CHICAGO -- The mother of Oscar winning actress Jennifer Hudson has been killed, according to reports in Chicago.
By: Tolu Olorunda
“Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.”
- Republican V.P. Nominee, Sarah Palin, in her acceptance speech at the RNC.
“On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What? He worked - I said - I said, OK, OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume. He worked as a community organizer.”
- Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani giving Keynote Address at the RNC.
When the enemy of the state is community organizing, it is sufficient to acknowledge that the world as we know it is, indeed, coming to an end. To arrive at such a conclusion, one would have to deliberately skip over the Public Enemies of the 21st century - corrupt government, predatory mortgage lenders, failing schools, poverty, imperialism, neo-colonialism, drug-trafficking, inequality - and claim that the oppositional forces of good are the Taliban equivalent in the war against “domestic terrorism.” Terrorism, described as “the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes,” is clearly more in sync with the two big-name political parties’ attempt to cage dissent (at their pricy conventions), than the very factors which try to make the world safer for the most vulnerable. The unadulterated buffoonery of the GOP was unmasked last week, as their effort to give community-organizing a bad rep fell flat on its face – just as their lame attempt to be re-branded as the party of “change.”
Ask anyone who knows something about struggle, and they’ll tell you that Community Organizing is the bedrock of any successful movement. Community Organization in the U.S. stretches far back to the 1700s and none other than the founding fathers of this very nation were active community organizers. Through the frustration and agitation expressed by their communities, they commissioned a plan to demand - from the British Overlords - representation in return for taxation. When Sarah Palin and her counterpart, Giuliani, made light of the very practice, they repudiated the configuration of their beloved homeland. The New American Standard translation of the popular biblical passage, Hosea 4:6, notes, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being my priest.” For a party which claims to be soaked in the Christian tradition, it shouldn’t come as a surprise why their moral standing in the country is lower than the Bush administration’s approval rating.
More than the partie’s despicable disregard for civil and human rights, the uncompensated folly of the GOP was unraveled for the world to see. As a famous blogger noted following Palin’s speech, the party which claims to champion civil rights heroes such as Rosa Parks, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, did little research to discover what the primary vocation of those great icons was. “A nice little African proverb for her [Sarah Palin] is that a single bracelet won’t jingle. They [the GOP] sit in their little convention and praise people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. both of whom were those pitiful community organizers that they find so funny and sorry. It is interesting that before putting the speech together they didn’t bother to actually find out what a community organizer does and how they don’t collect money to help people. I guess to McCain and Palin the only time a person deserves their help is if they are getting paid or have a bunch of power behind it that they can abuse.”
Community organizing matters in the most fundamental way, and whether the feeble minds of Gov. Sarah Palin, Rudolph W. Giuliani or the GOP can comprehend this reality or not, neither women nor Italian-Americans would be in high-places of political power, if not for the effervescent work of community-organizers, who have made limited but lasting strides in breaking the back of White-Male supremacy in this society. Perhaps the GOP acronym stands for, “Generated on Pointlessness.” One reason the “Grand Oil Party” trembles at the sheer sight of organized communities, is the reality that with a united front, nothing is perceived as impossible. When the Black Panther Party made an objective out of strengthening the Black and Brown communities, then-Director of the FBI described the Party as “the greatest threat to the internal security of the country.” Ever since, the FBI, in conjunction with the Democratic and Republican Party, has been supremely instrumental in arresting the development of radical initiatives to the two-party system.
Last week, Black Commentator Editorial Board member and Black Panther Party veteran, Larry Pinkney, was awarded two prestigious awards for his irreducible labor in the Bay Area Communities and beyond. Community organizing is a perpetual and potent threat to the propaganda, prevarication, and “politricking” of ruthless politicians. So it came as no surprise that Bush’s Party would utilize the rare moment of public interest, to rally against their Public Enemy no. 1: Community Organizers. The GOP’s vengeance is warranted, with the understanding that it took the unpaid toil of Community organizers to hold the feet of the government to the fire, post-Katrina. Living legends of this cause such as, Malik Rahim, Rosa Clemente, Sess 4-5, Dhoruba Bin Wahad, Mumia Abu Jamal, Kathleen Cleaver, Jamal Joseph, Ernie Paniccioli, Cynthia McKinney, Larry Pinkney and Professor Griff, make the world go round. Without their support, many communities would be subjected to a state of unmitigated shambles.
The idiocy of the Republican Party notwithstanding, more shocking was the response by Illinois Senator and Presidential hopeful, Barack Obama. At a news conference in Pennsylvania, Obama replied to a question from a CBS News reporter, saying, “This is very curious. So this is work I did [20] years ago. They haven't talked about the fact that I was a civil rights lawyer; they haven't talked about the fact that I taught constitutional law; they haven't talked about my work in the state legislature or in the United States Senate. They're talking about the three years of work that I did right out of college as if I'm making the leap from two or three years out of college into the presidency.” I would recommend that Mr. Obama take more time out from his daily activities of campaigning and “stump speeching,” to reflect on the weighty load placed upon Community-organizers worldwide. The experience of a Community-organizer is unparalleled. If Sen. Obama views those “three years” as ordinary and unworthy of critical acclaim, this could be the defining moment in his campaign for “regular votes.” While belittling and downplaying his Community-organizer credential on the one hand, Sen. Obama utilized Palin’s attacks for his political good, by raising $10 million in 24 hrs, following the female governor’s V.P. acceptance speech.
If $10 million dollars was raised in 1 day, as a political reactant to the snarky, insolent and belligerent attacks of Gov. Palin and Rudolph Giuliani, the equivalent for Community-organizers should be the restoration of 10 million homes in 1 year. To paraphrase Mayor Giuliani, Community organizing is a “problem” to the status quo. It’s time for more organizing.
Reposted From Black Commentator
Thanks so much for joining us, GemStones. Can you pls. inform us of your background, past projects and the struggle leading up to 1st and 15th records?
Well, I grew up in Chicago, as a rapper/singer. Originally, I adopted the name, “Gemini,” because Gemini is a sleek personality, so I was double-sided. My negative side was me rapping, and my positive side was me singing. I ran into Lupe (Fiasco) in 2001. I was recording in a studio, and Lupe walked in with the late “Stack Bundles.” At the time, Stack Bundles was also signed to 1st and 15th Records. When he heard my verses, he was so impressed, and before time passed, I was signed to 1st and 15th. I then began putting songs together for a whole year, by grindin’. I was living with a couple of producers, who made beats and offered them to me. After a while, I finally got a record-deal. Then I started recording with Lupe, and then he released his first major album, “Food and Liquor,” and I was featured on almost every song on it. And in 2006, when MTV did the special, “My Block Chicago,” I was featured as the headliner. I also hosted “Sucker Free Sunday.” And then late last year, Lupe released his 2nd album, “The Cool,” and I appeared on about 4 songs. I joined Lupe on “The Cool Tour” where we performed shows in almost every major city in the world. In the middle of the shows, Lupe would stop it for me to showcase my talents, and rock the crowds of sometimes, about 15,000 people. With all that, people began to notice me, and I got a whole page in the Source magazine, and a whole page in XXL magazine. And recently, I just released my major mixtape, “The Testimony of Gemstones.”
What are the lessons you’ve learned - musically and beyond - from working with Lupe Fiasco?
Well, I’m more conscious of what I say now, and what comes out of my mouth. In the beginning, I was just rapping to put rhymes together. I watched Lupe’s music evolve, and as I was around Lupe more, I saw the impact he was having on people, with his new brand. Lupe helped me find my voice; and his influence made it easier for me to find out what my calling was. My lyrics and my rhymes are a lot more potent than they we’re before. I’m still rapping with the same intensity that I was, but I’m just more socially-conscious.
Can you describe the radical makeover that you underwent, with regards to your musical and physical life?
I wasn’t eating good; I was out drinking and smoking, and wasn’t taking care of my body. I was injecting all kinds of toxic into my body -- and destroying it. I was up to 320 pounds, when I had a mild heart attack. I was out with Lupe one night in L.A, when I felt a numbing-pain on my left side, and all I could think of was the fact that I was about to have a heart attack. I thought about how I had survived the hood - with gun-shots and so much more - and how I couldn’t go out from food. After that, I went to the hospital, and got my body back on track. I started eating vegetables, chicken breasts, and drinking water. With regards to my music, I started transitioning from the bogus, negative style of rap I was performing, to what I’m involved with today. But, I didn’t plan for it to happen; everything just fell into place after my weight loss. Before I knew it, I became healthy spiritually, mentally and physically. In the past, I had catered to my fans and whatever they wanted to hear; I had degraded women, and with my mother listening to my music, it grew uncomfortable. With my new self, I wrote songs like “Skeleton” and “Good morning.” I realized that if I wasn’t part of the solution, I was part of the problem, and so I made a 180 degree turnaround.
Why the name-change from Gemini to Gemstones?
Well, I had some legal trouble, where someone already owned the name, so I had to make the fix and change it to Gemstones.
What is your overall perspective on Hip-Hop today - especially in the Chi – which is widely rumored to be the next biggest thing?
I think Hip-Hop will be good. I never thought Hip-Hop was dead, but I also thought it was on life-support. And, with cats like Common, Lupe and myself - keeping it strong when things weren’t going as good - we helped it. It was because of cats like that who didn’t sell out for a dime -- that Hip-Hop never died. And if you notice, things are starting to get better – it’s recovering. In Chicago, we hold the elements of Hip-Hop down. We have always made good music for the soul. I also believe that with my transition, I’ve made a big impact with keeping Hip-Hop alive. Even in the clubs; the music that is being played today, trumps that of 3 yrs. ago. Yet sometimes, I feel that rap has to be responsible for some of the more negative things that happen around us. And, whether we as rappers want to admit it or not, the kids are listening to us. When young girls start to believe that they can’t be lawyers and doctors anymore; that all there is to be is some video vixen, you have to take it seriously. The tongue is mighty, and when we realize that we can speak things into existence, we might become more conscious of our lyrical content. I think that if we could turn the negative to positive, we would become so strong as a people.
What’s your take on Barack Obama, and do you have any criticisms of his campaign?
I say thumbs up to him. It’s good to see a black person in a position like that. We’ve been held back for so long, and for any black person who’s doing something positive, I’m always with it. I wish him the best of luck.
You come from a rich musical background. In fact, you describe it as being vital in your shaping. As an artist and entertainer; how concerned are you that many public schools are slowly but drastically losing their music programs?
I’m very concerned, and I think that we as adults and entertainers need to step up and step in. We need to put our foot down. As soon as we start doing our job, things would start to turn around; but I’m hopeful that we’ll be alright though.
Can you tell us about the Testimony of Gemstones – which is your latest mixtape?
The Testimony of Gemstones is me testifying and apologizing to all my fans, who I might have misled in the past. I might have led people to destruction with some of my past lyrics. I don’t know what to call what I do, but it’s not rapping. I’m telling the truth; it just happens to come over a beat. Rapping seems to be ‘just putting words together because they match.’ The Testimony of Gemstones is all about real life and inspiration. I came from nothing, and I’m testifying to everyone who can relate to me, and the subjects that I touch on in the mixtape, are rarely touched on by most of these rappers. Ever since the release, I’ve been getting ‘5s’ all across the board, and people are going nuts over it. The response so far has been amazing, and it is an orientation before my album, “Troubles of the World” drops -- which is slated to drop later this year. I made the mixtape to prepare the public for Troubles of the World. The album is so raw, that I had to ‘dumb it down’ for them in the form of this mixtape.
Lastly, what advice do you have for aspiring artists and entertainers, hoping to get ahead in the ‘wildfire’ industry of Hip-Hop?
Don’t sell your soul, and don’t ever sell out for a dollar. People chase the dollar and miss the pot of gold at the end of the road. Also, never give up on your dreams – which is the main thing. Kanye West once told me, “to be with greatness, you got to play with the greats.” Lastly, keep God first and stay humble; patience is a virtue, and you can ‘Touch the Sky.’
This interview was conducted by Tolu Olorunda, Staff Writer for YourBlackWorld.com
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