Bling it Back

Walt Handelsman Cartoon/Newsday/Tribune Media Service 8/31/05

A poem for New Orleans

Drooping Willows
Sexy moss leaves

White one story bungalows,
Clap board windows
The location of my future nuptials

I pronounce it New- or-Leans
Jus’ like my momma

You are not suffering alone
We are watching, planning,
Evaluating and assisting

My heart

Ventricles,

arties and all

Goes out

To you and yours.

We Fugees now hunh?

Big up to my girl T who brought to my attention the MAJOR problem with calling displaced New Orleaneans REFUGEES.

New Orleanians are NOT refugees. For all intents and purposes refugees tend to be discarded by this country. Wait, maybe I need to rethink this argument. These are tax paying citizens of the United States. "Refugees", are left to perish at the hands of the “corrupt” Haitian, Sudanese or government.

The folks in New Orleans are people. They have, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grand mommas, godmommas etc. Calling them refugees undermines both the suffering they have experienced and their rights to post disaster FEDERAL assistance.

Ann Rice recognized the folks down there for what they are when she stated that,

Thousands didn’t leave New Orleans because they couldn’t leave…..and they did what they felt they could do­--- they huddled together in the strongest houses they could find. ….What’s more is that thousands more that could have left stayed behind to help others.

Bling it Back

On a more personal note I am keeping a close watch on EXACTLY what Universal records does for New Orleans. Home to the Cash Money Millionaire's, a very profitable group for Universal. Universal has made A LOT of money off rap music from New Orleans, (and we won’t even get into Jazz). The dudes at Cash Money invented the term Bling. Lets see if Universal, not withstanding the fact that they ARE a corporation that is ultmatley responsible to their share holders, will help the folk down in N.O.

The folks in N.O. supported these artists when they were hustling their music locally. This success ultimately provided proof to Universal that Weezie, Juvie and Baby had a sound that was bound to go national, it was just a matter of when.

Black folks are notriously forgiving, think R. Kelley, Kobe. Lets see if we forgive Universal if they fail to assist the town that has produced music that has made millions of dollars for them.

August Wilson, the playwright is dying. He was diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer in June. I still remember reading the “Piano Lesson” and high school and thinking to myself “Wow, this man has an amazing sense of the context of Black folks lives within the U.S., and REFUSES to portray us as violent, greedy, animals.” He is currently working on a play titled “Radio Golf” which will be on view at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

Movie News

Puff’s version of Carlito’s Way is coming out soon. I think we have Mario Van Peebles to thank for thatJ

Bullets in the Hood, a film about gun violence in Bed-Stuy. The two filmmakers, Terrence Fisher and Daniel Howard were friends of Timithy Stansbury, the young man who was killed by an NYPD officer on the roof of the Louis Armstrong projects. Timithy was on the way to a party with a friend.

There will be a FREE screening on Tuesday the 6^th at BAM as well as a reception.

New Book

When Affrimative Action was White by Ira Katznelson

Talk about provocative. In Nick Kotz’s New York Times review of the book he states that there were two major ways issues that undermined with Black wealth development and transfer that, there White counterparts, were able to receive.

The book mainly focuses on the FDR’s new deal, and how it affected Black and White veterans differently.

“The G.I. Bill in the south was designed to accomadate Jim crow…Southern Congressional leaders made certain that the programs were directed not by Washington but by local officials, businessmen, bankers, and college administrators who would HONOR past practices.”

“By October 1946, 6500 former soldiers had been placed in non farm jobs by the employment service in Mississippi. 86% of the skilled and semi skilled jobs were filled by white….92% of the skilled by blacks. "

[Home ownership and college attendance are the two main perquisites for wealth bulding and transferance. You gotta GET the house and then you gotta pass it on to some after you die. By attending college, offers greater insurance that you will be employed and able to pay the taxes so you can pass it on to your children.]

Diversity for Dummies

Jonathan Kozol calls it like he sees it.

That fool said diversity is a synonym for segregation meanin ½ black students, ½ latino students, and three white kids.

A lot of the problems that we enounter with public education have to do with the lack of financial transparency. How can we advocate more money for the shcools when we do not know, in plain speak how the money is being spent.

Perhaps a federal bill requiring all school budgets to be published annually could empower more parents and students. Instead of No Child Left Behind, we could call it the School Budget Sunshine Act. or the School Cash Transparency Act. I know, my idealism is showing. But hey, I can dream:)

Bobby and Rich

There is nothing like Labor Day weekend, in the spot, singing-a-long with my folks to DWYCK, Passing Me By and other 89-94 treats. Table 50 was live then a mug last night. I forgot how much fun that party could be. The wack part was when some one set off the fire alarm. Other than that, I couldn’t think of a better way to chill on a breezy summer evening.