Not Using Colors 'No More

I'm learning to stop saying black or white, and brown, red or yellow, for that matter, when describing myself and others. Those words are merely colors. They don't define ethnicities and friendships. So as of today Autumn, Martha, Terry, Eliza and Jason are no longer 'my white friends', and hopefully I'll no longer be their 'black' friend. My father used to say how obsessed Americans are about skin color, so he escaped to Canada. Cos while he could only be black in the U.S., he could be himself just seven hours away. Color-coding makes it easier for people to categorize one another, rather than going deeper. Like I know a white-skinned woman who was born in Nigeria and a dark-complexioned bruh who's staight-up Japanese! I'm also gonna stop calling Obama our very first 'black' president, since that's leaving his mother out of the conversation. He can't be himself, so I'll at least consider him our first dark-complexioned prez. It's much more accurate this way and invites you to find out more about him, as opposed to letting a color alone tell the story. We each and all have stories to tell and they're far more interesting than just colors and other labels. Plus, when white or red acts more brotherly than black, it does help put things in their proper perspective. One more reason to close your eyes when you really wanna see a person!

Jerzee Chic

Jerzeechic now harlemchic soon2bcrooklynchic thinkn maybe movindownsouthchic if not outwestchic or maybejuststayputchic nomatterwhatchic shebefinechic...

Typical Times

When you know better and have had better, you have an obligation to ask, 'What else you got?' When you've had mess and are used to mess, you have an obligation to look at your own mess!

Images XII - November Flowers

"This is a time of great transition when the old is falling away, the new emerging, so attachments to the old creates only painful experiences and consequences. How anguishing it must be to grieve the rising of the sun each morning."-- Gary Zukav

Note to Self...

Community activist and photgrapher, Rico Washington (We the People: The Citizens of NYCHA in Pictures) wrote a note to himself-- "Don't blindly follow pop culture and adorn yourself with extra-cultural signifiers that have meaning beyond your immediate scope of comprehension."

Note to self--I gotta remember to thank Rico to show my profound appreciation for the bookstore hook-up. The Black proprietor of the posh spot had invited a few guest writers to showcase their work and left me out cos she didn't think my book would bring in any money. So Rico did his magic and suddenly I was in, tho I still got the nsvip treatment (not so very important person). That night I ended up selling 20 copies while the favorites sold none. This is to say that although the politics of marketing and selling your book (who you know) is just part of a writer's reality, it's nice when Black people actually act like brothers and sisters....thanks again, superbizzee!!!

About Rico's current project: Informed by the spirit of Jacob Riis, Gordon Parks, and former NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) resident Honorable Sonia Sotomayor, journalist Rico Washington and photographer Shino Yanagawa aim to challenge popular stigmas and stereotypes applied to housing projects and the residents who live there. We The People culls from the very essence of sustainability, ingenuity, hope, perseverence, and transcendence through candid interviews and photo shoots with former and current residents of NYCHA's various housing projects. The culmination of the aforementioned photos and interviews is a prospective gallery exhibition in NYC featuring 50 photos, printed interview excerpts, and insightful essays. A prospective book project is also in the making. We The People features interviews from such noteable former NYCHA residents as author/ filmmaker/ cultural critic Nelson George, lauded photographer Jamel Shabazz, Young Lords co-founder/ original Last Poets member/ Emmy award-winning news reporter Felipe Luciano, venerable jazz musician/ recording artist Olu Dara, author/ Emmy award-winning filmmaker Dennis Watlington, Hip-Hop artist/ music industry CEO Buckshot, and more.

We The People is slated to be exhibited in amended form as part of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and Full Spectrum's collaborative city-wide exhibition Curate NYC this October. In addition, We The People has been accepted for exhibition at the Fesman 2010 world festival of Black arts being held in Dakar, Senegal this December.

7 Rules for Writers

Rule #1:
Don't chase publishers who don't chase you

Rule #2:
You don't need a publisher or agent to give you your voice

Rule #3:
Sure it's nice to receive that advanced check and have your name up in lights, but the real money is your market knowin' and feelin' you!

Rule #4:
Good writing is not following standard procedure, but being able to relay your message clearly and profoundly

Rule #5:
Decide whether you want to be a star or a classic, for a star has to keep things Hollywood while classic means transforming people

Rule #6:
A writers' group is not about cocktails and flossin, but workshops and supporting one another

Rule #7:
WRITE!!!

Books For and About Black Men

Souls of My Brothers
Becoming Dad
Black Genius
Living to Tell About It
Standing in the Shadows
Black Men Can't Shoot
Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?
Letters to a Young Brother
Why Are So Many Black Men in Prison?
We Are Cool: Black Men and Masculinity
Beyond the Down Low
Manchild in the Promised Land
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Read Like Yor Life Depends On It
Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys
The Miseducation of the Negro
Sacred Bond: Black Men and Their Mothers
Brotherman
Men in Black
Black Men Have Feelings Too
Successfully Raising Young Black Men
I Killed a Black Man
Stupid Black Men
Soulfires: Young Black Men on Love and Violence



The Minds of Marginalized Black Men
Color Him Father
Brother to Brother: Black Men Speak to Young Black Men
Visions For Black Men
What Black Men Should Do Now
The Black Male Handbook
Black Men Left Behind
Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and Life
The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual
Letters to Young Black Men
Freedom in This Village
From Superman to Man
Stolen Legacy
Know What I Mean?
Testimony
Black Skin, White Masks
The Community of Self
Walking Proud: Black Men Living Beyond Stereotypes
The Spirit of a Man: A Vision of Transformation for Black Men and the Women Who Love Them


Note: Authors' names have been purposely left out, so that you not only research them on your own and make the connections, but also to show how a title alone can conjur up all types of emotions, and assumptions. The title to my own book on Black males has also been left out, since I'm still too many chapters from sharing and too green to stand next to gold!