July 29, 2013

1 Minute Book Review: Nairobi Heat by Mukoma Wa Nguigi


Name of the book: Nairobi Heat

Author:   Mukoma Wa Nguigi

Publisher:  Melville International Crime

What's the book about? 

A cop from Wisconsin pursues a killer through the terrifying slums of Nairobi and the memories of genocide

IN MADISON, WISCONSIN, it’s a big deal when African peace activist Joshua Hakizimana—who saved hundreds of people from the Rwandan genocide—accepts a position at the university to teach about “genocide and testimony.” Then a young woman is found murdered on his doorstep.

Local police Detective Ishmael—an African-American in an “extremely white” town—suspects the crime is racially motivated; the Ku Klux Klan still holds rallies there, after all. But then he gets a mysterious phone call: “If you want the truth, you must go to its source. The truth is in the past. Come to Nairobi.”

It’s the beginning of a journey that will take him to a place still vibrating from the genocide that happened around its borders, where violence is a part of everyday life, where big-oil money rules and where the local cops shoot first and ask questions later—a place, in short, where knowing the truth about history can get you killed.


Why am I reading the book? I met Mukoma Wa Ngugi at the Yardstick Festival and heard him read from Nairobi Heat at one of the afternoon panels. Coming from Miami where crime novels are de rigeur, I thought it was an interesting concept of having an African-American and African cop partnered in Kenya to solve the mystery of a dead blonde girl found on the doorsteps of a renowned African peace activist who lives in Madison, Wisconsin. I read Nairobi Heat the next day. I was not disappointed.


Quote from the book: "Were we manipulating race? The calculation was simple: one million lives did not move the world, African countries included, to intervene, but the death of one beautiful blonde girll would. We did not create that equation--we found it as it was. And we would use it to get justice."

Where to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Nairobi-Heat-Melville-International-Crime/dp/1935554646





Novelist, poet, and literary scholar, Mukoma Wa Ngugi is the author of Black Star Nairobi (Melville, 2013), Nairobi Heat (Penguin, SA 2009, Melville House Publishing, 2011), an anthology of poetry titled Hurling Words at Consciousness (AWP, 2006) and is a columnist for Ebony.com and a regular contributor to Kenya Yetu Magazine.  He was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2009.  In 2010, he was shortlisted for the Penguin Prize for African Writing for his novel manuscript, The First and Second Books of Transition.  Mukoma holds a PHD in English from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, an MA in Creative Writing from Boston University and a BA in English and Political Science from Albright College. He is an Assistant Professor of English at Cornell University.


Source: http://www.mukomawangugi.com/


***


I've modified this format from One Minute Book Reviews: http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/


July 27, 2013

Honoring A Hero: Marcus Garvey Exoneration Drive Hits High Gear | Caribbean Today


Concerted community efforts to make Marcus Garvey's exoneration a reality have increased ahead of the upcoming 126th anniversary of the Jamaican National Hero’s birth on Aug. 17, 2013.

The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey recently achieved its goal of 10,000 signatures in support of Garvey’s exoneration and at press time the total stood at 10,467.

For more information, please follow this link:
http://www.caribbeantoday.com/index.php/feature/item/16911-honoring-a-hero-marcus-garvey-exoneration-drive-hits-high-gear

***


The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey 

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support..

July 26, 2013

Lecture and Book Launch: Caribbean Emancipation 1834-2013

***

The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey
We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Thank you for your support..

July 25, 2013

The Verdict: Trayvon Martin and the Criminalization of Black and Latino Youth


FLORIDA AFRICANA STUDIES CONSORTIUM
Panel Discussion
The Verdict: Trayvon Martin and the Criminalization of Black and Latino Youth
Saturday July 20th 2013 from 7 to 9 pm
 Multitudes Contemporary Gallery, 5570 Northeast 4th Avenue Miami Florida 33137
Description.
The panel explored the “not guilty verdict” following the murder of sixteen years and 21 days old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman within the larger context of the ongoing criminalization and mass incarceration of Black and Latino youth.  Using a multidisciplinary analysis, the panel explored race, racism and racialization in the context of criminal justice systems. As thinking and acting professionals and community members in the State of Florida, we sought to raise additional questions and provide some answers to outstanding issues.

Panelists:

Lorna Owens, Attorney at Law, Miami (Defense & Prosecution Differences)
Jeremy I. Levitt, Professor of International Law/Dean, FAMU(Legal, Racial, Historic Implications)
Brad Brown, Past President, NAACP Miami (NAACP positions on race and this case)
Jahra McLawrence, Criminal Defense Attorney, Miami (Legal Processes in Florida)
Veronique Helenon, University of Massachusetts, Boston (Global Racism)

RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • Get more politically informed about prosecutors in different counties, their politics and the power they hold and how their choices can impact outcomes.
  • Educate children very early about the nature of racism and the ways that it impacts them negatively
  •  Continue to educate youth about different strategies to use when stalked.
  •  Be informed as well about your own human rights and if you want to use that option, buy a gun, get a permit and if confronted stand your ground.
  • Be politically active and support political movements and initiatives, current youth movement such as the Dream Defenders.
  •  Run for office especially judgeships and other positions and understand the politics of those running for election as judges; when elected make sure you represent your people’s interests.


Chair’s Introductory Notes - Dr. Carole Boyce Davies, Chair,  FLASC)
“We who believe in freedom cannot rest!”  Ella Baker.

The national outcry following the travesty of the killing of an unarmed black youth and the acquittal of his killer has created a series of responses from people around the world (social media, marches, vigils, tweets, facebook images, blogs, newspaper articles and essays, forums like this one). I was talking to a friend in South Africa this morning who said that he led a forum yesterday which was organized for a different reason but ended up discussing this case.  South Africa once seen as the most extreme location of racism with its apartheid system has since corrected a number of those structures (cosmetically some think) and has like the U.S. had a black leader.  They too learn that having a black leader does not, as President Obama has said, usher you directly into a post-racial world.  We still live within institutional structures of racism which are manifested in all systems – from  media, politics, and leisure to an intense manifestation in the  criminal justice system.

A number of studies have alerted us to the growing inequities in the criminal justice system in which mass incarceration of Black and Latino people has reached proportions way in excess of our numbers.  The U.S. now has the record for the most people incarcerated in the world.  And the ways that injustice has been levied at black people is documented well in Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow.  Some call it though The New Slavery i.e. that Jim Crow or racial segregation is not strong enough a term.  Instead,  we see a kind of neo-slavery in operation as sentencing of black people is extreme, the labor of black men and women is used within the criminal justice system,  the political system disenfranchises them, affects their future possibilities for work, housing and the like and then ensures that they get policed and then re-sentenced in injustice ways.  The New York Stop and Frisk laws have been singled out by Khalil Gibran Muhammad in his The Condemnation of Blackness.

Florida is now ground zero for these practices, under national and international scrutiny for obvious racial inequity in sentencing and the distribution of punishments for black and white people as the gross differences in the handling and discharging of the Marissa Alexander and George Zimmerman’s cases show and the similarity of the Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis cases.  Trayvon Martin in a strange racist twist became the one put on trial, criminalized in dead as “Georgie” was humanized.  What a reversal!  The defense went as far as  to pick up a big piece of concrete and bring it into court to make it seem that this kid was armed with a brick when it is clear to all that  he was fighting for his life in a state with a high proportion of predators. 

Our panel engaged these issues from multiple perspectives in a rich and informative evening.  Here is one response:

“Congratulations on a successful, incisive panel discussion…  Regardless of whether Rachel had worn pearls and a black suit, and was speaking the Queen's English, Zimmerman would have been found not guilty. I must admit after hearing Levitt, it hit home to me how little value we have, especially, in the judiciary system.   I came home very sad, though more insightful.” ~ Lynnette Lashley


***


The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Thank you for your support.

July 23, 2013

Support Judge William Thomas: Call Senator Bill Nelson


Please support Judge William Thomas. We really need you, your family and friends to  call Senator Nelson and Senator Rubio's office this week.  Your approach can be as simple as one of the following statements:

****I am a registered voter in Miami-Dade County and I am calling to find out when the Senator is going to return his "blue slip" to the White House so Judge William Thomas' nomination to the federal bench can move forward.

****I'm calling to let the Senator know that I'm very upset that he has not returned his "blue slip" to the White House so that President Obama's nomination of Judge William Thomas to become a Federal Judge can move forward. All reviews have been completed...what is the Senator waiting for? 

PLEASE READ BELOW FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION & PHONE NUMBERS.


Judge William Thomas has been nominated by President Barack Obama to become a Federal District Court Judge in the Southern District of Florida.  President Obama nominated Judge Thomas in November of 2012.  Judge Thomas' nomination has been pending for over six months and Judge Thomas is still awaiting a confirmation hearing.   This is unacceptable and we need to urge both Senator Nelson and Senator Rubio to move forward with Judge Thomas' nomination without further delay.  

Senator Nelson has publicly stated that he fully supports Judge Thomas's nomination yet he has failed to return his "blue  slip," the form required before Judge Thomas's nomination can go forward.  When asked why he has yet to return his blue slip, Senator Nelson responded that he was waiting for the Senate Judiciary Committee to complete Judge Thomas' background investigation.  However, in a recent article, it was revealed that Senator Leahy, the ranking Democratic leader of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has completed his review of Judge Thomas' background and fully briefed Senator Nelson.  Yet, Senator Nelson has failed to act.  Normally, the home state senator will return his blue slip after  being briefed by his party's ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.  For reasons that are unknown to us, Senator Nelson has chosen not to follow this long established tradition when it comes to Judge Thomas' nomination. 

Senator Rubio has offered no rational reason for his delay.  Please note that a return of the blue slip by the home state Senator(s) does not mean that the senator supports the nomination.  It merely allows the nomination to proceed for consideration before the full Senate Judiciary Committee.  We are simply asking that the process move forward and that Judge Thomas's nomination be treated the same as others who have preceded him.     

Please take a few moments out of your busy schedule and call Senator Nelson's and Senator Rubio's office to encourage them to act NOW.  We are asking everyone to call during the week of July 22, 2013.  Please don't simply read this email.  We need you to call. We understand everyone is busy but a call to Senator's Nelson and Senator Rubio will only take a few minutes of your time.  

Senator Nelson's Washington DC number is 202-224-5274
Senator Nelson's Miami regional office number is 305-536-5999
Senator Nelson can be emailed by hitting the following link:
Willowstine Lawson - Sen. Nelson's Regional Director is 954-693-4851
Senator Rubio's number is 202-224-3041

Few Brief Facts About Judge William Thomas

* The American Bar Association completed a thorough background investigation of Judge Thomas' intellect, judicial demeanor and judicial temperament and concluded Judge Thomas was majority well qualified to serve as a Federal District Court Judge.  
* Judge Thomas has been a Circuit Court Judge in Miami-Dade County for almost nine years.  He was first elected in 2005 and re-elected without opposition in 2011.
* Judge Thomas has presided over cases in the Juvenile, Criminal, and Civil Divisions of the Circuit Court.
* Judge Thomas has presided over death cases, murder cases, complex medical malpractice cases, complex business litigation cases and cases involving eminent domain.
* Judge Thomas has consistently achieved over an 87% approval rating in the Dade County Bar Association Judicial Poll.
*  In his almost nine years on the bench, Judge Thomas has tried almost 350 jury trials to verdict.
* Prior to being elected to the bench, Judge Thomas worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida for seven years.  
* Judge Thomas also worked as an Assistant Miami Dade Public Defender
* Judge Thomas also taught in the University of Miami Litigation Skills Program
* Judge Thomas was born and raised in the housing projects in south western Pennsylvania.
* Judge Thomas was the ninth of ten children raised by a single mother on welfare.
* Judge Thomas was the first person in his family to graduate from college.

Let's communicate to Senator Nelson and Senator Rubio that now is the time to move forward with Judge Thomas' nomination and that we won't tolerate any further delay.

***


The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Thank you for your support..

Support Padmore Primary Lunch Program


Padmore Primary NEEDS your donation! No gift too small or large. Padmore Primary School located in rural St. Andrew in Jamaica, has been featured in the Jamaican Observer and Gleaner newspapers recently with stories of the tenacity of teacher Joy Smith who was recently gifted with a motorized wheelchair from Jamaican business Supreme Ventures. 

The school has gone from slated for closure to students achieving a 93% average in the 2013 GSAT examinations. Led by Principal Keisha Hayle, Padmore is a great example of how much can be achieved with a little. Your gift will go towards the essentials.

http://www.gofundme.com/3gy8cs



***


The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support..

Countdown to Bob Marley, Messenger at Wine Down Wednesday!


July 22, 2013

"Death and Work" by Adrian Castro



For there to be a hero in any drama there must be an anti-hero. That which opposes the work, the fruition, the very essence of the hero. That which tries, and depending on whether a tragedy or a comedy, succeeds in eclipsing the ultimate goal of the hero. The resulting tension between the two opposing forces gives birth to the heroic act. The heroic act is to overcome that which is insurmountable-- be it evil, corruption, temptations, rain, drought, or storms. The anti-hero of our concern here is everyone's anti-hero-- death. It is more so evident in tragedies where our hero is the personification of an ideal man, a man of virtue and genius, in whose work and essence beauty is personified, and is alas overcome by death. Beauty is the river that separates this world from that world, or the above from the below. Truly man is incomplete without beauty. Beauty being bereft makes the hero's death all the more tragic.
Man can overcome vice, intolerance, tyranny, ignorance, but there is only one antagonist that man cannot overcome at least on this side of life. The belief in immortality and various forms of afterlife are a result of man's effort to overcome death. In response to this archetypal dilemma, human beings furthermore have cleverly devised casting death in a role which is not antagonistic or an anti-hero. Instead we have cast it as a great teacher, as the great leveler of man. This is itself a way of conquering the problem of death; simply by not making it a problem. If death is not fighting you, and you are not fighting it,  then it is not your enemy, but rather a teacher.  We see how it can be a teacher in the admonition, "set your house in order", for we never know when death will come calling. In this light, the fearful grasp that death has on the human psyche is no longer the dilemma to struggle against.

Death is the personification of impermanence. And the death's head and/or coffin is the archetypal symbol for it. Throughout many cultures in Latin America, Europe and the East (i.e. the religious iconography of Tibet, India) the prevalence of the death's head is a persistent reminder of the impermanence of life. These symbols appear again and again in rituals because, primarily, and despite our efforts to obviate the obvious, the struggle against impermanence and change is man's epic and archetypal struggle. It is constant and lurking at every corner. The struggle to not cling to the waves of desire and material attachments is daily. As long as man has a fear of death, he is not free.  It is through the vanquishing of the fear of death that we gain our liberation.

*

From the Yorùbá tradition we have a story where one of their most important heroes, a prophet by the name of Òrúnmìlà is in conflict with Death. As the story goes, Òrúnmìlà was once concerned about a dream he had the previous night. He dreamt that Death was going to visit his house dressed in all its terminal accoutrements and carrying his necrotic bloodied spiked club. When Òrúnmìlà woke that morning he immediately went to the Ifa divination oracle. Upon divination he was told that the wise awake and remain erect. That Fear and Death had also gone for divination wondering how they could have dominion over life. Òrúnmìlà was told that fear was actually what he needed to conquer. He was told to stay upright. He was told to sacrifice two hundred snails and thereafter tie the shells to a walking stick the length of his body. Òrúnmìlà was the only one of the three that did the sacrifice. He was to place this stick erect at the entrance to his house and everyday upon going to sleep and waking he was to bang the stick on the ground. The effect was a cacophonous clank that would scare the daylights out of anyone if not at least wake the dead. True to his dream, one evening Death (Ikú in Yoruba) came prancing down the front of Òrúnmìlà's house in full terminal regalia just as he was beginning to beat the sonorous walking stick. The song Òrúnmìlà was told to sing by the Ifá oracle was,

            "Oluwòwò ji odi ji Oluwòwò
            nba ri Ikú máà tè eee!"

which translates to, "The strong Ifá priest has woken, he has woken, when I see Death I will stomp him"

Death was not accustomed to hearing such defiance. And it never heard such a cacophonous sound accompanying the song. He thought to himself, "if this is Òrúnmìlà just singing before going to sleep, imagine what he will do to me when he sees me." Death immediately, and unbeknownst to Òrúnmìlà, made a turn back to his abode.

The crucial issue in the above myth is not the conquering of Death per se, but rather the subjugation of fear. It wasn't until Ã’rúnmìlà did the sacrifice with snails, a symbol of coolness and softness, that his heart was able to soften and cool and thus become fearless. This softness and coolness is in direct  contrast to the image we have of Death. Indeed in the story he has a rather rough and harsh demeanor. He is after all the anti-hero. It wasn't until Ã’rúnmìlà embodied the opposite characteristics of Death--  coolness, uprightness, fearlessness-- that Death was not able to prey upon him, that he was able to postpone his day of death.

The other interesting aspect of this story is the object with which Ã’rúnmìlà was able to scare off Death. It was a long (the length of Ã’rúnmìlà body), walking stick that made noise. It was to be used uprightly, that is, perpendicular to the ground, the abode of the dead. By ritually using the stick, which can be further understood to be a smaller version of a tree of life, or axis mundi, Ã’rúnmìlà declared himself, indeed imprints by the simple act of banging the ground, his presence on Earth.  He became the temporal opposite of sleep.


*

We are taught in so many of the ancient traditions, that it is through inner work (though usually it not called as such, in fact the work is usually deceptively materialistic) that we gain our freedom and hence our true rewards. This work must not be done with expectations, but rather for its intrinsic value. Through this arduous work, one of knowledge gained through initiation, purification, transformation we gain a gnosis of impermanence, of selflessness, we remain upright, vanquishing fear, and we are able to enter the center of our Self, the crypt of our Self. It is there where we get our rewards.

So what of the ordinary man? How can he/she do things which outlive him/her? The vast majority of great men/women throughout history are unknown. Many great men of profound depth and wisdom, who performed deeds that changed people, communities, that postponed death itself, died and not a word was uttered about them a month afterwards. Few gain accolades during their lives, and even fewer after death. By definition there are few Christs, few Buddhas, few Mohammeds. The Buddha himself was said to be the twelfth Buddha. So what of the other eleven? Who were they? The fact that we hear of few great men/women does not mean there have been few throughout human history. These are simply the destiny of each of these great figures, or providence of the Creator itself that chose to bring to the forefront of man's consciousness as symbols of man's greatness and possibilities.

"Behold now... I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to decay. Strive [towards enlightenment] with diligence!",  said the Buddha more than 2400 years ago. As human beings we are truly unique in our precious births as we uniquely have the opportunity to cultivate wisdom, virtue, seek truth, and so perform an active role in improving our lives. Of the myriad of living species there are no other on earth capable of doing this. Barring severe physical and/or mental hindrances, each human being has the capability of performing the “great work”.

In Yorùbá the word for person is ènìyàn. It is a compound word formed by è a possessive prefix, ni the verb to be, and yàn meaning to choose. Together it translates as "he/she that is chooses".  Choice is fundamental to the identity of a human being according to Yorùbá philosophy. Without going into too much detail regarding the creation of a human being, it is believed that humans choose their destinies in the spirit world before being born. It is one's Èlèdá, literally the owner of your creation, that spirit that resides in everyone, the seat of the divine within all of us, that chooses one's destiny. Once a person is born that record and memory is forgotten. Hence this is one of the central reasons followers of the Yorùbá tradition consult the Ifá oracle; as it is this divine corpus that has the ability to direct one in the direction consistent with the choices one made in the spirit world at any given moment. Of course everyone is free to follow the directives of the oracle or not. The fact that one can even choose to believe this theory is itself what makes one an ènìyàn. To choose is quintessentially human. To choose to perform is fruition.

Vocational work, when it is honest and truthful, is the seed of all societies and the root of its evolution. Just as the worker bees collaborate to build and sustain the hive, so it is through our various vocations and stations in society that it is built and sustained. Work facilitates the positive esteem of individuals.  A society whose members believe themselves worthy and productive and integral, is a society erected on a strong foundation. It is a society that will build its cultural, civic, and political institutions from the ground up. Ideally a society where a symbiotic relationship exists between the various strata, each nourished by the other. However, man cannot live by work alone!

Spiritual work, on the other hand , is performed in the most discreet, quiet, seemingly inactive way. No need to go somewhere to do it (though a sacred space helps to accomplish it). No need to wear a uniform (though regalia and iconography can help). No need to punch a time-clock (though discipline and effort are crucial). No need to have a boss (though Nature and all its laws are watching).

If a man acts only as if his father were watching him, and expecting a reward, well that man is in the end a child regardless of his age. Every action has a cause and a reaction. They say the bat of a butterfly's wing can cause a typhoon half-way across the world. What then of acts of kindness, charity, and love? There are many opportunities in life to express these qualities-- parenting, brotherhood, philanthropy, even vocational work. Many of us unfortunately fall victims to our own selfishness and expect rewards for these acts. Those of us who give to charity expect at least a government write-off. We work merely to make money, to pay bills, or at best amass a certain amount of wealth for relative comfort today or the far-off future; unaware death or impermanence can undo a lifetime's work in a day. We have many opportunities to labor, perform, act without fee or reward, simply for its own sake. Some would say it is because of  duty that we should perform such acts. But duty, when there is an expectation of reward attached to the action is no longer duty, but just what it is-- an action with an expectation of reward. In the end a selfish action predicated on a reward. This genuine attitude of duty and work are no doubt very difficult to achieve, but is nonetheless available to anyone, regardless of class, education, upbringing, etc., precisely because of our precious human birth.

We have to labor on many levels-- psychologically, spiritually, morally-- for work to be truly transcendent. But we must labor with the firm belief that our work will bear fruit in some way. We must make our labors equate a prayer. Laborare est orare! We must however be vigilant not to labor because it will bear fruit, but rather because it is best and moral and of benefit to others, ourselves, and family. There is a winding staircase that each and every one of us must climb. We can never be certain what, if death itself, is lurking around the bend on the next step. So we must be sure of our steps. Sure that they are honest and genuine. That they are of benefit in general. That they at least do not contribute to the baseness and demoralization of society. We must be sure our labors do not shred the fabric of society (unless of course it is corrupt, ignorant, and tyrannical), crumble the stones on which it rests. Most importantly we must be sure not to debase ourselves by acting callously, crudely or maliciously. We must work diligently in polishing our personal temples that others can emulate it, build upon it. So when the day arrives to call us back to our source, we can reflect back with a sense of accomplishment. It is arduous work but the best work.


About Adrian Castro




Adrian Castro is a poet, writer, and interdisciplinary artist. Born in Miami, a place which has provided fertile ground for the rhythmic Afro-Latino style in which he writes and performs. Articulating the search for a cohesive Afro-Caribbean-American identity, Castro honors myth on one hand and history on the other. He addresses the migratory experience from Africa to the Caribbean to North America, and the eventual clash of cultures. Castro creates a circular motion of theme, tone, subject matter, style, and cultural history, giving rise to a fresh illuminating archetypal poetry. 

These themes reach their climax in their declamacion – the call-and-response rhythm of performance with a whole lot of tun-tun ka-ka pulse. He is the author of Cantos to Blood & Honey,(Coffee House Press, 1997), Wise Fish: Tales in 6/8 Time,(Coffee House Press, 2005),  Handling Destiny, (Coffee House Press, 2009), and has been published in many literary anthologies. He is the recipient of a USA Knight Fellowship (2012), Cintas Fellowship (2008), the State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship, NewForms Florida, the Eric Mathieu King award from the Academy of American Poets, NALAC Arts Fellowship, and several commissions from Miami Light Project and the Miami Art Museum. He has performed with many dancers and actors including Chuck Davis and African American Dance Ensemble, Heidi Duckler and Collage Dance, and Keith Antar Mason and the Hittite Empire. He has toured extensively through the U.S. and abroad. 

Castro has taught at University of Miami, Miami Dade College, and FIU as visiting professor, and/or guest lecturer. The New York Times Book Review selected Wise Fish as an editor's choice saying, "Sinuous, syncopated verses about the Caribbean melting pot." And "…even a cursory glance suggests his poems—which seem to be trying to dance off the page…would truly come alive on the stage. "Wise Fish" is a serious and seriously enjoyable contribution to our flourishing Latino literature." Adrian Castro is also an acupuncturist and herbalist.


July 19, 2013

2013 Marcus Garvey Rootz Extravaganza


The 2013 Marcus Garvey Rootz Extravaganza takes place at the Joseph Carter Park, 1450 West Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, on Saturday, August 17, 2013, starting at 7.00 p.m. Hosted by the Rootz Foundation Inc. in association with the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department, the event is being staged in celebration of the 126th anniversary of the birth of Jamaican and Pan-African Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

The keynote speaker at the Rootz Extravaganza will be the President of the World African Diaspora Union (WADU) Dr. Leonard Jeffries. Dr. Jeffries, the well known New York City African Studies professor and activist, attended the Organization of African Unity – African Union 50th anniversary celebrations in Ethiopia in May this year and is scheduled to give a first hand report on the opening events in Addis Ababa. He will also to outline the ongoing program of events in Africa and internationally associated with the year long celebration of the continent’s largest Pan-African organization.

The special guest of honor and recipient of this year’s Marcus Garvey Lifetime Achievement Community Service Award will be veteran community organizer and activist Willie “Mukasa” Ricks. Ricks is a former member the 1960’s Black Panther Party and was an organizer and Central Committee member in the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party together with his lifelong friend and associate, Trinidadian-born Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael).

Beginning as an organizer with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Willie Ricks was instrumental in breaking down Jim Crow laws throughout the American South. In 1962 Ricks assisted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., organizing demonstrations to end racism in Albany, Georgia and in 1964, Ricks joined forces with Fannie Lou Hamer to organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. The slogan “Black Power” is often associated with Ricks because he was a major force in popularizing the term throughout urban and rural areas of the South. In 1966, Willie Ricks was a major organizer together with Dr. King and Carmichael of the “Black Power March” from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi. This historic 1966 march started out as the “March Against Fear”, but changed to the “Black Power March” after James Meredith was shot.

The Coordinator of the Florida-based Marcus Garvey Exoneration Coalition, Geoffrey Philp, will update patrons to the 2013 Rootz Extravaganza about the petition to the United States Congress urging President Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey. The petition has already amassed over 10-thousand signatures in support and those attending the Garvey birthday anniversary celebration will have an opportunity to add their names to the ongoing drive.

Heading up the “info-tainment” side of the program will be Malachi Smith, who will lead the evening’s Spoken Word tributes the 30th anniversary of the killing of Jamaican Dub Poet Mikey Smith. Smith was stoned death (literally) in his prime by political thugs in Stony Hill, Jamaica in 1983 on August 17th – Marcus Garvey’s anniversary. 

The information filled and variety packed program will also feature a special tribute by talented vocalist Ettosi to Rastafari/Reggae musician Cedric “Im” Brooks. The veteran saxophonist died recently in New York. Entry to the 2013 Marcus Garvey Rootz Extravaganza will be free.

Sponsors for the 2013 Rootz Extravaganza are: Tomlinson’s Dental Care, Goldson Spinal Center, Hall’s Neurological Surgery, Bobby’s Meals, Carl’s Seafood, Nature’s Coolers Juices, Baba Living Earth Foods, Caribbean Today, WDNA 88.9 FM, Mikey-B Radio Show, Whiz Communications, LoveLight Promotions, Island Beat Marketing, Poor Man Studio, Talawah Roots Tonic and the Rootz Magazine.   

2013 Marcus Garvey Rootz Extravaganza - celebrating the 126th anniversary of the birth of Jamaican and Pan-American Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

WHERE
Joseph Carter Park, 1450 West Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale,

WHEN
Saturday, August 17, 2013,

TIME
7.00 p.m. to 12 midnight

HOSTED BY
The Rootz Foundation Inc. in association with the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
President of the World African Diaspora Union (WADU) Dr. Leonard Jeffries.

GUEST OF HONOR:
Baba Willie “Mukasa” Ricks

TRIBUTE - To Dub Poet Mikey Smith:
Malachi Smith (Poet)

TRIBUTE – To Cedric “Im” Brooks:
Ettosi (Vocalist)

ADMISSION:
No Charge


For more information call Rootz Foundation at 954-981-1176 or Joseph Carter Park at 954-828-5411


***

The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Thank you for your support.

July 18, 2013

Happy Nelson Mandela International Day: Exonerate Marcus Garvey!


Today is Nelson Mandela's 95th Birthday. Happy birthday Madiba! In his honor, today has been declared by the United Nations as Nelson Mandela International Day. In recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom, let's take action to help change the world for the better, and in doing so build a global movement for good. 

Lets Make Every Day a Mandela Day by giving 67 minutes of our day to take action and inspire change. 67 minutes represent the 67 years Nelson 
Mandela devoted his life to the service of humanity. 

As the spokesperson for the Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey, I am urging my readers to sign the petitions for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey, a spiritual and intellectual mentor of Nelson Mandela.

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Lets all join forces and change the world, one step at a time. "We can change the world and make it a better place." - Nelson Mandela. 



***

July 17, 2013

Family Literacy Night @ Broward South Regional/ Broward College Library


***

The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey 

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Thank you for your support..

July 16, 2013

The Verdict: Trayvon Martin and the Criminalization of Black and Latino Youth


***

The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Thank you for your support..

After the Verdict (For Trayvon)

My son, please don't go out tonight.
There are monsters out there stalking the earth.
Not the ones in fairy tales I'd read to you since your birth
with heroes who protect and defend what is right,
these monsters won't stop until they're sure of your death.

My son, please don't go out tonight.
I wouldn't be scared if you were white.
For the stories I told you weren't exactly the truth,
They never really answered, "What are Black lives worth?"
My son, please don't go out tonight.



***

The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support.

July 8, 2013

Yardstick Poetry Workshop: Cotham Centre


On Friday, June 27, 2013, I conducted a writing workshop with Jamala Safari at the Cotham Centre in Bristol, England. Using Kwame Dawes's "Tornado Child," we talked about the elements of poetry and later I invited the students to write a poem.

Here are a few poems that Lucy Mitchell, a teacher at Cotham tried with her Year 7 (12 year old) students.


Flo Adey-Meadows
I am a waterfall child
I see the future and race to the end
Others look and may pretend.
No matter what they do and feel
I will carry on and somehow heal.
I am a waterfall child.
I may have crashed into the world
I turn to bubbles and gently
Become peaceful but effervescent.
I come with great power

Charlie Keith
I am a sun child
As I move plants glow with energy
From the sun
When I finish my mission I will burn into light.
I will feel like nothing.
All I will know is I am done.
But I have a determination to go.
When I arrive people will rejoice
With their inner light.
My mission is over
Magical times are with us
I AM THE SUN CHILD
I am magical.

Isaac Stone
I am a lightning child
When I am commanded by thunder
I dive bomb the ground
I kill trees
I electrocute fish
I flashed into being and shocked the world
I am a lightning child
When people see me they freak and run.
I am the lightning child.
Amazing.

Masoom Islam
I am an earthquake child
When I was born
My parents named me Shawn
I made the midwife’s hair puff
I was called the hurricane child
My behaviour was mild
My rage is a hurricane
I’m going to Haiti.
An earthquake.
When I arrive mountains will crumble
The sky will fall.

Fatima Hussein
I am a sunny child
The wind was calm
When I first touched my Mum’s palm
When I was born the wind made an unusual sound
I am a sunny child.
I opened my eyes
The wind moved in one direction
When I run the wind runs
I am a sunny child
I am invisible
I walk past and you feel the wind on your face
You see a sparkle
The sun glistens on your head
The sun follows you
I play with the sun
I am awesome

Kaydia Oliver
I am a waterfall child
The fish are plopping
The water is crashing
The colours are bright
Sky and water
I am a waterfall child
I am running to the sea
I am cold in the water
When I go to the sea
I am happy

Sophie Wiggins
I am a volcano child
The roar erupted from the mouth of my mother
The burning pain grew
I am a volcano child
I invade the privacy of pale-faced people although they were expecting me
The fire inside me guides me to my belonging
I tumble down the mountain of my childhood to my flat ground
This will remain constant
I am a volcano child.
You will find me one day.

Maurice Byrne
I am a lightning child
When I was born I flashed my power
Meeting anything that was in my way with a
Façade of light.
The animals fled into the night,
Illuminated with my flashes.
I am a lightning child.
Now I move along
Through the clouds from which I was born
Smiting the people who hurt me,
Setting things on fire.
They see my blinding white then plunge into the darkest night.
I am a lightning child
I will always be here
My foes will be in fear
Feel my presence everywhere
Always poised to strike
People will be glad
Feel secure
Always there when in need
I am present.

Bryony Kay
I am a flower child
I am a river child
Rushing through landscapes
Far and wide
Away from the comfort of Spring
Sprouting from a desolate rock.
I am a river child
Brought on by the storms
Defeating the lightning
The storm settles
So does the current
No longer carrying the weight of the world
On my shoulders
I am free to wander the rushes and waterlillies
I am a river child
I twist and turn
Wherever the wind takes me.



After "Tornado Child" by Kwame Dawes.


Thank you, Lucy Mitchell and the Yardstick Festival, for this opportunity to share my craft and Kwame Dawes's poetry with your students.

***