"YOU PEOPLE"

Toni Morrison was accused of not writing about WHITE PEOPLE while yet her writings CENTERED AFRICAN AMERICANS concerning White people

Toni Morrison started out understanding the weight of the word MINORity.

Toni Morrison was the ONLY AFRICAN AMERICAN IN HER PRESCHOOL AND ALSO THE ONLY LITERATE ONE of which was FORBIDDEN during that day and time

Toni Morrison is indeed an African American and she lived the African American experience

Toni Morrison is indeed an African American and she mastered the code switching skill we must hone

Toni Morrison is indeed an African American and understood the way that we African Americans had the maneuver this racist society to elevate and succeed

Toni Morrison spoke to her people

Toni Morrison knew the heart beat of her people

Toni Morrison knew the depth of her people

Toni Morrison was her people

Every letter she tossed up and allowed to land and it landed in the most synchronic order was indeed ABOUT WHITE PEOPLE

WHITE PEOPLE were the reason why she wielded her many pens to African Americans

WHITE PEOPLE were the reasons why she penned the eloquent words that she did

WHITE PEOPLE were the reasons why she wrote in coded but in clear and memorable ways

WHITE PEOPLE were indeed written about by Toni Morrison and all of the time

WHITE PEOPLE, YOU FELT SHE DID NOT WRITE ABOUT YOU OR TO YOU BECAUSE OF THE LIGHT SHE CAST UPON YOU

WHITE PEOPLE YOU JUSS WERE NEVER CENTERED

YOU WERE ALWAYS IN HER WRITINGS SHE JUST WAS SUCH A PROLIFIC WRITER TO THE POINT THAT SHE CENTERED AFRICAN AMERICANS AS SHE DISSECTED YOU

I GUESS THAT IS WHY SHE WAS OUR HONORABLE NOBEL LAUREATE!

Malcom X said in 1962, “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman.”

Here you are:

standing tall, standing strong, standing intentional, standing boldly and standing on purpose:

BEING HEARD

BEING VISIBLE

BEING FELT

BEING CLEAR

Here you are:

writing history, writing truth, writing heartache, writing blatant disregard and writing lasting impressions

Here you are:

speaking with compassion, speaking extremely clear, speaking with dignity, speaking with empathy, speaking with experince, speaking for the mute, ignant and unseen

Here you are:

taking lemons and making lemonade, taking bricks thrown at you and building cathedrals, patting down feces to assure your palm tree will be ripe, going through every storm and wave knowing it is necessary to grow and matriculate up this your life’s journey

Here you are:

understanding the struggle, understanding your calling, understanding your ancestors, understanding the systems and understanding the power of your voice

Here you are:

showing what strength is, showing what ownership is, showing what command is, showing what being unapologetic is and showing what being fierce looks like.

Here you are:

not heeding, not bowing down, not hiding, not accepting and not stuttering

Here you are:

TAKING THE BATON, TAKING THE LEAD, TAKING YOUR RANK, TAKING YOUR OATH SERIOUSLY, TAKING INTEGRITY FOR WHAT IT IS…….IN and others can’t accept it because they never had to have it

Here you are:

thankful for the light, thankful for the journey, thankful for being chosen for change, thankful for being in a sorority of BLACK WOMEN WHO ARE SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK AND TIRED

TO OUR HONORABLE WORDSMITH

TO OUR HONORABLE EPISTOLARIAN

TO OUR HONORABLE MATRIARCH OF OUR BLACK CULTURE

TO OUR HONORABLE FOUNDATION

TO OUR HONORABLE GUIDE

TO OUR HONORABLE COMPASS

TO OUR HONORABLE SEASONED SENIOR

TO ONE I WILL GLADLY PAY HOMAGE

YOU SAID, “IF THERE’S A BOOK THAT YOU WANT TO READ, BUT IT HASN’T BEEN WRITTEN YET, THEN YOU MUST WRITE IT.”

WE POC EMBODY JUSS. WE NEVER THINK OF WHAT IS INSIDE OF US INNATELY. WE NEVER GIVE SACREDNESS TO WHAT COMES THROUGH US NATURALLY. WE NEVER THINKK OF WHAT WE DO IN OUR SPARE TIME THAT WE; JUSS DO. WE NEVER THINK OF THE BRILLIANCE OF THE AMBIANCE WE CREATE. WE NEVER THINK OF THE THINGS WE PUT TOGETHER AS ARTISTIC. WE NEVER THINK OF OUR RESILIENCE; EVERY TIME DOORS SLAM AND WE KEEP IT MOVING AND OPENING OTHERS. WE NEVER THINK OF OUR DRIVE, BEING OUR CHILDREN, FAMILY OR PERSONAL EVERYDAY WE GET UP AND TYRY AND SUCCEED OR FAIL BUT WE STILL HAVE THAT DRIVE WITHIN.  WE NEVER THINK OF OUR OPTIMISM AS WE STILL SMILE IN THE FACE OF HURT, PAIN, DISGUST, HUMILIATION AND ALTHOUGH IT GETS TIRING AND PLAYED OUT; WE STILL MASTER IT.  WE NEVER THINK OF THE CONFIDENCE WE EXUDE EVEN WHEN OTHERS FEEL AND SAY WE CAN’T OR SHOULDN’T.

WE JUSS COOK

WE JUSS DO HAIR

WE JUSS SPEAK

WE JUSS ENCOURAGE

WE JUSS HEAL

WE JUSS CHAUFFER

WE JUSS FIX

WE JUSS TEACH

WE JUSS SPEAK

WE JUSS SPEAK

WE JUSS INVEST

WE JUSS SEW

WE JUSS HEM

WE JUSS SERVE

WE JUSS PROTECT

WE JUSS SAVE

FOR EVERY JUSS WE CAN CREATE LUCRATIVE BUSINESS AND HIRE OUR OWN BUT WE ARE TRAINED TO NOT SEE PUR JUSS AS MARKETABLE AND BUSINESS WORTHY WHEN WE ARE WALKING CEO’S BUT THAT MONKEY WRENCH CALLED LICENSURE, CERTIFICATION AND

IT IS TIME!

YOU LAID THE FOUNDATION OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO

YOU LAID THE DOUNDATION OF WHAT WE NEED TO SAY

YOU LAID THE FOUNDATION THAT IS HOLDING US UP EVER SO STRONGLY

YOU LEFT DURING A TIME OF MASS SHOOTING, HEIGHTEN AND VISIBLE RACISM, YOUTH DYING AS MARTORS.

YET, YOU LEFT US AND IT WAS TIME, YOU WERE PRESENTED WITH THE HIGHEST HINOR BY OUR DIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND LEFT OFFICE SAYINF THE CONSTITUTION WAS A BESUTIFUL PEICE OF PARCHMENT BUT THE PEOPLE GIVES IT POWER

TODAY, IT IS TIME THAT WE POC FINALLY RISE UP AND TAKE OUR PLACE

THE EXCUSES AND REASONS THEY HAVE GIVEN THESE WHITE MASS SHOOTERS ARE HONESTLY JUSTIFIED FOR MEN AND WOMEN OF COLOR.

WE HAVE HEARD TROUBLED HOME LIFE

WE HAVE HEARD DIVORCE

WE HAVE HEARD NO FATHER IN THE HOME

WE HAVE HEARD SEEN ABUSE

WE HAVE HEARD ENDURED ABUSE

WE HAVE HEARD TRANSIENT

WE HAVE HEARD THAT THEY FACED HUNGER

WE HAVE HEARD THE VIDEO GAMES THEY PLAYED WERE VIOLENT

WE HAVE HEARD THE INTERNET

WE HAVE HEARD RACIST LEADERS

WE HAVE HEARD POVERTY

YET THOSE ARE THE EXACT SAME THINGS WHICH ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH BEING POOR AND BLACK IN AMERICA SO THEREFORE IT SHOULD BE INDEED UNDERSTOOD TO BE JUSTIFIABLE IF THEY BECAME MASS SHOOTERS, I MEAN AFTER ALL WE KNOW THOSE THINGS ARE NOTHING NEW:

WE KNOW WHEN THEY WERE LYNCHING BLACK PEOPLE IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF VIDEO GAMES

WE KNOW WHEN THEY WERE BURNING PEOPLE ALIVE IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF VIDEO GAMES

WE KNOW WHEN THEY WERE TERRORIZING PEOPLE IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF VIDEO GAMES

WE KNOW WHEN THEY WERE MAKING BLACK PEOPLE SIT IN THE BACK OF THE BUS, TRAIN AND PLANE IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF VIDEO GAMES

WE KNOW WHEN THEY DENIED BLACK PEOPLE EMPLOYMENT IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF VIDEO GAMES

WE KNOW WHEN THEY DENIED BLACK PEOPLE EQUAL RIGHTS IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF VIDEO GAMES

WE KNOW WHEN THEY CREATED THESE 1800’S LAWS, RULES, MANDATES, POLICIES, RULES AND CODES IT AS NOT BECAUSE OF VIDEO GAMES

WE KNOW THAT LIVING IN POVERTY IS INTENTIONALLY LEGISLATED

WE KNOW WORKING BELOW MINIMUM WAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEGISLATED

WE KNOW BEING TOLD COLLEGE IS OUR TICKET OUT OF POVERTY IS INTENTIONALLY LEGISLATED

WE KNOW THAT EVERY ASPECT OF LOANS IN AMERICA THAT PREY UPON THOSE THEY DENY REPUTABLE EMPLOYMENT AND LIVABLE WAGES ARE INTENTIONALLY LEGISLATED

WE KNOW SENDING OUR CHILDREN TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO NOT BE READY FOR OUR TOMORROW IS INTENTIONAL

WE KNOW THAT THE CURRICULUM OUR CHILDREN GET IN THE INNER CITY IS NOT COMPARABLE TO THOSE IN AFFLUENT AREAS

WE KNOW THAT EVERY SYSTEM IN AMERICA THAT OVERLAP AND INTERCONNECT ARE SET UP TO PREY UPON BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE

WE KNOW THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT PLANT DRUGS ON US

WE KNOW OUR LOVED ONES ARE CAGED FOR CRIMES THEY ARE INNOCENT

WE KNOW THAT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN FREE LABOR, YOU HAD TO CRAFT WAYS THROUGH FALSE NARRATIVES TO BECOME VULTUTURES TO IGNORANT BLACK PEOPLE

WE KNOW YOU CREATE, CONTROL AND PUSH LANGUAGE THAT WE ARE NOT PRIVY OF WHICH, YOU CRIMINALIZE US

WE KNOW YOU LEGISLATE THE VERY POVERTY, OPPRESSION AND CRAP WE FACE AND THEN TURN AROUND AND HOLD UP A STANDARD YOU KNOW WE ARE UNABLE TO REACH AND THEN CRIMINALIZE US

WE KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN MALCIOUS, VICIOUS, AND VILE FOR THE PAST 400 PLUS YEARS

WE KNOW ALL OF THESE THINGS AND WE ARE NOT WALKING AROUND SHOOTING UP THE WORLD BECAUSE WE FEE SLIGHTED

SO WE WANT TO ACT LIKE THOSE VIOLENT TENDANCIES, ACTS, SPEECH AND THOUGHTS ARE SOMETHING NEW WHEN ACTUALLY IT HAS BEEN THE FOUNDATION OF THIS COUNTRY?

THIS WOMAN WAS ONE LIT WOMAN!!!!

SHE LIT FLAMES

SHE LIT DARK SPACES

SHE LIT SOULS

SHE WAS JUST LIT

YET, SHE PERFECTED LIT

SHE WAS A LITERARY WOMAN

SHE WAS A WOMAN OF GREAT LITERATURE

SHE WAS A WOMAN OF LI

SHE WAS A WOMAN THAT LIBERATED THROUGH HER WORDS

SHE WAS A WOMAN WHO LIBLED THOSE WHO WERE IGNORANT

SHE WAS A WOMAN WHO…….

SHE ENCOURAGED US TO WRITE, RELEASE, EDUCATE AND LEARN.

SHE ENCOURAGED US TO LOOK DEEP WITHIN AND UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE WALKING LITERARY GENRES.

SHE SAID, “IF THERE’S A BOOK THAT YOU WANT TO READ, BUT IT HASN’T BEEN WRITTEN YET, THEN YOU MUST WRITE IT.” TONI MORRISON

HOW IRONIC, I WAS IN THE LIBRARY A PLACE WHERE ONE CAN BE FREE TO LEARN, DREAM, IMAGINE, GROW, ENVISION AND BEETTER THEMSELVES AND UNDERSTAND THAT A BETTER WORLD BEGIN WITHIN THEM.

THE LIBRARY IS A PLACE OF TOTAL LIBERATION.

HOW SOMETHING, I AM SEATED AT THE CHECK OUT DESK WHEN I LEARNEED THAT THIS WOMAN, A BLACK WOMAN’S SURVIVAL THIS WOMAN OF GREAT LITERARY WORK HAS CHECKED OUT.

YOU, MY MENTOR WERE A WOMAN OF MANY WORDS THAT WERE PURE, MEANINGFUL AND HAD LEGES OF MANY.

THE WAY YOU WIELD THE DEPTH OF YOUR PAIN, HEART AND SOUL AND IT TRANSMITTED INTO OTHER WRITERS TO GET US TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE TOO ARE ONE THE NEXT GENERATION THAT WE MUST PEN OUR STORY, OUR TRUTH.

JOB WELL DONE LADY MORRISON!

CHARACTER-People came in and out of your life, People invested and divested; people deposited and withdrew, People spoke well and cursed but THEY ALL were essential bot play roles such as historians, antagonists, protagonists

MAIN IDEA– My goal was to make sure that I was not a statistic as I had you “out of wedlock” that I raised a respectable, well-educated, compassionate and giving young man and I am confident I succeeded

SETTING-Everywhere we went you were spoken highly of, they were amazed at your vocabulary, mannerism, consideration and reasoning skills. I demanded it from you and refused to accept anything less from you because I made sure a zip code would NOT dictate if you could or couldn’t and YOU DID NOT DISAPPOINT

PLOT– America’s plot for you BLACK MAN was to the best of my ability interrupted when I began to be honest with me, be honest with where I was, and begin to want to understand my parents and our history and uproot my issues and reach out for help so I could heal myself and us

THEME- being a PARENT when I did not know how to be a person was a chore was hated by me. Yes, I HATED AND DIDN’T WANT to be a mother because I DID NOT KNOW ME but the more I uprooted and tilled my soil; the more I began to embrace you as the BLESSING GOD BESTOWED UPON ME

POINT OF VIEW-Just like any BLACK WOMAN who conceive, nurture, protect and birth their child, there comes that MOMENT of dread that they can be stripped from you FOR NO REASON and in this reality and not the IDEAL world I had in my heart and mind; I began to educate and love on those around you so that they can be supportive and kind neighbors for you and you for them, NO SIR did NOT mean to put this and others before us, just KNEW FIRST HAND how the cycles could be broken and I GOT TO WORK dismantling them, so I thought

RISING ACTION– You provoked conflict, you built tension and you generated interest because the level of your writing ability, the level of your articulation was somehow NOT supposed to be given the zip code but what they didn’t know; your MOM chose to come back and who you were was not where you were

FALLING ACTION- The narrative we started with in Chapter 1 and the journey towards Chapter 16 where those loose ends were clipped so wholeness and healthiness could begin its resurrection; it is in the chapters of your 20’s that I pray that you can see “in this climate” the why’s how’s and when’s of being a BLACK MOM in the hood of America that we are NOT a monolith but at the same time dealt what we are dealt and raise our children the best we know how with what we are familiar and

RESOLUTION-The goal is to be the change, the cycle breaker, be what you needed, be what you should have had and make sure when your son look up at you; it is NEVER in regret but with sincere and unquestionable love and a heart of peace

You are on CLASSIC when it comes to supporting, and elevating those around you

You are our COMICAL young man when the house is LIT and in NEED of light, you never fail

You are our FABLE who always taught me and showed me morality when I didn’t deserve nor recognize it

You are our FICTION because if you are HONESTY, when you look behind you, ONLY GOD was the reason you have kicked down doors, sat across the tables from and gave your voice to and stood in assurance on what you know and who you are

You as the oldest, if you get nothing else from me, I am hoping you will become our FOLKLORE and bring back what we once had in our BLACK VILLAGE, the 7 principles of Kwanza speaks of the NEED for us to be self sustaining and self reliant: UNITY, SELF DETERMINATION, COLLECTIVE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY, COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, DIVEST FROM OTHERS AND INVEST IN US, PURPOSE, CREATIVITY AND FAITH

You are our LEGEND because of the life you have lived, the things you have experienced and impact you have made and we know the struggle but YOU did, had, and made it, in spite of what it looked like to us

You are a TALL TALE if you think we think defeat, denial, oppression will be words you uphold. You can’t, you shouldn’t and you won’t are only real UNLESS you embody them

You are our POETRY because the rhythmic quality of every chapter, every experience, every opportunity and every defiant move is worth putting on replay and pause simultaneously

You are a SUSPENSE because you amaze others, you shock others, you throw others off but we KNOW what you are made of, we KNOW your capability, we KNOW WHO YOU ARE FOR REAL

Lastly, YOU ARE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S BIRTHDAY BUDDY. #Holiday

LOVE YOUR FAMILY!