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BN-W eNewsletter #63

FILM(S) MONITORED
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III

For this monitor, we saw “ Mission:   Impossible III” and that information is farther down in this eNewsletter.

H. Lewis Smith, who wrote Bury That Sucka! A Scandalous Love Affair with the N-Word, has founded a new non-profit organization named United Voices for a Common Cause and you can read all about its purpose in the “About Us” link on its site and we highly encourage you to become a member of this unique organization.   Be sure to also check out the “Photos” section.   http://www.theunitedvoices.org/

As we all know by now, the New York City public school system (and many others for that matter) seriously miseducates and misdirects our students.   On May 17^th from 4:00pm-7:00pm at 52 Chambers Street (NYC Department of [Mis]Education), the Black New Yorkers for Educational Excellence (BNYEE) would like all concerned parents, educators, students, and individuals who just care about a quality education for all to come out and support them in their efforts to fight against NYC’s miseducation.   Please note the significance of the date, which marks the 52^nd anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court school desegregation decision in 1954.   For more information on BNYEE and this event, please call 212-252-2997 .   You can also read more about the group’s purpose at this link:  

Baruti K. Kafele is another individual who’s on the ball with education, completely gets it, and very much knows what’s up with the unlikely prospect of receiving a well-rounded quality education for African American students within the system as it is today.   He’s the principal at Newark Tech High School in Newark, New Jersey.   He also does consulting and motivational speaking.   His list of suggested readings includes scholars that you don’t get in most college courses on history, so forget about kindergarten through 12^th grade – the crucial years for forming your foundation about your history and knowledge of who you are.   His list includes books by Yosef ben-Jochannan, John G. Jackson, Cheikh Anta Diop, George G.M. James, Chancellor Williams, J.A. Rogers, Anthony T. Browder, Ivan Van Sertima, John Henrik Clarke, Molefi Asante, Asa Hilliard, Marimba Ani, Amos Wilson, Joy DeGruy Leary, and a whole list of others who are out there but somehow we know little or nothing about them.   How many of these scholars/educators can you honestly say you know a lot about or are even familiar with?   Yet, somehow we get an overabundance of books and PBS specials by individuals such as Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Harvard University) who doesn’t seem to be, when you look just a little closer, truly with us much of the time.   Why is that?   Go back to our eNewsletter #55 and that may help with trying to understand some of the “why.”  

On a more positive closing note regarding Brother Baruti, he has two books that can be viewed and purchased on his Web site and they are titled A Handbook for Teachers of African American Children and A Black Parent’s Handbook to Educating Your Children (Outside the Classroom).   He also has a section for what “I” can do, which list 50 things that each individual teacher and parent can do to be more effective and 50 things students can do to be more serious.   The bottom line is that if you know what you’re getting is substandard, then it’s up to you to seek other sources to make up for the known deficiency.   And this brother gives you a solid head start.   F ollowing are a few links from his Web site:

http://www.principalkafele.com/

http://www.principalkafele.com/suggested.htm  
[Suggested Reading]

http://www.principalkafele.com/50.htm  
[The 50 “I’s” for being effective teachers/parents and serious students]

[ NOTE: As Brother Baruti states in his site about his suggested readings:   “The biggest challenge will be obtaining many, if not most of these books.   Mainstream bookstores typically either do not or will not carry titles of this nature.   Their rationale is that there is no demand for them.   It doesn’t take a wise man to figure out that there can’t be a demand for something that you don’t know exists!”   The last sentence says it all and really explains why so many of us have let the miseducation continue and come this far.   So, once again, the bottom line is we’ve all got to work on what we know we’re lacking in terms of knowledge of our African history.   Additionally, when you understand the simple fact that there are individuals in key positions of control diligently doing their designated task to make sure we don’t know this information, then that is really all the motivation we need.   And, of course, BN-W asks the perpetual question, why is that?]

For those who are in the New York City area, you can also purchase items directly from Brother Sekou who sells all types of historical, political, and educational books and DVDs that you won’t find in most bookstores.   He is located in Harlem on 125^th Street between Malcolm X Blvd. and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.   All the vendors in that area know Brother Sekou, so you can always just ask for “Sekou.”

On the topic of [mis]education, here’s an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education by a Jewish “educator,” which reflects the mindset of many of the people who have access to teaching and molding the minds of young people.   Do we realize the power we’re giving to others?   The title of the article is “The Value of Teaching From a Racist Classic.”  

May 19^th will mark the 81^st birthday celebration of Malcolm X.   The annual pilgrimage will take place on May 19^th, with buses departing from Harlem at 10:00am.   Call 718-949-5153 for more details and/or click here:  

Dr. James Small, who will coordinate this year’s pilgrimage (as he has done since 1966) will also be at the Afrikan Poetry Theatre (APT) at 7pm on Friday evening.   APT is located at 176-03 Jamaica Avenue in Queens, NY , and its number is 718-523-3312 .   Following are additional links on Malcolm X.   The “brothermalcolm” site seems to have many interesting and useful audio and other links, while the “cmgworldwide” site is supposed to be the official Web site as sanctioned by the Estate of Malcolm X.   There was a link available for the “cmg” staff, so as an FYI on the source, we’ve included a link on the company’s Chairman/CEO, Mark Roesler.

http://www.brothermalcolm.net/

Malcolm's Words

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/malcolm/index.htm

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/malcolm/home.php

[ NOTE:   CMG Worldwide Chairman/CEO:
http://www.cmgworldwide.com/offices/staff/mark.htm]

The Duke University rape allegation is still prominent in the media.   But what’s most interesting is the usual media spin in trying to make the alleged perpetrators – when White males – innocent, while making the alleged victim – when a Black female – guilty, conniving and/or farfetched.   Does the code of silence from the lacrosse team members mean anything?   Do we need to even go into the long history of Black women/White men – hundreds of years of rape, unwanted sexual advances, and sexual exploitation forced upon our ancestors who were then forced to carry the children of their rapists and sexual attackers?   Oh yeah, but we just remembered, that due to the miseducation through the school systems (public and private) as well as the media manipulation, there’s a lot of nondisclosure, “forgotten” facts, and gross distortions of the majority of this historically factual type of data, so many of us don’t even know any of this because it’s conveniently and intentionally not taught and hasn’t been for generations!

Anybody ever wonder why so many Black women overwhelmingly continue not to want White men as mates – even with attempts through movies such as “Something New” to encourage Black women to go that route especially since, according to the movie anyway, so many Black men are supposedly downtrodden, in jail, on the DL, and dating/marrying into other “races” (some no doubt thinking it’ll get them a reprieve from the manufactured image assault that vilifies them)?   Ever wonder why White so-called feminists never come out to support Black females when it’s against White males?   Could it be because it’s their husbands, sons, fathers doing what they’ve done for centuries with no justice or jail time?   Whatever the situation turns out to be with the Duke University attack, the media’s blatant bias although typical is just disgraceful.   Following is a link that was set up on Mother’s Day in support of the Black female in this case:   http://www.ourheartsworld.com/   [By the way, we at BN-W send a belated Happy Mother’s Day to all of the many loving, caring, and supportive moms, stepmoms, grandmoms, foster moms, and mother figures.]   Attorney Alton Maddox also has some very interesting commentary on the Duke situation as it relates to the Tawana Brawley situation.   As usual he gives very detailed and very factual documentation about all legal situations that involve him.   Read his blog, know that he’s NEVER lost a case, note what’s happening with his United African Movement (UAM) organization and how the NYPD insists on monitoring it, take note of his precarious link to Eliot Spitzer who’s running for Governor of New York (the ads have already started), and much more.   Here are his Web site links, including a link with a list of his latest Amsterdam News opinion pieces:
 

http://reinstatealtonmaddox.net/

Alton Maddox Amsterdam News Editorials:             

As we mentioned in BN-W #54, the conclusion of Part II:   Black-Jewish Relations will be included with the Winter/Spring 2006 Music Monitor.   As we also stated, we’ve got a lot of information, and, for that reason, until Part II comes out, we’ll be filtering stuff to you so it won’t be too overwhelming in the buildup to Part II’s conclusions.   Refer to BN-W #53/54 if you need a repeat of our feelings on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).  

In previous BN-W eNewsletters, we’ve touched on the books we’re using for the Black-Jewish relations and the primary ones are:   The Jewish Onslaught:   Despatches from the Wellesley Battlefront  by Tony Martin; The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews:   Volume I by The Nation of Islam; How the Jews Invented Hollywood:   An Empire of Their Own by Neal Gabler; and The Jewish Phenomenon:   Seven Keys to the Enduring Wealth of a People by Steven Silbiger.  Of course, all books – and these are no different – have pros and cons, but these balance one another pretty well.   Most importantly, however, they all have sources from which – if you’re interested – you can go for it and take your research even further.   For those who are not very aware of the very extensive history or really just don’t think about it or never thought it mattered – from the Jews’ very active involvement (and profiteering) in the African slave trade to the “background” representation in the NAACP and the Civil Rights Movement to the current-day dominance of the entertainment industry (and, once again, profiteering), particularly with the international dominance of hip-hop – you’re in for an eye-opening and fully educating experience.

Amongst the many interesting facts we discovered, one that relates to the film industry is in the film “Hollywoodism:   Jews, Movies, and the American Dream” (two reviews: Review 1 and Review 2 ), which is based on the Neal Gabler book listed above, where there’s a reference to how the desire of Jews to assimilate with Gentiles was so strong that they often wrote stories that depicted their life but since they dominated and controlled the ownership of many of the studios, they were able to and chose to tell their stories through Blacks.   For instance, in the not-too-distant past it was common for many Jews to try to pass for White, so when they did films on this topic, instead of telling the story as one of the Jewish lifestyle of strongly and some may even say pathetically desiring acceptance into so-called White America, they’d convert it to one of a very fair-skinned Black person trying to go through life passing as a White person.   This scenario appears to be what Tony Martin, also referenced above, succinctly describes in his 1993 book as “‘full integration’ into White America is predicated on the Caucasianization of Euro-American Jews and, by extension, on the onslaught against African Americans.”   He also states that “it may be that the Jewish establishment has concluded that a prostrate African American population, to be oppressed or paternalized as the times warrant, will continue to be its insurance against a Euro-American reversion to European anti-Jewish activity.”   Some may recall Al Jolson who was Jewish and became very popular and well known for his blackface routines.   Take a casual look at the following industries:   hip-hop and news media.   Do a little research to find out who’s controlling the type of music, the lyrics, and the image (videos, Oscar nominations/wins – we all know about the pimp song that won) – not entertainers in front of the camera or Blacks directors sitting behind the scenes as employees – but the people at the top who gave the okay for the contracts and the promotion of these artists.   Find out who owns the news media and their guidance to news directors, producers, and editors on what photos are standard to display and what stories are selected for reporting and what spin must be taken on stories.   Something to think about....

Brother Tony also had this very interesting assessment about the situation and an excellent analogy related to “fresh memories” that are centuries apart:   “Nor can a simplistic application of the ‘equal suffering’ argument take us very far.   Fresh memories of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem did not prevent the Talmudic scholars from inventing the Hamitic Myth.   Fresh memories of the inquisition did not prevent Sephardic Jews from becoming major participants in the slave trade.   And fresh memories of the Jewish holocaust certainly have not blunted the present onslaught.”   Something to think about....

This past weekend, a film on the Jewish life was slipped into 135 theatres in selected cities called “Keeping Up With the Steins.”   There was some advertising for it and it generated about $653,000 over the weekend.   Did anyone see or hear about it?   If you knew about it, was there any major interest in seeing it?   If you didn’t know about it, do you have any interest now?   And depending on the dominant answer, herein possibly lies the problem in the need to assimilate with one group yet seemingly have a need to disintegrate another.   What do you think?

We’re closing in on this topic, so if you get a chance, read the books so you’ll have a fairly complete understanding of exactly what’s going on with the Black-Jewish connection.  We can assure you that it’s definitely better to be aware than unaware of the unmistakably long and contentious history that represents the present-day relationship.

We’ve shared these links with you before, but here they are again as reminders since we’ll be concluding this topic soon:

MEDIA:
http://www.natall.com/who-rules-america/wra.pdf

MUSIC:
http://www.radioislam.org/thetruth/blmusic.htm                   

[bibliography:
http://www.radioislam.org/thetruth/30bibl1.htm ]

If you missed any other BN-W monitors, just send an e-mail to bannword2@yahoo.com and request that it be sent to you.   As always, we highly encourage you to see these films for yourself and, if applicable, make your own judgment call on the N-word usage – appropriate/inappropriate? necessary/unnecessary? sensible/nonsensical? does it add to or take away from the film’s concept? does the N-word have to be used at all? is there a valid reason for doing so? is it mandatory for the scene(s) to be effective? what are the circumstances/situation that necessitate any use of the word? is it just thrown in for humor, fear, crime, insult? are other culturally insulting slang terms used as much as the N-word in the film?   Lots of questions and a whole lot of reasons to wonder what’s the real purpose and thought process behind why these entertainers, writers, directors, producers, executive producers, distributors, and studios/studio heads and executives give the “greenlight” for these crews to liberally use (or allow to be used) the N-word.

FEATURE FILM(S) :

M I S S I ON:   I M P O S S I B L E   III

[Release Date:   5/4/06]

Starring Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Laurence Fishburne ; screenplay written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, J.J. Abrams; directed by J.J. Abrams; produced by Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner; executive produced by Stratton Leopold; studio – Paramount Pictures

NOTE :   We figured this movie wouldn’t use the N-word, but since we recently monitored the excellent Akeelah and the Bee with Laurence Fishburne so why not check him out in this.   Also, Ving Rhames has a history of memorably using the N-word in “Dark Blue” where his character stated and we’re working from memory and thus this is a slight paraphrase:   should we do it the “nigger” way or should we do it the “gentleman’s” way?   Talk about a Black man with no pride and doing something for a paycheck.   What else could it be if you’re dumb enough to follow this script or be willing to ad lib and put this ridiculously weak type of spin in an effort to so-called “keep it real”?   Not very smart or cool – regardless of whatever prompted Rhames to make the decision to complete that sentence for the camera.   Again, however, the characters in “M:I:III” do not use the word.

BN-W Monitor Coming Soon:  “Waist Deep” [Tyrese Gibson]; “Idlewild” [Andre Benjamin, Antwan Patton, Terrence Howard]; “Shadowboxer” [Cuba Gooding Jr.]; “The Fast and the Furious 3:   Tokyo Drift” [Bow Wow]; “Little Man” [Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans]; “Miami Vice” [Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell]; “Snakes on A Plane” [Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies]

Also Coming :   Part II:   Black-Jewish Relations; Winter 2006 Music Monitor; Spring 2006 Music Monitor; Summer 2006 Music Monitor