Black Connections (Bconx)

To All Idren Storytellers, Artists & Teachers:

Stop the death of vibrating curiosity in children…Today.
~ fist tap to Sis. Tonia

Originile House Arkytect, awo

"Once the slave has his master's education, the slave wants to be like his master, wants to share his master's property, and even wants to exercise the same privileges as his master while he is yet in his master's house."
~Malcolm X, The Speeches of Malcolm X at Harvard

No Mirrors In Nana's House

"It is very easy to get used to what is terrible." (2000 Seasons)

NO. (smile).

Disc on nect.Shun

"...In your labyrinthine journey in the white world, the world of iron, learn to catch the thought behind the machine or it will swallow you."
~Malidome Some's Grandfather

42-Five

"...and every day I would come into the chamber, and he would say [Southern Accent]

"Ms. Chisolm how you doin'?"

I said. "Oh I'm feelin' pretty well."

"My! Imagine, making 42-fiiive like me."

I said, "What did you say?"

"Ms. Chisholm, you makin' 42-fiiiive like me."

This is what i kept hearing. - "42-fiiive!"

So finally, one day, it was just too much. I said two things. "First of all since you can't stand the idea of my making 42 five like you, when you see me coming into this chamber, each day vanish. Vanish until I take my seat, so you won't have to confront me with this 42-five." I said, "Secondly, you must remember I'm paving the road for a lot of other people lookin' like me to make "42-fiiive"!"

~Shirley Chisolm, Chisolm 72': Unbought & Unbossed

Cuffs

The Refined Lies
of Cuffs
tell me again why they behave so
who caused the break down to build up
and spew over into no respect
lewd access
celebratory emissions of violent zest
from outside again
wash me rain
uncloak the smell of the near to do well
uncomb the style into substance
please nature give back the wind to the distance
and take it away from the bluff
the words that are never enough
take from my sleeves the refined lies of cuffs
take the gamble the rolling preamble
into respectability.
~Vaughn Benjamin, Koll Pekude

Yuts Dem Can Learn from Self Taught Teachers

~Clyde W. Ford, The Hero with an African Face, Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa. (link)

Sister KnowKnew

(link)

“…but when you work in this field, you have to be yourself authentically. I don’t want to be anything but an African-American, that’s who I am. And when I talk to you about the issue I have to talk to you as an African-American.

It’s not that I am interested only in African-Americans, but I have to tell you about my life experience as an African-American. It’s not a matter of color, it’s the life experience. And I think it’s very difficult for people of a different life experience not to try to fit me into their pattern of the way they think; they see everything from the way which they are.

That’s why you never hear me say, ‘regardless of race creed and color’. I want to be considered with full regard for my race my creed and my color.”
~Dorothy Height, RIPP

Blue is the Color Of

(kiotd-download

A Picture Speaks 172,000 Words (click for hi-rez)

Dedee Bazil, they will call you Defilee when you and I march with the Haitian soldiers of the revolution, urging them to keep moving. They will call you mad after your brothers are massacred and grief makes you wild. They will call you sane again when you collect the torn pieces of the body of the black Emperor Dessalines who made the flag of the land he called Ayiti, as the original Taino inhabitants had named it. Dedee Bazile, they will obey you when you demand that Dessalines be buried. I call you Defilee Danto Sister.
~Nalo Hopkinson, The Salt Roads