rationales for doing so. If you are middle class ,displacement means the old oak tree with your childhood sweetheart’s name carved in it might get chopped down. But for the poor, it is the uncertainty of not knowing where your family may end up.


The perception of neighborhood renewal is, also,  packed with historical baggage.


There was a time in this country when the powerful  could “ buy” Manhattan for 24 dollars worth of beads. Or in some cases just outright take whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it in the name of progress. As much as we hate to admit it, terms like “eminent domain”  and “manifest destiny” are as American as apple pie.


If you come from a wealthy family who have prospered from the American dream , urban renewal just comes with the territory.  But what about the descendant of Africans who had their land stolen by colonizers. Or Native Americans  and Mexican Americans whose ancestors were removed from their soil ? Not to mention that poor white American of Appalachia who’s great grandfather's farm is now a coal mine.

So, whether you see someone as a shrewd  business tycoon or a neo-colonizer is a matter of opinion.

Right now, many Durham citizens, at least in theory, oppose gentrification. Nobody wants to go on record cosigning  somebody’s grandma getting kicked out on the street.  But people are fickle and public outrage is a fleeting moment soon forgotten. Especially, when it’s so easy to catch amnesia when you get hit upside the head with a stack of dollar bills. Or when  some tough guys in dark Ray-Bans  drag  you in a back room and make you an offer you can’t refuse.


Let’s keep it really real.  In a capitalist society, money talks and there is a $6,000 degree of separation between anger and acquiescence.


The guys who come struttin’ in to City Hall meetings with Brooks Brothers suits and penny loafers sleep good at night after donating a couple of grand to an affordable housing fund or to the local schools system.


So, even though I may see developers as ruthless Snidely Whiplash-type villains with black top hats and stringy mustaches who kick puppies when nobody’s  looking, the general public is easily swayed by even the cheesiest PR campaign.


Personally. I’ve always rooted for the underdog and patterned myself after the patron saint of the lost cause,  so excuse me for being more skeptical than the, eternally,  optimistic who believe that all's well that ends well.


Even some Durham leaders seem to believe that ,perhaps, there is a silver lining in this rapidly expanding cloud of doom and despair.


I hate to be a Debbie Downer but there are no happy ending here. Compassionate Capitalism is an oxymoron and someone is gonna be left out in the cold come next winter.


Sometimes there is no middle ground. It’s just the rich once again stickin’ it to the poor.

But you will still have some who are lost  in Dave Mason’s 70’s AM playlist purgatory where “there ain’t no good guys.  There ain’t no bad guys. There’s just you and me and we just disagree.”

If only it was that simple…

Thank you to Dr. Robinson and NCCU for having me lecture on Hip Hop and Masculinity last week.

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1LyGBrDkjVMGN?t=23

Snobs R Us ? Exposing Durham's Classism

Check out my latest Herald Sun column.

http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/article205495194.html

Choice FM Interview

Big shout out to Dr. Rob and Choice FM for having me on last Saturday.

Listen Below

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UBq0gxRvIse-wFlUA7kYuAlFyN0dZ2nN/view

Is Downtown Durham too White ?

Starting March 3rd , my column will run in the Durham Herald Sun every 1st and 3rd Saturday. 

My latest column :

My Downtown Durham Dilemma

http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/article203087389.html

Is White Liberal Supremacy a thing?

Check out my latest article in the Herald Sun.




http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/article200702154.html

So...Marvel Made Ya'll Love Africa ?

So... Marvel Finally Made Ya’ll Love Africa ?


Min. Paul Scott



You could talk about Nigeria/people used to laugh at ya


Now I take a look/I see USA for Africa ?


Stop the Violence-Boogie Down Productions





Shanequa Jenkins never wanted nothin’ to do with Africa. When her roommates would demand that she turn off Love and Hip Hop so they could watch Hidden Colors, she would just storm out the room calling them “Hotep Hoes” under her breath. So, it shocked her roomies when two hours before the Black Panther premier she was waiting at the front door in a brand new dashiki with matching Red Bottoms and Coach Bag yellin’ “Ya’ll aint ready to go, yet !?”



Not long ago, if you wore a dashiki or African medallion you had to wade through a sea of hecklers sayin’ stuff like , “ Yo ! You tryin’ to join X-Clan or somethin’ ? VAN-GLORIOUS !” Or any time you dared speak about something Afrocentric, cats would roll their eyes and mumble “there he goes with that black stuff again…” But now with the coming of the new Marvel movie, The Black Panther, even the worst Africa haters have caught a severe case of Jungle Fever.



Historically, many African Americans have had a problem with the Motherland. During the days of slavery, many free black folk ,vehemently, opposed the repatriation movement. While some did see it for what it was, a way to rid America of the riff raff, most felt that they did not want to leave a country that they helped build.



During the early 20th Century, although up to 10 million people supported The Honorable Marcus Garvey’s Back to Africa Movement, many people opposed his efforts as they saw his movement as a threat to their vested interests in the American Dream.



Hollywood didn’t help matters much ,either, during this period as the image propagated of the continent was either taken straight outta a Tarzan movie or a Looney Tunes cartoon with a bunch of cannibals circling a big black pot chantin’ “yum, yum eat ‘em up.”



During the late 60’s , there was a beef between members of the Black Panther Party who embraced a Marxist ideology and Dr. Maulana Karenga's Us Organization who practiced cultural nationalism. This ideological disagreement was intensified by the efforts of J. Edgar Hoover and his COINTELPRO program, preventing any fusion of the two ideologies that could have hastened our journey towards Freedom.



Even though some Hip Hop headz praise the “conscious” era of the late 80’s for bringing African awareness to rap and championing the fight against South Africa’s Apartheid regime, truth is, the era barely lasted four years and by 1992 most Hip Hoppers had traded in their dashikis and sandals for West Coast Khakis and Chuck Taylors.



The best dynamic of that period is perhaps captured in Spike Lee’s classic film School Daze , during the scene when Julian aka “Big Brother Almighty” tells Dap, the Pro Black Brotha that he wasn’t from Africa. He was “from Detroit.”





Sadly, that was pretty much the attitude of many African Americans until the last couple of years. Before the commercialized Black Lives Matter Era, in order to find a decent dashiki you would have had to hit the road and head to a city with predominantly black neighborhoods and hunt down an African clothing store in the middle of the ‘hood. But now even white and Asian owned shops have dashikis and African necklaces hanging in their windows.



What is unfortunate is despite all the master teachers that have gone on to the ancestors; Dr. Chancellor Williams , Dr. John Henrik Clarke , Dr. Yosef ben Jochannan and a host of others who sacrificed their lives to try to teach us about our heritage, it took an old white dude who made his fortune courtesy of a white kid in a red and blue onesie swingin; through NYC to finally make us embrace who we are.


Or perhaps it has something to do with the changing times. Maybe Black Panther Mania is not just a fad and will awaken the African genius that lies dormant deep inside of us.




Malcolm X once said that we left “our minds in Africa.” Maybe the hype over the Black Panther movie is an indication that we are finally getting our minds back?





Min. Paul Scott is based in NC. Phone (919) 972-8305  His website is NoWarningShotsFired.com   Follow on Twitter  @NWSF

No Warning Shots Fired Social Media

No Warning Shots Fired Social Media:
Twitter @NWSF 
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Can the Black Panther Save Durham?

This is the first installment of  my column that will appear in the Herald Sun twice a month.  #NoWarningShotsFired



 http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/article196743074.html

Lean Back

Lean Back !
Fightin’ the Biochemical Attack on the ‘hood

                                Min. Paul Scott

“How we stop the Black Panthers/Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer”

                             Crack Music-Kanye West

It was the eve of the revolution that their grandparents had always dreamed and the Black Lives Liberation Army was gonna  set it off  bright and early at dawn against the evil forces that were destroying the hood. But during the nightly strategy session, somebody passed out a purple drink in double styrofoam cups and suggested they do a battle toast. So when they finally woke up at noon the next day, the revolution was over...they lost.

This current generation of millennials is , arguably, the most “woke” group of African Americans since the conscious Hip Hop Era of the late 80’s and some would say, with their skills at social media, since the Black Power Era.  Since the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012, there has been an awakening of the masses and the high profile police involved shootings of Michael Brown, Sandra Bland and many others have fast tracked us on the road to the revolution that Malcolm X talked about 50 years ago.

But as in science, for every action there is an opposite reaction. So, for everything that wakes us up, there is always something to put us back to sleep.

Drug use has always been glorified in Hip Hop to a certain degree. After all, when the early rappers said “ski” they weren’t talkin’ about a vacation in the Aspens .

But this new generation is on a whole ‘notha level.

Thanks to mainstream Hip Hop,  getting high off of prescription medicines seems to be just what the doctor ordered.

The past decade has seen a rapid increase of rappers being self medicated via prescription drugs. You can hardly listen to the radio without hearing artists like Future rappin’ about pills like they just raided Grandma’s medicine cabinet.

Much of this madness originally came out of the Dirty South as rappers from Texas to Tennessee bragged  about sippin’ on that Sizzurp aka Lean and some have died from takin’ too many sips of that Purple Drank. For the less hip, Lean is a deadly combination of soft drink, Kool Aid, codeine. cough medicine, Jolly Ranchers and anything else somebody feels like throwin’ in a cup.

Now enter something called “Legal Lean.”

Either some mad scientist  or some  hipster with a determined idea and too much time on his hands has come up with a way to  push that potion in the hood, legally, by substituting codeine

with natural stuff. The ingredients are different but the effects are supposed to be the same.

Now, while legal lean may be available near some college campuses so some wealthy white coeds can vicariously live out their Lil Wayne fantasies, most of the stores that sell this are in the hood.

Of course, the makers of Legal Lean think they are providing a service by giving cough syrup junkies an alternative.  To hear them tell it, Legal Lean is to Purple Drank  what Methadone is to Heroin.

After all it is 100% natural. But so are psychedelic mushrooms and if you really want to get funky with it, cocaine contains a 100% natural ingredient, as well.

So, once again the Black community is under a biochemical attack at a time when we need to be in our collective best state of mind to survive the Trump Era.

Fortunately, some groups around the country are not giving up the hood without a fight.

In Wisconsin, the Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee have staged successful campaigns against stores selling Legal Lean.

https://www.facebook.com/kila414/videos/1636093903084894/

Also, in Durham NC, activists have started Operation #LeanBack to have the product permanently  shut down, nationwide.

Every community activist should be fighting to get Lean up outta here, whether legal or illegal.

As always, you are gonna have some to defend destruction to the grave. But those of us who aren’t “gone off that Lean” have a responsibility to raise our voices in protest.

As Kendrick Lamar said on Be Humble

“I let my soul speak, you let the meds talk…”

Min. Paul Scott can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com Follow on Twitter @truthminista

Open Letter to Bow Wow

Dear Mr. Moss aka Bow Wow

Recently, you made a comment on a clip for the new BET series "Music Moguls" that premiers June 28th, dissin' my city of Durham, North Carolina.  In the promo clip with Jermaine Dupri (So So Def Records) you said, "ain't nothin' crackin' in Durham." I am so tired of people disrespecting my city and for you to do it on a national platform is outrageous.

http://www.bet.com/video/music-moguls/season-1/exclusives/music-moguls-coming-in-june.html

Granted, like many cities, Durham has its share of problems. But kickin' dirt in the face of town already known as "Dirty Durham" ain't helping. Now, it is true that in some hoods you can hear gun shots ringing through the air almost every night. And the self hatred that some of our young people feel does result in teenage kids being shot down in the street. However, Durham has a rich historical legacy and since you seem to be ig'nant of that history, allow me to hit you with some #FACTS.

Durham NC was once known as "Black Wall Street,"  the Mecca of Black economic empowerment.  Although many people believe that Tulsa Oklahoma was America's only Black Wall Street, history teaches us that Durham also held that prestigious title.  Durham is also the home of North Carolina Central University and Duke University. Not to mention, Research Triangle Park, one of the largest high tech development centers in the country, lies with the boundaries of Durham County.  Furthermore, many famous people have roots here, including Ernie Barnes, the artist who created the paintings featured on the 70's sitcom Good Times and Loretta Lynch, the Attorney General of the United States.

Most importantly, there are many people in Durham who are working, tirelessly, to make this city one of which our children and our children's children will be proud. Recently, we launched the Black Durham Is Beautiful Campaign to show the world that Durham is more than  just murder and mayhem and is one of the greatest places to live on the planet.

Instead of of making negative statements about this city, why don't you use your platform to make things better for the youth?

So, "Mr. 106 and Park,"  you owe each of the 250,000 residents of Durham an apology. (Or at least a heartfelt "my bad.") And until we receive an apology we will not support Music Moguls or any other project even loosely associated with the name "Bow Wow" nor "Shad Moss."

To borrow from the infamous words of  Birdman, who is also featured on Music Moguls, "you are gonna learn to RESPECK my city!"

                      Peace,

                      Min. Paul Scott

                      Messianic Afrikan Nation

                      Durham NC

Min. Paul Scott aka "TRUTH Minista" can be reached at (919) 972-8305 email info@nowarningshotsfired.com Follow on Twitter @truthminista

Straight Outta Con-Man

Straight Outta Con Man:

Exposin’ the Truth About NWA

                      Min. Paul Scott

“Fool me one time shame on you/Fool me twice can’t put the blame on you”“

                No Role Modelz-  J Cole

I’d be lying to myself and you if I said that the trailer for the new NWA (N*** With Attitude)  movie, “Straight Outta Compton” didn’t make me wanna stand in  line and drop 10 bucks to see the flick.  The trailer suggests that the film centers around a group of young men  experiencing the trials and tribulations of being black in America during the 80’s, who used their fame  to become the official spokes-homies of the ‘hood.   In the  aftermath of the deaths of  Mike Brown, Sandra Bland,  Samuel DuBose and numerous others who died mysteriously after confrontations with CWA (Cops With Attitude)  ,  who wouldn’t want to see a film about a bunch of rappers throwing up their middle fingers in the face of authority and inspiring a generation of black youth to become revolutionists ?

Interesting story, indeed.  But it’s just not the story of NWA.

The real story of NWA goes more like this…”During a period in the late 80’s when rap artists like  Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions were succeeding in getting a nation of millions to stop selling crack and to stop killing each other, out of nowhere a group of rappers came along and destroyed  the foundation that they were building and leaving as their  legacy the broken bodies and shattered dreams  of millions of black men and grieving mothers...

For those of us who  were fortunate enough to live through the Reagan/Bush Era, we know the truth. The problems facing African Americans in 2015, are no  different from the problems that we faced during the 80’s with police brutality, white on black violence,  black on black violence etc.  And just like during the 80’s, when black political awareness was rising here comes  NWA again to lower the intelligence bar and turn potential revolutionists into apolitical  thugs.

I must admit, the way the music  industry used NWA was wickedly, brilliant.  While Public Enemy was trying to save black lives, they created a group  to destroy them.  So NWA’s  two politically  aware songs served  only as a Trojan Horse to bring people into the real agenda, profitizing the destruction of the  black community.

Matter of fact, NWA did not even deny the nefarious plot to overthrow conscious Hip Hop with gangsta-ism .They bragged about it!

According to  Vibe magazine writer, Cheo Hodaria Coker, Dr. Dre even admitted that NWA was created to be an alternative to music that promoted black power. So. this was no accident.

No one is denying that F*** the Police set a new standard in articulating the frustrations of young black men who were constantly being harassed by the cops . But the problem is, if you take “F*** the Police (and the contradictory Express Yourself)  out of the equation , what are you left with?  You are stuck with two albums and one EP that glorified black death and misogyny and inspired rappers of subsequent generations to follow their lead. Just listen to  “She Swallowed it” off of their second album where the Pied Pipers of Pedifphellia rapped about the  sexual gang bang of a 14 year old girl and the other subject matter did not really differ from that formula.

Now, there are some who would argue that NWA was not  really a symbol of black genocide. But that’s just like saying  that the Confederate Flag was not  really a symbol of white racism.  So, we are clearly dealing with revisionist history.

Now, ultimately,  I don’t blame five black kids from the hood  for  hatching such a genocidal plot, I blame the music  industry and in this case Jerry Heller, who is credited as being one of the co-founders of NWA. In my opinion, Heller is a war criminal and should be charged with war crimes against the African American community.

In his autobiography, Ruthless, a Memoir, Heller even confesses that based on the historical conspiracies  by the “powers that be”  to exterminate black people, “ if these conspiracies are true...then Eazy E and I were just pawns of C.I.A machinations too vast to contemplate.”

Therefore, if Eazy, Dre,  Cube, Ren and Yella are  guilty of anything, it is the sacrifice of young black lives on the altar of  the Synagogue  of Satan for the reward of riches beyond  their wildest dreams.

So, no I won’t be watching Straight Outta Compton and if you care anything about the state of Black America, neither should you. We cannot allow history to repeat itself where the revolutionary spirit of black youth is channeled into self destructive behaviours and the “enemy” ultimately becomes other black men.

Instead of spending our money on Straight Outta Compton , we should be buying books to teach the youth  about The Black Panthers  and other revolutionists who really stood up against police brutality.

The blood of the thousands of young men who died over the last 25 years trying to be “N**** demands it !

For a thorough breakdown of NWA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnpFG00dELQ

Min. Paul Scott is founder of the Messianic Afrikan Nation. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com Follow on Twitter @truthminista

7/9 Debate with Sean Hannity and Rev. Jessie Lee Peterson

Podcast of my debate with Sean Hannity and Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson on Race, Religion and Revolution

http://download.premiereinteractive.com/seanhannity/2015/07/Sean%20Hannity%20-%20Jul%2009%202015%20-%20Hour%203.mp3

Papa's Got a Brand New Flag...

Papa's Got a Brand New Flag:

Why African Americans Need a New Symbol of Freedom

                                             Min. Paul Scott

Today, the governor of South Carolina , Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from the  SC State Capital. And that's  a good thing. Personally, I believe that anything even resembling a Confederate flag needs to be used for toilet paper at Taco Bell...

For many white Southerners , the Confederate  flag represents the heritage of their ancestors, but for me it represents the last thing my ancestors saw before they were hanged from trees in the South Carolina swamps.

Now, I know people in SC are having victory cookouts right now and having "We Shall Over Come" karaoke concerts  But , don't expect me to be overly, over joyed with the symbolic gesture of removing the Confederate rag.

To be historically correct, just as much injustice was done to African Americans under the Stars and Stripes as was done under the Stars and Bars. Matter of fact, even today, in the cities where many of the racist acts are happening,  Old Glory is waving proudly.  And the police officers who are committing terrible acts of violence  against black kids aren't pledging allegiance to the Confederate flag, they are pledging allegiance to the Red, White and Blue.

As black people we  need our own flag to represent our heritage.   Matter of fact we already have one. 

According to the late historian, Dr. Tony Martin in his work, Race First, in 1920 The Honorable Marcus Garvey , in his Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World  adopted  the  Red Black and Green flag as the official symbol of the "African race."   According to Dr, Martin, Red stands for "the color of the blood which men must shed for their redemption and liberty."  Black for "the color of the noble and distinguished race to which we belong." And Green "for the luxuriant vegetation of our Motherland."  Marcus Garvey was the leader of the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) which, at its height boasted two million members. 

So, in 2015  its time for black people to start waving our own flags again.

On July 4th, African Americans should once again adopt the Red, Black and Green Flag as our official symbol. There should be Red, Black and Green flags on black households, clothing and license plates from McKinney TX, to Baltimore MD, to Charleston SC.

Back in the , 60's James Brown had a hit song with "Papa's  Got a Brand New Bag," however today we are saying "Papa's Got a Brand new Flag."

If we really want to stop, not only racism and police brutality but also our children from killing each other in the street,  we have to give them something to be proud of.

As Marcus Garvey once said,

Show me the race or the nation without a flag, and I will show you a race of people without any pride.

Min. Paul Scott is founder of the Durham NC based Messianic Afrikan Nation. He can be reached at (919) 972-8305 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Follow on Twitter @truthminista

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted:

The Return of the Intelligent Thug

                                 Min. Paul Scott

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery/None but ourselves can free our minds”

  Redemption Song-Bob Marley

Back in the day, members of my generation proudly sported our “Warning Educated Black Man” T-shirts while pumpin’ Ice Cube’s “AmeriKKKa’ s Most Wanted”  in our rides.” During that period we were clear that this country’s biggest fear was an army of militant minded Brotha and Sista Souljah’s waging an all out war against the lies of Western Civilization that kept us bound in the chains of mental slavery. Unfortunately, that era ended abruptly following the LA Rebellion of 1992 and was purposely replaced by a corporate sponsored gangsta dynasty where ignorance was not only bliss but a Hip Hop cultural norm.  However, in  post Baltimore Rebellion America the days of the pro-black T-shirts might just be making a comeback.

Recently, Georgia college student Eric Sheppard was  arrested following a month long manhunt by the Feds. Last April, Sheppard made headlines by stepping on The Stars and Stripes during a college protest.  An arrest warrant was issued for the student because the police found a gun inside a book bag that allegedly belonged to him.  However, many African Americans feel that Sheppard’s  real crime , as a 21 year old black man, was  having more on his mind than the NBA Finals, rap music and strip clubs.  Especially, in a country having nightmares over the possibility of politically conscious street gangs uniting for a common cause .

Yeah, America’s biggest fear has been realized.  The “Intelligent Thugs” that they buried  two decades ago have suddenly  risen from their graves.

The fear of black intelligence stretches back centuries in this country. One must remember that until the late 19th century it was illegal to teach black folk to read. And while much attention is paid towards the brutality of the slave revolts headed by people such as the Reverend Nat Turner, many of the rebels were highly intelligent. As early as 1830, David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World caused so much fear among white slave owners that a $10,000 bounty was placed on Walker’s head.

Also, although many people focus on the “burn baby burn” slogans of the 60’s and early 70’s, it must be understood that the members of the Black Power Movement were bookworms.  Kwame Ture, the man credited for popularizing the term “Black Power” was a Howard University graduate.  Malcolm X  was able to debate some of the  best  scholars in the world courtesy of a jailhouse education.  And even though people like to focus on the guns that the Black Panther Party carried, it was the mind of  Huey P Newton that people feared the most as he was able to intellectually navigate between the streets and college campuses.

So, today tragic  events from the  Trayvon Martin murder to the murder of Freddie Gray have many young people embracing some of the teachings that my generation used to talk about in campus student unions and in the back of dusty little black bookstores. However,  where we  had to wait weeks for a new book by Del Jones or a Steve Cokely cassette tape to arrive at the Know Bookstore, these kids have total,  unrestricted,  immediate access via the Internet to all types of information. So, the same political education that took us weeks to study can be learned by a Baltimore gang member during a cross town bus ride via an iPhone and Beats by Dre headphones.

Although, some may think this is just another Hip Hop inspired fad (as many accused the “conscious Hip Hop /Fight the Power Era “ of being) , times have changed.

Unlike the LA Rebellions of 23 years ago, the most recent uprisings  did not have a Hip Hop soundtrack. There was no inflammatory song that the media could pinpoint for inspiring the riots. It can be further argued that the rapper commentators  who appeared on CNN  were not the “voices of the streets” as they were a decade ago, but now were only being used to calm the fears of white America.

Also, if you read the manifesto, that was allegedly written by Eric Sheppard, instead of rap lyrics you will see shout outs to African centered scholars such as Dr. Khallid Muhammad and Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, whose entire catalogs can be easily accessed on Youtube.

So, although talking headz like Sean Hannity  and Anderson Cooper may consider the Eric Sheppards of the world  fringe elements and the media may write his manifesto off as a “publicity stunt”  so their middle class white audiences can sleep at night, the reality is for every Freddie Gray that dies an Eric Sheppard is born.

Maybe the gangs coming together in B-More is a sign of changing  times. What if they put down the guns and decide to form a political coalition after watching an Amos Wilson video on Youtube? Or what if  instead of selling drugs they  decide to open legit businesses after listening to a Dr. Claude Anderson podcast ?

Perhaps the years of us telling these kids that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste” and “Knowledge is Power” were not wasted after all.

Maybe, all they really needed, to borrow from rapper, Young Jeezy was some intelligent “Thug Motivation.”

Min. Paul Scott represents the Messianic Afrikan Nation. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired. Follow on Twitter @truthminista