Reblog - An Open Letter From Assata Shakur: 'I am only one woman' (Video) #handsoffAssata

I reblogged the article below from the Frontlines of Revolutionary Struggle's website. If you are unsure about the current conversation surrounding Assata Shakur, who was, just the other day, the 'first-ever woman to be added to the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list,' I recommend doing a good amount of research on her story, and contributions she has made to the struggle for justice and liberation. Though being convicted by an all-white jury of the murder of a state police officer, like others, I believe Assata's account of what happened on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973, and am convinced of her innocence. I also agree that this sudden act to label her a terrorist, is itself an act of terror.

But I can't put my entire faith into believing this is simply about one woman's plight. The tactics of the United States, and political dissent vis-à-vis Cuba, as well an attempt to divert public attention from innumerable injustices on a local and global level, perpetuated by the imperialistic U.S. government, is at least also at the forefront, I believe. I also recognize this is only part of the legacy of repression and tyranny that has been sustained by the government, that we have seen experienced by those now and in the past -- especially towards those who have sought radical and revolutionary change and social equality for Black, poor and oppressed people.

Even though I admit I'm at a loss on offering ways to challenge someone being placed on a terrorist list, I'm doing what I can to spread the word and looking for whatever ways I can to become involved. I think this starts by hearing Assata in her own words.

An Open Letter From Assata Shakur - May 3, 2013

My name is Assata Shakur, and I am a 20th century escaped slave. Because of government persecution, I was left with no other choice than to flee from the political repression, racism and violence that dominate the US government’s policy towards people of color. I am an ex-political prisoner, and I have been living in exile in Cuba since 1984.

I have been a political activist most of my life, and although the U.S. government has done everything in its power to criminalize me, I am not a criminal, nor have I ever been one. In the 1960s, I participated in various struggles: the black liberation movement, the student rights movement, and the movement to end the war in Vietnam. I joined the Black Panther Party. By 1969 the Black Panther Party had become the number one organization targeted by the FBI’s COINTELPRO program. Because the Black Panther Party demanded the total liberation of black people, J. Edgar Hoover called it “greatest threat to the internal security of the country” and vowed to destroy it and its leaders and activists.

In 1978, my case was one of many cases bought before the United Nations Organization in a petition filed by the National Conference of Black Lawyers, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, exposing the existence of political prisoners in the United States, their political persecution, and the cruel and inhuman treatment they receive in US prisons. According to the report:

I was falsely accused in six different “criminal cases” and in all six of these cases I was eventually acquitted or the charges were dismissed. The fact that I was acquitted or that the charges were dismissed, did not mean that I received justice in the courts, that was certainly not the case. It only meant that the “evidence” presented against me was so flimsy and false that my innocence became evident. This political persecution was part and parcel of the government’s policy of eliminating political opponents by charging them with crimes and arresting them with no regard to the factual basis of such charges. . . . finish reading Assata's open letter

'Eyes of the Rainbow: Assata Shakur [Full] Documentary'

Radical Black #Breastfeeding Bingo, Anyone?

I love Bingo! I have since I was a kid, and could play this game for hours. I usually play no less than several rounds at the family picnic each Summer, hosted by the company my brother-n-law works for. True story. I love the game and they give out great winning prizes. What can I say? J

I was inspired to create the bingo card below, after the idea came from viewing the ways other people have used the famous game to get messages across. I think it is a perfect opportunity to share the way I view structural barriers to breastfeeding for Black women, and the Black community (what stands in the way -- and grasp things at the root), and what I discuss during my presentations, along with what I believe are ways we can work towards solutions. Understand that there is only so much room on this single card; and it doesn't even begin to touch on practical matters -- infant tongue tie, fussy baby, thrush, for example. 

This is not to say that Black women don't have agency -- that Black women who don't breastfeed are nothing more than mindless and oppressed and don't know what they're doing or what's best for their own situations. I don't think that at all. Nor am I saying that those who do never face any social barriers, or don't occupy a social position where they feel these less than others. But I'm looking in on it through a more structural framework -- a larger picture than zeroing in on one Black woman, 10 or even 100. And what I am saying is that breastfeeding is more than simply the mechanical steps of attaching an infant to its mother's breast. If Black women have the lowest initiation and duration rates of any group in the country -- and who are coincidentally disproportionately affected by strategic and systematically crafted structures, which are part of a continued legacy of the most sordid US history, then it is not by chance. If we want to start hearing more about an infant's access to its mother's breast and all of the goodness that comes with that, then we need to look at breastfeeding through a more critical and holistic lens. And talk less about the infant and its mother's breast and more about the issues that are situated between the two. And find ways to challenge these issues. 

I hope you play a round or more of Radical Black Breastfeeding Bingo. And while you are immersed in your game, ask yourself just how you support these structures -- because you know you do. We all do, somehow.

Open Anthropology - A FREE #Anthropology Journal! #MakingAnthropologyPublic

This is cause for celebration. Or at least a few cheers. In an effort to make anthropology more public and to make anthropologists more visible, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) has created Open Anthropology: A PUBLIC JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, an online journal and volume 1, Number 1 -- the inaugural issue is now online, and it's FREE!!

This current issue is titled 'Marriage and other Arrangements'. Here are some of the titles from this volume, which are also linked:

• Re-evaluating Primate Monogamy
• The Impoverishment of Women: A Glimpse of the Global Picture 
• Marriage Rights and LGBTQ Youth: The Present and Future Impact of Sexuality Policy Changes

There are other articles in the journal also, of course, and you can check those out. The AAA, on it's blog, provides the following info about the journal:

"Content in Open Anthropology will be culled from the full archive of AAA publications, curated into issues, and will be freely available on the internet for a minimum of six months, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search or link to the full text of these articles. Each issue will be dedicated to topics of interest to the general public, and that may have direct or indirect public policy implications." 

Below is part of the introduction to the journal form the AAA's president, Leith Mullings:

"Anthropology is the science of humankind, past and present, across societies and cultures. The anthropological perspective is distinct from most social sciences in that it does not accept specific cultural forms and societal arrangements as given or 'natural', but seeks to understand the conditions in which they came to be. As we apply anthropological knowledge — gained from the study of humans and primates through history and across societies — to pressing social issues such as family, war, health, migration, inequality, we ask how these emerge, and are reproduced or transformed. The answers to these questions may provide unique insights into addressing pressing social issues." 

This is why I think everyone needs at least a little bit of anthropology.  And judging from this new initiative, so do they.

If you would like to understand more about the discipline, I recommend you head over. I hope you visit this journal on a regular basis -- or at least often. Here's the link. Make sure you spread the world!

The Top 10 + ONE Reasons Why I focus on Black Women's Breastfeeding - And Won't Apologize!

Some people are taken back when I tell them I'm interested in Black women's breastfeeding. When I'm in conversations with (usually non-Black) people who are advocates, or even others who are not necessarily into the 'breastfeeding thing', and we're on the subject and somewhere in there in there I mention that I want to see Black women's rates increase, there's that split-second pause right before that quizzical look appears on their face, like 'What? You only care about Black women breastfeeding?' Which, of course, is the furthest thing from what I said. Others have insisted that I'm reproducing the same racism that I challenge. I find this is largely the case with white people -- white women, particularly, who are involved in countless initiatives and who work as advocates to get more 'women' on board this breastfeeding train. But taking a look a their agenda, you quickly understand their use of the word 'women' easily translates to white women only, since it never encompasses areas specific to any group outside of their own ethnicity. At least this is my experience.

But I've not only noticed this with white women; this has been true about other people who work in areas specific to their own racial, or cultural group, for example. Let's say I'm talking with a woman with a Romanian heritage and she tells me, whether within breastfeeding or not, the area she specializes in is dealing with women and people from this group. Or, maybe it's someone from Iran, focusing on ways to empower women in the Iranian community. I have had these types of experiences a number of times. I once had a professor who stated she knew so much about Black history because she wanted to know her own Asian-American background in the US, and this history required her to understand African American's. Does it mean that there is no interest in learning about ways to connect with and interact with others, while working towards togetherness and solidarity? That's not the case for me, at least. But it does mean that there is a special area I place my emphasis --and it's clear they also have their own, which never really involves Black women, so I really don't understand why I receive such seemingly and sometimes outright negative reactions.

I decided to put together a short list of my top reasons for focusing in this area on Black women's breastfeeding. It's not exhaustive, or a way to try and justify or defend my focus, but maybe I'd just like to 'put it out there'  -- put that on record. I may list more in the future, but for now here are just a few.

1. I am a Black Woman! Enough said!
2. I love Black women!! Maybe this bears repeating. This does not mean I don't have a love for everyone, but I do have a special place in my heart for my sisters. Even though my feelings have been hurt within the community, as well as learning about the violent climate we have been subjected to, Black women have found creative ways to survive in this society given its history. Black women have built strong communities and continue to be beacons of light for those of us looking for guidance. I love that we have struggled, strived, and continue to work at challenging social injustice for ourselves and others. It is love that has kept us here, and that same love is what drives the desire within us to work with others and create a world free of oppression. 
3. Because I am a Black woman and I love Black women, I have a desire to go deeper into the issues of breastfeeding for Black people and the Black community. I have not found scholarship that delves into the issues I have looked for, where breastfeeding is used as a site to place the larger issues of food, social, and other forms of justice and individual and community agency within this context of infant feeding, for us. 
4. Black women have the lowest breastfeeding initiation and duration rates of any group in this country, and breastfeeding save lives. In fact, our disparity is what lured me to this work. Black babies are dying at an alarming rate, and breastmilk is literally the the difference between life and death for some of them. Breastfeeding can also assist in preserving the health of Black women, who also face inequity in medical care. BTW, this is not the 'oppression olympics' -- I've always rooted for the underdog anyway. Does this mean that I am uninterested in the lives of other people and communities? Not in the least. I believe my attention to our tradition has allowed me to look at understanding the way to view the benefits and cultural and social meaning of others'.   
5. I am a 'Reverse Racist', remember?! -- a 'Racist anti-racist'! Because I challenge dominant structures that work to remain in power, and criticize whiteness on a regular, if not a daily, it means that I am racist against whites. I came to this conclusion a number of months ago, and you can read all about my 'coming out' story, if you click the link to the article at the beginning of this point. Oh, and I work to see how the issues that make me an reverse racist interfere with our breastfeeding rates. But don't worry, it's not like I blame everything on whiteness. I examine other types of social turmoil, as well as how Black intra-racial conflict impedes our success in this area, too. J
6. Black women are apparently non-existent in books, magazines, pamphlets, etc., at the library, schools, and other places that deal with the topic at hand. These texts continue to remain authored by uninterested, culturally insular and/or xenophobic people who completely mull over the unique experiences of Black women. Black women remain left out of their breastfeeding context -- (well, except for in cases when we appear in reading material geared towards low-income, and other governmental agencies, that is). *Sigh* 
7. I've got a lot of Black women to pay back. Helping eradicate breastfeeding disparities is the least I can do. As I've said before once when I learned about the history of Black women in this country, I promised I wouldn't remain silent -- that I would give my best to voice these women and shine a light on their lives and work towards challenging injustice. I would repay them. The universe chose this recompense be through breastfeeding support. I want to repay them for what they went through, what they got to -- and the support and courage for what they continue to do. Without them, there would be no me.
8. Black women DO breastfeed. And breastfeeding is powerful! I have never breastfed a baby myself, but I see the impact it can and does have for the Black community far, far beyond nourishment, and mainstream medical reasoning. I also see the joy it brings to other women, and can empathize with their experiences of bonding, closeness, creating a healthier generation and an overall feeling of cherishing this critical but short time they share with babies. I love that I'm helping to enable other women to experience these same things. 
9. The universe drew me here. Since it wasn't warm fuzzies and sentiments from a personal nursing experience that caused me to become an advocate, if you know how I became active in this area, then you will understand that ending up on the breastfeeding runway is the exact last place in the world I would have ever expected myself to land. Really. If you visit my 'About Me' page, then you will know that I am only responding to a summons from the universe.
10. Anthropology + Black Breastfeeding gives me a rush! 
11. "If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression." I firmly believe that many of the views expressed in the The Combahee River Collective Statement, which was crafted in 1977, remains very true today still and even in this context. Breastfeeding is more than simply the mechanical steps of attaching an infant to its mother's breast. When issues of racial injustice and other forms of systematic oppression that are weighted heaviest against Black women in this country are addressed, then this would mean they are addressed on a larger scale, and that breastfeeding inequity is non longer existent.

'Into a world sick with racism': Can Sex(y) Sell Social Justice For Black People?

The other day I was taking my walk. Just the same as I always do when I'm out -- four times per week, three miles per trip, I had my ipod nano with me on shuffle. Near the end of my routine, one of the tracks from the megastar Janet Jackson played. The track is from the album Janet -- a CD a good friend of mine bought me as a Christmas gift when it was first released back in 1992. Or was it '93? Either way, I still have it, and for the past 20 years as you can imagine, I've heard it numerous times. But strange as it may seem, what stood out to me after all of this time was a track about racism -- titled Racism -- a nine second, 9-word interlude to a quite powerful song about the turning tide, social progression and 'New Agenda' for African American women in this country (all that we've been through): I've embedded the track below, as well as added its text underneath:

'Into a world sick with racism, get well soon.'

Even though I've never given it any real thought, interestingly enough -- perhaps in the back of my mind, I always felt this track was out of place. It may be because, save for a couple of songs from the late 80s, I've never heard much of Janet Jackson speaking (or singing) in the likes of anti-racism and social justice. The large majority of the other titles on this album are dedicated to relationships and sexual activity, and even though I have not purchased any of her albums since sometime in the mid to late 90s, it's probably not an assumption to say given the sultry image she portrays and from the songs I have heard on the radio, this is most likely the case on those successives. But I'm not necessarily here trying to pinpoint Janet Jackson, per se; doing so would be looking through too narrow a lens. She, like many others in the business, have been propped as agents of 'sex' and 'sexy' and have been made into 'sex symbols' in an industry whose purpose is to make money in a society where sex can sell anything from a bag of ice to thumb tacs, a candy bar, a new tire, a flashlight -- or CDs. And the track on her album is what made me think of this idea on racism and social justice, which is why I'm using her as an example. I went to an online site that allows users to create speech bubbles, and with the pictures of Janet Jackson I found online I got a little creative and put together the few below:

Challenge racism, class elitism, white supremacy -- social inequity.

Work to end institutional racism and cool off.

I could not leave a breastfeeding image out.

It's OK to laugh! I had a pretty good one putting these together. But I'm really not trying to be funny. 

Maybe I'm simply trying to understand what it meant back then, or what it means even today that what I view as a seemingly contradictory message of decrying anti-Black racism is coupled with acquiescence to patriarchy and male-domination, white-centric ideas of beauty, body image and capitalism -- all which have worked to ridicule Black women. And therein lies a history of stigma against Black bodies -- and Black women have been commoditized, hyper-sexualized, and considered the antithesis of all things related to real 'womanhood' -- and as I've heard one professor 'Blackness is seen as the most radical form of racial 'otherness.' I'm not judging -- at least that's not my intent. And I know that it can and does happen often that we participate in one form of oppression while denouncing another; I know things are complicated like that. So could this work for Black people? 

We clearly support this industry -- along its various messages. I mean, we never challenge the content, the tactics or question their marketing. And concert ticket sales, billboard charts and the various mansions and flashy cars that Janet Jackson and others live in and drive is the biggest indicator that we're tuned in. So if we infused music, magazines and other mediums with images and slogans like the ones above with popular artists, rock stars and maybe sports figures would it mean we could expect to hear less about young Black men being brutally attacked and gunned down within this racist system that continues to depict these men as just a threat to society? Could sex(y) somehow curve Black on Black crime? Or stop the many intra-racial conflicts in the Black community? Could we expect to see more Black babies at the breast? I mean, want more breastfeeding, right?!

What are your thoughts?

I personally do not believe sex can sell anti-racism or breastfeeding, or anything else for that matter. I mean, someone may buy it, but I believe it would only open up the floodgates for deeper and new forms of oppression and create more ways to strengthen the framework surrounding various exploitations -- racial, gendered and others. To me, it also means continuing to conform to the idea that sex -- and what we have established as so-called 'sexy' holds the answer to all things that we are too often led to believe -- and I have a lengthy list of politics in this area, including the over consumption of sexual activity (No! I don't believe sexual activity, that we are always encouraged to engage in with our significant other or any other consenting adult, is a natural phenomena). In fact, I believe in order to address more issues in general it must begin with the our preoccupation with sex. And even though not everyone may agree with me on this or any of my politics in this area, which is not what I'm asking, what would it mean to if this platform were used to promote anti-racism? I'd love to know what you have to say, really. Because I absolutely want to talk about it.

Update: Just to clarify, when I say I do not believe the sexual activity we are always encouraged to engage in is natural, what I mean by this is even though I believe sex is natural, of course, the way we are always encouraged to OVER-consume and always engage in it is not. But I believe it is learned behavior. I believe the issues behind our preoccupation with sex need to be addressed -- which inevitably shows us the links to this over consumption -- low self-esteem from the messages we receive, patriarchy, capitalism, etc. Hope that makes sense.

Now, back to the lecture at hand.

'It's Only Natural': White Breastfeeding in Blackface?

If you are just now tuning into my blog, then you should know that yes, I do have a problem with everything. Maybe that's a stretch, but it's not too often I find myself taking anything at face value (whether that's always good or bad is up for debate). I like to think my critical thinking skills are always turned on and tuned in, but besides, I have entirely too much of a child-like curiosity, which involves a lot of question-asking, for that. I thought I would briefly weigh-in on this new campaign launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health. It's only natural focuses exclusively on Black breastfeeding. Their website says it "helps African-American women and their families understand the health benefits of breastfeeding—not just for babies, but for moms too," and there are several categories dedicated to the following topics:

• Planning ahead
• Addressing myths
• Overcoming challenges
• Finding support
• Fitting breastfeeding into your life
• My breastfeeding story

I don't want to give the impression that I don't think the site is useful; I think the videos are gorgeous, and the stories by the women who are featured in them are honest and heartfelt. When I first visited, I got a rush, followed by warm fuzzies -- the ones I always get when I hear about Black women breastfeeding. But after I looked at it again, I couldn't help but think of how much this initiative reminded me of a quote by Audre Lorde that a friend shared the other day, on Black Feminism, and all that it encompasses in what is the complexity of Black women's lives:

“Black feminism is not white feminism in blackface. Black women have particular and legitimate issues which affect our lives as Black women, and addressing those issues does not make us any less Black.”

I have criticized the free breastfeeding books offered by the Office on Women's Health before -- the ones that supposedly highlight the different "ethnic" groups; African American, Latina, Native American, and Chinese (though I could not read this last one). A cursory look may not reveal much, but a deeper one will show that they are literally nothing more than a murmur of white culture; (check them out, and compare them with the so-called "neutral" one they offer -- the one filled with majority white people -- because white is always considered the objective, of course). The OWH claims they are exclusive to each group, but if you look closer, you will undoubtedly agree that they simply herald the breastfeeding culture of white society, with Women of Color used as proxies. They reproduce mainstream ideas about breastfeeding, and don't delve deeper into areas that truly concern us, from our own perspective and our place in this society. This is, at least, how I see it. And these ideas seems to be along the same lines of the It's only natural campaign, and because of that, there are a few questions I have: 

Where are the issues specific to Black women -- instead of just repeating that 'Black women don't breastfeed' and simply saying we need to -- and showing us how to put a baby on our chest? Why are they making the breastfeeding inequity a Black woman's pathology instead of implicating other people who are responsible? And when I say 'other people,' I mean everyone! Where are the conversations on institutional racism that is perpetuated throughout society, and stand in the way of a slew of areas that shapes how we feel about our bodies, our self-esteem, our family life and every other area? White supremacy? The glorification of white bodies? The vilification of our partners, or the history of mistrust with healthcare professionals? Where is the conversation about structural violence, and how we can challenge this outside of the breastfeeding realm, which is inextricably linked to our rates?

I won't deny that just seeing or hearing the breastfeeding stories of those among our peer group, or others in our social circle can offer support. I recall the presentation by the founder of the Black Mothers' Breasfeeding Association last year at the ROSE Summit -- and how she shared that her presence alone -- being physically there in the company of a Black mother who was on the cusp of quitting was enough to encourage this woman to continue nursing her child (yes, I have goose bumps right now -- just like I did when I listened to this from my seat in the audience, almost one year ago). And I'm not saying that It's only natural does not provide assistance to women. What I am saying is that breastfeeding is more than simply the mechanical steps of attaching an infant to its mother's breast -- especially for Black women. And Black people. If indeed we have the lowest rates of any group in this country it is not just by chance. And the Office on Women's Health must take this into account as well as a more critical and holistic look into this area, and integrate these important aspects as part of their strategy, if they truly wish to impact and create real and lasting change.

But these are just some of my early thoughts.

Have you visited the site? What are yours?

'Living DOWN' to white standards: A Dr. William Henry 'Bill' Cosby, Jr., Ed. D-Inspired Post!

Ahhhh. I had no intention at all of writing this post. I signed out of Blogger, after posting my article for this week, on what I'm reading and was going to call it a day, after I excitedly shared with my facebook peeps that I had, for the first time used the word 'vaginally' on my site, that has been almost exclusive to breasts. But since someone shared a link with me, now I'm going to talk about Bill Cosby around here?! To what do I owe thee? It's all connected anyway.

A couple of people have asked me if I have seen this image of Bill Cosby -- the one I inserted in this post, up top. Underneath the original image floating around the web, it has an almost novel-like inscription directed to not just Black youth, but to the whole community. Have you see it? For some reason I got the impression that it was from the early 2000s, but now I'm thinking it was from recent(?) If you follow me on Twitter, then maybe you caught the brief conversation between myself and my tweeps about it the other night. And I knew that if I offered my quick response 'Yes, I've seen it, and don't agree' then it would be followed by another and morph into a potentially long debate, I figured I'd share my thoughts here. Yes, I have see it! In fact, not only have I seen this, but I would argue that Bill Cosby is largely incorrect, by offering such a narrow perspectives of the issues, and I find so many things wrong with what he says.

I want to start a conversation about this. Yes, I believe that instead of always talking about floods -- the problem, we need to practice the 'Noah Principle' and build arks -- offer solutions. But what may be best for my social circumstance, for example, may not be best for the next one, so at the end of this post, I'd like you to weigh in with your thoughts.

To be clear, I have NO problem criticizing my community. I admit that once upon a time I may have been reluctant to do so because I thought that if I did so then it would mean that I was not working to clear up these issues instead of bringing them to the forefront. Not anymore. In fact, if you've been reading along then you would know that this is a new area I focus on in breastfeeding research -- what role do we as Black people play in our own disparities? I have no issues with calling things out. What he is doing, however, is quite a bit different, and is basing his information on the perceived (and largely accepted) normalized representation that reflects white ideas and ideals -- at least in some areas, if not most.

First, Bill Cosby, Heathcliff, or whatever he calls himself these days -- Dr. William Henry 'Bill' Cosby, Jr., Ed. D, as it was inscribed at the bottom of the post -- his full name with credentials means it looks more official, I guess, criticizes Black people's use of language, by saying that we don't speak properly. Well, there are some Black people who are praised for how articulate we are and how proper we speak (insert *ugh*), so I reckon he was just talking to some Black folks:

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk: Why you ain't, Where you is, What he drive, Where he stay, Where he work, Who you be... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk. Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living."

Getting straight to the point, there is NO such thing as the 'proper' language. All languages are grammatically correct. Bill Cosby (and countless others) have ideas that are based on centuries of English domination and imperialism, which has been used to subjugate others. In reality, *as long as one person understands the point another is trying to covey, that is ALL that matters.* Whether that is Ebonics, Jive, or any other broken and mixed-up usage, what counts is that I get what you are saying. The idea of 'proper' usage is based on nothing more than a system of power, where many people continue to say that this grasp of the English language means we are forced to try and 'live up' to white standards. But I say, if your natural tongue is being denigrated, while cultural genocide and ethnic cleansing happens as the inevitable result by whiteness and English, which has worked ardently for centuries to become the apotheosis of the world around us, then this is not 'living up' to white standards, since this is not ascension. In fact, it's 'living down'.

I just found out there will be a Star Wars Episode 7. Crazy, eh?!

Next, Jr., shed some light on our decline since the days of the the Civil Rights Movement:

"People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an Education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around."

You mean like the people marching around and being arrested as we speak protesting the closure of over 60 schools in Chicago? SIXTY!!!!! Mostly elementary schools in Black and Brown neighborhoods? I've inserted a few images, just in case you need a visual.

Keep in mind, Cliff, that this is only a very small glimpse of the overall climate of the racial injustice and culturally insular society, built on a legacy of exclusion directed at our communities. Black literacy was once punishable by death, remember? And even while marching, after Brown v. Board of Education, which he referenced, a suit that argued against the so-called 'separate but equal' law when in actuality Black kids were in sub-optimal classrooms, without running water, libraries, space to move around and learn in creative environments. Remember the money pumped into white households via the racist wallets of the U.S Government (which actually because of taxes everyone paid for), to send white kids to what we now call private schools, to avert interaction with Black ones? Do the images above remind you of something? Should I get into irony of current outdated textbooks, if any at all, thrown down as the crumbs from white people's educational plate, and infused with bullshit ideas on centuries of so-called white sovereignty, being made to abide by a one-talk, one-think system inspired by white standards, that ridicules anyone with a difference -- of opinion -- or of anything. And where being more active and energetic than the student next to you lands you a seat with the psychologist, whose textbook knowledge paints everyone with the same white-centric psychological brush, that is far from many actualized truths.

I won't really get into the $500 sneakers, really, because frankly we've all been duped in that area. I'm not saying that everyone has done so or that I've ever bought a pair of $500 dollar tennis shoes -- or a $500.00 pair of anything for that matter. No way! My most expensive pair of shoes I have are actually not shoes -- my dark chocolate/espresso brown Birkenstock Livorno boots that I got for half price = $125.00, about seven years ago. I admit I do love them. But I'm not worried, because I know Dr. Huxtable isn't really talking about shoes. I mean, I'm sure this is just an example he's referring to because of a much larger issue, and he's right. The issue -- you know the ubiquitous commercials, and billboards that surround us? The pamphlets we receive in the mail and articles promoting consumer goods, that now play before youtube videos? They're also embedded on websites each time you click on a link, and also in the newspaper, -- many people allow them on their personal sites in order to generate revenue from the sales. These corporations even start the kids off early by ensuring they're riddled with a dose of endorsements, with a lineup played during their Saturday morning cartoons -- and all of the other ways we have marketing brutally forced on us without our consent -- just like the ones that came on during your show. Shows. The same ones plastered everywhere that constantly tell us we're useless without their 'stuff' -- yes, even the numerous jello pudding pops you once peddled (I've inserted one of your many commercials for the brand below -- for sentiment. They remind me of my childhood).

Well, consequently, these same messages are ones that disproportionately affect the communities that you pinpoint -- the ones who, according to you, have no money for 'real' things, and are 'uneducated' or undereducated, have low literacy rates. And as it turns out, William, personal property and consumption offer a greater sense of security -- a way to fit in with others around. And though it's definitely a false-sense of security, a feeling of higher self esteem, which then falsely morphs into a sense of a higher social esteem (yes, I have personally researched this). But this is not exclusive to these communities, but they just face the brunt of the stigma. I  mean I bet you and the people in your own social circle fall victim to aggressive marketing or a desire to fit in. What kind of cars do you drive?

Maybe at some point I'll get into my thoughts on the idea of the so-called normative nuclear family, another area he criticized, along with his other opinions on our names, and sentiments towards Africa, and I may even continue the conversation on all aspects because there is just so much more to say. For now, though, I think my point is clear. I'm not placing Blacks in a position of people without agency. That is farthest from what I think or believe. And I'm not suggesting we can't do something, because I know there are plenty of areas that need improvement, and agree it is absolutely frustrating as humanly possible. But there is a much larger picture, and a one-sided argument excluding the details of how some are gaining while others remain on the sidelines is getting us nowhere. 

Bill Cosby is praised for his philanthropy, and hailed for his multimillion dollar donations -- especially that one --  when he cut a 20-million dollar check to Spelman University some time back. Was it the 90s? That is some gesture. And I can see his desire to help improve certain social circumstances. But Bill Cosby profits off of and supports the system run by corporate moguls that only reinforces this dynamic of power and inequality, worldwide! I would be much more inclined to believe in this type of work if it actually did something, perhaps, like criticize a system that allows ONE man to make that much money by doing nothing more than reading some scripts from a piece of paper into a T.V. screen -- nothing that betters the human condition, if it even contributes to anything at all. Some people get 20 million dollar checks, others starve -- are out on the streets -- aren't in school -- don't have jobs....

CRITICIZE THE FOUNDATION THAT SUPPORTS THIS DYNAMIC. 

Get to the root!

If you support what he's saying, then that is your right. But I don't think I'm too fundamental in my thinking to say that this is a much larger problem, one we all must take part in to create a more just society and a more equitable world. Conversations like these, geared at maligning more vulnerable populations are just another way for each of us to try and weasel our way out of recognizing that We are ALL to blame, and are ALL responsible. And we must keep this in mind if we are going to create change. We all play a part. Myself. Others. And yes, William Henry Cosby. Even you.