The Essence of Politics

Monday, August 24, 2009

My Perspective: The War On Our Youth—A National Priority



“A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child.”
Barack Obama at the 2004 Democratic National Committee Keynote Speech


Well President Barak Obama, 5 years ago you said above quote in your 2004 Democratic National Committee Keynote Speech and America listened. Americans were amazed with the speech however we are at this point where the streets of Chicago and the kids on the south side are being gunned down nearly every day. Many of the parents on the south side and residents in the city of Chicago are outraged as well hurt by the fact that President Obama has not spoken out against this or even made any reference to this being a national issue. So if President Obama belief is that we are connected as one people. Then if a child on the Southside where President Obama still owns a home and did most of his community organizing gets shot and killed, that matters to President Obama right, even if it’s not his own child. If it matters than it surely doesn’t seem like to many of the residents of Chicago and the parents who have seen nothing but complete silence from President Obama on this issue.

However not all Chicago natives are silent. CNN’s news anchor Don Lemons, a native of Chicago recently did a news cast on Saturday and Sunday entitled Chicago’s Deadly Street where he looked at the violence in Chicago where former Chicago Public Schools CEO and current U.S. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan said the violence to Chicago’s youth started when he arrived and that is one of his biggest regrets from his tenure in Chicago. Well it is about time Duncan acknowledge this because one of the first things he talked about was the fact that he was losing sleep over what was happening to students in Detroit regarding education but if Duncan was losing sleep over them than he had to be having nightmares over the violence in the streets that is plaguing many youths lives and the horrible condition of Chicago Public Schools that are not charters.

Therefore if we are all connected as one people as than U.S. Senate candidate said in 2004 than why aren’t we all trying to improve the conditions of the violence in Chicago that has taken nearly 150 youth in the last 2 years and has left nearly 1,500 youth wounded from gun violence. So when will we all be connected as one to address this issue. The issue has constantly gotten worse and now is the time for all Americans to help our fellow Americans in Chicago deal with this strategic issue that is plaguing our youth like never before. The war on our youth is a national priority and if we can’t solve the problems in Chicago than how can we solve it anymore. Today Chicago, tomorrow Detroit, the next day Baltimore and by the end of the week Los Angeles. This is why this war on our youth is a national priority and it begins with us solving the problem in Chicago because it has been ignored for far too long. Too many youth are dying nationally but what is happening in Chicago is similar to what is happening in Afghanistan and Iraq which is why we must address this war on our youth now. This is a national issue and we must address it is such.

Now Chicago Public School officials and religious leaders kicked off a campaign to get students back to school for the start of the new school year. They are also working together to help curb the violence in Chicago that's killed or injured so many young people. Partnerships and collaborations are needed because at least 50 Chicago students have been killed by violence since last September. School officials are asking parents and churches to help them keep students safe as another school year approaches. Top Chicago Public School officials hosted faith community leaders from around the city today as part of their annual back-to-school campaign. They want to make sure kids get back to class on the first day of school and they are asking religious leaders to help them attack youth violence in Chicago.

People in Chicago are trying to address the violence and have been trying since 2005 when the youth violence began to increase. However they shouldn’t be doing it alone when we as a nation are suppose to be one and we all should be helping them because if a youth in Chicago dies than it is like our own youth dead. "We're calling on the faith community to work with us, to partner with us to do more in all our efforts to attack the issue of youth violence in Chicago," said Ron Huberman, Chicago Public Schools CEO. This is what I am asking from all Americans not to work with Chicago but partner with Chicago residents to help them save youth lives once and for all. Top school officials call for help from interfaith leaders in getting students back to school and having parents help with decreasing the violence that is taking over our communities. "Every one of those kids needs a mentor. Every one of those kids needs a faith-based leader who will take them under their wings and support them and help them build those adult relationships that are going to help carry them through the day," said Huberman.

"It's critical for CPS to reach out to the churches. We really need to focus on parents' empowerment by teaching parents their role and what they can do because there is a lot of parents who are silent on this issue," said Rev. Tyrone Crider. The 2009-10 traditional school calendar officially starts Tuesday, September 8. Some 132 schools operating on a year-round calendar begin classes August 10. "The all year-round school goes a long way toward helping kids stay off the street all summer," said Rev. Marshall Hatch, New Mount Pilgrim Church. Johnetta Anderson, a recent high school graduate, says young people are killing each other because they have no hope and there are too many negative images around them. "If you put us in a negative environment and then you show us negative, and then when we listen to the radio and the music all we're hearing is negative. How can you expect positive acts from these kids? I just feel we need to put more positivity on TV, tell these kids about their history, tell these kids what they can be," said Anderson.

Well let’s give our youth hope, let’s give them inspiration and something to be encouraged about. Let’s show our youth a better way and give them opportunities and chances to survive by showing them positive television and giving them real conscious orientated positive music to listen to that stimulates brain cells rather than kills it. Ron Huberman says random shootings that kill students in front of and near schools impact everyone in a school. Crisis situations and their unsettling effects on people's lives must be addressed and that is what CPS is attempting to do by reaching out to faith-based organizations and asking for their help in keeping kids in school and safe. This is the direction that should have been taken 3 years ago but now is not the time to dwell on the past but instead we must move forward and work as one to improve the present so that the future can be better.

However it won’t be easy but some high school students in Chicago are pushing policy makers to adopt some of their ideas for stemming gun violence which is what is needed. Youth are needed to help fight this war on them because if youth aren’t involved in curbing the violence and in creating better situations for youth to live and prosper than no matter what we as a nation do, it won’t work without youth wanting it. The kids are part of a program called Mikva Challenge and they surveyed 750 Chicago Public High School Students about violence. They found that few kids blame police. Instead, most teen respondents said poor parenting and negative messages from culture and friends were the biggest contributors to gun violence. Edward is a junior at Orr Academy High School. He says, based on the survey results he thinks more kids need mentors to consistently counter all the negative messages out there.

So where are the good mentors. Our youth need role models and people with integrity that can relate to them and help them see a better way in life. The youth in not just Chicago but across the nation need people who care and people who will encourage youth to succeed. Our youth no longer need people who will say, “I know you have potential, I know you can be somebody in life, okay. I'm here to help you. I'm not here to judge you, I'm not here to hurt you but I'm here to help you, to lift you up from where you fell.” Instead our youth need people who say those things but actually back up with engaging youth on a semi-daily basis or as much as they can in order to make sure they are truly there to help youth succeed. To many times, people make promises to youth and say they are here to help them but they don’t really do what they say which leads to many youth being hopeless and becoming despair due to broken promises time and time again. Well now is the time to restore that hope and to remove that despair from our youth in Chicago as well as throughout the world.

While the youth in Chicago such as Edwards are trying to give solutions to the problems that make the violence exist and force youth to become hopeless, not all youth are as active as they are. Still youth are trying to approach these situations from a different perspective but it will take more than just youth involvement to change the status quo of out-dated solutions that have been implemented to fight youth violence that seem to just increase the violence rather than decrease. So if we look at Chicago, the gun in the streets makes blanket conceal and carry in Illinois unlikely. Politicians who believe that simply getting more gun laws will decrease gun violence or youth violence just need to look at Chicago to understand that is the way when current gun laws haven’t been enforced to curb violence. There is a war going on in Chicago's inner city. News of the violence sometimes trickles into brief media reports in Central Illinois and throughout America that give us a small glimpse into the troubles facing Chicago and perhaps our nation.

Fortunately, many Americans aren’t affected by gun violence on a regular basis like the people of Chicago are. However, for those who live in Chicago, the unfortunate reality of gun violence has become a pandemic that has been ignored for far too long. According to the Chicago Tribune, there were 201 murders in Chicago in the first half of 2009. In comparison, there were 511 total murders in 2008 in the windy city. That equates to over a murder a day. As many supporters of concealed and carry strongly advocate the right of law abiding citizens to bear arms, many blame Chicago politicians for blocking efforts to pass conceal and carry. While it is very easy to support the concept in the relative safety of Central Illinois, State Representatives are elected to represent their constituents in their respective districts. There is no doubt that with the level of violence occurring on Chicago's city streets a majority of people living in Chicago would like to see stricter controls on firearms, and are strongly opposed to conceal and carry. When you look at the way that gun violence is affecting the African American community the statistics are appalling:

Chicago 2009 Murder Statiscics
88 percent of victims were male
78 percent of victims were black
44 percent of victims were between the ages of 20 and 30
84 percent of victims were shot to death

Cleary, many African American neighborhoods are being overrun by gang violence. So while many feel that conceal and carry levels the playing field between criminal and citizen. It is easy to understand why so many of Chicago's leaders are strongly opposed to such legislation. Since a majority of Illinois officials comprising both chambers of the General Assembly represent Chicago or the surrounding suburbs, it will be nearly impossible to get blanket conceal and carry legislation passed in Illinois. One compromise that might work is to allow each individual county to establish their own conceal and carry standards. Gun advocates, who already believe that Illinois has to many gun laws, might not find this acceptable either. They believe the second amendment is applicable regardless of you geographic location. A recent Supreme Court ruling essentially reaffirmed that position by ruling against gun bans in Washington D.C.

Conceal and carry gained some momentum early in the 96th General Assembly of Illinois. The Illinois Sheriff's Association came out in favor of a House Bill (HB 245) during the last legislative session which would have made conceal and carry law in Illinois. The bill never made it out of the committee process, and was re-referred to the House rules committee. It is unclear whether or not that bill, or another conceal and carry bill, will be put to a full vote any time in the near future. Gun rights debates are often heated with strong emotions on both sides of the argument. One need only pick up a copy of a Chicago newspaper to see how the proliferation of guns on Chicago streets is destroying some sections of the inner city. Many times the victims are innocent children who may be riding a bike down the sidewalk, or playing with a friend in the front yard. While it is important to fight against any further restrictions on our constitutional right to bear arms, if you look it at the issue from an urban Chicago perspective, it is understandable why many Northern Illinois leaders are hesitant to vote for conceal and carry. Conceal and carry would work in most areas of Illinois. Those that advocate local control shouldn't have a problem with their particular counties voters deciding whether or not conceal and carry is acceptable in that jurisdiction. Likewise, let Chicago voters decide what's right for their city.

Still the reality is that creating a conceal and carry law might not solve the problem of gun violence in the city either because as reported during Don Lemons report a Chicago spokesman said that during a one day turn in your gun campaigns that nearly 7,000 guns were turned in by Chicago residents in one day. However even with that effort, it seems that many guns are still on the streets of Chicago so, it will take more than just new gun laws to improve the conditions of Chicago’s violence. The violence in Chicago is not about race as some might equate to me because Chicago’s deadly streets affects all Americans and the fact that any youth gets shot and dies should make all of wipe especially if we are all in this as one as Obama said at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

This is a national priority and Chicago has experienced a rise in youth violence, particularly in its inner-city neighborhoods like never before. There have already been nearly 150 school students who have been killed in the last two years, which is troubling, and nearly 1,500 young people have been hurt in the shootings during the same time span. One factor causing the violence is the large-scale demolition of the city’s public housing developments. When the “projects” were torn down, over 20,000 families were sent to other neighborhoods. This means that over 100,000 poor people had to find a new place to live. Nearly 90 percent ended up moving to other poor neighborhoods in Chicago that were as crime-ridden as the projects. This also meant that the kids had to cross gang boundaries. It is not an accident that youth violence is occurring in and around Chicago schools because gangs spend a lot of time recruiting in school areas. The youth who ended up in new schools were assumed to represent an enemy gang, even if they had no gang membership.

The situation has become explosive. Chicago also has some of the most corrupt and ineffective police. In low income minority neighborhoods, residents and police still don’t get along. The result is that people feel unsafe and don’t rely on the law to come to their aid. Instead, they will sometimes take matters into their own hands, which can lead to further escalations in violence. The city needs to spend time and money providing opportunities for youth in some of these neighborhoods. Most of the resources are in the elite areas of the city, near the Lakefront, but they are most needed in the middle and working-class neighborhoods. Hopefully this recent violence will serve as a wakeup call for Mayor Daley’s administration but it hasn’t especially since Daley was re-elected, you would think his administration would do more but they haven’t.

Things have gotten worse and it is clear that even Mayor Daley doesn’t understand the situation especially when he said that most of the youth that get shot in Chicago are dropouts but Chicago doesn’t count them as dropouts but as students. However all the students who have been shot this year are not dropouts, not one of them was a dropout, they were all in school and majority of them were honor roll students. This should make Chicagoans sad that their own Mayor doesn’t understand the rapid increase of youth violence and the fact that the students who are being shot are not dropouts but regular ordinary school age students trying to make their lives better. If this isn’t reason enough why the war on our youth and the city of Chicago’s youth violence problems are a national priority than I don’t know what else to say.

However Sudhir Venkatesh, a professor of sociology at Columbia University, has spent over two decades studying gangs in Chicago and New York and his most recent book, based on that research, is Gang Leader for a Day (Penguin Press) gives more insight to the violence in Chicago. It is so frustrating for folks in Chicago to think about what is plaguing the youth of Chicago but it is power book. Venkatesh points to the Lakefront with "MOST OF THE RESOURCES" and lends itself to a call for REDISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES. There will be no mention of two concepts: 1.) Private Property and 2.) The Need To Align One's Own Behavior with RESOURCE AGGREGATION. Venkatesh believes that some people, regardless of their best intentions see a Black or Hispanic community that is out of control as directed by their own devices as a situation that needs to be "kept". (as in "zookeeper", et al). In "kept communities" one doesn't look to have the people represent the primary force that contributes to their own education, employment, health - their standard of living. Instead we must look at the entire society's will that all people live at a certain level and keep trying until they are lifted to this level IN SPITE OF THEIR OWN ACTIONS which work to derail this effort for up lift.

However the war on our youth is not about race as some would want us to think but is about us a nation offering our youth better alternatives the lives they have. Our youth in America need better and we as a nation are failing them. Chicago should be seen as the example for how we as nation can improve our living conditions. If we can win the battle in Chicago by making it a national issue than we can win this war on our youth because it will make everyone wake up to realize just how bad the war on our youth truly is. Youth violence is bad every were and it has been a constant problem but no city in our nation’s history has seen the violence like it has been in Chicago since the 1980s when drugs were at its highest in this nation and ran rapid with new drugs like cocaine/crack being introduced.

There are many problems that need to be address but if we are to win this war on our youth, we must make it a national priority. We need to tackle the violence in Chicago with innovative ideas because to this point, no gun laws have curb the violence and more police presence on the streets has not helped either. We must bring new ideas to the table and this starts with all Americans being concerned about the youth in Chicago as much as we are concerned about our own. There are tons of Chicago residents and natives who can be spokespeople against this youth violence but all of them have remained silent so we can’t expect the likes of Barack Obama, Rahm Emmanuel, Oprah Winfrey, Davel Patrick, Michael Jordan, Mike Dikta, etc to address the violence in the streets because until this point they have not done. Therefore we have to step up America and help our neighbors in Chicago because if this was taking place in our city or town than we would want the rest of our nation to address this issue.

America we must stand up and unite as one to help our youth overcome this senseless violence on their lives and the constant attacks on their educational future. The war on our youth is a national priority that all Americans should be concerned about no if’s, in’s or but’s about it. We have to stand up now and win this war once and for all.




SAVE OUR YOUTH!

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Jay-Z - History



(Jay-Z - History)Jay-Z - History with Lyrics

LYRICS : [Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighter)
And the battle's finally won
(Gimme a lighter)
Victory (Lighters up) is finally ours
(Lighters up)
History, so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
In search of victory, she keeps eluding me
If only we could be together momentarily
We can make love and make history
Why won't you visit me? until she visit me
I'll be stuck with her sister, her name is defeat
She gives me agony, so much agony
She brings me so much pain, so much misery
Like missing your last shot and falling to your knees
As the crowd screams for the other team
I practice so hard for this moment, victory don't leave
I know what this means, I'm stuck in this routine
Whole new different day, same old thing
All I got is dreams, nobody else can see
Nobody else believes, nobody else but me
Where are you victory? I need you desperately
Not just for the moment, to make history

[Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighters)
And the battle's finally won
(Lighters)
Victory is finally ours
(Yeah)
History (yeah), so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
So now I'm flirting with death, hustling like a G
While victory wasn't watching took chances repeatedly
As a teenage boy before acne, before I got proactiv I couldn't face she
I just threw on my hoodie and headed to the street
That's where I met success, we'd live together shortly
Now success is like lust, she's good to the touch
She's good for the moment but she's never enough
Everybody's had her, she's nothing like V
But success is all I got unfortunately
But I'm burning down the block hoppin' in and out of V
But something tells me that there's much more to see
Before I get killed because I can't get robbed
So before me success and death ménage
I gotta get lost, I gotta find V
We gotta be together to make history

[Chorus: Cee-lo]
Now that all the smoke is gone
(Lighters. Up.)
And the battle's finally won
(Lighter. Up.)
Victory is finally ours
(Lighters. Up.)
History, so long, so long
So long, so long

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Now victory is mine, it tastes so sweet
She's my trophy wife, you're coming with me
We'll have a baby who stutters repeatedly
We'll name him history, he'll repeat after me
He's my legacy, son of my hard work
Future of my past, he'll explain who I be
Rank me amongst the greats, either 1, 2, or 3
If I ain't number one then I failed you victory
Ain't in it for the fame that dies within weeks
Ain't in it for the money, can't take it when you leave
I wanna be remembered long after you grieve
Long after I'm gone, long after I breathe
I leave all I am in the hands of history
That's my last will and testimony
This is much more than a song, it's a baby shower
I've been waiting for this hour, history you ours


[Chorus: Cee-lo (2x)]
Now that all the smoke is gone
And the battle's finally won
Victory is finally ours
History, so long, so long
So long, so long



Man in the Mirror--By Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson - Man in the mirror

I'm gonna make a change,
for once im my life
It's gonna feel real good,
gonna make a diference
Gonna make it right...

As I, turn up the collar on
my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the streets,
with not enought to eat
Who am I to be blind?
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer disregard,a broken bottle top
And a one man soul
They follow each other on the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
(If you wanna make the world a better place)
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Take a look at yourself, and then make a change)
(Na na na, na na na, na na, na nah)

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love
It's time that I realize
That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
And a washed-out dream
(Washed-out dream)
They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see
'Cause they got no place to be
That's why I'm starting with me
(Starting with me!)

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Ooh!)
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
(If you wanna make the world a better place)
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change
(Take a look at yourself, and then make a change)

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Ooh!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Change his ways - ooh!)
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that..
(Take a look at yourself and then make that..)
CHANGE!

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
(Man in the mirror - Oh yeah!)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Better change!)
No message could have been any clearer
(If you wanna make the world a better place)


Michael Jackson - Man in the mirror

A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cook






It's been a long time coming but a change is surely going to come in America and the World! I am the Future of America and the World and that is the message that each of us must carry with us each and every day that we wake up on Earth! I am the Future! You are the Future! We are the Future of America and the World! That is way every election is important--primaries, special elections and general! So vote every year and hold our politicians accountable. Hold our political officials accountable by writing them, calling them and making sure they attend meetings that we the people have. "The Time for Change is not Now but Right Now!"

"EmPOWERment By Any Means Necessary" should be our anthem and should be our creed as we make the positive differences in America and the world that so many people beg for and hungry for year after year! A Change is Gonna Come, A Change is Gonna Come, that's what we must say as we say "God grants us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, Courge to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference" each morning before we go about the task of making a positive change in America and the world a reality.



Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen


“When will people realize that we are Americans first and foremost, not Democrats or Liberals, not Republicans or Conservatives, not Independents or moderates. We are Americans. Stop putting a political party above America and stop putting any politican above America. America succeeds because of us the people holding our government responsible no matter the political party because the main two political parties are to blame for the condition America is in."—Hodari P.T. Brown

America with its flaws and all is a country I am proud to have been born in. America is not perfect but my love for it is perfect. That’s why all Americans must realize that we are all Americans. In fact we are Americans first and foremost. We are not Democrats or Republicans. We are Americans.

We are not Muslims, Christians or Jews. We are Americans. Too many times we recognize our differences with others rather than appreciating our similarities which are, we are Americans. We are Americans first and foremost, no matter if we were born here or moved here legally. We are all Americans, here in this country to make not only our lives better but the lives of other Americans better so future Americans can enjoy the rights and freedoms that make us all Americans.

We are all Americans. We are one party united under God. We are Americans and this is the only political party that matters. We are Americans and this is our country so let’s make sure that we make America better than how we found it so future Americans can live prosperous and joyous lives. We are Americans and must not ever forget that.

America will prosper as long we make sure we are doing our part to make it prosper and that means we can’t put any political party or politician above America. Long live America forever and long live America’s service to the world. Together, America and the world will prosper for future generations to enjoy America and the world we live in.


Lift Every Voice and Sing


This video of the ' Negro National Anthem' was originally screened at the historic African-American Church Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC on January 18th, 2009. Many of the esteemed individuals featured in this video in attendance and we presented with the ' Keepers of the Flame' award for the monumental contributions to social justice.

This version of the song was performed by the Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir, conducted by Derrick James. The video was produced and donated by Ascender Communications, LLC (www.ascender-c.com) at the request of The Balm In Gilead, Inc.

If I Was President--Wyclef Jean




If I was President that is the people's anthem. We all have ideas of what we can do as President and through this website, we will fulfill our deam as a people!

Somethings Gotta Give--Big Boi ft Mary J Blige



Somethings Gotta Give people and it begins today for all us to make sure that something is us. We the people are sick and tired of suffering. Where is our piece of the Dream that so many people dead for so that we all could see today. This is our time people to change America and the world so that the Next Generation has a better future than the past we inherited.

This is our call to service. This isn't about one political candidate or one political figure. This is about us as people coming together to finally leave up to our potential and achieving the great feats that those before us have achieved. This is our moment to lead our nation and our world to greater heights.

Somethings gotta give people and it starts with us the people making it happen. We have to improve our education system in America. We have to rid the world of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We have to go to the streets and lift a hand to another in order to decrease poverty in this world. We have to take a stand today and make sure that the future of America and the world is brighter than it has ever been.

Somethings Gotta Give and that is why we must "Remember Each One, Reach One and Teach One so America's future and the World's future continues to prosper."

John Legend - "If You're Out There"


If you're out there than you need to get started in helping to change America and the world. The world and America won't change until you get involved in making the changes you want to see in this world. If you're out there, than you must know that tomorrow started now and today started yesterday so you are behind in helping to the change. If you are tired of hatred, racism, poverty, war, and violence than the time to change it is now. If you want universal health care, world peace, democracy for every nation, equal rights, and happiness for all than you must get involved now to help the save world.

You must believe in the change that you want to see and you must act on making that change a reality. If you're out there than say it aloud and show the rest of America and the world that you're out here to make a real positive change in the communities we stay in. If you're out there than get involved now. I'm calling every women and men to join me as we take back our country right here, right now. If you're out there than the future started yersterday and we are already late so we have lots of work to do but I know we can do it together as one.

YES WE CAN



Yes We Can accomplish anything that we set out to do! We don't need charismatic or inspirational leaders to believe in ourselves and to take responsiblity for our own faith, we just need each other. Yes We Can build a new America and a new world if each of us would take action now to make the changes that we want to see in the world. Yes We Can control government by holding our political officials accountable for their actions by calling them out when they don't pass legislation that supports the common good of all man and by voting in every election to ensure that we have people representing the people locally, state wide, nationally and in the world.

Yes We Can be great! Yes We Can be what we want to be! Yes We Can be glorious in not only America but the world! Yes We can put action behind our worlds and change the world starting right here, right now! Yes We Can as Republicans, Democrats and Independents become one as we freely think about our fellow men and women and make decisions that will be in the best interest of all people and not one single group.

Yes We Can be the change that we want to see in the world! Yes We Can show the world that the youth are ready to lead! Yes We Can put our egos, our social economic statuses, our religions, our educational statuses and our skin color to the side for the better good of the world! Yes We Can be Greater than we have ever been and help others be Greater than they have ever be!

YES WE CAN and YES WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS IN ALL THAT WE DO! YES WE CAN, no matter what others may say, we will be glorious! YES WE WILL and YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!

YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN is what will be sung from every mountaintop, every riverbank, every household, every school yard, every factory, every sporting event, every college campus and even every place you can imagine in the world is where YES WE CAN, will be said and heard!

YES WE CAN!

Keep On Pushing - Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions


Wake Up People! No matter who is elected to any public office, we have to “Keep On Pushing” as a people to make sure they don’t leave us in a worst state than what they inherited. We as a people have to “Keep On Pushing” to make a difference in the lives of others. We have to have an “EmPOWERment By Any Means Necessary” attitude as we continue to push our agenda that we the people deserve and want better. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change in a positive way that will benefit all Americans no matter their age, their religion or skin color. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change that will improve our education system, improve our military, improve our national security, improve our healthcare system and improve our economy. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to bring about change that will leave America’s future in a better than how we found it and that will leave the world’s future in a better state than we imagined we could live it. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to make life better for our neighborhoods, our families and even our quote on quote enemies. We have to “Keep On Pushing” to inspire, to uplift and to guide those who need help spiritually, physically and mentally. We have to “Keep On Pushing ” so that our lives, our future generation’s lives and the lives of those who came before us does not die in vein.

“Keep on Pushing”

A War For Your Soul

A War For Your Soul-regular version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.


The moment has come for us as a nation of people to finally wake up and realize that our destiny and fate in society has rests on our shoulders. We cannot allow the forces of evil and darkness to drain us out. We have to continue to overcome all odds in order to make the future of our nation better and the future of future generations of Americans better. We have to continue to pray to our Lord and we have to continue to uplift each other in prayer as well as take action against those things that are trying to destroy us. We have to stand up once and for all and be the future that we want to be. Now is our time and we shall do together by any means necessary.

This video was created to inspire young African-Americans not to fall prey to some of the problems they face in society. The use of the voice "Master of Darkness" represents evil, which is where the blame of all problems should be placed, and not on any one group of people. This video should not to be used to divide people (Black & White), there are images of heroes that are white in this video, and there are images of Black & White coming together with the words of Dr. King in the background. Some of the images from the past can be unsettling, but they are used to show all Americans how far we have come, and how far we still have to go. This film is being strategically placed in school systems, churches and youth orgs around the country, in hope of helping a lost generation of kids that we as Americans have forgotten. As fellow Americans we must continue to love each other, and take that love and spread it to the rest of the world. **THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR SALE & I AM NOT ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR THE FILM, I ONLY WANT THE MESSAGE TO REACH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT ANY HIDDEN POLITICAL OR FINANCIAL AGENDA.

Sitting On the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding



"The time for sitting is over! The time for action is now! The time for hope without action is hopeless! The time for change without a positive attitude is a change that we can't believe in! We need change that is positive of helping all people! Our time for action is now, our time for hope is now, our time for change is now and our time to believe that we can do whatever we set our minds to is not now but right now!"

STAR SPANGLED BANNER


The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming;
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?


On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream;
'Tis the star-spangled banner; O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave,
From the terror of flight and the gloom of the grave;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!


O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land,
Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just.
And this be our motto— "In God is our trust; "
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

Black President



Our Time is not now but Right Now! Our Time has finally come to change the world not now but Right Now! If you don't believe that we can change the world than watch as we do it by changing your mind into believing in us and what we can do! This is OUR TIME RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

FIGHT THE POWER



We got to FIGHT THE POWER! We can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch injustices take place. We can no longer sit by and allow our right to vote to become unexercised. We must FIGHT THE POWER for our past, present and future! We can no longer allow our rights to be oppressed and our voice to become drained by the powers at be. We must FIGHT THE POWER and show that we have a lot to say that needs to be heard by the mainstream media. We must FIGHT THE POWER and live up to our potential as dynamic, unbelievable and phenomenal people.


We must not believe the hype but we must become the hype. We are not Harriett Tubman, Marcus Garvey, MLK, Malcolm X, Booker T. Washington, Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B. DuBois, the Black Panther Party, SNCC, or any other activists but we are the fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, uncles, aunties, and relatives of those who came before us to pave the way for us to FIGHT THE POWER! We are not next Generation of leaders who will not be honored and praised until they die but that’s the fight we accept. We are not fighting the power for glory or fame but we are fighting the power for just causes that most men and women will not understand until years or decades later.


We are fighting for our sisters and brothers in Darfur, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, China and Mexico. We are speaking for those who are poor and have no food or water. We are fighting for those who are sick and dying. We are fighting for universal healthcare across the world and human rights for all people. We are fighting for rich and poor! We must FIGHT THE POWER no matter how hard and tough the road may be. We must FIGHT THE POWER for a better today and an even greater tomorrow!


FIGHT THE POWER!

PEOPLE GET READY


“People Get Ready” our time is coming! We have come too far to turn back now. Our train is coming and it is coming in waves. “People Get Ready”, we don’t need a ticket but we need faith and the Lord will help guide us as we take back America and the world. “People Get Ready” our moment is now and we are ready to see the change we want in America and the world. All we got to do is have faith, hope and prosperity. “People Get Ready” to face your fears. “People Get Ready” to face your demons and the challenges of yesterday because today and tomorrow we will conquer & be victorious. “People Get Ready” a change is coming and our actions will make sure that change is a real positive change that lasts forever.


“People Get Ready” because we have had enough of just talking but now is our time to show action. “People Get Ready” to take back America and the world. “People Get Ready” to take back our communities and to make our streets safer and schools better. “People Get Ready” to make all our dreams come true. “People Get Ready” to see a better present for everyone and a better future for future generations. “People Get Ready” to live up to your potential and to help others live up to their own potential. “People Get Ready” to move past hatred, bigotry, racism and sexism. “People Get Ready” to fulfill the dreams of those who came before us and those who will come after us.


“People Get Ready” as we make our actions speak louder than our words. “People Get Ready” to make words mean something again as we put action to back up our rhetoric. “People Get Ready” as we embark on a new journey that will re-write America’s history as well as the world’s history. “People Get Ready” as we make the lives of others better and the lives of future generations better. “People Get Ready” because all we need is faith, hope and action to make this world a better place. “People Get Ready” to make a difference. “People Get Ready” to fulfill the American dream. “People Get Ready" to live out the American Dream as our founding fathers wanted us to live it. “People Get Ready” because our time is now, our moment is now and our moment in time to change America & the world is not now but right now. “People Get Ready” because a change is coming!


Alicia]
(Let me tell you now)
People get ready, there's a train comin'
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'
You don't need no ticket, you just thank the lord

[Lyfe]
People get ready, for a train to Jordan
Picking up passengers coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board them
There's hope for all among those loved the most

[Alicia]
There ain't no room for the hopeless sinner
Who would hurt all man kind just to save his own (believe me now)
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
For there's no hiding place against the kingdoms throne

[Alicia & Lyfe]
So people get ready there's a train coming
You don't need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith to hear the diesels humming,
You don't need no ticket, you just thank the lord


“PEOPLE GET READY!”

God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood


Lee Greenwood-god bless the U.S.A