I AM MALCOLM X

Love him.Love this shot.

You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.

TUNEAGE: BLITZ THE AMBASSADOR

I mentioned him in the OkayAfrica post, but Blitz the Ambassador has been making his rounds around NYC! Ghanaian born, Blitz performs with a dope! dope! dope! band. I thought I posted this video before featuring John Forte. Sooooo beautiful!

Face your fears/ Get in front of them/ Life comes down to few brief moments/ this is one of them

BRAIN FOOD: HAITI

Thank GOD for Twitter!

I'm too lazy to set up my converter box to work on more than two channels and have been slacking on my early a.m. HuffPo readings. Luckily, my Twit fam have a functioning TV and notified me about the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Like the rest of the world, I was saddened, but I woke up the day after in major panic. My friend Joanne has been in Haiti for the last month spending time with family. By the time I made in to work, I recieved the text that she was ok. However, my heart is still heavy for the hundreds of thousands who aren't.

A friend tweeted, "Yo, Haiti is having the worst century ever!" Jokingly, I responded, "Word, Haiti had the 1800s on lock!" Yeah, it was kinda funny, but it saddened me at the same time. Haiti went from being a sovereign country inhabited and run by Blacks to becoming a third world country,

Most of us know at least ONE person who is affected by this. JoJo is at the airport on her way back to NYC, but I cant say the same for the faces I have never seen before. Please donate to Yele, Wyclef Jeans foundation. All you have to do is text " yele " to 501501 and 5 bucks will be donated.

Also, Haiti is one of the countries that PUR and Summit on the Summit is aiding. They have already sent over 300,000 PUR packets to Haiti as of today. Make sure to donate to SOTS too because your aid goes DIRECTLY to the people in need.

The obligation of the blessed is to be a blessing to someone else.

BRAIN FOOD: EXCUSE ME WHILE I SOB UNCONTROLLABLY

THEY REACHED THE TOP OF MT. KILIMANJARO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, DONATE! THEY REACHED THEIR GOAL OF GETTING TO THE SUMMIT, BUT WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO FIX THE GLOBAL WATER CRISIS!

BRAIN FOOD: MAKE IT TO THE TOP JUST ONE MORE STEP

By now the Summit on the Summit crew should be pretty close to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I hope all of you have sent water. If not, what in the world are you waiting for??? People are dying as I type because of their inaccessibility to clean drinking water. Click here and GIVE...like right now!

Here is the journey so far:

Let's cheer them to the top!!!

...and since I referenced it in the title, get into one of my fave Jadakiss/Styles P collabos...

BRAIN FOOD: SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT

Step 1: Watch the movie below



Step 2: Click on this link

Step 3: Stop being a cheapo

Step 4: DONATE ( I would say I wouldn't judge you if you only donated
$1, but I would )

Step 5: Tell EVERYBODY you know ( or else... )

BRAIN FOOD: WHAT WOULD DUBOIS DO?

Give back to the neighborhood in which you live!

Let's face it guys, most of us in Bed-Stuy are gentrifying this jawn. So the LEAST we can do is give of ourselves as the original soul of our 'hood is eroding away.

I'm going to Philly on Saturday, but I will be sending some clothes by someone, you should too!

BRAIN FOOD: BORN TO USE MICS

Michael Eric Dyson. Illmatic. Nasir Jones.

If you love me, you will have this sitting on my stoop on December 28th, when it drops.

THAT.IS.ALL.

BRAIN FOOD: THE BLACK BOOK [RECAP]

I had an awesome awesome time at The Black Book event! Below is a quick bio on the panelists. Check back for some key points and video of the Q&A session, featuring someone you might know.

Dr. Roscoe Brown

An original member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Dr. Brown currently serves as Director of the Center of Urban Education Policy and University professor at City University of New York. He provided first hand insight to some of the articles within The Black Book. He was witty and charged the audience to correct fallacies by repeating the truth. Click here for a full bio.

Illyasah Shabazz

My favorite daughter of the prolific Malcolm X has committed her life to upholding the legacy set forth by her parents. Her book, Growing Up X, let readers into her upbringing and defining herself outside of her lineage. She credits her father with giving ownership of our heritage back to the Black community. Check out her website to keep posted on all that she is doing.

Toure

Author, journalist, cultural critic, television host, and all around cool dude was the comic relief of the panel. I can go on and on about Toure, (including the deets her gave Fe and I on his interview with Rihanna)but just scurry to his site or follow him on Twitter and you will find it impossible NOT to love him. I'm still trying to piece together his brief dissertation on Post-Blackness.

Rebecca Saudo

Daughter of Ernest Smith, the editor of the original Black Book also served as a panelist.She told a very interesting story about a neighbor she had that was a bigot, but interestingly enough had a Black foster child. Things that make you go hmmm...

BRAIN FOOD: PRECIOUS

I'm still not ready to talk about it, but my advice to you is to run to any theater with available tickets.

All this blah blah about race and the complexions of the characters is so silly. The fact that we pass by a PRECIOUS everyday should be our focus. I am currently searching for a non-profit to link up with to be the change I want to see in my hood! YeDig?

BRAIN FOOD: THE BLACK BOOK

BE THERE.PERIOD.

BRAIN FOOD: NAACP 100!!!!!!!!!!

After graduating college, I fell off the NAACP wagon, but I was nothing less than thrilled to help them celebrate 100 years. Words cannot even begin to express the importance that the NAACP has had not only in the Black community, but to the globe. I am filled just thinking about the people involved with the organization throughout the years. Pioneers who risked it all for the sake of my generation and those to come without even seeing our faces or knowing our names.

Barnes & Noble hosted a panel discussion with Dr. Cornel West and Julian Bond, so of course, I had to attend. This might sound weird, but I had a MEAN crush on Mr. Bond since I was a youngster. His eloquence and quiet power always intrigued me. I was beyond overwhelmed to be in his presence.

As a member of Tavis Smiley's Youth2Leaders organization, I have had the opportunity to hear Dr. West speak on many of occasions and once again, he did not disappoint. Hear are a few of my notable quotables from that event:

The NAACP was the response of Black people to American terrorism. The NAACP is more relevant now than before. Negroes got something to say to the world! If you want to know how to fight terrorism around the world, look at how Black folk dealt with it here without resulting to violence.White supremacy leads to the arrested development of American democracy.

-Dr. Cornel West

I get annoyed when people say, "Well, you've got a Black president now..." The NAACP isn't for just one color of people...its for the advancement for ALL people of color.

-Julian Bond

The NAACP has a right to celebrate. One hundred years ago, Black people couldn't even vote and now we have a Black man in the White House, which was primarily built by slaves. But the celebration has to end, so WHAT DO WE DO NOW???

-Dr. Cornel West

If the age of Obama is not about everyday people than this will all mean nothing.

-Dr. Cornel West

A Black man may be able to walk through the front doors of the White House, but his children still can't swim in the pool in Philadelphia.

-Julian Bond

The NAACP strives to be maladjusted to injustice. We are not going to be morally constipated! We're gonna let the ethical diarrhea flow!

-Dr. Cornel West

Children: Is this bird dead or alive?

Pastor: Its up to you to decide

-Julian Bond

Also please make sure to purchase the commemorative book for the 100th Anniversary. I got a chance to breeze through it after the event. The pictures and rich history captured almost had me in tears of pride.

BRAIN FOOD: THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE by STACEYANN CHIN

I gave you guys a sneak peak a few weeks ago about this amazing memoir.

I finished it in about 5 days. I always wondered where Chin's ferocity birthed from and now I understand. The book was heartbreaking, funny, and awe-inspiring all at the same time. I implore all of you to pick this book up whether at your local library or purchase it.

As many of the reviewers on Amazon.com said, this book transcends homo/hetero and it really focuses on the ability to not only endure, but thrive. Two Thumbs Up!

BRAIN FOOD:THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE by STACEYANN CHIN

I usually do book reviews, but I'm so excited about the book I'm currently reading that I wanna plug it now.

I have been a fan of Staceyann Chin since her first appearance on Def Poetry Jam. She was bold, fierce, and shocking. She wasn't afraid to speak how she felt and her passion radiates in all she does.

I picked it up on Monday and I am almost finished. I am devouring this book. I am giving this the iso14below Pre-Stamp of Approval. Check back next week for the official review.

PICK IT UP! PICK IT UP! PICK IT UP!

Check out a clip from her book reading at Barnes & Nobles here in the city.

BRAIN FOOD: A MERCY by TONI MORRISON

STELLAR!

Everyone that knows me, knows that I have a love/hate relationship with Toni Morrison. Her books are so rich and have the ability to emotionally drain the reader at its end, but they are a HARD read!

I picked up A Mercy, honestly, to test my gangsta. I was pleasantly surprised. A Mercy follows the complex yet close relationships of a slave master, his wife, and the women who served them in slave or indentured servants in the 1600s. I connected with each character and was able to follow the story line easily.

I have been imploring everyone to pick up a copy. I am thinking about reading it again at Summer's end....that is if summer ever starts.

BRAIN FOOD: ONE DROP by BLISS BROYARD

I'm a voracious reader so I decided to create a section to give book reviews on what I'm currently reading. I keep a journal of the books and include a quick synopsis along with a grade. Sowwie, me a bit anal...

::looking at my journal thinking I should start including dates::

First up, "One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life" by Bliss Broyard.

I had the pleasure of attending a lecture with Bliss Broyard at my local bookstore, Brownstone Books (BUY BLACK) a few months ago. This book follows Bliss' journey to find her roots after being told that her father, New York Times book critic, Anatole Broyard was a Black man. Oddly enough, he was raised a few blocks away from where I live now.

One Drop was powerful and well-written, though a bit open-ended. However, the unanswered questions force the reader to think and explore their own attitudes on race and class in America. Bliss was so candid, even if it stung a bit to read. In person she was just as open and warm. This is a summer must read!

Snatch it up ladies and gentleman! I would LOVE to discuss the book with anyone that read it. It is a serious conversation starter!