Last night's rally and march through downtown Atlanta was monumental,
to say the least. Having been raised by a father who was an ex-Black
Panther, I've listened to stories about "Black Power" and the 1963 March
on Washington all my life, and longed for the day when my generation
would finally get mad enough to stand up, and remain standing. I believe the time has finally come...
Spawned
by George Zimmerman's "not guilty" verdict in the nationally publicized
Trayvon Martin case, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Atlanta
University Center (AUC), the world's largest consortium of African
American institutions of higher learning, to stand in solidarity against
the system of injustice that continues to wreak havoc on our
communities across the nation. The crowd continued to grow as we listened to several religious
leaders from the community and a few words from hip-hop artist Lil'
Scrappy (don't ask me why..I still don't know what he said lol). I'm not sure who coordinated the speaker line-up, but I
couldn't help but think to myself that there MUST be some real
revolutionary leaders somewhere in Atlanta other than preachers whose
accolades do not expand beyond having "worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."
in some obscure way -_- This is not to negate the value of the work they do (whatever that might be), but their antiquated messages of "join my church" and "I did something great 40+ years ago" seemed to fall on deaf ears. So I was pleasantly surprised when a young
sister from the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement rendered a powerful speech
encouraging African Americans to stand together to rebuild our
communities by implementing systems that counteract those which continue
to fail us. The passion and conviction with which she spoke served as fuel (not that we needed any) for the 3 mile trek to the CNN Center.
There really aren't any
words to describe what happened next..I've been an activist for almost
10 years, and I have never experienced
the type of synergy that was created in Atlanta and across America
following this controversial case. I cannot count the
number of times my White activist friends have asked me why more Black
people won't get involved. (The sociology of this issue is so deep. I'll
save that for another blog). However, it was an honor to walk with my
brothers and sisters (White, Black, & Latino)
in a oneness that many of us have never known. I even took my entire
tribe (yes, all 6 kids & now I need a spa day). As we were leaving,
my 6yr old said, "I wish we could get justice for real" as if marching
through the streets pumping her fists and screaming "NO JUSTICE NO
PEACE!" was not real justice. Hmmm??? Nevertheless, we stood up!
And we're still standing! Now let's put our hands to the W-O-R-K! Let
the organizing begin for some and continue for others. As the matrix
said: We're all here to do, what we're all here to do. So whatever that
is for you...get to it!
Actors, rappers, vocalists, models, and designers were amongst the artists/entertainers who filled Apache Cafe this past Saturdayto showcase their talents at Blast Off 10. Known as one of Atlanta's hottest venues, Apache Cafe really began to heat up as the anxiously-waiting audience filled the room with anticipation and the backstage area filled with the passion of young artists with serious hustle (like Money Team Magazine). I had the pleasure of meeting up-and-coming designer, C.Denim, hailing from the City of Brotherly Love~bringing some of that Philly-Fresh flavor to Hotlanta! After speaking with his business manager, Jessica, for just a few minutes, I became certain that it's only a matter of time until we start hearing a lot more about this fierce group of entrepreneurs...
Speaking of flavor...this show was full of variety! I've gotta give a special shout-out to +stepBoi CMC theSouthSideSickest for reppin' the Southside well! Despite the Facebook page which purports that "Eminem will always be the only good white rapper" (and has approximately 45,000 likes), StepBoi is one white rapper who will make you say "Eminem who?!" In two words: authentic and raw! I've been bumpin' his CD in my Yukon all week! #gettin2old4disshit
True activists to our core, fellow +Peachtree NORML associate and I, Vincent Cheeks (a.k.a. Ghetto Messiah), tagged-teamed to raise awareness and get signatures for our petition.Vince was SUPER busy that night~coordinating, emceeing the show with the lovely Alia Love, and oozing southern charm the entire time! Great job, Vince!
There were too many great artists to name them all, but I can't neglect to mention Ebony Rose and the Black Rose Band...this band tore the roof off! They not only rocked the mic~they rocked the HOUSE with an eclectic sound the world is waiting for! They took us to c-h-u-r-c-h (in the most nonreligious way possible)!
Lol! Real talk~this incredible sound was so mesmerizing that I couldn't leave until they were off the stage.They truly took the entire show to a different dimension. Keep up the great work!
Actors, rappers, vocalists, models, and designers were amongst the artists/entertainers who filled Apache Cafe this past Saturday to showcase their talents at Blast Off 10. Known as one of Atlanta's hottest venues, Apache Cafe really began to heat up as the anxiously-waiting audience filled the room with anticipation and the backstage area filled with the passion of young artists with serious hustle (like Money Team Magazine). I had the pleasure of meeting up-and-coming designer, C.Denim, hailing from the City of Brotherly Love~bringing some of that Philly-Fresh flavor to Hotlanta! After speaking with his business manager, Jessica, for just a few minutes, I became certain that it's only a matter of time until we start hearing a lot more about this fierce group of entrepreneurs...
True activists to our core, fellow +Peachtree NORML associate and I, Vincent Cheeks (a.k.a. Ghetto Messiah), tagged-teamed to raise awareness and get signatures for our petition.Vince was SUPER busy that night~coordinating, emceeing the show with the lovely Alia Love, and oozing southern charm the entire time! Great job, Vince!
Lol! Real talk~this incredible sound was so mesmerizing that I couldn't leave until they were off the stage.They truly took the entire show to a different dimension. Keep up the great work!
