The Essence of Politics: The Recession hurt America’s wealthiest, too

Thursday, October 01, 2009

The Recession hurt America’s wealthiest, too

Forbes has released its annual 400 richest Americans list and it is clear that the economic recession has had its affect on all Americans. Almost all of America's wealthiest citizens are poorer this year. America's super rich are getting poorer. For only the fifth time since 1982, the collective net worth of The Forbes 400 — our annual tally of the nation's richest people — has declined, falling $300 billion in the past 12 months from $1.57 trillion to $1.27 trillion.

Faltering capital markets and real estate prices, along with divorce and fraud, pushed the fortunes of 314 members down and drove 32 plutocrats off the rankings. Hurt the most: Warren Buffett, America's second-richest citizen. The Oracle of Omaha dropped $10 billion from his personal balance sheet as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell 20% in 12 months. He is now worth $40 billion.

Beating out Buffett for the 16th straight year as America's richest man is Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Sluggish Microsoft shares and declining outside investments pushed the software visionary's net worth down $7 billion in 12 months. Rounding out the top 10 on The Forbes 400: Oracle founder Larry Ellison ($27 billion); Wal-Mart heirs Christy Walton ($21.5 billion), Jim C. Walton ($19.6 billion), Alice Walton ($19.3 billion), and S. Robson Walton ($19 billion); media maven Michael Bloomberg ($17.5 billion) and energy titans Charles and David Koch ($16 billion each).

The 10 richest Americans lost a combined $39.2 billion in the past 12 months, a 14% decline. Other big losers include casino mogul Kirk Kerkorian, whose nest egg shed $8.2 billion in the past year. Shares of his gambling giant MGM Mirage have fallen 90% from their October 2007 high.

Also hitting the brakes: Enterprise Rent-A-Car founder Jack C. Taylor. The rental car titan's fortune is down $7 billion in a year as the travel industry slows and private-company valuations fall. The biggest gainer is banker Andrew Beal, who tripled his net worth to $4.5 billion buying up cheap loans and assets as the markets crumbled last fall.

Membership on the list was made easier as the price of admission dropped $350 million, from $1.3 billion last year to $950 million this year, paving the way for 19 new members and 19 returnees. Newcomers to the list include Marvel Entertainment chief Isaac Perlmutter, whose net worth soared to $1.55 billion after Disney agreed to buy the superhero outfit in August for $4 billion in cash and stock.

Other new members include Bloomberg LP co-founder Charles Zegar ($1 billion), mapping-software magnate Jack Dangermond ($2 billion) and trading titan Steven Schonfeld ($1 billion). Former New York lawyer and accountant Jeffry Picower makes his debut on The Forbes 400 with a net worth of $1 billion. A longtime investor with Bernard Madoff, he is likely worth billions more (Picower is alleged to have extracted billions of dollars from Madoff's fund before it collapsed).

Picower and his foundation are named in a lawsuit by the liquidator for Madoff's investment business, who is seeking to recover funds allegedly obtained through "fraudulent activity." Picower claims if he knew Madoff was a fraud he would not have transferred money into Madoff accounts.

In December 2008, the Picower Foundation shut down after losing its $1 billion endowment in Madoff's Ponzi scheme. The charity had given millions to MIT, Human Rights First and the New York Public Library. Picower made his first fortune selling medical device maker Alaris in 2004.

Among those returning is venture capitalist Michael Moritz, who rode Amazon's purchase of online shoe retailer Zappos and surging Google stock back onto the list. Divorce forced Google exec Omid Kordestani from the rankings, while R. Allen Stanford lost his billionaire status when the feds froze his assets after charging him with allegedly running an $8 billion Ponzi scheme.

Several Forbes 400 mainstays also fell off the list, including former Citigroup czar Sanford Weill, mall developer Matthew Bucksbaum and condo kingpin Jorge Perez. Six members died, including glass giant William Davidson and newspaper maven Frank Batten Sr.

The Forbes 400 is a snapshot of wealth on Sept. 10, 2009. Gap co-founder Donald Fisher, who ranks No. 296 on our list, died Sept. 27 at his home in San Francisco at age 81. Still the rich are not in as a bad of a shape as most Americans are but they have lost some of their wealth but not enough to come down to main street.

The Top 21 Richest Americans:
1. William H. Gates III
Net Worth: $50 billion
Source: Microsoft
Residence: Medina, Wash.
Age: 53

· --Despite losing $7 billion in 12 months, software man retains his title as America’s richest person for the 16th straight year.
· --Microsoft shares down 8% in past year but up 65% from March lows. He sells stock every quarter, redeploys proceeds via personal investment outfit Cascade.
· --More than 60% of fortune held outside Microsoft; investments include Four Seasons hotels, Televisa, AutoNation.
· --Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft last summer to focus on philanthropy.
· --Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation dedicated to fighting hunger, improving education in America’s high schools, developing vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Endowment: $30 billion.
· --Penned first report on foundation’s projects in January. Touted progress made on preventing fatal childhood diseases; confessed frustration at challenge of creating an affordable, effective AIDS vaccine.
· --Ramping up personal contributions: donating $3.8 billion this year, $500 million more than in 2008.

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2. Warren Buffett
Net Worth: $40 billion
Source: Berkshire Hathaway
Residence: Omaha
Age: 79

· --America’s favorite investor lost $10 billion in past 12 months on his Berkshire Hathaway shares.
· --Provided calming guidance to panic-stricken investors during financial crisis last fall; avowed enduring faith in U.S. economy, advised bargain hunting: “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”
· --Shrewdly invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs and $3 billion in General Electric last fall.
· --Suffered a $1.5 billion loss in first-quarter 2009; Berkshire notched $3.3 billion profit in second quarter thanks in part to bet on Goldman.
· --Son of Nebraska politician filed first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 deduction for bicycle bought for paper route.
· --Met value investor Benjamin Graham while studying economics at Columbia.
· --Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965, used as vehicle to invest in insurance (Geico), food (Dairy Queen), utilities (MidAmerican Energy) and recently green tech (electric-car maker BYD).
· --Believed to be grooming NetJets Chief David Sokol to eventually take over Berkshire.
· --Appearing in cartoon form on upcoming online-tutor series The Secret Millionaires Club.

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3. Lawrence Ellison
Net Worth: $27 billion
Source: Oracle
Residence: Redwood City, Calif.
Age: 65

· --Oracle founder continues his spending spree: Sun Microsystems in April for $7.4 billion; deal awaiting EU approval.
· --Database giant has bought 54 companies in the past 5 years.
· --Bought BEA Systems for $8.5 billion last year; still sitting on billions in cash.
· --Stock flat in past 12 months. Sales: $23 billion. More at Forbes.com:
· --Studied physics at U. of Chicago; didn’t graduate.
· --Started Oracle 1977; took public a day before Microsoft in 1986.
· --Owns 52% stake in business software company NetSuite; shares worth $440 million.
· --Racing junkie owns 453-foot yacht Rising Sun with pal David Geffen.
· --Recently concluded court battle with Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli over terms of next America’s Cup. Race will be next February. Planned location: Ras al-Khaimah in the UAE.

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4. Christy Walton & Family
Net Worth: $21.5 billion
Source: Wal-Mart
Residence: Jackson, Wyo
Age: 54

· --Cash-strapped shoppers holding up retail's royal family. Wal-Mart's low prices have lured repeat, new customers; shares down 10% since last August while S&P 500 has dropped 20%.
· --Still, family fortune down a combined $13.7 billion in 12 months.
· --Sam Walton started as J.C. Penney clerk. Opened Benjamin Franklin five-and-dime in 1945; lost lease 5 years later. Founded Bentonville, Ark. general store with brother James 1962.
· --Today Wal-Mart has $401 billion in annual sales, 2 million employees, 4,200 stores.
· --Christy is the richest of the Waltons thanks to late husband's early bet on First Solar; alternative energy stock up 510% since 2006 public offering.

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5. Jim C. Walton
Net Worth: $19.6 billion
Source: Wal-Mart
Residence: Bentonville, Ark.
Age: 61

· --Cash-strapped shoppers holding up retail's royal family. Wal-Mart's low prices have lured repeat, new customers; shares down 10% since last August while S&P 500 has dropped 20%.
· --Still, family fortune down a combined $13.7 billion in 12 months.
· --Sam Walton started as J.C. Penney clerk. Opened Benjamin Franklin five-and-dime in 1945; lost lease 5 years later. Founded Bentonville, Ark. general store with brother James 1962.
· --Today Wal-Mart has $401 billion in annual sales, 2 million employees, 4,200 stores.
· --Jim runs family's Arvest bank.

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6. Alice Walton.
Net Worth: $19.3 billion
Source: Wal-Mart
Residence: Fort Worth, Tex.
Age: 60

· --Cash-strapped shoppers holding up retail's royal family. Wal-Mart's low prices have lured repeat, new customers; shares down 10% since last August while S&P 500 has dropped 20%. Still, family fortune down a combined $13.7 billion in 12 months.
· --Sam Walton started as J.C. Penney clerk. Opened Benjamin Franklin five-and-dime in 1945; lost lease 5 years later. Founded Bentonville, Ark. general store with brother James 1962.
· --Today Wal-Mart has $401 billion in annual sales, 2 million employees, 4,200 stores.
· --Alice funded $100 million airport in Bentonville 1990; building Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

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7. S. Robson Walton
Net Worth: $19 billion
Source: Wal-Mart
Residence: Bentonville, Ark.
Age: 65

· --Cash-strapped shoppers holding up retail's royal family. Wal-Mart's low prices have lured repeat, new customers; shares down 10% since last August while S&P 500 has dropped 20%.
· --Still, family fortune down a combined $13.7 billion in 12 months.
· --Sam Walton started as J.C. Penney clerk. Opened Benjamin Franklin five-and-dime in 1945; lost lease 5 years later. Founded Bentonville, Ark. general store with brother James 1962.
· --Today Wal-Mart has $401 billion in annual sales, 2 million employees, 4,200 stores.
· --S. Robson has been chairman of Wal-Mart since 1992.

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8. Michael Bloomberg
Net Worth: $17.5 billion
Source: Bloomberg LP
Residence: New York City
Age: 67

· --Mayor for life? Not quite, but media mogul is running for third term as New York City’s chief executive after federal appeals court affirmed city council’s ability to allow another term.
· --Spent $37 million on campaign as of July; dropped a combined $159 million on previous runs in 2001, 2005.
· --Led challenger William Thompson by 16 points in recent polls; approval rating at 66% in August.
· --Who would want the job? City’s sales tax revenues fell 10% between January and July, and 100,000 private-sector jobs have been cut since 2008. More at Forbes.com:
· --Recently won fight with Albany, retaining control of city schools.
· --Bostonian earned engineering degree from Johns Hopkins, then Harvard M.B.A.
· --Trader at Salomon Brothers 1970s, left in 1981 with $10 million in stock.
· --Started financial information services firm Innovative Market Systems to sell financial data, analytic tools to Wall Street. Renamed Bloomberg LP 1987; added news service, magazine, cable network, radio station.
· --Owns 85% stake in firm after borrowing to buy Merrill Lynch’s 20% stake last July for $4.5 billion.
· --Said to be hiring 1,000 new workers this year.
· --Donated $235 million to charity in 2008.

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9. Charles Koch (tie)
Net Worth: $16 billion
Source: Manufacturing, energy
Residence: Wichita, Kans.
Age: 73

· --With brother David lords over Koch Industries, maker of everything from petroleum to paper towels, fertilizer to fibers.
· --Sales topped $100 billion in 2008; second-largest privately held company by revenue in the U.S.
· --Father, Fred C. Koch, developed process of turning heavy oil into gasoline.
· --Sons Charles, David, Frederick and William inherited family business after father’s death.
· --Charles and David bought out William and Frederick for $1.1 billion in 1983, igniting family feud.
· --Today company has stakes in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, chemical technology. Employs 70,000 workers in 60 countries.
· --Bought paper and consumer products vendor Georgia-Pacific for $21 billion in 2005. Brothers each own 42%.
· --Fortune down $3 billion in a year as energy and fertilizer prices plunged.
· --Charles: chief executive.
· --Studied chemical engineering at MIT; cofounder of conservative think tank Cato Institute.
· --Concerned about government's intervention in economy: "We could be facing the greatest loss of liberty and prosperity since the 1930s."

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9. David Koch (tie)
Net Worth: $16 billion
Source: Manufacturing, energy
Residence: New York City
Age: 69

· --With brother Charles lords over Koch Industries, maker of everything from petroleum to paper towels, fertilizer to fibers.
· --Sales topped $100 billion in 2008; second-largest privately held company by revenue in the U.S.
· --Father, Fred C. Koch, developed process of turning heavy oil into gasoline. Sons Charles, David, Frederick and William inherited family business after father's death.
· --Charles and David bought out William and Frederick for $1.1 billion in 1983, igniting family feud.
· --Today company has stakes in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, chemical technology. Employs 70,000 workers in 60 countries.
· --Bought paper and consumer products vendor Georgia-Pacific for $21 billion in 2005. Brothers each own 42%.
· --Fortune down $3 billion in a year as energy and fertilizer prices plunged.
· --David is executive vice president, chemical engineering degrees from MIT; pledged $100 million to school for cancer research in 2007, $100 million to Lincoln Center in 2008.

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11. Sergey Brin (tie)
Net Worth: $15.3 billion
Source: Google
Residence: Palo Alto, Calif.
Age: 36

· --Tech darling relatively unscathed in past year; Google fortune down $600 million in 12 months.
· --Shares of search giant up 80% since November lows.
· --Announced debut of Chrome operating system in July; rival to Windows will be available to consumers late next year.
· --Emigrated from Russia, met future partner Larry Page at Stanford; duo dropped out of computer science Ph.D. program in 1998.
· --Started Google in friend's garage.
· --K. Ram Shriram, Andy von Bechtolsheim, professor David Cheriton provided initial financing; venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital soon injected another $25 million.
· --Public 2004. Sales: $21.8 billion.
· --Recently introduced goats to Google campus lawn; animals less harmful to the environment than lawn mower.

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11. Larry Page (tie)
Net Worth: $15.3 billion
Source: Google
Residence: San Francisco
Age: 36

· --Tech darling relatively unscathed in past year; Google fortune down $500 million in 12 months.
· --Shares of search giant up 80% since November lows.
· --Announced debut of Chrome operating system in July; rival to Windows will be available to consumers late next year.
· --Raised in Michigan, met future partner Sergey Brin at Stanford; duo dropped out of computer science Ph.D. program in 1998.
· --Started Google in friend's garage.
· --K. Ram Shriram, Andy von Bechtolsheim, professor David Cheriton provided initial financing; venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital soon injected another $25 million.
· --Public 2004. Sales: $21.8 billion.
· --Recently introduced goats to Google campus lawn; animals less harmful to the environment than lawn mower.

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13. Michael Dell
Net Worth: $14.5 billion
Source: Dell
Residence: Austin, Tex.
Age: 44

· --Leader of the world’s second-largest PC maker looking to claw way back to top; recently announced plans to buy IT services outfit Perot Systems for $3.9 billion.
· --Returned 2 years ago to helm of the computer maker after PC sales shrunk, competition increased and global market share slipped.
· --Cut 9,300 jobs last year; promises to save $4 billion a year by 2011.
· --Net profits down 23% in second quarter; results beat Street expectations, sending shares up 6%. Shares down 14% in past 12 months. More at Forbes.com:
· --Started company out of U. of Texas dorm; established business with direct-sales method, took public 1988.
· --Michael & Susan Dell Foundation funds education, childhood health.

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14. Steven Ballmer
Net Worth: $13.3 billion
Source: Microsoft
Residence: Seattle, Wash.
Age: 53

· --A year after failing to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion, Microsoft chief finally has a deal with the search engine outfit. Companies agreed in July to band together to take on Google; Microsoft will pay for search technology, Yahoo will use Bing as its default engine.
· --Investors, techies mixed on how agreement actually fights Google. Ballmer: “People haven’t figured it out.”
· --Microsoft shares down 5.4% in past year.
· --Detroit native dropped out of Stanford M.B.A. program to join Harvard classmate Bill Gates 1980 as employee number 30. Became chief exec 2000.
· --Famous for impassioned stage antics: pretended to stomp on an iPhone at recent company event after an employee snapped a picture with Apple’s offending device.

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15. George Soros
Net Worth: $13 billion
Source: Hedge funds
Residence: Westchester, N.Y.
Age: 79

· --America’s wealthiest hedge fund manager stepping up philanthropy: in August pledged $35 million to help New York State buy school supplies for 850,000 underprivileged children.
· --Also donating $100 million to recession-torn countries in central Europe.
· --Has given away $7 billion since 1979, much through his Open Society Institute.
· --Survived Nazi occupation of Hungary; procured scholarship at London School of Economics.
· --Launched Quantum Fund 1969. With Stanley Druckenmiller shorted England’s currency, “broke” British pound 1992; said to have made $1 billion in one day when Bank of England stopped fixing exchange rate. Closed fund to new investors several years later.
· --Today manages nest egg via Quantum Endowment Fund. Assets: $24 billion.
· --Came out of retirement in 2007, returned 32% on bearish bets. Fund was up 8% last year, 18% so far this year.

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16. Donald Bren
Net Worth: $12 billion
Source: Real estate
Residence: Newport Beach, Calif.
Age: 77

· --Orange County real estate tycoon’s fortune flat despite meltdown thanks to new information previously unavailable.
· --Attended U. of Washington on skiing scholarship; dropped Olympics bid after injury 1956.
· --Joined Marines, then built first house on $10,000 loan 1958.
· --Planned and developed 10,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo in California, sold to Philip Morris 1967.
· --With partners, bought 145-year-old real estate master planner and developer Irvine Co. for $337 million 1977. Became firm’s principal owner 1996.
· --Developed central Orange County, Irvine and half of Newport Beach.
· --Today owns 475 office buildings, 115 apartment communities, 41 retail centers, resort properties, new housing communities in Orange County, San Diego, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley.
· --Has permanently protected more than half of 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch, creating public parks and trails.

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17. Paul Allen (tie)
Net Worth: $11.5 billion
Source: Vulcan
Residence: Mercer Island, Wash.
Age: 56

· --Microsoft cofounder’s Charter Communications filed for bankruptcy in March. Company and lenders currently battling in court over details of reorganization plan.
· --Washington State dropout founded software giant with buddy Bill Gates in 1975; left in 1983 after Hodgkin’s disease diagnosis.
· --Sold off much of his stake to lose huge sums on far-off visions through holding company, Vulcan.
· --Funding research to scan outer space for signs of intelligent alien life; Allen Institute for Brain Science creating genetic map of mouse brain.
· --Recently launched software outfit Xiant, whose product Filer helps users keep track of e-mails in Microsoft’s Outlook.
· --Owns football’s Seattle Seahawks and basketball’s Portland Trailblazers.

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17. Abigail Johnson (tie)
Net Worth: $11.5 billion
Source: Fidelity
Residence: Boston
Age: 47

· --With father, Edward C. Johnson III, controls Fidelity Investments, America’s largest mutual fund company.
· --Swelling money market assets offsetting declines in stock market funds; assets under management up 3% to $1.4 trillion since last fall.
· --Firm also runs large brokerage business, insurance outfit.
· --Abby ran her first diversified fund 1993. More at Forbes.com:
· --Ned trimmed ownership 1995, Abby inherited 24% stake; rumored to have sold some shares back to family members years later. Ownership a mystery: family owns 49% of Fidelity, but size of individual stakes unknown.
· --Abby runs personal and workplace investing division; believed by some to be father’s chosen successor. Less likely candidate: Rodger Lawson, Fidelity president, who recently dispelled persistent rumors he was leaving the firm.
· --Company has shed 7% of workforce this year.

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19. Forrest Edward Mars (tie)
Net Worth: $11 billion
Source: Mars
Residence: McLean, Va.
Age: 78

· --Cash-strapped consumers still have appetite for the Mars family's nearly recession-proof products: chocolate (Snickers, M&Ms), pet food (Pedigree).
· --Created world's largest confectionery company by acquiring gum maker Wrigley last year for $23 billion.
· --Combined sales now exceed $30 billion; much of the deal paid with debt.
· --Grandfather Frank Mars began making chocolates 1911 in his kitchen in Tacoma, Wash.
· --Father, Forrest Sr., invented M&Ms, then introduced malt-flavored nougat, the foundation of famous candy bar line that includes Milky Way, Snickers, 3 Musketeers.
· --Third generation inherited company when dad died in 1999.

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19. Jacqueline Mars (tie)
Net Worth: $11 billion
Source: Mars
Residence: Bedminster, N.J.
Age: 69

· --Cash-strapped consumers still have appetite for the Mars family's nearly recession-proof products: chocolate (Snickers, M&Ms), pet food (Pedigree).
· --Created world's largest confectionery company by acquiring gum maker Wrigley last year for $23 billion.
· --Combined sales now exceed $30 billion; much of the deal paid with debt.
· --Grandfather Frank Mars began making chocolates 1911 in his kitchen in Tacoma, Wash.
· --Father, Forrest Sr., invented M&Ms, then introduced malt-flavored nougat, the foundation of famous candy bar line that includes Milky Way, Snickers, 3 Musketeers.
· --Third generation inherited company when dad died in 1999.

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19. John Mars (tie)
Net Worth: $11 billion
Source: Mars
Residence: Arlington, Va.
Age: 73

· --Cash-strapped consumers still have appetite for the Mars family's nearly recession-proof products: chocolate (Snickers, M&Ms), pet food (Pedigree).
· --Created world's largest confectionery company by acquiring gum maker Wrigley last year for $23 billion.
· --Combined sales now exceed $30 billion; much of the deal paid with debt.
· --Grandfather Frank Mars began making chocolates 1911 in his kitchen in Tacoma, Wash.
· --Father, Forrest Sr., invented M&Ms, then introduced malt-flavored nougat, the foundation of famous candy bar line that includes Milky Way, Snickers, 3 Musketeers.
· --Third generation inherited company when dad died in 1999.

Click here to see the full list of The 400 Richest Americans

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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.

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.

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.

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!”

Powerful Quotes

"Good, Better, Best, never let it rest, 'til your Good is Better and your Better is Best!"
"We don't need leaders. Don't wait for charismatic people or leaders to come up and do something but instead get on up and do something yourself." --Ella Baker
"The happiest people in this world are those who do the most for others."--Booker T. Washington
"Don't let people Dream your Fear, let them Fear your Dream!"--Kim Brown
"You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being."--Malcolm X
"You are not tomorrow's future but you are today's future right here, right now."--Hodari P.T. Brown
"To accomplish great things, you must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe."---Anatole France
"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong because some day you will have been all of these."
"Believe that the unthinkable isn't unimagineable"--Hodari P.T. Brown
"You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people, if you don't serve the people."--Cornel West
"Words matter but actions speak louder than words."--Hillary Rodham Clinton
"Share knowledge, pass knowledge, applaud achievements, seek achievements, love a brother, love our culture, and most of all be a brother by all cost."--Hodari P.T. Brown
"Always remember the people who tell you NO make you stronger, the people who tell you YES make you wiser, But the people who tell you nothing make you more of yourself."--Roderick Rice
"If you desire the thing, declare yourself to be the thing and it will manifest."--Unknown
“What made Malcolm X Shabazz a great man, is that he had the guts to say what nine-tenths of American Negroes would like to say but don't have the guts to say.”--a Chicago doctor, Militant, 19 April 1965, p.2
"We are the trend setters. We don't do what everyone else does, everyone else wants to do what we do." Message to B.L.A.C.K., Inc.--Hodari P.T. Brown
"Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something."
"It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference."--Tom Brokaw
"Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week." --Jay-Z

Malcolm X Quotes

"A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself."--Malcolm X.
"Dr. King wants the same thing I want. Freedom."--Malcolm X.
"I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color."--Malcolm X.
"I believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I don't believe in brotherhood with anybody who doesn't want brotherhood with me. I believe in treating people right, but I'm not going to waste my time trying to treat somebody right who doesn't know how to return the treatment."—Malcolm X, Speech, Dec. 12 1964, New York City.
"I believe that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation."--Malcolm X.
"I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they'll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action."--Malcolm X.
"I want Dr. King to know that I didn't come to Selma to make his job difficult. I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realize what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to hear Dr. King."--Malcolm X, in a conversation with Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
"If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to draft us, and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country."—Malcolm X, Speech, Nov. 1963, New York City.
"It's just like when you've got some coffee that's too black, which means it's too strong. What do you do? You integrate it with cream, you make it weak. But if you pour too much cream in it, you won't even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it puts you to sleep."—Malcolm X, "Message to the Grass Roots," speech, Nov. 1963, Detroit (published in Malcolm X Speaks, ch. 1, 1965).
"Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner. You must be eating some of what's on that plate. Being here in America doesn't make you an American. Being born here in America doesn't make you an American."—Malcolm X, "The Ballot or the Bullet," speech, April 3 1964, Cleveland, Ohio (published in Malcolm X Speaks, ch. 3, 1965).
"The common goal of 22 million Afro-Americans is respect as human beings, the God-given right to be a human being. Our common goal is to obtain the human rights that America has been denying us. We can never get civil rights in America until our human rights are first restored. We will never be recognized as citizens there until we are first recognized as humans."—Malcolm X, "Racism: the Cancer that is Destroying America," in Egyptian Gazette (Aug. 25 1964).
"The Negro revolution is controlled by foxy white liberals, by the Government itself. But the Black Revolution is controlled only by God."—Malcolm X, Speech, Dec. 1, 1963, New York City.
"There is nothing in our book, the Koran, that teaches us to suffer peacefully. Our religion teaches us to be intelligent. Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. That's a good religion."—Malcolm X, "Message to the Grass Roots," speech, Nov. 1963, Detroit (published in Malcolm X Speaks, ch. 1, 1965).
"We are nonviolent with people who are nonviolent with us."--Malcolm X
"When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that he will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a man saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath he is going to tell you what he won't do to get it, or what he doesn't believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn't believe in freedom. A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire . . . or preserve his freedom."--Malcolm X.
"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."—Malcolm X, "Prospects for Freedom in 1965," speech, Jan. 7 1965, New York City (published in Malcolm X Speaks, ch. 12, 1965).
"You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being."--Malcolm X.
Concerning nonviolence, it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks."—Malcolm X
“All of us are black first, and everything else second.”--Malcolm X, "God's angry men", WO, 31 May 1958 (FBI files 105-8999-788)
“Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery.”--Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
“Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today.” --Malcolm X
“He got the peace prize, we got the problem. ... If I'm following a general, and he's leading me into a battle, and the enemy tends to give him rewards, or awards, I get suspicious of him. Especially if he gets a peace award before the war is over.”--Malcolm X, after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize, source unknown
“I am a Muslim, because it's a religion that teaches you an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It teaches you to respect everybody, and treat everybody right. But it also teaches you if someone steps on your toe, chop off their foot. And I carry my religious axe with me all the time.”--Malcolm X, "Homecoming" speech, 29 Nov. 1964, in By any means, p. 14 0
“I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.” --Malcolm X, after his journey, perhaps in interview 18 Jan. 1965, in By any means, p. 158
“I believe in a religion that believes in freedom. Any time I have to accept a religion that won't let me fight a battle for my people, I say to hell with that religion.”--Malcolm X, to Harlem blacks, in By any means, p. 140
“I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they'll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action.”--Malcolm X, (taken from the essay 'Malcolm X, our revolutionary son & brother.' by Patricia Robinson)
“I think that an objective analysis of events that are taking place on this earth today points towards some type of ultimate showdown. You can call it political showdown, or even a showdown between the economic systems that exist on this earth which almost boil down along racial lines. I do believe that there will be a clash between East and West. I believe that there will ultimately be a clash between the oppressed and those that do the oppressing. I believe that there will be a clash between those who want freedom, justice and equality for everyone and those who want to continue the systems of exploitation.”--Malcolm X, January 19, 1965 (taken from the essay 'Malcolm X, our revolutionary son & brother.' by Patricia Robinson)
“I would like to point something out so that we'll understand each other better. I don't want you to think in the statements I made that I'm being disrespectful towards you as white people. I'm being frank. And I think that my statements will give you a better insight on the mind of a black man than most statements you get from most people who call themselves Negroes, who usually tell you what they want you to hear with the hope . . . that will make them draw closer to you and create a better possibility of getting from you some of the crumbs that you might let fall from your table. Well, I'm not looking for crumbs so I'm not trying to delude you.”--Malcolm X, at Boston University, 24 May 1960
“I'm the man you think you are.... If you want to know what I'll do, figure out what you'll do. I'll do the same thing--only more of it.”--Malcolm X, Source unknown
“If you're not ready to die for it, put the word "freedom" out of your vocabulary.”--Malcolm X, Chicago Defender, 28 Nov. 1962, p.8
“It is a time for martyrs now, and if I am to be one, it will be for the cause of brotherhood. That's the only thing that can save this country.” Malcolm X, NYC, 19 February 1965
“It is incorrect to classify the revolt of the Negro as simply a radical conflict of black against white or as a purely American problem. Rather, we are today seeing a global rebellion of the oppressed against the oppressor, the exploited against the exploiter.”--Malcolm X, Columbia University, Columbia Daily Spectator, 19 Feb. 1965, p.3
“It is not a case of our people . . . wanting either separation or integration. The use of these words actually clouds the real picture. The 22 million Afro-Americans don't seek either separation or integration. They seek recognition and respect as human beings.”--Malcolm X, "Kup's Show", Channel 7, TV, Chicago, aired 23 May 1964, FBI, MMI 100-41040
“Look at yourselves. Some of you teen-agers, students. How do you think I feel and I belong to a generation ahead of you - how do you think I feel to have to tell you, "We, my generation, sat around like a knot on a wall while the whole world was fighting for its hum an rights - and you've got to be born into a society where you still have that same fight." What did we do, who preceded you? I'll tell you what we did. Nothing. And don't you make the same mistake we made. ...”--Malcolm X, December 31, 1964 (taken from the essay 'Malcolm X, our revolutionary son & brother.' by Patricia Robinson)
“Malcolm X about his father The image of him that made me proudest was his crusading and militant campaigning with the words of Marcus Garvey. . . . I can remember hearing . . . "Africa for the Africans," "Ethiopians, Awake!" And my father would talk about how it would not be much longer before Africa would be completely run by Negroes - "by black men," was the phrase he always used. "No one knows when the hour of Africa's redemption cometh. It is in the wind. It is coming. One day, like a storm, it will be there.”--Malcolm X, in Kenneth B. Clark, "King, Malcolm, Baldwin: Three Interviews", rev. ed. (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1985), pp. 33-48
“Malcolm X about MLK. I'll say nothing against him. At one time the whites in the United States called him a racialist, and extremist, and a Communist. Then the Black Muslims came along and the whites thanked the Lord for Martin Luther King.” Malcolm X, to 300 Islamic students, Manchester Guardian Weekly, 10 Dec. 1964, p.6
“My Alma mater was books, a good library... I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.” --Malcolm X
“Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it.”--Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
“One of the things that made the Black Muslim movement grow was its emphasis upon things African. This was the secret to the growth of the Black Muslim movement. African blood, African origin, African culture, African ties. And you'd be surprised - we discovered that deep within the subconscious of the black man in this country, he is still more African than he is American.”--Malcolm X, February 14, 1965 (taken from the essay 'Malcolm X, our revolutionary son & brother.' by Patricia Robinson)
“Power never takes a back step - only in the face of more power.”--Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
“Respect me, or put me to death.”--Malcolm X, NYC, 5 July 1964
“Stumbling is not falling.”--Malcolm X
“The dangers that confront the black man in America and Africa are very great and serious. These dangers cannot be fought with petty personality attacks, nor will they be fought with pretensions. The emancipation of all black people from white domination, oppression, and exploitation will be fought with revolutionary firmness, determination, dedication, honesty, and integrity. Black leaders cannot mobilize the grass roots to fight their oppression and exploitation while plagued with personal ambitions. We must submerge our past differences and create a unified black movement cutting across the United States and South America with deep roots in African soil. Africans abroad can thus through such a movement exert pressure on their governments in the formation of their foreign policies in regard to Africa. They can also form lobby groups such as other ethnic groups do in Washington to force the United States Government to accept the representation of African-Americans in all organs of government including those in charge of decisions. In short, in order that African-Americans must become free they must first re-identify themselves with Africa as do Jews, Irish, Germans, and Italians with the respective countries of their origin." The following where his remarks regarding black scholars and their role in the liberation of the African people at home and abroad: "Very often our people have been led to believe that a black man can only be considered an intellectual or scholar if he has been to Oxford University or Harvard University. This is not true. This approach to education has only helped to produce black Europeans out of our educated people and false black scholars who have been a liability to the black race in Africa and America over the period of one hundred years. What is actually meant by theoretical or academic education? The unity of theoretical education and the application of this wealth of knowledge to the practical requirements and demands of our liberation is a difficult challenge. In a freedom struggle such as the one that exists in Africa and America today the unity of thought and action must be the cornerstone of all of us who desire to work for the total emancipation of the black race. There is a wide superficial tendency among some of our intellectuals that reading quotations from Marx, Lenin, and Mao Tse-Tung can make them masters of revolutionary theories developed by these great men. Intellectualism in my view is not merely the recitation of Marxism, Leninism, and Mao Tse-tung theories. Anyone who goes about misusing the works of these great men or attributing to himself their progressive phrases for his own ends is committing a serious crime against the black race. A scholar in my opinion constitutes a guiding light in a revolutionary period and is the bond that unites the abstract and the concrete.” Malcolm X, Concerning the black leaders and their respective organizations. Statements of Malcolm X in Mosque No. 7, (written down by Mburumba Kerina in "Malcolm X - The Apostle of Defiance - An African View")
“The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”--Malcolm X
“The only difference probably is that the Nation of Islam ... doesn't involve in politics in any form. ... But because of its failure to become actively involved in the struggle..., many persons ... have drifted away from it and are now becoming involved with us in an active effort toward solving the political, social, and economic evils that afflict our people.”--Malcolm X, Channel 5, WMBQ-TV, Chicago, transcript of "Dateline Chicago", 31 May 1964, "Black Muslims at the Crossroads"
“The only way we'll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every op pressed people in the world. We are blood brothers to the people of Brazil, Venezuela, Haiti, ... Cuba - yes Cuba too.”--Malcolm X, Militant, 10 June 1964, p.3
“The price of freedom is death.”--Malcolm X, NYC, June 1964
“The same rebellion, the same impatience, the same anger that exists in the hearts of the dark people in Africa and Asia is existing in the hearts and minds of 20 million black people in this country who have been just as thoroughly colonized as the people in Africa and Asia.”--Malcolm X, "Separation or Integration", 7March 1962
“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” --Malcolm X
“Time is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor. You don't need anything else.”--Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
“Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change.”--Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
“We declare our right on this earth . . . to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in t his day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.”--Malcolm X, 28 June 1964 at the OAAU Founding Rally, in By any means necessary, p.56
“We do not condemn the preachers as an individual but we condemn what they teach. We urge that the preachers teach the truth, to teach our people the one important guiding rule of conduct - unity of purpose.”--Malcolm X, in a radio show, before 1963
“We're not Americans, we're Africans who happen to be in America. We were kidnapped and brought here against our will from Africa. We didn't land on Plymouth Rock - that rock landed on us.”--Malcolm X, Harlem, cited in Goldman, "The Death and Life of Malcolm X", p.157
“When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that he will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a man saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath he is going to tell you what he won't do to get it, or what he doesn't believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn't believe in freedom. A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire . . . or preserve his freedom.”--Malcolm X, OAAU, "Homecoming" speech, 29 Nov. 1964, in By any means, p. 141
“When you go to a church and you see the pastor of that church with a philosophy and a program that's designed to bring black people together and elevate black people, join that church! If you see where the NAACP is preaching and practicing that which is designed to make black nationalism materialize, join the NAACP. Join any kind of organization - civic, religious, fraternal, political or otherwise - that's based on lifting ... the black man up and making him master of his own community.” --Malcolm X, "The Ballot or the Bullet", Detroit
“Without education, you're not going anywhere in this world.”--Malcolm X, speech at Militant Labor Forum, NY, 29 May 1964, in By any means necessary, p. 178
“You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”--Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965
“You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being.”--Malcolm X, NYC, 20 Dec. 1964
“You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.”--Malcolm X
“You're the one that the book [Bible] is talking about who is dead: dead to the knowledge of yourself, dead to the knowledge of your own people, dead to the knowledge of your own God, dead to the knowledge of the devil. Why, you don't even know who the devil is. You think the devil is someone inside the ground that's going to burn you after you're dead. The devil is right here on top of this earth. He's got blue eyes, brown hair, whit e skin, and he's giving you hell every day. And you're too dead to see it.”--Malcolm X, "Unity Rally" speech, Harlem, 10 Aug. 1963

Tupac Shakur Quotes

"And the raps that I'm rapping to my community shouldn't be filled with rage? They shouldn't be filled with same atrocities that they gave me? The media they don't talk about it, so in my raps I have to talk about it, and it seems foreign because there's no one else talking about it." –Tupac Shakur
"But I see now that whether I show up for work or not, the evil forces are going to beat me. They're going to come 100 percent, so if I don’t be 100 percent pure-hearted, I'm going to lose. And that’s why I'm losing."—Tupac Shakur
"I am society’s child, this is how they made me, and now I'm saying what's on my mind and they don't want that. This is what you made me America." –Tupac Shakur
"I believe that everything that you do bad comes back to you. So everything that I do that's bad, I'm going to suffer from it. But in my mind, I believe what I'm doing is right. So I feel like I'm going to heaven." --Tupac Shakur
"I don't advocate senseless violence of any human being. I'm the one who's been beat down. But I will not be a victim again." –Tupac Shakur
"I feel like Black Jesus got his hands on me and guides me through life to put me where I'm supposed to be..." –Tupac Shakur
"I feel like role models today are not meant to be put on a pedestal. But more like angels with broken wings" –Tupac Shakur
"I never thought I was the best rapper the best nothing'. I think I'm the realist nigga out there" –Tupac Shakur
"I'm doing this for the kid who truly leads a 'thug life' and thinks it's HOPELESS." –Tupac Shakur
"If God wanted me to be quiet he would've never showed me what he does." –Tupac Shakur
"If we really are saying that rap is an art form, then we got to be more responsible for our lyrics. If you see everybody dying because of what you are saying, it don’t matter that you didn’t make them die, it just matters that you didn’t save them." –Tupac Shakur
"If you know in this hotel room they have food every day and I knock on the door. Every day they open the door to let me see the party, let me see that they throwing' salami, throwing' food around telling me there's no food. Every day. I'm standing outside trying to sing my way in- "We are weak, please let us in. We're week, please let us in." After about a week the song is gonna change to, "We're hungry, we need some food." After two, three weeks it's like "Give me some of the food! I'm breaking down the door." –Tupac Shakur
"If you walked by a street and you was walking a concrete and you saw a rose growing from concrete, even if it had messed up petals and it was a little to the side you would marvel at just seeing a rose grow through concrete. So way is it that when you see some ghetto kid grow out of the dirtiest circumstance and he can talk and he can sit across the room and make you cry, make you laugh, all you can talk about is my dirty rose, my dirty stems and how am leaning crooked to the side, u can't even see that I've come up from out of that" –Tupac Shakur
"Imperfection is inherited, therefore we all sin, but fighting the war of sin is the greatest war of all because we all die in the end no matter how hard we fight." –Tupac Shakur
"It always happens, all the niggaz that change the world die, they don't get to die like regular people, they die violently" –Tupac Shakur
"Let me say for the record, I am not a gangster and never have been. I'm not the thief who grabs your purse. I'm not the guy who jacks your car. I’m not down with the people who steal and hurt others. I'm just a brother who fights back." –Tupac Shakur
"My music is not for everyone. It's only for the strong-willed, the [street] soldiers music. It's not like party music- I mean, you could gig to it, but it's spiritual. My music is spiritual. It's like Negro spirituals, except for the fact that I'm not saying 'We shall Overcome.' I'm saying that we are overcome." –Tupac Shakur
"My raps are a decision, rabble rousing, spiritual, like gospel music. I don't want to dance. We have so many things to deal with, we need to talk straight up and down." –Tupac Shakur
"Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real." --Tupac Shakur
"Since we all came from a women, got our name from a women, and our game from a women. I wonder why we take from women, why we rape our women, do we hate our women? I think its time we killed for our women, be real to our women, try to heal our women, cause if we don’t we'll have a race of babies that will hate the ladies, who make the babies. And since a man can't make one he has no right to tell a women when and where to create one" –Tupac Shakur
"The only thing America respects is power and power concedes nothing. After the LA Riots, they tried to calm us down and nothing changed since"—Tupac Shakur
"The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams." –Tupac Shakur
"The real tragedy is that there are some ignorant brothers out here. That's why I'm not on this all-White or all Black shit. I'm on this all-real or all fake shit with people, whatever color you are. Because niggaz will do you. I mean, there's some [foul] niggaz out there [in the streets]; the same niggaz that did Malcolm X, the same niggaz that did Jesus Christ- every brother ain't a brother. They will do you. So just because it's Black, don't mean it's cool. And just because it's White don't mean it's evil." –Tupac Shakur
"Though are hands are chained like they are, they haven't taken music from us yet. So that's how I'll fight. People tell me don't quit like everyone else. I won't have no fear." –Tupac Shakur
"To me, I feel that my game is strong. I feel as thought I'm a shining prince, just like Malcolm, and I feel that all of us are shining princes, and if we live like princes, then whatever we want can be ours. Anything." –Tupac Shakur
"We are in the midst of a very dangerous, non-productive, self-destructive civil war. And it's not just rap shit. It's ideals. And this rap shit is just bringing' it to a head. The East Coast believes one thing, and the West Coast believer one thing. The East Coast got one way of life, the West Coast got another way of life, and it always co-existed. We're coming to the turn of the century where we gotta mash together. But we can only do it one way, one style. And that's what we're trying to figure out now, and I think the world is watching that." –Tupac Shakur
"We talk a lot about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., but It's time to be like them, as strong as them. They were mortal men like us and everyone of us can be like them. I don't want to be a role model. I just want to be someone who says, this is who I am, this is what I do. I say what's on my mind.”—Tupac Shakur
"We wouldn't ask why a rose that grew from the concrete for having damaged petals, in turn, we would all celebrate its tenacity, we would all love its will to reach the sun, well, we are the roses, this is the concrete and these are my damaged petals, don’t ask me why, thank god, and ask me how" –Tupac Shakur
“A coward dies a thousand deaths; A soldier dies but once.”—Tupac Shakur
“After a year it's like, "I'm picking' the lock, coming' through the door blasting." It's like, "I'm hungry." You reached your level, you don't want any more. We asked ten years ago, we were asking' with the Panthers, we were asking' in the Civil Rights Movement. Now those who were asking' are all dead or in jail, so what are we gonna do? And we shouldn't be angry!?" –Tupac Shakur
“Can't nobody touch me right now. Maybe next month all of this will be over, but this month I'm taking' every moving target out.”—Tupac Shakur - (Two weeks before his death)
“Everybody's at war with different things...I'm at war with my own heart sometimes.”—Tupac Shakur, Vibe magazine interview (February 1996)
“For every dark night, there's a brighter day"—Tupac Shakur
“I am the future of black America.” –Tupac Shakur, Vibe magazine (September 1996)
“I feel like our future is our confidence and self-esteem.”—Tupac Shakur
“I see no changes all I see is racist faces, misplaced hate makes disgrace to races. We under I wonder what it takes to make this one better place, let's erase the wasted. Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right 'cause both black and white is smoking' crack tonight and only time we chill is when we kill each other. It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other.” --Tupac Shakur on the song Changes, featured on the album 2Pac Greatest Hits
“I think the old should go through school again. I think that rich people should live like poor people, and poor people should live like rich people, and change every week.”—Tupac Shakur
“I wake up in the morning and I ask myself Is life worth living Should I blast myself?”—Tupac Shakur on the song Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto featured on the album U Still Down
“I'd rather die like a man than live like a coward.”—Tupac Shakur on the song Only God Can Judge Me featured on the album All Eyes On Me
“I'm a ridah, Nobody cries when we die.”—Tupac Shakur on the song Life Goes On featured on the album on All Eyes On Me
“I'm like a fiend that finally sees when all the dope is gone My nerves is wrecked, heart beating and my hands is swollen thinking of the G's I'll be holding, picture me rolling.” –Tupac Shakur
“I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.”—Tupac Shakur
“I'm one-hundred percent original, and that's what got me here. My rap music is more understandable, slower. It tells a story. You can write a book on each of my thoughts.”—Tupac Shakur
“If I could patent 'being real', I think I could own that.”—Tupac Shakur
“If it don't make dollars it don't make cents. ”—Tupac Shakur
“If we're all saying that rap is an art form then we gotta be more responsible for our lyrics. If you see everybody dying because of what you're saying, it don't matter that you didn't make them die, it just matters that you didn't save them.”—Tupac Shakur
“In my death, people will understand what I was talking about. ”—Tupac Shakur
“It's kinda hard to be optimistic when your homie's lying dead on the pavement twisted.”--Tupac Shakur on the song How Long Will They Mourn Me featured on the album 2Pac’s Greatest Hits
“It's like if you plant something in the concrete and if it grow and the rose petal got all kinda scratches and marks, you ain't gonna say "damn, look at all the scratches and marks on the rose that grew from the concrete.." you gonna be like "DAMN! a ROSE grew from the CONCRETE?" –Tupac Shakur
“It's not about East or West, It's about niggaz and b*****s, power and money, ridaz and punks. Which side are you on?”—Tupac Shakur
“It's not like I idolize this one guy Machiavelli. I idolize that type of thinking where you do whatever's gonna make you achieve your goal.”—Tupac Shakur, Vibe magazine (September 1996)
“June 16, 1971, mama gave birth to a Hell razing heavenly son.”—Tupac Shakur
“Let the Lord judge the criminals.”—Tupac Shakur
“My first words was thug for life and papa pass the mack.”—Tupac Shakur
“My Mama used to tell me if you can't find something to live for, you best find something to die for.”—Tupac Shakur
“My momma didn't raise no fool.”—Tupac Shakur on the song Changes featured on the album -2Pac’s Greatest Hits
“My only fear of death is reincarnation.”—Tupac Shakur on the song No More Pain featured on the album All Eyes On Me
“Niggers were the ones on the rope, hanging off the thing; Niggas is the one with gold ropes, hanging out at clubs.”—Tupac Shakur in the movie Tupac Resurrection
“Of course I'm going to say I'm a thug" that's because I came from the GUTTER and I'm still HERE! –Tupac Shakur
“Only God can judge me.”—Tupac Shakur on the song Only God Can Judge Me featured on the album All Eyes On Me
“Pull your strap on me nigga, you better kill me.”—Tupac Shakur on the song Thug Luv featured on the album The Art Of War by Bone Thugs
“Take ones adversity! Learn from their misfortune! Learn from their pain! Believe in something! Believe in yourself! Turn adversity into ambition! Now blossom into wealth! Ambition over Adversity!”—Tupac Shakur
“That which does not kill me can only make me stronger and I don't see why everybody feels as though that they gotta tell me how to live my life. Let me live baby, let me live.”—Tupac Shakur on the song Only God Can Judge Me (Interlude), featured on the album All Eyez On Me
“The only way to change me is maybe blow my brains out.”—Tupac Shakur on the song Nothing To Lose featured on the album R U Still Down
“The reason why I could get into acting was because it takes nothing to get out of who I am and go into somebody else.”—Tupac Shakur
“There's gonna' be some stuff that your gonna' see. That's gonna' make it hard to smile in the future. But whatever you see, through all the rain and pain. You gotta keep a sense of humor. Gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit. Remember that! Just keep ya head up!”—Tupac Shakur on the song Smile for Me Now, featured on the album Death Row Greatest Hits
“They got money for wars but they can't feed the poor.” –Tupac Shakur
“We gotta make a change... It's time for us as a people to start making' some changes. Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live and let's change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do what we gotta do, to survive.” --Tupac Shakur on the song Changes (Interlude), featured on the album 2Pac Greatest Hits
“We look at death from the selfish side, like: "That guy died. Oh, it's so sad." Why is it sad? He's away from all of this bad stuff that's here on Earth. I mean, at the worst, he's just somewhere quiet, no nothing. At best, he's an angel... or he's a spirit somewhere. What is so bad about that?”—Tupac Shakur
“What of fame? Everybody knows your name: never again are you alone.” –Tupac Shakur
“When I speak, I want my words to mean something. I want my words to make people shiver.”—Tupac Shakur ~ 1994 Interview
“When I was alone, and had nothing. I asked for a friend to help me bear the pain. No one came, except God. When I needed a breath to rise, from my sleep. No one could help me.. except God. When all I saw was sadness, and I needed answers. No one heard me, except God. So when I'm asked.. who I give my unconditional love to? I look for no other name, except God. God!”—Tupac Shakur

SOMEDAY WE'LL ALL BE FREE

Alicia Keys - Someday We'll All Be Free

I’ve heard for years that someday we’ll all be free.
Well our time to be free is now.
The time for us as a people to be free and to live up to our potential is now.
This is our moment.

This is the moment when we all live up to our potential and be free to be our brother’s keeper.
It is time for us to be free to be our sister’s keeper.
This is our call to serve a cause greater than ourselves.
This is our time to change America and the world.

Someday is now.
Someday is here.
Someday has arrived and it is up to us to start making a difference.
Someday our this generation will be called one of the greatest generations in America’s and the world history if not the greatest because of our willingness to give to others and serve causes that are greater than ourselves.

Someday is not now but right now.
Someday is right here, right now and that’s why are freedom must reign supreme.
Someday We’ll All Be Free!
Someday We’ll All Be Free!

No matter how difficult things may be or how fast things may be moving, we will all make it together!
Together we will all make it to the promised land!
Together we will all make it to the mountaintop!
Someday We’ll All Be Free and that someday starts today!

Someday We'll All Be Free

Fired Up, Ready To Go!

Are you fired up? Are you ready? Are you ready to make a difference? Are you ready to accept the challenge? Are you ready for change? So are you FIRED UP, READY TO GO! If you are FIRED UP, READY TO GO than tell the world that you are FIRED UP, READY TO GO!

We have to be ready to make the difference we want to see in the world! We are the one voice that will change the world for the better! Are you fired? Are you ready? Are you FIRED UP, READY TO GO? If you are fired up than you should be energized, motivated, encouraged, and excited for the movement that is coming and that we are starting?

Democrats, Republicans, Independents are all FIRED UP, READY TO GO! Americans, Africans, Canadians, Hispanics, Europeans, Asians, Australians and all people of the world are FIRED UP, READY TO GO! The educated, uneducated, rich, poor, sick and healthy are all FIRED UP, READY TO GO! Earth, Pluto, Mars, Venus, Saturn, and the rest of the Universe is FIRED UP, READY TO GO! The past, the present and our future are FIRED UP, READY TO GO!

This is our time! This is our moment! This is our movement! This is our Present, our Past and most of all our Future! This is the change we want! This is the opportunity we have waited for! This is our life, this is our world, this is our future! This is what we have waited for, this is what we have fought for, and this is what we are here for!

We're FIRED UP, READY TO GO! FIRED UP, READY TO GO! We're FIRED UP, READY TO GO!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

It is signed, sealed and delivered that we are one Nation under God and that as one Nation, we will strive together or fall together. It is here that we learn our faith and leave up to our dreams. It is signed, sealed, delivered that we are to serve our nation, to serve our world and to conquer our fears as one world. It is signed, sealed, delivered that no matter our differences we share one common goal and that is to uplift our common man and to serve the world to the best of abilities so that the next generation can live their lives a little bit easier.

It is signed, sealed, delivered that we have to leave this world better than how we found it no matter our economic status, no matter our skin color, no matter our religion, and especially no matter our educational status. It is signed, sealed, delivered that we are ONE and that we are forever linked despite our successes but especially despite our failures. Signed, sealed, delivered We're ONE!

I Put On For My City, My State, My Country and The World!

I’m a warrior, a soldier, and a fighter for the people. That’s why it is nothing for me to put it on for the people. I don’t need an army of folks but one or two to make a difference and the rest will join us. For now though, I can’t allow evil or those who don’t want to roll their sleeves up and put it on for their neighborhoods and communities yet alone their city, state, country or the world to deter me from saving my neighborhoods and communities as well as my city, state, country and the world. I am the future of America and the World. "We all Are!" This is a movement, a revolution that will sweep not only America but the world.

You can’t be afraid of taking risks and you can’t be afraid to die for freedom because if you are than don’t talk about freedom. I’m going to put it on for my city as I change the mindset of everyone I come into contact with on a daily basis. If you’re not willing to put others on what you are on especially if it is something positive than step to the side because we need people who are willing to give brothers and sisters chances (not just black people but all people). We need people who are willing to uplift us as a people and are willing to put their actions behind their words.

"You got to Put It On for Your City, State, Country and the World in order to make a positive change!"

WE ALL GOT GAME!

We all got Game that's why we have to live up to our game! The time for thinking negative thoughts is not needed! We must realize that our game is real and that what we have is going to take over the world. It is truly something happening here and what it is, is not exactly clear but our time is here. We all got Game and that is why we are about to show the world not only America that our Game is not next but it is right here, right now! We can't live in fantasy but we must live in reality that's why our Game means something cause we are not just saying it but we are acting on. We all got Game and our Game is not just real talk but it is real period!

BELIEVE—The Graduates Anthem

As a recent Graduate of Tennessee State University! I wanted to deliver a message to all the graduates all across of America and the world about the word BELIEVE! With all that is going on in the world around us, from war to natural disasters, we sit here getting praise today for believing that the unthinkable isn't unimaginable because we BELIEVED in our gifts and talents. That's why we are Graduates today.

Today is our day graduates. But we should be grateful for those who paved the way to help us get this far. If it wasn't for our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, mentors, friends and others, who knows where we might be instead. These people encouraged us to continue when we thought we couldn't and BELIEVED in us when we probably didn't believe in our self. And to whom much is given, much is required.

We sit here today at the peak of greatness Graduates. That peak of greatness has only begun its blossom for us. We sit here with three things that not only our perspective cities and states need but what America and the world needs. We are young, gifted and talented.

So we must use our youthfulness in our favor. We must not allow anyone to tell us that we are too young to accomplish our dreams or goals. Never accept our youthfulness as a hindrance. Instead, embrace it. Once it is gone, it is gone; but while it is here, we should take full advantage of it. We are not tomorrow's future but we are today's future—right here, right now. We are the reason that America and the world is going be a better place. This is why we all must BELIEVE we can make a difference not tomorrow but today.

We must also use our gifts to make the world better. We must BELIEVE that our gifts are not only what America needs but what the world needs. Our gifts are the reason why the world will take notice. Regardless of those who like or dislike us, we must realize that our gifts are special. It is not only our responsibility, but also the debt we pay to those who have encouraged our successes to use these gifts wisely to make a positive impact on the world.

Additionally, our talents will allow us to use our youth and gifts to make a difference in our own communities and neighborhoods so that others' lives are a lot better than it is currently. This all starts with us utilizing our talents to give not only hope to others but belief to others dreams and goals. We must BELIEVE in ourselves and BELIEVE that we have been chosen to embark on journeys never seen or heard of. We must BELIEVE that what is happening here today is not by chance or coincidence but it is by opportunity and divine design.

We all BELIEVED that opportunities for us existed out there and we took advantage of those opportunities. We saw those opportunities through to the very end, which is why we are praised today for all our hard work, dedication, and commitment. Most of all, we are praised for simply BELIEVING that the unthinkable isn't the unimaginable.

So therefore, as we embark on new journeys in life, it is my hope as well as the hope of others that we continue BELIEVING in the power to "THINK", which is one of the most precious powers in the world. The power to "THINK" is what keeps corporate America rolling and if only most of our politicians believed in the power to "THINK" than a lot of America's woes would be solved.

So graduates, we must restore the people's belief and faith in the power to "THINK." To think outside the box and not just listen to what they see or hear in the streets. To think beyond what they read in newspapers and see on the news. To think about how others suffered to give us some of the civil rights that we see today. Graduates we must believe that the power to "THINK" is a right and a privilege because throughout history, we can find cases where the right to freely think in not only America but the world has been oppressed and even in some parts of the world today and at times in America, the right to "THINK" has been compressed.

But graduates, we are sending a message today that the power to "THINK" can be restored and that through us, we as a people can "THINK" with not only our minds but our hearts and souls. It is with us that we can embrace each letter of the word think. So carry these letters with us and make the power be ours and give the power to "THINK" to everyone we meet in our journeys through life.

The "T" is for Tenacity. We must have the Tenacity enough to take advantage of each opportunity that comes our way because those opportunities are what will help us get to where we truly want to go. The "H" is Helping. We must always remain humble and modest when Helping others because nothing we ever accomplish in life is greater than helping someone else get one step closer to reaching their dreams or goals. The "I" is for Initiative. We must take Initiative in order to accomplish our dreams and goals by looking and stepping forward, never backwards when the call to lead is placed at our door step. The "N" is Network. We must build our Network of contacts and fill it with acquaintances, associates and friends. So never intentionally burn bridges with anyone we meet because we never know who will be able to give us the job you seek, the scholarship we want, or the next opportunity we need. The "K" is for Knowledge. We must have the Knowledge to know ourselves, to know where we want to be and to keep that with us so we can never be truly deterred from your goals.

Continue to BELIEVE that the unthinkable isn't unimaginable and that the power to "THINK" begins with the power of BELIEVING! We must BELIEVE in ourselves! We must BELIEVE in each other! We must BELIEVE that we all can make a difference! We must BELIEVE that through the power to "THINK," we can always bring about positive long term solutions to the problems of the world we live in. We must BELIEVE that we are a chosen few and that our alma maters granted us that belief.

Continue to BELIEVE in the next generation of Graduates by giving back to our alma maters and the communities. We are not tomorrow's future but today's future not now but right now. So BELIEVE in ourselves to make a difference starting right here, right now. So do we BELIEVE? If we BELIEVE then tell America we BELIEVE…tell the world that we BELIEVE…and tell the universe that we BELIEVE as we blaze paths of greatness that no one else has ever blazed. We got to B-E-L-I-E-V-E!

We got to BELIEVE!

"Remember Each One, Reach One, and Teach One so America's future as well as the world's future continues to prosper."

About Me

I'm an individual who barely sleeps, always working, always planning, constantly analyzing places, people, and things while giving my heart and soul into everything that I do. Working diligently to make a differnce in the world one step at a time is my goal. God has blessed me beyond my years and for that I owe everything to my Lord and Savior! This past summer helped me change my life and the direction that I am headed. I am a server, a motivator, and a guiding force for the Lord. Therefore, I am who I am!

Young, Gifted, & Talented

I don't care how you look at it but young people have always been the leaders of movements and change in the world. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were young men who lead powerful movements. They began as young voices that had a vision and a plan for what they wanted. Muhammad Ali said he was "The Greatest" at a young age and became the youngest heavyweight champion of the boxing world. Therefore tonight as I saw a young man by the name of Lebron James carry his team so much poise and confidence, it made me realize that it isn't about the age of a person that makes him great but its about the heart of the person that makes that person great.

I don't care how others feel about Lebron and I'm not a huge Lebron fan but throughout these playoffs he has said one thing that I can respect and that is no excuses. Therefore as young and talented people we must not make any excuses for the situations we are placed in. We can overcome anything as long as we believe in ourselves. As young, gifted and talented people we have always conquered the sports world and the political arena as well as been leaders of movements and creators of new cultures. So understand that all things are possible for us as young, gifted and talented people. There's nothing standing in our way but ourselves and that is why we must realize that we are own biggest barriers. We need to uplift each other and motivate each other as we strive toward excellence.

Bill Russell told Lebron tonight that he is just one year older than he was when Bill won his first championship. So if Lebron at the age of 22 can take a whole franchise on his back and carry a team to the NBA championship while accepting all the criticism that comes with being an NBA All-Star than I think if we look for change in this world, than all we have to look at is at our fellow youth who are doing things that many might say is impossible. Kobe Bryant helped lead a Lakers team to an NBA championship at the age of 21 and Earvin Magic Johnson at the age of 22 played all 5 positions in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in order to lead his team to the NBA title without. Dr. King was appointed the leader of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and Malcolm X was placed as 2nd in command of the Nation Islam that was founded by a young man by the name of Elijah Muhammad.

So look no farther than to history to pave the way for us as we as young, gifted and talented people aim to take the world by storm. I am motivated by the sports arena. I am excited by the endeavors that I see accomplished by young, gifted and talented people. It doesn't take much to be a leader within your own school, community, city, town, or state. It doesn't take much to change the fortunes of an organization, school or business. It doesn't take much to the voice of reason and courage against odds that seem too tough or too hard. It doesn't take much to stand in the face of adversity. So look no farther than to history to pave the way for us as we as young, gifted and talented people look to make a difference in the world.

YOUNG, GIFTED & BLACK

Young, Gifted, and Black(Live)- Donny Hathaway

To be young, gifted and black is a precious commodity in today’s society. Those of us in this situation, have a unique and rare opportunity to influence the lives of others in not only our own perspective communities but people in other communities throughout America. Being young, gifted and black doesn’t mean we have just an obligation to the Black community but we have an obligation to ourselves to help all people, to help communities and to help America as well as the world.

To be young, gifted and black puts us at the forefront to serve our nation, to help in our communities and to make a positive difference in the lives of others each and every day. This is our call to serve and this call to service is greater than individual wants and needs. Being young, gifted and black is an honor that we have to live up. An honor for us to make a positive difference and to serve a cause greater than self.

This is the time and this is the honor bestowed upon us by those that came before. Therefore while we are young, gifted and black, we have to do all we can to make our communities, America and the better than how we found it. That is our call, this is our moment and this is our time to finally live up to our potential while we are young, gifted, and black.

To Be Young, Gifted and Black

Favorite Quotes

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference."--Serenity Prayer
"The Lord is my sheperd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." Psalm 23:1-6
"Do I care what you think? Why should I? Thinking is a beginning process. I care about the resolutes, the finished proceess. I care about what you know and feel. I need things you are sure of, not doubts. thinking can be questioned and you could be wrong. knowing and feeling are for sure, you stand firm on that, you believe it, become it, and never doubt it. Thinking can change, knowing can't." --Eva Boyd
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." --Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I never tried to prove anything to someone else. I wanted to prove something to myself." --Kobe Bryant
"Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it." --Frantz Fanon
"Now through our ethical and moral commitment, we must make of it a brotherhood. We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools. This is the great challenge of the hour. This the true of individuals. It is true of nations. No individual can live alone. No nation can live alone," --Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Getting elected to any office is not about what you know, or always about who you know but it is mostly about who knows you." --Hodari Pilli Tourre Brown
"I came, I saw, I conquered"
"BEFORE ANYONE ELSE BELIEVES IN YOU YOU MUST FIRST BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!"
"THE MAJOR DOWN FALL OF HAPPINESS IS TRYING TO PLEASE EVERYONE, AS LONG AS YOU TRY TO MAKE EVERY ONE HAPPY THE MAIN PERSON THAT ENDS UP UNHAPPY IS YOU!!!"
"If you believe in the Lord and the power of God's unchanging hand than there's nothing you have to worry about as long as you don't waver from the Lord's unchanging hand."--Hodari Pilli Tourre Brown
"Never give up, always believe!"--Hodari Pilli Tourre Brown
"It's better to be yourself no matter what adversity may come your way."--Hodari Pilli Tourre Brown
"On the streets I'm a Legand. In my hood, I'm a Star!"
"Genius ain't anything more than elegant common sense." --Josh Billings
"Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer"
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen"
"If our two hearts became one than it would be the perfect most complete love."--Hodari P.T. Brown
"A guy is not worth crying over and one that is won't make you cry"
"You must love yourself before you can love someone else"
"You're on the map!" Referring to Hodari being known on facebook and on TSU's campus.--Porsha Key

Poem called H.O.D.A.R.I.

Have u ever Opened the Door to Another person heart and Realized it was absolutly Incredable, Inrresable, and Inspiring People usually dont look Into the heart, just body cuz Lust Is greater To people in this world. Outer beauty is just that Understand than ur beauty is under that Rumbble and its Remarkable and Estonishing. look Benneth that mirror Reflection to ur Own heart, then u will see just how Wonderful u are and No one could tell u different. i see y u love your whole name!!! Written by Eva McCrary-Boyd

Favorite Books

Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur
Malcolm X By Any Means Necessary
The Mis-Education of the Negro
The Audacity of Hope
How to Make Black America Better: Leading African Americans Speak Out
SCAM (How the Black Leadership Exploits Black America)
The Souls of Black Folks
Success Runs in Our Race
Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass and other writings
The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream
Black Christian Nationalism (New Directions for the Black Church)
The Blackman’s Stolen Birthright (Stolen Knowledge of God)
Huey Newton and the Black Panther Party
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
100 Years of Lynchings
Is Bill Cosby Right or has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?
Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye
Audacity of Hope
You Can Make It Happen
Think and Grow Rich
A Black Choice

Always Have Options!

I graduated from Tennessee State University, thinking I knew how my life was about to change. However I recently had to sit back and re-evaluate my life because in life, many times we think we know what we are doing next but we really don't. Therefore my message to others out there who are in a transition is to remember what you are passionate about, remember who you are and most of all, remember that your passion is you.

Being determined, dedicated and hard working can only take you so far but being truly passionate and committed to a cause or movement is what drives you to do what you do and combine that with the first three makes you an unstoppable force. You might not know what you are passionate about but I ask you to think deep in hard what is it that you have always wanted to do? What is it that you dreamed of accomplishing and what is it that you want your mark to be on the world?
If you love dance than your passion is to revolutionize the dance industry or to become one of the greatest dancers of all time or perhaps create dance camps across the world to impact young dancers everywhere with the proper skills necessary for them to follow their dancing dreams. Everyone has a passion and while many of us become lost in the transition of life and forget our passions, we need to rekindle those passions because it is our passions which will keep us going in life. It is our passions that keep us motivated and keep us inspired to do the things that we do in our life.

However one can never truly understand their passion unless they understand who they are. Therefore who are you? What makes you, you? That's right, what makes you different from anyone else in the world besides your name and social security number. Everyone has something that makes them who they are and it is up to you to figure that out. While it might be hard or you to understand who you are but you must look deep in your heart to find out what makes you feel the way you are and what makes you believe in yourself.

We are all passionate about something and sometimes we are passionate about our families or another person but the reality is those passions drive us and keep us ambitious in terms of pursuing a better life for ourselves so that those folks can achieve with you in the sense that when you achieve, they feel as if they are achieving you cause they encouraged you to go after your goals.

Therefore one needs to know who they are in order to under their passion so that they can have the drive, the desire, the determination and the dedication to devote their all to achieving this passion. Some people's passions are big and stretches worldwide while others passions are simplistic and easy. However no matter your passion, it is you that makes your passion and it is your passion that will help you leave a mark on the world in some way.

So know yourself and know who you are so you can realize your passion!

Life & Leadership!

It's Been A While!

God is truly good and blesses those who wait and are patient. It has taken me a long time to develop the patience I have but I want to thank God for all that he does. In this thing we call life, I must say that I have lost a lot of friends, associates and acquaintances but through it all, I am happy to say that I have survived it. For so long I have tried to live a perfect life and have worried about my public image but the only image I need to worry about is how do I view myself in the end. I can't worry about how the world views Hodari but I need to start looking at how Hodari perceives the world.

The world needs a change and Hodari is tired of sitting back watching zombies walk by as if there is no need for change in this world. Therefore through all my travels, I must say that I have developed a greater tolerance for society because there is so much I can learn from others and that is something I am grateful for having the Lord on my side for that. As long as we as people live on this earth, we need to understand that there are a lot of things that we don't always agree with but that doesn't mean it is wrong or bad. However there are things in this world that are wrong and someone needs to speak up against it. Therefore, I want to encourage everyone to be an advocate of peace and love as well as an advocate for justice and equality.

It's been a while since I last wrote a note but my trip to Europe has encouraged me to post this note in order to encourage others to be apart of the movement of change. Nothing is perfect and that's why we as people need to always try to fix that which needs fixing and we should never settle on imperfection but should try to obtain the nearest thing to perfection that we can.

So continue to reach out to those who need your help and continue to pray to God to give you the strength to forgive, to accept the flaws and mistakes of others and most of all continue to love the world for what it has offered you.

The Dream

The Dream can never die or be broken. Dreams are the back door to the reality that we live in. Dreams might not always occur as we all like because they are merely just a dream but dreams do occur. No one can tell you that your dream is a fantasy unless you tired to accomplish it and failed. However if you tried, did your dream actually fail. Dreams are a fantasy of reality but in dreams we see things as if it is suppose to happen for ourselves. However the truth of the matter is that one person's dreams open the door for another person's dream.

When you dream, you are opening the back door to reality for someone. However when you try to carry out your dream, you are helping someone else get one step closer to their dream. Your dreams are a visionary portion of how the real world is supposed to be and it is up to each of us to pursue our dreams so that the real world can become the vision that we see in our dreams. That's why the dream you carry inside you is not just a dream but it is a portion of reality. Now if each of us would just try to accomplish our dreams instead of waiting for someone to accomplish them for us than we will be able to see that the future is within our grasp.

The Dream that one carries with them might be the key to truly changing the field of science, mathematics, business, politics, music, or engineering. However how will one know if one never goes after their dream? Your dream is the component to life that will help one get stronger in their studies and in their life. You can not be afraid to seek out your dream or dreams because fear is not an answer but it is a hindrance. The only thing to fear in this life is fear itself and that fear is the fear of failure. If you fear failing than you fear success because in order to succeed you must first fail at some time and time. However it is not about how many times you failed or how many times you tried, it is more about when you succeeded that people will remember.

You cannot allow yourself to fail when in reality the dream of succeeding is at your finger tips. You cannot allow yourself to be defeated and that is why your dream or dreams are important. You must believe in your dreams and go after them but remember that your dreams can open the front door for someone else while you went in through the back door in trying to pursue yours. Never feel scared and never be ashamed to fail because failure is only temporarily but success is everlasting.

So the Dream that you possess, make sure you make it a reality for all of mankind to see. Make sure you believe in yourself and believe that your Dream is the dream of all of mankind. Make sure you make people fear your Dream and make sure you make your Dream the do inspiration for all. It is only through you that your Dream can be heard and seen. It is only through you that you can accomplish your Dream. However if you sit and wait for someone to push you than you are already being defeated.

Make your Dream, the DREAM of all Dreams! Make your Dream a reality! Make your Dream someone else's Dream! Make your Dream America's dream! Make your Dream the world's dream!

THE DREAM IS YOURS!

Being B.L.A.C.K.

Being Black is not a one month a year job. Being Black takes us living with the essence of knowing where we are from, where we are and where we want to go. Therefore being Black is a 365 days a year job but right here in 2008, it requires us being Black 366 days. So what does this mean to us as a people, when we as a people don't even celebrate our own history? What does it mean when we don't even honor those who came before us and who dead for us to have some of the rights and privileges that we have today?

We can no longer accept the realities that we as a people have succeeded because we haven't. The day we accept that we as people have succeeded is the very day that we are defeated as a people. We cannot and will not be able to uplift ourselves if we continue to practice the old practices of racism that were used against us. We are quick to call our fellow black man and woman Uncle Tom's or sell outs when they do not support another black man or woman. However we never bother to think or ask, is this black man or woman that one black man or woman doesn't support, worthy of our support to begin with. Let's be real and honest, just because one is black doesn't make them worthy of our support. Being Black is not about the color of one's skin or the rhetoric they use. Being Black is about showing the character, wisdom and cultural knowledge of us as people.

Being Black requires us to look beyond the color of one's skin and requires us to look at the heart of one's character. We must look at the motives of one's thoughts and actions in order to understand just how far they have come to understand that Black is the essence of all life and therefore should be in the center of one's heart and soul. We cannot no longer reject the fact that we are Black and that being Black is beautiful. We cannot continue to use the race card in terms of telling us that we are being discriminated against or that we hate on our own people. We must realize that being Black requires us to think outside the box and to think beyond racial lines.

Now by thinking beyond racial lines, we must realize that we must continue to stay knowledgeable of our own history. We must not think for a minute that anything that anyone is saying about us as a people is new because it is not. We must not think for a minute that we as a people have arrived because we have not. We have not arrived until we can get beyond the color of our skin and start being accepted for what we know and how we act. However we cannot be judged by our character if we continue to allow others who are Black to act in ways that are not characteristic of us as a people as a whole.

Thus, we must not shy away from controversy but we must be defiant in speaking out against those who depict us as a people in a negative and unfair way. If you are Black and proud of it than don't use the word nigga, Negro, bitch, hoe or any other derogatory word to classify our men and women. If you are proud to be Black than when you see a young man or any other black male sagging or wearing his pants in an unbefitting way than call him out. We can no longer allow us as people to accept mediocrity as a people. If we do not stand for something now than we will never stand for anything. Therefore being Black requires us to focus on ourselves by teaching ourselves, motivating ourselves, and uplifting ourselves.

Being B.L.A.C.K. requires us to REMEMBER EACH ONE, TEACH ONE, AND REACH ONE so that we as a people make us as people better, America better and the world better.

DEGENERATION X

The time has come for our country to accept and adopt “A New Generation of Leadership.” It is time for the World to get a new wakeup call just like the WWE got when Degeneration X came on the scene. It is time for fresh blood to emerge to take the World to the next level. It is time for the world to adopt new policies that will improve the forecast of the future of the world.

The time has come for a new batch of leaders to emerge that will take the world to the next level. The time has come for new ideals, new policies, and new leaders to emerge to do what is right for the people and the world we live in. The time has come for us the people to finally look to new people to lead us in the future.

This is the moment where our “DEGENERATION X” emerges to shake the world up as we know and finally create peace throughout it. This is the moment where we threw out the old ways and adopt new ways of accomplishing peace and prosperity throughout the world. This is the moment that the world finally embraces its finally men and women as we all adopt tolerance throughout the world.

Let’s be “A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP.” Let’s do all we can to make this world a better place.

The Essence of Politics