Black Fathers Support Group

During the time of the American Civil Rights movement, thanks to brother Martin Luther King's non violent agenda it became unfashionable to be willing to include violence when protecting your civil rights. However, on July 10, 1964, a group of African American men in Jonesboro, Louisiana led by Earnest “Chilly Willy” Thomas and Frederick Douglas Kirkpatrick founded the group known as The Deacons for Defense and Justice to protect members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) against Ku Klux Klan violence. However, recent debates point to the Deacons and other lesser known miltant orgainsations as being pivotal in the Civil Rights movement, especially in the rural south where Jim Crow law and old racists unwilling to give up their power meant that the non confrontational path would most likely finish at the end of a rope hanging from an oak tree.

 Stokely Carmichael summed up the Deacons point of view like this

"Those of us who advocate Black Power are quite clear in our own minds that a non-violent approach to civil rights is an approach black people cannot afford and a luxury white people do not deserve."

This refers to the idea that the traditional ideas and values of the Civil Rights Movement placated to the emotions and feelings of White liberal supporters rather than Black Americans who had to consistently live with the racism and other acts of violence that was shown towards them.

But that was then. Things are different now. Right?

WRONG

We live in a time when the most likely cause of death for a black male between the ages of 10 - 24 is manslaughter or murder

We live in a time where in the USA more black babies are killed in abortion than all other causes of death,  Leading to one researcher to call the black mother's womb as the most dangerous place for a black child.

Our job as black fathers is to protect our young. Zimmerman and the blase attitude to the death of "another" black teenage shows that no one else is protecting our young so it is up to you, it is up to me. 

it is up to us.

For these reasons our Children, Adults & Elders will require the rigour of the Lawrence’s for generations to come.

LWBFSG 6 th January 2012

What do you believe in, and what would you do sacrifice to get it?

This weekend the UK will be commemorating those men and women who died in service during the Second World War.  For a long time I have always looked upon Rememberance Sunday as something that white people do to honour dead white people who fought other white people so I’ll just leave them too it.

Until a few years ago.  I was in Washington DC for the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States Barak Hussain Obama in the morning on the way to the there was a crowd of people gathering outside an IHOP because inside there was about 15 or so Tuskagee Airmen they where black men who fought in the 2nd World War. So it got me to thinking about the men from the Carribbean who fought in the first and second world war. What shocked me about this was the amount these men had to fight. – for the right to fight!!

Here we are in this beautiful time of  black history month as given to us by our brother Carter G Woodson give thanks to him peace be upon our brother for his wonderful works. Today i want to share my experience with my family friends and my community about a journey of discovery that had my mind captivated.

I travelled to Spain early in 2011 to learn more about its history and to really get a sense of black people’s contribution to the development of this country here is a background. Spain is very near to North Africa the further south you go and at a place named Ceuta you can see the African continent on a clear day is 9 miles away; in my studies I know that movements of black people have been going to Spain for thousands of years.

But the period I’m looking at is a period that some adults and children are not aware of how the world has been shaped and their role in it, not in school education or world history as a basis of learning “ what I should say is Common knowledge” so I am simply interested in the term Black Moors.

During 700 AD Spain was at odds with two families and others count Julian felt he had been disrespected by king Roderick of Spain this lead Julian to have friendly relationship with an African named General Tarik urging him to enter Spain and this he duly did accompanied by 100 horses and 400 African soldiers crossed over on an exploratory mission. Tarik's small army ravaged several Spanish towns and returned to Africa laden with spoils.

Later that same year, Tarik took an army of 7000 Africans, crossing from Africa to Gibraltar (named after him), and defeating King Roderic and conquering most of the Iberian Peninsula thus began the Moorish domination of Spain.

Africans cross into Spain 711 AD

The Moors brought massive stability to Spain due to its infighting which allowed the moors to build magnificent cities. In the 10th century many cities were much like a modern metropolis.

London

A popular nursery that some of us know and learnt at school ‘London Bridge is falling down'...so says the nursery rhyme.

“This is believed to be derived from an event that took place in the early 11th century. King Olaf of Norway attacked England but he was unable to sails up the Thames past London Bridge. So he ordered his men to erect wood and wicker canopies over their boats. They then approached London Bridge. Londoners on the bridge threw down missiles but they were unable to stop the Vikings. At that time London Bridge was made of wood. Olaf and his men tied ropes to the wooden struts supporting it. They then rowed away and London Bridge collapsed”

At the same time the Moors had built cites in Spain with paved streets and sidewalks for pedestrians. It was said that one could travel for ten miles by the light of street lamps along a continuous strip of buildings.

This was several hundred years before there was a paved street in Paris or a street lamp in London. The population of the city was over one million. There were 200,000 homes, 800 public schools, a number of colleges and universities, and many royal places surrounded by beautiful gardens.

The Alhambra Castle and Gardens

This is a must see to know it was our people that built this beautiful building is an understatement and should be seen as the sun is setting and the glow of red as this is of red stone.

Inside the Palace Grounds

Cordoba was one of the most wonderful city of the tenth century and had over 4,000 public markets and 5,000 mills. Bathing was intrinsic to Africans with public baths in the hundreds of cities. This was taking place when cleanliness in Christian Europe was seen as a sin and to bath to often you might die.

The wealth of the land was not unnoticed. Copper, gold, tin, silver, lead, iron, quicksilver, and alum were expansively mined. The blades of swords made at the time in Toledo were the best in Europe, and the factories in Murcia turned out the finest of brass and iron instruments.

Education was universal in Moorish Spain, available to the most humble, while Christians in Spain and the rest of Europe was illiterate even the kings could not read or write.

In the tenth and eleventh centuries, public libraries did not exist in Christian Europe, while Moorish Spain had more than seventy, of which the one in Cordoba contained over six hundred thousand manuscripts. There were more than seventeen great universities in Moorish Spain, while Christian Europe had only two universities of any value.

The development and progress of Spain in astronomy, chemistry, geography, mathematics, physics, and philosophy flourished in Moorish Spain. Scholars, artist and scientists formed learning societies, while scientific congresses were organized to promote research and to facilitate the spread of knowledge.

The Moors reach was far a wide reaching as far as china and was no small feat this was black people at a time living far better than we are living today, there certainly was a way of being that set these people apart in their growth and development.  There is more that could be said and learnt about how we lived with each other, this was a short break that took me on a quest that I still have to delve deeper.

What I am sure of was a conversation that I had with a man who owned a craft shop; I was looking for a picture that I could bring home with me of the Moors; so I asked him as I looked through the pictures” where are your pictures of the Africans called Moors as they have contributed greatly to Spanish history?  He was friendly in his reply being open and honest; “I know we should have them but a lot of the Spanish people don’t like to look back that far”  “Why I asked?  Answer! “We are ashamed.

Furthermore you can learn more about the African contribution by just watching some of the English films on their history just take one of these characters played in the film Robin Hood with Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman as Azeem this alone tells you about the Blackmans presence here in England and that these men were men of learning watch the film and listen to the conversations how they saw you and me back then.

Grow into the knowledge of self!

There is more to come.

Peace.

I don’t seem to hear her name mentioned in England, maybe I’m wrong but for all those who don’t know, get to know, this woman is what all of us should be made of and we need to take a leaf out of her book, she most definitely puts me to shame.

It’s like when you drive to the shop when you know you can walk and you see that same old man jogging, he looks about sixty years old and you think to your self-shame if he can do it then why can’t I? Now I’m not saying she is old but you know what I’m saying.

http://youtu.be/821c-5R5xC8 Hear Cynthia talk on the front line in Libya seeing and reporting the truth as she sees it on the situation there.

As this situation broke in Libya I heard from various sources that so called rebels and coalition forces where killing black Libyans as well as other black Africans that work and study in Libya, saying that they could possibly be mercenaries fighting for Gadaffi, “Yeah right!”

This lady has inspired me no end and to see how she is willing to put her life on the line for what she believes in, trust me many times her life has been in danger yet she is still fighting.

And finally I would just like to honour this Queen and give her my upmost respect.

 If you want to find out about this true life living super hero you can visit “All things Cynthia McKinney “, click on the link http://www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com/ .

Also you can watch the documentary on her time as a congress lady, called “American black out @ Google video” or you can watch it in part on YouTube http://youtu.be/Y37Qz1cXFUM

If you looked into my dictionary, “And no you can’t have a copy I haven’t compiled it yet”, but when I do beside the word role model Cynthia’s picture will be there amongst others.

Cynthia McKinney

Now you know what I’m going to say ,”Yeah that’s right!”, I could go on for days about this Lady but I will leave it to you to do some research, and get back to me when you’re done

A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Gary Walker

Aka extrabigman

l.b.f.s.g.

Professor Gus John, a committed educationalist, community activist and learning facilitator, has been active since 1965. He has a wealth of experience in developing and delivering lifelong learning provision, lecturing in education policy. He is a former fellow of the London Centre for Leadership in Learning at the Institute of Education, University of London and visiting faculty Professor of Education at the University of Strathclyde.

He is Chair of Parents and Students Empowerment (PaSE), a body working with parents and with excluded students and those at risk of exclusion from school.As well as his work in the above mentioned areas he is adviser to government in Britain, the Caribbean and Africa.

On 21 February 1965, Malcolm X was gunned down in broad daylight at a political rally at the Audobon Ballroom in Harlem, New York.

The very embodiment of black power, Malcolm X gave his life for his cause. A freedom fighter, he was determined to achieve his aims - "by any means necessary," as he put it.