Openly Black

Openly Black

            by TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

You know I'm proud to be black ya'll/And that's a fact ya'll"

                                                                         

                                                                Proud to Be Black- RunDMC

Inspired by Michael Sam's recent announcement that he plans to be the football's  first openly gay player, Tyrone "Mustafa" Jackson decided that he wanted to make history, too. Yesterday, at a press conference,  Jackson announced to the world that he wanted to be America's first "openly black" hockey player. While Sam's announcement was met with cheers and letters of congratulations, Mustafa's announcement was met with boos  and "go back to Africa" tweets...

Although many folks have applauded Michael Sam's announcement that he wants to be the NFL's first openly homosexual player, one has to wonder what America's reaction would be to an openly pro-black athlete.

Now,  when I say "openly black" I'm not talking about "Barack Obama black." I'm talking about "Huey P. Newton in a wicker chair with an African spear  black". No, I'm not talkin' about "Bill Cosby black," either. I'm talking about " Angela Davis afro with the black fist  afro pick black." And I definitely don't mean , Hip Hop artist, "Drake black", I mean, " 1990 Ice Cube Amerikkka's Most Wanted black."

Since childhood, most of us have been taught to be undercover black militants. We have been warned to keep the black rage that burns deep inside of us, on the down low.  We cannot risk committing the unpardonable sin of offending white folk. So, we keep who we really are locked deep inside, only letting a little  melanin leak out during Black History Month and Kwanzaa.

Black professional athletes are no different. 

Now, there have been some overtly black professional athletes in our history, but it has been a minute. And one must admit, the pro-black jock wasn't exactly met with open arms.

Your grandparents might remember when reporters refused to call the heavy weight champion of the world ," Muhammad Ali"  but insisted on calling him by his slave name," Cassius  Clay."  Or maybe they can tell you about the blacklisting of John Carlos and Tommie Smith for having the audacity to throw up the infamous Black Power fist during the 1968 Olympics.

Ask your parents about the time that Craig Hodges, of the '92 NBA champs, Chicago Bulls, had the nerve to visit George Bush at the White House, sportin' a dashiki and holding a letter complaining about how the Prez dissed  African Americans with his domestic policies.

I don't recall too many Americans calling these guys heroes and wanting to throw a ticker tape parade.

Let's face it. America is scared of a straight up, no- holds -barred black man. While a Brotha showing his feminine side will be called a role mode, the Brotha that emits too much testosterone will be villainized as a thug, ala Seattle Seahawk, Richard Sherman.

And it's not just mano-a-mano  type action that gets love, either. Wilt Chamberlain was considered the Man of the Year, when he announced that he had slept with over 20,000 women. Also, how many reality shows have you seen with athletes talking about how they pop bottles and make it rain in the club. Our athletes are able to talk about any and everything except a black social, economic or political agenda.

Seems like many black athletes have chosen to keep their blackness locked in the closet.

We must remember that at one point baseball legend, Jackie Robinson, had a beef with Malcolm X. Also, while Muhammad Ali was denouncing Uncle Sam for his treatment of African Americans, George Forman was dancing around the ring with a red, white and blue flag.

We can't forget that the greatest human to ever touch a basketball was often accused of not doing enough for "the hood."

During the early 90's Michael Jordan was accused of not supporting the Sonja Haynes Stone Cultural Center at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Also, when asked why he didn't use some of his Nike money to  support the NC black Democratic senatorial candidate, Harvey Gantt, he allegedly said that "Republicans buy sneakers too."

Back during the reign of black boxing great Jack Johnson, white America screamed for a "great white hope" to defeat him. In, 2014, what we need is a great black hope to defeat our self-hatred.

We need athletes who are not ashamed of their blackness. We need sports heroes who will support a black agenda with the same force that others promote a homosexual agenda.

If an athlete can proudly sport a  rainbow colored football helmet, we need a black athlete who will proudly carry a red, black and green hockey stick.

Since this is supposed to be Black History Month, wouldn't it have been nice if one of the black Seattle Seahawks would have come to the post Superbowl  press conference with a copy of Dr. Carter G. Woodson's Miseducation of the Negro? Or what would happen if at the, upcoming, NBA All Star Weekend, the African American players would host some Black Empowerment Conferences and strategize ways to pull their resources to help the little black boys and girls in the hood?

In all fairness, it's not just the athletes that need  to step up, but black celebrities, in general. During the recent Grammy Awards, Hip Hop icon Queen Latifah , helped to officiate a, partially, same sex mass wedding. We need some artists to step up and host a major event on the world stage to  rebuild the black family.

We have enough Michael Sams and Queen Latifahs telling our children that it's OK to be gay. We need some Jim Browns and Nina Simones to tell them that its OK to be, "young, gifted and black."

Min. Paul Scott represents the Messianic Afrikan Nation. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com  website No Warning Fired.com Follow on Twitter @truthminista

The Hostile Takeover of Black History Month

                                                    
                                        *Logo courtesy of Askari Graphics 2012


                        

The Hostile Takeover of Black History Month

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott


“You took my style/I’m takin’ it back”
How Ya Like Me Now-Kool Moe Dee



The annual Black History Month program sponsored by Steppin’ Fetchin’ Sneakers was going as planned. Dr. Thomas “D. W.” Griffin, was giving his usual boring speech about how slavery wasn't so bad, when all of a sudden a group of Black militants bum rushed the stage and started yellin’ about the ancient empires of Africa. The crowd went wild as Griffin headed for the exist , dropping his copy of The Clansman as he made his hasty retreat...

Is it just me or does Black History Month always seem like a bad movie script? There will be the usual programs about slavery and the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King. We will be bombarded by hundreds of commercials by that same Barry White sounding brotha braggin’ about how some company loves Black people. And somewhere near the end of the month , every city in America will throw some multi-cultural shindig that talks about every issue under the sun except the ones that are relevant to African Americans in 2013.

Although the question is posed every year “is Black History Month still relevant”, the question that we should be asking is whether or not Black History is controlled by Black people ? And if not , is it really Black History or a watered down, white washed version of our culture.?

Back in 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson started what was ,then, Negro History Week as a way to save the story of a great people from falling into the dark abyss of Euro-centric falsehood. However, since then, the celebration has been exploited by everything from car companies that want to sell Black people pimped out new rides to restaurants that create a soul food dollar menu every year ,complete with fried chicken, watermelon and red Kool Aid.

What is most disturbing is that many of the companies that will have “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud” blastin’ out of the intercom systems during February 2013 are the same ones that dissed Black folks in the 90’s.

Although AT&T has commercials playing ‘round the clock on black networks , back in 1993, the company came under fire from African Americans when their employee magazine contained an ad which featured a picture of a monkey representing the people of Africa.

In 1994 , Denny’s Restaurant chain , which takes great pride in its diversity programs ,was sued for racial discrimination. Ironically, it was the Denny’s chain that brought out some of the old “Sambo” restaurants.

Also, the old Texaco gas stations had to shell out some major dollars in 1996 when the company’s top officials were busted for referring to their African American employees as “black jellybeans.” (among other things)

And these are the types of people who we trust to tell our story?

Really?

Under the guise of Black History, they give us just enough to keep “Black leaders “ happy and to ease white guilt. So we get the same old rehashed slavery/MLK/civil rights stories over and over again.

What happened to the great African civilizations of Ethiopia and Egypt? What about those brave warriors who fought against the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.Or how about the thousands of Black people who fought against racism before and after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr?

This version of Black History is considered too controversial for the mainstream.

Although controversy may sell rap cds, it doesn’t sell cell phones. So, in most cases, telling the truth about Black History may be bad for business.

For instance, if more Black children knew about the damage done to the Africa over the scramble for gold and diamonds, maybe“bling” wouldn’t be so popular. Nor would rappers like Trinidad James singin’ about “gold all in my chain/gold all in my ring..” still have a career. Thus impacting both the jewelry and the music industry, simultaneously.

If Black kids got a strong dose of true African history during Black History Month, maybe they would start wearing dashikis and kufis instead of snapbacks and True Religion Jeans. Which would impact the clothing industry.

Also, if our youth learned about the historical origin of Black on Black violence every February, they may be less likely to pick up an assault rifle. Thus, impacting the gun industry.

So, the only ones who truly benefit from true Black history are Black people.

This is why our story must be told and it must be told by us. There must be a hostile takeover of Black History Month.

Black History is more than a way to push a product. It is the tie that binds people of African descent together. So, before we even begin to talk about "taking back Hip Hop" or" taking back our community," we must concern ourselves with taking back our history.

Unlike during the time of our parents, we now have the technology to make it happen right at our fingertips.

The Black By Nature/Conscious By Choice campaign is on a mission to bring back Black consciousness and there is no better time to start than right now. Just as Public Enemy had as its mission to raise up 5,000 Black leaders during the late 80’s, our task today, is to raise up 5,000 intellectual warriors.

For Black History Month we are suggesting the following steps.

Instead of depending on the media to give us the truth about our history, we must use Youtube , Facebook and Twitter to start a “Black History :The Lost Episodes” series where we will post and Tweet information that has been purposely hidden from the masses of Black people.

Hip Hop must also get involved as we are asking rappers to adopt the names of our Black heroes and heroines during Black History Month. If rappers can name themselves after comic book heroes like “Johnny Blaze” and Hollywood gangsters’s like “Frank White” and “Scarface” , why can’t we have , "The King Tut of the Turntables," “The Nat Turner of Rap”,” or “The Harriet Tubman of Hip Hop.? “

Also, we must form Afro-centric media watch groups to make sure that our history is not distorted by the media, especially during Black History Month.

So, the hostile takeover of Black History Month must happen.

Like Malcolm X would put it , we must take back our culture this year, “By any means necessary.”

We can do this the easy way or the hard way..

Or like Biggie Smalls once rapped “the fast way, ski mask way... ransom note....”

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s site is No Warning Shots Fired.com. Follow on Twitter @ truthminista For more information about the Black By Nature/Conscious By Choice Campaign contact info@nowarningshotsfired.com or call (919) 972-8305

Iz Blak Peeple Stoopid ?

Iz Blak Peeple Stoopid?:
Rap and the Racial Inferiority Myth

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott



"I dumb down for my audience/double my dollars"

Moment of Clarity- Jay Z





Recently, students at Garvey University sponsored a debate between noted historian, Dr. T. Asante Shakur and Professor Darwin J. Watson, author of the best selling book "Blacks Are Dumb...Get Over It!" While Dr. Shakur, feverishly, went through an hour long, high powered PowerPoint presentation, highlighting indisputable evidence of Black contributions to civilization over the last 5,000 years, Watson just listened quietly with a confident grin on his face. When it was his turn to speak, he just walked over to the podium, told the sound man to pump up the local Hip Hop station and yelled "Booyah!!!" before leaving the stage, confident that he had proven his point....

Since this country was founded, the myth of Black intellectual inferiority has been a controversial topic. However, in 2012 it is imperative that we ask the question, "does the commercial Hip Hop that is constantly pumped on the radio refute the myth or help to perpetuate it?"

According to John S. Haller, in his book "Outcasts from Evolution," the "scientific" basis for the Black intellectual inferiority myth was started around 1735 by Carl Von Linnaeus, who used skin color to describe , "racial character, personality traits, behavior, intelligence" etc. Linnaeus's work set the stage for the theories of scientists such as Charles Darwin, William Shockley, Nobel Prize winner James Watson and many others.

What is most disturbing about the myth is that it does not match up with historical facts.

As an example, George GM James wrote in his classic book, "Stolen Legacy," that "the true authors of Greek philosophy were not the Greeks but the people of North Africa, commonly known as the Egyptians." Also, although many people are familiar with Dr. WEB Du Bois's book, "Souls of Black Folk," relatively few are hip to his essay "Souls of White Folk," where he wrote "Europe has never produced and never will in our day, bring forth a single human soul who cannot be matched and over matched in every human endeavor by Asia and Africa."

Unfortunately, these facts have been rarely taught in history classes. Historically, the American educational system (as well as religious and political institutions) has been used to advance the idea that African Americans are less intelligent than whites. Hip Hop is not exempt.

Back in the day, groups like Poor Righteous Teachers and Boogie Down Productions used "edutainment" to inspire a whole generation to read books like "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Haley and "They Came Before Columbus" by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima." However, this was skillfully replaced by the mythological "street knowledge" popularized by NWA on their song "Straight Outta Compton" in 1988.

In his essay "The Black Child," Dr. Bobby Wright defined the "street mentality" as the myth that "Whites do not control the streets in the Black community nor the behavior of Blacks on those streets." He argued that "Whites have more control, or at least as much control over brothers and sisters in the streets than over those in universities."

Gradually, dumb became the new smart and reading became something for suckers.

Also, during this period Hollywood became Holly 'hood as the intellectual Spike Lee movies were replaced by gangsta flicks. Perhaps the biggest turning point is a result of what Enisoto Adika Ekunsirinde coined the "O Dog Theory." He argues that before the 1993 'hood classic, Menace II Society, the audience would identify with the "positive brother" in a movie but after "Menace" they began to celebrate the thugged-out, "O Dog" characters rather than the "smart brothers" like "Sharif."

Things have not changed much in almost 20 years.

Unfortunately there are still Black men trying to live up to the stereotype of being "real N****" by perpetuating ignorance through Hip Hop. No matter how you feel about the use of the N word, it's origin is rooted in racial inferiority. Strangely the concept of taking "ownership of the word" and changing the perception did not originate in Hip Hop. According to Dr. Randall Kennedy in his book "nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word," it was a white comedian, Lenny Bruce, who in 1963, popularized the erroneous concept that overusing the word would take the sting out of it.

As we get ready for another Black History Month, I suggest that instead of discussing the "plantation work songs" and "Negro spirituals" like we usually do, we focus on an issue that this generation is facing today.

How do we take our music and our minds back?

While it may be true that the proverbial "they" control the air waves, that doesn't mean that "they" should control our brain waves. So much so that we don't even question the "menticide" that is being waged against the youth. When the radio DJ says that he is just "playing what the people want to hear," we just accept it as fact and keep it movin'. We have bought into the stereotype that the only music we want to hear is about Maybachs, murder and misogyny.

Where is it written in the Hip Hop rule book that we can't hear a classic Rakim or Intelligent Hoodlum joint on the radio? Not to mention the work of underground artists in 'hoods across the country who are hungry to speak Truth to power.

We need a Black History Month Radio Rebellion to demand change and there is no better time than right now! We need to use our cells, Twitter, email etc to tell radio station programmers that we want to hear something other than what they are currently force feeding us.

Sadly, like the Jim Brown character told Ving Rhames in the underground movie "Animal," "being stupid is a choice, too." Some people actually like sitting in the back of the short school bus and will entirely, miss the point.

But as A Tribe Called Quest said on "Jazz."

"I don't really mind if it's over your head cuz the job of resurrectors is to wake up the dead."



TRUTH Minista Paul Scott's weekly column is "This Ain't Hip Hop," a column for intelligent Hip Hop headz. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283 His website is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com Twitter @truthminista

Black History Month Message to Radio Stations

Dear Radio Personality,


As you know, we have entered into another Black History Month, a month set aside to honor the contributions of African Americans. One thing that I would like to point out is that Hip Hop is part of Black History, too. Therefore, we are asking that you add music to your playlist that reflects the richness of Black culture. Our children need to know that there is more to Black music than Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Niki Minaj. What about Public Enemy, Rakim and the X-Clan? Not to mention local underground acts with a socially relevant message.

Our children are in desperate need of knowledge about their history and culture. Also, with the current political climate in this country, they must become more politically aware. It is difficult to try to convince our children to strive for educational excellence when they are being "dumbed down" everyday by the music that they hear on the radio. This month, your station can help change the mind state of thousands of young people by just adding some Hip Hop with substance to your rotation.

Please choose to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.



Thank you,


TRUTH Minista Paul Scott
No Warning Shots Fired.com
Durham NC
(919) 451-8283

Key and Peele: Coonin' Ain't Comedy

Coonin' Aint Comedy

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott



Once again it's Black History Month and there are a few things that you can count on. Martin Luther speeches. Stories about how "far" Black folks have come almost 150 odd years up from slavery. And a new Comedy Central Show to pimp slap us back 150 years...


When I first saw the obligatory slavery commercial for the new "Key and Peele Sketch Series," weeks back, I said to myself "we've been here before." Then there was the preview of the "Obama as Angry Black Man" clip on the Comedy Central website. (Yeah, that's original)

So, I wasn't really surprised when the show that had been hyped like the Second Coming of Stepin' Fetchin' for months lived down to be everything that I thought it would be.

The standard "talkin' black jokes," the Black men calling Black women the "B" word, " the "gangsta Hip Hop artist in jail skit" peppered with random muggin' and stabbin' jokes. Yep, they pulled out all the stops to once again use a comedy show to make white America more sensitive to the plight of Black men (or in this case half-Black men.)

But the question I kept asking myself was "why is 'that's how Black folk act' comedy even funny anymore?"

It's just so...70-ish.


I admit our parents thought the "shuckin' and jivin' of " JJ " on Good Times or "George Jefferson" was hilarious and I do watch a Sanford and Son rerun every now and then but those shows were from 30 years ago.

Newsflash! We have a Black man in the White House and little white kids in Iowa have the whole neighborhood shakin' , blastin' Drake and Niki Minaj. So the idea that white people are oblivious to Black culture on at least a shallow, superficial level is ludicrous.

Now, some folks may call Key and Peele comedy but where I come from we have another name.

"Coonin'" (making white folks laugh at the expense of disgracing their children, parents, great grandparents and 30 million other African Americans.)

In all fairness, I must point out that "coonin'" did not start with Key and Peele as the practice goes back to the 19th century.

The popularity of black folks actin' the fool has its roots in the mid 1800's with the black face minstrel performances. In the book, "Split Image: African Americans in the Mass Media," (Janet Davis and William Barlow) historian William Van Deburg is quoted as saying that in a time when many whites feared slave insurrections "the early slave image offered white audiences a comforting , psychological reassurance." He writes that "such intellectually inferior clowns posed little threat to white hegemony."


So, it reassures a white America that may still be a little shook up over the first Black president thing, that they don't have a thing to worry about.


It must, also, be remembered that barely a hundred years ago, African people were being locked up in monkey cages at zoos and forced to perform for white folks. According to Dr. Harriet Washington in her book, "Medical Apartheid," around 1903, a missionary explorer, Samuel Phillips Lerner, captured Ota Benga, an African "pygmy" and gave him to William Hornaday to put on exhibit in the Bronx Zoo. However, today they have stopped putting black men in cages but place them on stages.

As we enter into an era where some people are trying to "turn back the clock" on African American progress, the Key and Peele Show cannot be viewed in a political vacuum. In a time when some people want to put us back on the plantation we don't need black comedians to supply the whips to beat us into submission.

Really, in 2012 , who would think that something like Key and Peele is even the least bit funny...(OK. Maybe Newt Gingrich but that's about it.)


I wouldn't be surprised if old Newt brought Key and Peele out to do a tap dance routine during his weekly "diss a minority moment" at the next presidential debate as exhibit A.


TRUTH Minista Paul Scott's website is No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com Twitter @truthminista

Black History Month Radio Rebellion

There was a time during the 80's when rap music had a strong political message. It was not unusual to hear groups such as Public Enemy on the radio with empowering messages to inspire the youth and teach them about Black culture. However, during the 90's that begin to change. Now mostly what you hear on the radio are songs about violence, misogyny and lifestyles that 99% of the listeners can't afford.

This Black History Month a Durham NC activist is trying to change that tune. Minister Paul Scott of Durham NC has launched the Black History Month Radio Rebellion where he is asking Hip Hop fans to contact local radio stations to demand that they play more politically and socially conscious music.

Contrary to popular belief, there are Hip Hop groups that talk about more than misogyny, murder and mayhem, such as NC's own political Hip Hop group, Homebase

http://www.homebaseMG.com

Unfortunately, messages like this are drowned out by the heavy rotation of Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Niki Minaj.

This Black History month, Scott is hoping to put the positive aspects of Black culture back into Hip Hop. After all, Hip Hop is part part of Black History, too.

Paul Scott (TRUTH Minista) is an activist and writer based in Durham NC. His weekly, nationally syndicated column is "This Ain't Hip Hop: a column for intelligent Hip Hop headz." He is also a contributing writer for the recently released anthology "The Black Church and Hip Hop Culture: Towards Bridging the Generational Divide." (Scarecrow Press)

Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

website http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com

Coming Next Week: "This Ain't Hip Hop" Black History Month Series

Next week, I will launch a series of articles dealing with Hip Hop and Black History. For more information on the "This Ain't Hip Hop:" the column for intelligent Hip Hop headz or the "This Ain't Hip Hop" Black History Month lecture series contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Was Honest Abe a Racist ?

Lincoln, Lies and Black Liberation

Paul Scott



It is recorded that one of the reasons why February was chosen as Black History Month was because it is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the man who is glorified in history as the one who "freed the slaves." Unfortunately, this is just one of many myths about the black experience that is often repeated but rarely challenged. This is an especially important issue in 2011, as we see black history becoming increasingly, "politicized."

We live in a political climate where the truth about the African American experience has either been ignored by the main stream media or obscured by false Right Wing talking points. Instead of the truth, we are fed a hodgepodge of myths, fables and pseudo-historical hogwash.

One of the most propagated myths is that African Americans had no history worth mentioning before they were brought to America in the hulls of slave ships. This lie could not be further from the truth as scholars such as George GM James, Anthony Browder and Dr. Yosef ben Jochannan have all done extensive research proving not only the existence of powerful ancient African societies but also that what is known as Greek culture was actually stolen from the ancient Egyptians who were Black people.

Also, there are the many falsehoods surrounding chattel slavery. Every time the issue of black history is brought up, you can bet that some conservative pundit will parrot the oft repeated talking point that "it was Africans who sold your ancestors into slavery." Like most right wing rhetoric, the devil is in the details.

According to historian Basil Davidson, in his book " the African Slave Trade, " African slavery was not much different than the feudal system of medieval Europe. Other scholars have noted that that even the very concept of enslaving another people because of racial superiority was foreign to African culture. In his book "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa," Walter Rodney wrote that the Africans could not fathom the idea that the Europeans "had come to stay ,permanently" nor that they "were out to conquer, not some, but all of Africa."

There is also the long standing legend of the docile slave that would have been happier staying on the plantation picking cotton than enjoying Freedom. Contrary to popular belief, slave insurrections were a grave concern for plantation owners in the South, especially following the Haitian Revolution of Toussaint L'Ouverture , as many slave owners feared that the uprising in Haiti would inspire the enslaved Africans in America to rebel.

Another myth is that African Americans should be eternally grateful to the great Republican Honest Abe Lincoln for "freeing us." In his work "Forced Into Glory" Lerone Bennett, portrays Lincoln as a wishy -washy political opportunist whose Emancipation Proclamation was merely a ploy to stifle the proposed Confiscation Acts which would have "freed" the slaves years earlier. Also, it must be noted that Lincoln's much heralded "Emancipation Proclamation" did not "free all slaves" just the ones in states rebelling against the Union which did not include the border states. Although Lincoln is often portrayed as a friend of black folks, according to Bennett he believed in the inferiority of black people and was fond of telling "anti-Negro jokes."

Following, the end of chattel slavery in America, came the misunderstood period of Reconstruction. While it is often portrayed as a period of black political corruption, according to WEB Dubois, in his work, "Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880" the black politicians were no more "corrupt" than their white counterparts and the misinformation concerning black historical facts was "often a deliberate attempt to change the facts of history that the story will make pleasant reading for Americans." This, unfortunately, laid the foundation for unfair criticisms of African American politicians that plague this country today, including the not -so -subtle attacks on President Barack Obama.

Lastly, one of the falsehoods that is still propagated by the right wing is that African American leaders are overly dependent upon government handouts. This is patently false, as one could point to leaders such as Booker T. Washington (the Tuskegee Machine), the Honorable Marcus Garvey (Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League) and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (The Nation of Islam) all of whom preached a doctrine of black economic empowerment and self-sufficiency.

The best way for African Americans to celebrate Black History Month, this year, is to challenge the historical inaccuracies about our history. This must be done, if not for ourselves, for our children, who are constantly given negative information regarding their ancestors.

As Malcolm X once said, "of all our studies, history is best qualified to reward our research."

In this case, the reward is the sense of positive self identification for future generations of black children.



Paul Scott is a minister, activist and writer based in Durham NC. His blog is No Warning Shots Fired.com. Scott can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283

Black History: The Lost Episodes

Black History: The Lost Episodes

Paul Scott




Black History Month is like one of those cheesy 80's sitcom reruns. Even though you know every punch line, word for word, you, somehow, find your eyes glued to the tube every time it comes on. The Black History Show opens with slaves picking cotton and singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" before being "freed" by Honest Abe Lincoln. Then a black seamstress will sit in the front of a bus, a black scientist will get milk from a peanut and a black southern preacher will lead them on a merry march to the Promised Land. Finally, a multi-racial choir will sing "We Shall Overcome" as the closing credits roll, thanking white owned corporations with questionable hiring practices for sponsoring the program.

Every year, we are programmed to death with the same stories during Black History Month. There will be the obligatory stories about Frederick Douglas, Rosa Parks , Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and some inventor or entertainer who died broke after making millions of dollars for a white owned company. Surely, there has to be more to the black experience than that!

Contrary to popular belief, Black people did have a history before they were "discovered" by European explorers. Although, they have been ripped from the pages of history books, there existed mighty civilizations in Africa before "Europe" even existed. Scholars such as Dr. Anthony Browder, George GM James and Dr. Yusef ben Jochannan have done extensive research on the subject but because their scholarship did not conform to traditional western propaganda that promotes the idea that anything worth having came out of Europe, their works have been, largely, ignored.

As Dr. WEB Dubois wrote in his essay "The Souls of White Folk," " Europe has never produced and never will in our day bring forth a single human soul who cannot be matched and over matched in every line of human endeavor by Asia and Africa."

Even when such fan favorites such as Douglas and King are mentioned, their images are white washed, so we are left with a Frederick Douglas who never questioned the black celebration of Independence Day and a Martin Luther King who never questioned the war in Vietnam.

Also, although much of the attention is paid to the lead characters of black History, little attention is given to the supporting cast of thousands. There are hundreds of heroes and heroines that are never discussed because they dared to veer off script that promotes black intellectual, inferiority. How many people know about Imhotep, who, according to historian J A Rogers, was "the real father of medicine" or Marcus Garvey, who led the largest black movement in American history.

The blatant disregard for black history is becoming increasing problematic on two fronts.

First, it has allowed many black youth, who were denied the truth about their history, to develop a Hip Hop pseudo-history that replaces "revolutionaries" with rappers.

Secondly it has allowed nouveau, revisionist historians to create an American fantasy land where legalized slavery was never sanctioned by the US Constitution, Jim in Huckleberry Finn was never called the dreaded "n" word and right wing pundit Glen Beck is the legitimate heir to the Martin Luther King's throne.

So the challenge before us in 2011 is to find a way to change the channel and present a new, high definition picture of Black History. How do we show the real black experience without corporate, commercial interruption?

The answer is, literally, in the palm of our hands. We use social media to show the world the lost episodes of Black History. Everyday during February we should use our ipads, iphones and lap tops to post information about black history on Youtube, Facebook etc. And not just the PC fluff that we get every year. We need the (Malcolm) X- rated stuff too. Whether it be stories about ancient African civilizations, unsung African American leaders or those members of our own families who have made positive contributions to society, we must seize the time and become the executive producers of our own history.

As Malcolm X once said, "of all our studies, history is best qualified to reward our research."

In this case, the prize is not an Emmy nor an Oscar but a proud history to be passed down to future generations.

Paul Scott is a minister, activist and writer based in Durham NC He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com . His blog is No Warning Shots Fired.com

"Back to Africa" Lecture Tour Starts 2/8

The Intelligence Over Ignorance Black History Month, "Back to Africa" lecture tour will kick off 2/8 at the Stanford L Warren Library in Durham NC with a lecture by "TRUTH Minista " Paul Scott called "Hip Hop History or Black History."

For more information or to schedule a tour date contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Black History Flash back '94

This is a skit from my mid 90's public access show, "The Scoop from the Stoop" about Black History Month.

Activist: "Go Back to Africa !"

For many African Americans the term "Go back to Africa" is the ultimate insult , rivaling the dreaded "N word." However, a Durham NC activist and minister is urging African Americans to do just that this Black History Month. Not in a physical sense but academically, spiritually and culturally.

"Growing up,' Go Back to Africa was the ultimate diss among classmates, often leading to either tears or fist fights, says Paul Scott, "Now, the term is widely used by racists as an insult."Paul Scott, is urging African Americans to "upgrade" black history by including African History in Black History celebrations and school curriculums across the country.

"We cannot just be happy that black history is being taught and celebrated," says Scott, "We have to ask which type of black history is being taught, the version about African kings and queens or the one that begins with happy-go lucky slaves picking cotton on the plantation."Scott hopes that the same way the Hip Hop Generation has tried to take the sting out of the "N word" they will take the sting out of "Go back to Africa" by promoting Afrocentric education.

"Historically we have been taught that nothing good has come out of Africa and it has infected our young people with the fatal disease of self-hatred, says Scott, "Only through education can the healing begin."

Paul Scott is a minister, writer and activist who recently started the "Intelligence Over Ignorance Campaign." In 2000, he coined the phrase Afrikan Liberation Theology which is the "Black Liberation Theology for the Hip Hop Generation." Scott has been a guest on talk shows across the country including Fox News and MSNBC discussing Hip Hop, rap, race and religion. His blog is No Warning Shots Fired.com

For more information contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Go Back to Africa!

Go Back to Africa:
Hatin' on Black History

Paul Scott



"Go back to Africa!"


Back when I was in elementary school that statement would either lead to fist fights or tears, depending on the the temperament of the target of the diss. Although many black folks can recall, in vivid detail, the first time they were called the "N word," and how they eventually got over it, for me, "go back to Africa" has not been easy to shake.

See, for black kids like me, being told to take a trip back across the Atlantic was the ultimate insult as it meant being exiled to a place where cannibals with bones in their noses ran around with spears, just waiting to catch some unsuspecting, stiff slippin' so that he could be Sunday evening supper.

After all, this is the image of Africa that black kids were given courtesy of those old Looney Tune cartoons and Tarzan movies.

Unfortunately, the educational system back then did nothing to counter this negative depiction of Africa. The textbooks only reinforced the idea of "the Dark Continent" as a god forsaken place that made no contribution to civilization besides slave labor.

In the early texts , Africa was divided into "white" Africa (Northern Africa) and "black" Africa (Sub Saharan Africa) . So the achievements of the ancient Egyptians were credited to Greek invaders and the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai were written out of history, altogether.

Things have not changed much since I was young. An unbiased view of African world history is still sadly missing from most school systems to the detriment of thousands of black children every school year.

While it is widely accepted that Afrocentricity was a product of the Black Power Movement of the late 60's , it actually started more than a hundred years earlier.

According to Dr. Mia Bay in her book "The White Image in the Black Mind" as early as the 1830's scholars such as John Russwurm and David Walker were championing the idea of the African American connection to the great ancient civilizations of Egypt.

In his 1920 essay, "The Souls of White Folks," Dr. WEB Du Bois proudly proclaimed, "Europe has never produced and never will ,in our day, bring forth a single human soul who cannot be matched and over matched in every line of human endeavor by Asia and Africa."

In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Black History Week (later Black History Month). However, as he wrote in his book "The Miseducation of the Negro " in 1933, teaching African Americans that they had accomplished just as much as any other race would "upset the program of the oppressor in Africa and America." Therefore, there has been a concerted effort to confine all talk of black history to the period after the 18th century.

The modern concept of Afrocentricity can be attributed to professors such as Dr Molefi Asante, Dr. John Henrik Clark and Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan, as their works created a series of arguments and counterarguments over the validity of Afrocentric scholarship in the mid 90's.

Although many bemoan the educational gap between African American children (especially males) and their peers, the suggestion of Afrocentric studies as a viable solution to the problem more times than not falls on deaf ears. Despite the fact that many members of my generation who developed a zeal for reading were inspired by a single book dealing with the African experience whether it be "Stolen Legacy" by Dr.George GM James or "Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization" by Dr. Anthony Browder, many do not believe that books dealing with the African experience could have the same effect on this so called Hip Hop generation.

There are several factors which have served as stumbling blocks to Afrocentricity being included in school curriculum, despite years of prodding by grassroots activists concerned about the welfare of black children.

First, it must be understood that while Afrocentricity is an academic construct, for many, the idea is politically charged. Any call for the affirmation of one's "blackness" is usually drowned out by cries of reverse racism and divisiveness

Secondly, Afrocentricity challenges the very foundation of western thought. Many will shudder at the mere fact of their adoration of Greek culture being challenged by pre 19th Dynasty Egypt.

Finally, the resistance that comes from school administrators and educators who have a vested professional interest in preserving the status quo is perhaps the main obstacle . Either they do not have sufficient knowledge of black history, themselves or do not have the courage to challenge the false doctrine of educational white supremacy. As James Lowen wrote in his book, "Lies my Teacher Told Me," "perhaps the most pervasive theme in our history is the domination of black America by white America."

So they are more comfortable allowing our children to become indoctrinated with Hip Hop lyrics and gang rituals instead of inspirational messages of self empowerment.

As we approach this year's Black History Month observation, parents, activists and concerned citizens must demand not only that the concept of black history be expanded to include the entire scope of the African experience but that it be incorporated year round into the curriculum.

One can only guess how much further along, socially, politically and economically my generation would have been if we had only been exposed to the greatness of African cultural history at an early age.

Sadly, 30 years after the fact , I am still angered by the "Go Back to Africa" comments not so much, now, by the ignorance of my white classmates but by my own ignorance that allowed me to take it as an insult in the first place.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Coming in February, the Intelligence Over Ignorance "Take Back Black History" lecture tour.

Black History Month Lecture Tour

Coming February 2010


The Intelligence Over Ignorance Campaign

Presents

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

Taking Back Black History


To book a date call (919) 451-8283 or email info@ioimovement.com

NWSF Bullet: Nike's Black History Month Sneakers

Gee, thanks Nike! (I think...)

I caught Roland Martin's segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, this morning. He had some dude from Nike talking about their new Black History Month Air Force Ones.

http://theshoegame.com/articles/2009-black-history-month-nike-air-force-1.html

Since there are only two days left in Black History Month, I thought it was a little late...But, ok

When the guy said that the sneakers were supposed to commemorate the contributions of African Americans, I thought Tom Joyner posed a legitimate question...

"How? "

Are they going to have pictures of black folks are the shoes?

I don't think that the Nike guy was expecting such a deep question about how a sneaker could represent black history because Joyner had to ask the question again before he got an answer.

At that point Roland Martin came to the rescue by saying that the shoe has a hundred symbol on the back to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NAACP.

(Thanks for clearing that up, Ro. I thought that it was the price of the shoe before tax...)

He also said that the shoe was red, black and green; the colors of Marcus Garvey's Universal African Negro Improvement Organization.

(Psst...Someone please tell the brainiacs at Nike that the NAACP was opposed to the Garvey Movement and the colors associated with it)

Any way, I still thought that it was still kinda cool to put out a Black History shoe. Surely, they must be puttin' the sneakers in hoods across the country for an affordable price of $20 or so and maybe...just maybe...including a black history book in each shoe box...

Nope. They are only producing 350 pairs to be given to black folks who have made a contribution to black history..

I suddenly got a visual of 80 year old Civil Rights veterans sportin' their new kicks and dancin' to Nelly's song "Air Force Ones."

What probably happened is some marketing exec at Nike said , "Hey guys...It's almost March and we haven't exploited Black History Month,yet."

So, they got 350 pairs of old Air Force Ones and spray painted them red, black and green and called the producers at the Tom Joyner Morning Show and got some free advertising on the top rated urban morning show in the country.

Hey, Roland...I'm giving out a couple of No Warning Shots Fired.com Black History Month shoe strings this weekend...

Can I get five minutes on the TJMS to plug my website?

Black History Bailout Tour Comes to Charlotte

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott will bring the Black History Month Bailout Tour to Charlotte NC 2/20. He is scheduled to be part of a panel discussion at Johnson C. Smith University.

NWSF Bullet: Relatively Nonracist

I was listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show this morning and he had as a guest Lerone Bennett, historian and author of such books as "Before the Mayflower." He was discussing his book "Forced into Glory" which seems to say that Honest Abe was not only not so honest but he was a racist, as well.

Now, while some black folks will automatically burst into tears at the mere thought of the dude with the T-Pain hat whose picture used to hang over Grandma's bed next to the portraits of Martin Luther King and the white Jesus being a hata of black folks, it is important to define racism.

Racism is the power of one race to exert influence over another race. Closely related is white supremacy which is a social system that places persons of European descent socially and economically above other races.

So, racism is more than just wanting to lynch a black man just for being black. And white supremacy is about more than parading through town in a white sheet chanting anti-black slogans.

Many people are racists who don't even know that they are practicing white supremacy.

This is so even in regards to the Abolitionists of the 19th century. Just because they didn't believe in slavery as an institution for either economic or moral reasons did not mean that they thought that African people were their equals. (Read "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Lowen and "Black Labor/White Wealth" by Dr. Claude Anderson.)

So, it was with Abraham Lincoln.

But since we're supposed to be putting all of that race stuff behind us and moving forward as a nation, in the spirit of Brotherhood I say;

Happy Birthday President Lincoln....

(racist bastard)

Dark Side of Black History 2009

I wrote this piece about the FBI airing Black History Month spots on black radio stations last year. Since the spots are still airing in 2009, I am reposting the link.

Seems like we never learn...

http://nowarningshotsfired.blogspot.com/2008/02/dark-side-of-black-history-time-to-tell.html

Black History Bailout Tour in Durham 2/12

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott and Dr. Mark Anthony Neal: author and professor at Duke University Dept of African American studies will discuss:


The Hip-Hop Wars in the Age of Obama
Thursday, February 12, 2009
8:00 pm
Friedl Building, 107
Duke Univeristy, East Campus

NWSF Exclusive: The Real X-Man

NWSF Exclusive: The Real X-Man


Everybody's lookin' for a hero. While some are waiting for Wolverine, Cyclops or one of the other X-Men to save the day, No Warning Shots Fired.com recently caught up with another X-Man who is on a mission to save the planet through Hip Hop; Pittsburgh artist Jasiri X.

Jasiri X started rappin' in the early 90's when rap was still in its conscious phase. His first rap was based on Eldridge Cleaver's book "Soul on Ice." However, he says after that as Hip Hop became less conscious, so did his music.

X says that he made a turn around in '96 because of personal situations and his studying of books such as "the Isis Papers" (Dr. Frances Cress-Welsing), "Stolen Legacy" (Dr. George GM James) and "Message to the Black Man" (The Honorable Elijah Muhammad). It was also during that time that he began to listen to the teachings of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and shortly afterwards he joined the Nation of Islam.

Jasiri's first big break came when he read about the Jena 6 situation in the Final Call newspaper. This inspired him to record the anthem, "Free the Jena 6" for his Myspace page. The song was discovered by radio personality Michael Baisden and the rest is history.

Jasiri X is busy these days producing a weekly radio/video spot called, "This Week with Jasiri X." The spots feature X rappin' about news events from the previous week.

When asked about the current state of Hip Hop in 2009, X says that "these are the best of times and the worst of times."

The positive thing is that the internet has leveled the playing field so voices like his can be heard. The negative side is today's music lacks substance and is more about getting attention, producing what Jasiri calls "reality TV music." However, he is confident that good music will stand out even in these times.

What does the future hold for Jasiri X?

He says that peeps should be on the look out for his upcoming cd, "The Autobiography of Jasiri X," which will be released Summer of '09.

So, true Hip Hop heads can rest assure that wherever there is evil, injustice or wack Hip Hop, Jasiri X will be there!

To reach Jasiri X visit his website at http://www.jasirix.com/ or email jasirix@gmail.com



Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com