Take Care of Your Little Girl

I love how my new Iraqi student consistently tells me: "Please, take care of your little girl, OK? Please take care of that baby girl." I guess he's thinking of all of the Iraqi babies and children who have been traumatized and certainly not "taken care of." God bless them all.

Bored?

If someone ever tells you that they're bored, you should respond: "You're bored because you're boring." Then smile.

Ah, the Good Life: End of the School Year

Here's Gigi at the end-of-the-school-year party and a school employee, whose chillin' in a lawn chair on the school's parking lot because she's retiring. Ah, the good life.

Seeing in the Supernatural Realm

I'm glad I've kept my Faith Book (a journal of notes that I've kept from past church services). I can open it up and instantly receive a Godly message. Here's a section from a sermon I attended, almost exactly, two years ago.

Why do you pray?

You pray to get blessings from God (or for others to get blessings from God).

Pray to see what's in the supernatural realm and not what's in the "everyday" reality realm.

Poem: 5 Pointed Stars

5 Pointed Stars
by Anonymous

He left me 5 pointed stars on my windowsill.
He
left me Yu-gi-oh cards in my closet.
And,
spiderman stickers appear randomly on
undersides of desks
insides of closets
randomly
sucked out of hiding places by vacuum cleaners.

He
left me 5 pointed stars on my windowsill
and now too tight blue and gold dashikis
on closet floors.
He
left me fathers day's and birthday cards in my top drawer and
keychain rings made in classrooms.

He left me pictures with toothless grins
and videos of graduations and trips to the city.

He left me five pointed stars on my windowsill
and spiderman cups in the cupboard
The Incredibles jump at me in the morning
and Darth Vader mugs beg to be used again.

His little blue chair sits where it was when he left
with the stickers still attached.
and
I miss him.
Though he's gotten older
and hopefully wiser
and though I did my best
I can't help but feel that I failed
that I
became more like my father than I ever wanted to be
and fear there may be another black boy out there
with hate in his heart for a man who was supposed to always be there.
and it hurts
so
I cherish those five pointed stars
left on my windowsill
'cause it's all I have
and I
miss him.

Brown Baby: Speak Up Clear and Loud

What a joy it is to be able to go to Youtube and search for some of my favorite songs by artists I admire and enjoy listening to. Recently my daughter and I enjoyed a song by the gifted Nina Simone that inspired me as a child and continues to do so. The song is, "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," and what a treat it was to find this very early version of the song that Simone performed at a 1969 Harlem Festival.

Memories of her dear friend Lorraine Hansberry were probably fresh in Nina's mind, as she wrote this song to pay homage to Hansberry, the playwright who penned the play, "A Raisin in the Sun." The song takes the title and spirit of Hansberry's autobiography, also titled, "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black."

I could tell that my daughter was mesmerized when we watched and listened to Nina sing this on Youtube, as I was when I heard Simone sing this song almost everyday at our house for a while when I was a child. Her hypnotic, deep, and sensual voice coming from the turntable was both soothing and inspiring.

You can tell that Nina is really getting into the song towards the end when she says, "Hear what I say!" and then she tells that band to "Hit it, hit it, hit!" for the finale.



To Be Young Gifted and Black
by Nina Simone and Weldon Irvin, Jr.
(released November 1969)

To be young, gifted and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black,
Open your heart to what I mean

In the whole world you know
There are billion boys and girls
Who are young, gifted and black,
And that's a fact!

Young, gifted and black
We must begin to tell our young
There's a world waiting for you
This is a quest that's just begun

When you feel really low
Yeah, there's a great truth you should know
When you're young, gifted and black
Your soul's intact

Young, gifted and black
How I long to know the truth
There are times when I look back
And I am haunted by my youth

Oh but my joy of today
Is that we can all be proud to say
To be young, gifted and black
Is where it's at

I'm definite that Nina was overjoyed by what Donny Hathaway did with the song. Hathaway really made this song his own and listening to him sing it is like listening to a new creation. I know others prefer Hathaway's or Aretha Franklin's version of "To BE Young, Gifted and Black," but for me, nobody sings it like Nina. I won't post Hathaway's version here because I don't want it to compete with my girl Nina's version. After all, she is the creator of the song. But you'd be missing pure gold if you didn't go here to Youtube to hear Mr. Hathaway sing the song. He takes it to church, if you know what I mean.

Speaking of songs about young and black people, Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Brown Baby" falls into the category of one of those perfect songs, as far as I'm concerned. The lyrics are poetic, touching, and wise, and the music, especially on Diana Ross's version, is quite haunting. I find Diana's recording of "Brown Baby" to be the most touching. (You can find it on Ross's Touch Me in the Morning recording.)

You can hear Diana's version here. I hope you'll listen to her sing this lovely lullaby. It's a testament to Oscar Brown's great gift of lyric and song, and shows the great love he had for his people, especially the babies.

Brown Baby
by Oscar Brown, Jr.

Brown baby, brown baby,
As you grow up I want you to drink from the plenty cup.
I want you to stand up tall and proud.
I want you to speak up clear and loud.

Brown baby, brown baby, brown baby,
As years roll by,
I want you to go with your head held high.
I want you to live by the justice code.
I want you to walk down the freedom road.

Brown baby, now lie away,
Lie away sleeping,
Lie away here in my arms,
While your daddy and your momma protect you.
And keep you safe from harm.

Oh, brown baby, brown baby,
It makes me glad that you will have
Things I have never had.
When out of men's hearts all the hate is hurled,
You're going to live in a better world.

Brown baby.

How to Get Some ZZZZZZZs

I'm thinking seriously about writing a book with a title such as, "How to Fall Asleep Using Non-Habit Forming Methods," or maybe "Method Sleeping." Would you be interested in reading such a book? I'd include various methods and practices such as herbal remedies, using sounds from film and recordings, mantras, prayer, and visualization.

Another possible title:
How to Fall Asleep: The Method
How to Fall Asleep: A Method

Heaven Lies at the Foot of Mother

Something pulled me to the Final Call today. Perhaps it was a need to read a different perspective than that presented by the mainstream press (New York Times, CNN, Washington Post, etc.) And I'm also stimulated, educated, and provoked to really think when I hear or see the words of Minister Louis Farrakhan. I don't know what the condition of his health is these days, but I certainly pray that he's doing well. He's given us so much to think about, ponder, and debate in his lifetime. You can't deny that he has a passionate love for his people.

While reading the Final Call online, I came across this article by Farrakhan about the "Proper View of the Woman." Check out how his view (that of a Muslim minister) differs from this Baptist minister's view of a woman's role in the church.

While speaking at this Baptist preacher's church several years ago, Farrakhan said:

I mentioned that Paul said that the woman should be quiet in the church. This has been taken to mean that in church life, she should have nothing to say. In some religious orders in Christianity, she is forbidden to come up on the rostrum, or to sit in the place where the pastor sits. I said, “I disagree with Paul. He was a great Apostle, but, he certainly is not Jesus. And nowhere in the Gospels concerning the Words and Acts of Jesus do we find justification for the Words of the Apostle.”

I said to my Christian family, “If Mary, the Mother of Jesus, entered the church, would you tell her that she could not come and stand on the rostrum and speak to us—a woman so exalted and revered by Allah (God)?” Then, I turned and said to the Pastor, “Would you tell your mother that she could not come up here? The pastor quickly said to me, “She could not come up here.”

I was shocked. It was then that I realized even more so why there must be reform in our thinking concerning the female....

Maria....errr Sonia Sotomayor: Nuyorican on the Bench

Well, well, well. President Barack Obama has gone and done it now. He has nominated a Nuyorican, federal appellate judge Sonia Sotomayor, to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Some Republicans and Conservatives seem to be almost afraid of this lady. I wonder why?

Is it because:

-- She came up in a housing project in the Bronx?
-- She's a woman?
-- She seems to have lots of compassion?
-- Her family comes from Puerto Rico?
-- She's really intelligent?
-- She knows the law?

And why, oh why did Mike Huckabee call this woman by the wrong name when he released a statement about her? Here's what Huckabee said:

The appointment of Maria Sotomayor for the Supreme Court is the clearest indication yet that President Obama's campaign promises to be a centrist and think in a bipartisan way were mere rhetoric.

What kind of a slip was this? Did Huckabee all of a sudden confuse Ms. Sotomayor with the Maria from West Side Story? Does Huckabee think all Latina women should be referred to as Maria, much like the way some people used to refer to black women as "mammy?" What's that all about?

In Huckabee's statement about Sotomayor's nomination he implied that judges should apply the law without "personal emotion." But what human being could make decisions about the highly crucial and sometimes traumatic decisions that Supreme Court judges hand down, without using their own lens of experience and personal beliefs?

What woman who has had an abortion wouldn't be affected by that decision if writing a Supreme Court decision regarding abortions? What man who has been discriminated against in countless employment situations wouldn't use that experience when voting on an Affirmative Action case? We all use all of our experiences in life decisions everyday. Don't we? Or am I missing something here? Are there people out there who robotically talk, take action, and make decisions without "personal emotion?"

I like what Yubanet.com wrote about Sotomayor's commitment to community:

Judge Sotomayor is deeply committed to her family, to her co-workers, and to her community. Judge Sotomayor is a doting aunt to her brother Juan's three children and an attentive godmother to five more. She still speaks to her mother, who now lives in Florida, every day. At the courthouse, Judge Sotomayor helped found the collegiality committee to foster stronger personal relationships among members of the court. Seizing an opportunity to lead others on the path to success, she recruited judges to join her in inviting young women to the courthouse on Take Your Daughter to Work Day, and mentors young students from troubled neighborhoods Her favorite project, however, is the Development School for Youth program, which sponsors workshops for inner city high school students. Every semester, approximately 70 students attend 16 weekly workshops that are designed to teach them how to function in a work setting. The workshop leaders include investment bankers, corporate executives and Judge Sotomayor, who conducts a workshop on the law for 25 to 35 students. She uses as her vehicle the trial of Goldilocks and recruits six lawyers to help her. The students play various roles, including the parts of the prosecutor, the defense attorney, Goldilocks and the jurors, and in the process they get to experience openings, closings, direct and cross-examinations. In addition to the workshop experience, each student is offered a summer job by one of the corporate sponsors. The experience is rewarding for the lawyers and exciting for the students, commented Judge Sotomayor, as "it opens up possibilities that the students never dreamed of before." [Federal Bar Council News, Sept./Oct./Nov. 2005, p.20] This is one of many ways that Judge Sotomayor gives back to her community and inspires young people to achieve their dreams.

I'm excited about the perspective that this Latina woman, who was raised in a housing project in the Bronx by a single mother, will bring to the Supreme Court. I hope she flies through the confirmation hearings and sits on the bench by August. Let's all strap on our seatbelts for an exhilarating ride!

Bring it on Sonia!

Next Time: Use the Force

The Jamiroquai song, "Use the Force," is the song I think I'll be singing next on stage -- somewhere, sometime.

Jamiroquai is one of my favorite bands. Their music if filled with energy, creativity, and great passion. I admire the way the lead singer Jay Kay throws his body and voice into the songs. It's obvious he's having a lot of fun on stage. The band's musicians are inspiring too. Whether it's the horn section, vibrant drumming, exciting guitar rifts or the Australian didgeridoo -- this band jams with fire and purpose.

The group's CDs are among the few that I play repeatedly as I'm driving in the car. Also, my daughter never tires of their songs, and she's already a serious music critic. If my car-riding music isn't to her liking (if she thinks it's boring, it conjures up bad images, or she doesn't like someone's voice), she won't hesitate to let me know. She'll say, "Mommy, please turn that off!" But she's never requested that I stop any of Jamiroquai's music. She calls all of their music, "Our favorite songs." Maybe the fact that I repeatedly listened to "Return of the Space Cowboy" CD when I was pregnant has something to do with it.

Here's Jamiroquai performing the live version of "Use the Force," at the Free Jazz concert in Brazil, 1997. Of course I wouldn't have that long introduction and I won't be dancing as much as Jay Kay.



Use the Force
by Jay Kay, Toby Smith, Derrick McKenzie, Sola Akingbola

I must believe
I can do anything
I can heal anyone
I must believe

I am the wind (yeah)
I am the sea
I am the wind
I am the sea
I am the sun
I can be anyone

Oh, this world is mine
For all of time
I can turn any stone
Call any place my home
I can do anything

I know I'm gonna get myself together (yeah)
Use the Force
I know I'm gonna work it out
Use the force
I know I'm gonna get myself ahead
Use the Force
Use the Force

I can go eagle high
Circling in the sky
Learn to live my life
I don't need no strife

I must believe
I'm a rocketman
I'm a superstar
I can be anyone
I can step beyond
All of my boundaries
It won't be hard for me
To feel what there must be

I know I'm gonna get myself together (yeah)
Use the Force
I know I'm gonna work it out
Use the force
I know I'm gonna get myself ahead
Use the Force
Use the Force
I can do it
I can do anything
Anything Anything