The Future in Jeopardy

One of the things I am passionate about are disproportionate incarceration rates, especially for juveniles. These youth are the future of our country and this country has turned our schools and communities in to police states where there are no chances for our youth of color. It is unfair, nonsensical, and detrimental to them, our families, and our communities. Most of these youth are arrested for non-violent offenses and just need worthwhile alternatives and education, but instead money is spent on their incarceration and not invested in them becoming well rounded, productive citizens. Preeminent leader/scholar on the subject James Bell, writes a eloquent, vehement blog post on the subject. I posted one of the recent post. Check it above. Click on title. And check out the work of W. Haywood Burns Institute and check out the work of The Community Justice Network for Youth(cjny.org)

New Alicia Keys Vid

Fresh Video by Ms. Alicia Keys. I wasn't really feeling the first single, but she made up for it with this song and video. I'm such a nerd, this is so up my alley.lol You will see what I mean. Watch and Enjoy :)

Wale Bonus Single

So, my boo.lol..Wale put his new album out Tuesday. I'm really feeling it, I appreciate his lyrical ability, metaphors, and subject matter. It's a well rounded, cohesive album and he talks about real shit. He is still a young man, so he says young man things.lol.but overall I don't cringe at every other word :)

Anyway this bonus track is real fresh and relevant; discussing our obsession with pop culture and how we should be focused on reality and not make believe. Check it.

An actual vid of me performing.lol

From a Blackberry, but you can get the gist :) Me singing "The Way" at Lukas in Oakland, on my bday weekend. Sept. 20th :) Peep it, spread it. Click title to peep.

Nick James: New Mixtape

Click Cover to Download

My boy, genius, producer extraordinaire Nick James has unleashed a new mixtape. Check it!

On a positive note...

Mary J. Blige along with Steve Stoute have created this foundation for women called For the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. It sounds great, they opened up a center for women in Yonkers,New York and want to duplicate it all over the country. Check the website and more info below-

Our Mission
To inspire women from all walks of life to gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their individual potential.

We will accomplish our mission to empower and encourage women by shaping and supporting programs that foster education, career development, strong self-esteem, and personal growth.

FFAWN will initially focus its efforts in Yonkers and surrounding communities in Westchester County and then expand its scope to include the Greater New York area and, eventually, the entire country.

AM I INVISIBLE

I wrote this awhile ago, it was sparked by an incident that happened to a young women who went to Mills and she was attending school in New York. She was living with roommates and they discovered her dead body in the room days later; she had been beaten to death by her former boyfriend and left for dead.

Around this time other violent crimes against Black women were happening as they have for centuries and there was no or little media coverage or outcry. It seems that when something happens to women of color we are supposed to take it and be silenced, we are not valued or respected and that is why things like this young girl in Richmond getting beaten and gang raped while people watched can occur. What are we teaching our men, our women, ourselves? These things things must not be allowed to go on!




What does it mean, if things obscene seen and no help you bring
The song I sing, silenced, the quiet violence or the noisy love
To both you shrug and ignore the blood

Hook-
Am I invisible or do you just not care to look
Am I expendable, do you care when my life is took

Sweep things under the rug, until they have to be dug, from under
Appalled at the plunder, slumber on it, but still condone it
Treat us like enemy or your opponent

Hook-
Am I invisible or do you just not care to look
Am I expendable, do you care when my life is took

THIS MUST STOP!

I AM OUTRAGED, APPALLED, ANGRY, SAD..THE FACT THAT THIS WAS AND IS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! OUR YOUNG WOMEN ARE NOT VALUED AND ARE NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF! WE MUST INSTILL IN OUR YOUNG WOMEN AND OUR YOUNG WOMEN THE VALUE OF THEIR LIVES AND THAT THEY SHOULD TREAT THEMSELVES AND EACH OTHER WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT! AS ADULTS, YOUNG AND OLDER WE MUST PROTECT OUR YOUTH, ESPECIALLY OUR YOUNG WOMEN!
THEFACT THAT THIS YOUNG GIRL WAS RAPED BY SOMEONE SHE KNEW AND ON A SCHOOL CAMPUS IS DISGUSTING, TIME FOR A CHANGE! THIS MUST STOP AND I HOPE THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF MEDIA COVERAGE AND THAT THEY CATCH AND PURSUE ALL RESPONSIBLE AND THOSE WHO STOOD BY!
ARTICLE BELOW-


RICHMOND, Calif. (Oct. 27) - Police believe as many as a dozen people watched a 15-year-old girl get beaten and gang-raped outside her high school homecoming dance without reporting it.
Two suspects were in custody Monday, but police said as many as five other men attacked the girl over a two-hour period Friday night outside Richmond High School.
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Embedded video from CNN Video
"She was raped, beaten, robbed and dehumanized by several suspects who were obviously OK enough with it to behave that way in each other's presence," Lt. Mark Gagan said. "What makes it even more disturbing is the presence of others. People came by, saw what was happening and failed to report it."
The victim remained hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Manuel Ortega, 19, was arrested at the scene and was being held on $800,000 bail for investigation of rape and robbery. He is not a student at the school.
Richmond police Sgt. David Harris said he did not know if Ortega had retained an attorney.
A 15-year-old student also was booked late Monday on one count of sexual assault, Gagan said.
Police said the girl left the dance and was walking to meet her father for a ride home when a classmate invited her to join a group drinking in the courtyard. The victim had drank a large amount of alcohol by the time the assault began, police said.
Officers received a tip about a possible assault on campus and found the girl semi-conscious near a picnic table.
Marin Trujillo, a spokesman for the West Contra Costa Unified School District, said there were four police officers and three school administrators monitoring the dance, but the assault happened away from the gym.

Another cool blog!!

My girl Wren has a great blog! She is a dope artist in every sense of the word :)

Check her out!! http://wrenagade.blogspot.com/

I'M ON YOUTUBE!!!

I AM ON YOUTUBE!! THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL NICK JAMES! HE IS A GENIUS, JACK OF ALL TRADES, I WORK WITH HIM, HE IS MY FRIEND AND YOU SHOULD GOOGLE HIM! :)