by C5Damani (old head of the movement)
“How refreshing to consume words that have meaning and depth. In the great and honored tradition of wisdom literature and if there is anything that could be called instant wisdom, ‘nigga notes & quotes’ fills that void. This book may be the finest book of quotes, anecdotes, sayings and sage bromides any people struggling for human dignity and liberation will ever read.”
Tanomar Akili Muumba
Black Poet Activist (Rest in Power)
when describing “nigga notes & quotes”*
– day eight –
“…the deprivations of the colonized are the almost direct result of the advantages secured to the colonizer.”
author forgotten
At the University of Virginia, in 1826, an enslaved young black girl was raped by two male white students. When these male white students discovered they both had the same venereal disease, they surmised who the culprit was, the young black enslaved girl. How would these male white students, both part of the wealthy slaveholding families decide to fix the problem? By recruiting some other white classmates to join them in stripping her naked and beating her until she was bloody.
When the enslaved young black girl’s owner complained to the faculty about what the white male students did, the owner was awarded $10 as compensation for his slave being beaten. $10 DAMN DOLLARS!!! The University of Virginia professors deemed this “punishment” appropriate. As perspective, in this time, the mishandling of a library book resulted in stiffer punishments than what was dished out for humiliation, pain and degradation of stripping naked and beating the 16yr old enslaved black girl. In addition to the above, lest we not forget, that their discovery of a shared sexually transmitted disease came from them both forcibly raping the 16yr old black girl.
The above quote quickly came to mind as I read this article in the Washington Post. The advantages (monetary, socially, educationally, socially, economically, etc.) of white America are the direct result of the disbarment of Black America (indigenous and all people of color) from all aspects of society. There have never been a period of time during this American experiment in which white America, as a whole, didn’t use every mechanism possible to exclude, block or steal away any and all Black folks’ progress and momentum. This historical pattern is clear and well documented.
This pattern of behavior by white America has produced a system of unequal existences and one-sided outcomes…
“…the system of oppression is designed to make the oppressed dependent upon the resources of the oppressor so that the exploitation of the oppressed is buffered by paternalism.”
author forgotten
“…the overwhelming dependency of the Black population upon the white economy and the relative powerlessness of the afro-american to change that relationship, keeps us from finding the answer to the problems that beset us.”
author forgotten
The recognition of the exploitation of Black people to create the greatest system of social and economic prowess in the modern world begs the question, “What to do now?”
“…serious minded Black people have been meeting together, pooling knowledge and ideas and suggestions, forming a sort of brain trust, for the purpose of getting a cross section of the thinking, hopes, aspirations, likes and dislikes, to see what kind of organization we can put together that would in some way or other get the grass roots support, and what type of support it would need in order to be independent enough to take the type of action necessary to get results.”
author forgotten
Black America has been striving for the “what now” with very little collective success. So again “What to do now?”
REPARATIONS!
REPARATIONS!!
REPARATIONS!!!
Why? A recent discovery of the last slave ship, Clotilda, in a small community in Mobile, Alabama reignited the hope of a revival for Africatown. This hope brings along with it the need for restoration of that Africatown community but also an entire people, all descendants of African slaves – African Americans, here in this country. One important way to do this is through the reconciling of the books on what is owed Black people. Pay the debt of the labor, toil and pain incurred over numerous generations by the descendants of slaves in America.
This discovery of Clotilda, it’s coinciding with the 400yr commemoration of the first slaves to these shores and the recorded history of oppression reminds us of this ugly past and compels us, this nation, to do more than just apologize for the chattel enslavement of Black folks. The above things and many, many more demand that we pay the cost for the inhumane treatment of and continued injustices faced by African Americans. Ta’Nehisi Coates, Danny Glover, and others have articulated the case for reparations and its importance to a people and this nation. I stand with them is demanding that this country get serious about making Black folks “whole” again, understanding all that was stole.
In raising the topic of reparations, typically we…
“…wish for five, expect three and get nothing.”
author forgotten
I know America shudders at the thought of the trillions of dollars that would need to be paid back to Black folks. But what if… maybe… just maybe… we started with…
40 Acres and A Mule:
IF I’M NOT MISTAKEN
I ONCE READ,
DURIN’ THAT SHORT SPELL
I SPENT IN SCHOOL,
WHERE EVERY SLAVE SET FREE
WAS SUPPOSED TO GET,
FOR SLAVING,
FORTY ACRES AND A MULE.
NOW AIN’T NO TELLING
HOW MUCH WORK WAS DONE
BY MY ANCESTORS
UNDER SLAVER’S RULE,
BUT SURE AS HELL
THE TOTAL’S GOT TO RUN
AT LEAST,
TO FORTY ACRES AND A MULE.
NOW I’M NOT SAYING THIS
TO SEE FOLKS SWEAT,
BECAUSE I’M NOT BITTER,
NEITHER AM I CRUEL,
BUT AIN’T NOBODY PAID
FOR SLAVERY YET
ABOUT MY FORTY ACRES
AND A MULE…
WE HAD A PROMISE
THAT WAS TAKEN BACK,
AND WHEN WE HOLLERED
IT WAS, HUSH, BE COOL!
WELL ME,
I’M BEIN’ ROWDY,
HOT AN’ BLACK:
I WANT MY FORTY ACRES
AND MY MULE!
DON’T TELL ME
NOT TO GET MYSELF UPSET,
DON’T LOOK AT ME
LIKE I’M SOME KIND OF GHOUL,
JUST ANSWER QUIETLY,
WHEN DO I GET
MY GODDAMN FORTY ACRES
AND MY MULE?
NO THANKS,
I’LL TAKE MY OWN SELF
OUT TO LUNCH.
NO THANKS,
I’LL DIG ME
MY OWN SWIMMING POOL,
AND LAY
AN’ PLAY AROUND
WITH MY OWN BUNCH,
IF I GIT FORTY ACRES AND A MULE.
BECAUSE INTEREST GOTTA GO ON
JUST LIKE RENT,
I MAY BE CRAZY,
BUT I AIN’T NO FOOL.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF DEBT
AT TEN PERCENT,
PER YEAR,
PER FORTY ACRES,
AN’ PER MULE.
NOW ADD THAT UP
Mr. Oscar Brown Jr.
AN’ OOOOEEEE LOOK-A THERE!
NO WONDER Y’ALL
CALLED GREAT GRANDMA A JEWEL.
JUST PAY ME THAT
AND CALL THE WHOLE THING
SQUARE,
YES LORDY,
FORTY ACRES AND A MULE!
*Since most of these quotes were collected prior to 1985 it means some of the authors of these quotes, I have simply forgotten… blame old age! (Ha) When the author is known, I will indicate it. When an author is not indicated, please forgive me and understand. Furthermore, this collection of quotes was first started as a personal endeavor never meant to be shared publicly thus the reason why some authors may not be indicated.