Rather see the above links in your inbox or feed reader?
Subscribe to our Links for hand-picked items from around the web
odds and ends from other galaxies · by Rafi Kam
1. Aside from a few OhWord contributors, we had a 24 hour span where the only three commenters were Pudgee tha Phat Bastard, Anttex’s manager and Erykah Badu.
2. We used to fuss when other blogs dissed us. No heat, nor time to wonder why Vibe’s list missed us – but at least Chicago Reader showed OhWord a lot of love in their recent Bless 1 write-up.
3. I’m usually not one for podcasts but I highly recommend this Addicted to Race discussion with Stephen Duncombe that I came across randomly last night. Duncombe is the author of a fascinating sounding book called Dream. The focus is on how activists or progressive types should be using fantasy as a more effective means to fighting conservative reality-shaping.
After sending the link to RHS he reciprocated with a very similar themed book that he happened to have in pdf form – Freedom Dreams by Robin Kelley. Kelley advocates the fortifying power of surrealism for black artists and activists and illustrates that it has been a natural fit already. All of this strongly relates to both a vast content project we’ve been kicking around that I’m not yet at liberty to divulge and our own recent discussions of what actions enlightened people should be taking to effectively change the world.
All this talk of dreams and the surreal brings back to discussion another text RHS had sent my way the previous day – the lucid and insightful manifesto “Will Globalization Destroy Black America?“ by Phillip Jackson of the Chicago-based grass roots organization “The Black Star Project” (no Mos). “Will Globalization…” is extremely real and instead of a dream describes our peculiar half-sleeping state, pinpointing the educational divide that separates not only black from white but those stuck in the past from those who will shape the future. Jackson discusses the cultural value systems that currently enforce this divide and pragmatically lays out a five point plan for solving the problem. As RHS points out in light of Duncombe’s advice, Jackson’s text is sort of bland and lacks panache. That’s fine for laying out a grass roots strategy but it won’t capture the public’s imagination.
Looking at a five point plan with such lofty goals:
“1) Deconstruct value systems that have caused Black people to arrive at the precipice of non-existence; 2) Construct value systems that will rebuild the Black family as a purveyor of positive values, cultures, mores and education, and re-establish the Black family as the primary and most important social unit of our culture and society; 3) Embrace education as the highest value in the Black community; 4) Effectively manage the negative cultural influences that hugely impact the thinking and actions of Black boys; and 5) Understand that for the rest of existence, change is a required part of the living process. The faster Black America is able to put this plan into action, adopt these new principles and manage change, the more likely we will survive.”
You have to realize that this is the kind of thing that can’t be solved with simply a project manager approach. It’s going to take some magic.
Call out your best shamans.
“Call out your best shamans.”
I’ve got Rafiki on line one. Does he count?
— Danny! Oct 16, 11:09 AM
Danny!
When attempting to subvert the shackles of an oppressive reality, a disney created shaman is probably not our best bet.
— Rafi Oct 16, 12:56 PM
Yeah, you’re probably right. He’s just the first guy that popped in my mind, plus we were roommates in college.
All jokes aside, I wish I weren’t such a pessimist. I’d like to think that Black America would want to implement some, if not all, of Jackson’s plan but even if we did I don’t think I’ll live long enough to see the results come into fruition.
— Danny! Oct 16, 01:41 PM
Another helpful read for re-framing perception is George Lakoff’s The Elephant In The Room"
— R Oct 16, 02:29 PM
WOW @ Badu commenting on oh word. not all blogs can say that.
— khal Oct 16, 04:03 PM
Bound to catch the Izm or something.
Not saying I got it, but yo if I got it – you got it!
— Rafi Oct 16, 04:11 PM
Word, that Lakoff book is fucking brilliant.
— Abe Beame Oct 16, 05:03 PM
Yeah, I’d heard about that Lakoff book before. I’ll have to check it out.
— Rafi Oct 16, 06:35 PM