Rebuilding the Black CEO for Black Business

December 2, 2013 admin Leave a comment

By: Samori Swygert

This will be a 3 part series breaking down the new Black CEO. First, when I say CEO I’m not discussing the title of, Chief Executive Officer. When I refer to the Black CEO, the mnemonic stands for the 3 business components (Customer, Employee, Owner). The black community needs an economic revolution, and all business begins with the CEO trifecta.

Various symposiums within the black community are trying to zero in on rebuilding wealth, ownership, employment and business within our neighborhoods. Black America has been made aware of our $1.1 Trillion power base, but like Dr. Claud Anderson said ” this money is disaggregated”. If we are going to rebuild black economics, we must do it right. Today I will deal strictly with the Owner.

The Owner

The first component I would like to address is the Owner. Owners of black businesses should try to employ black labor, foster apprenticeships, training and development. The black unemployment is nearly %14 on a national level and higher on local city and state levels. Owners should eschew all forms of deliberate financial mismanagement, embezzlement, nepotism, cronyism and malfeasance. This behavior diminishes our brand, tarnishes reputations, ruins consumer trust, and earning potential. As a Black Owned Business (BOB) we cannot conduct business as scam artists, hustlers, con men, unconcerned merchants and community leaches.

Not all BOBs conduct business as the aforementioned characteristics, but there are so called BOBs that are parasitic to the black community, and the only thing they have in common with the black community is their complexion.

Owners need to understand the African American market. Don’t seek to price gauge, and over price services and commodities that are outside our purchasing power or affordability. I would encourage owners to establish a relationship with the communities via philanthropy, scholarships, food and clothing drives. These activities create incentives that encourage blacks to spend at your establishment because there is a return on investment.

As BOBs and entrepreneurs we must ensure top quality products and services. We must take pride in the appearance of our establishment and products. The condition of the establishment and product is an indicator of your business practices. All BOBs should provide clean, undamaged, and functional goods, and maintain a clean and organized facility.

All services provided should be punctual, timely, prompt, and expedient. Time is money, and time is something nobody can afford to waste. Consumers should be given high priority and attention on a temporal scale. If store hours are from 9am- 10pm, then stores should be open, cleaned, and all registers manned by 8:50am. If BOBs are providing a service within communities then appointments should be timely, we shouldn’t foster the traditional stereotype of “CP time”. A simple but important mandate is to create transparent, understandable, and unwavering purchase and return policies.

Business and pleasure don’t mix! Countless businesses have failed because of s****l harassment, and/or mixing business functions between spouses and lovers. When the romantic relationships sour and disintegrate, the business will typically be destroyed because both parties try to extract ownership and capital from the business. This results in unemployment for employees, a loss of a service in the community where black consumers must now find a new merchant to patronize, and often times the sale of real estate. This opens the floodgates for other races or vulture corporations to infiltrate and occupy our community.

The current economic condition with in the black community is depressed, and this calls for black businesses to partner and unify. We hear that competition and rivalry is good for business, but at this particular time we need a united front. Black businesses need to coalesce. All black businesses need to see a common community goal and work in a concerted effort to help each other grow and expand the market. Developing these partnerships and interrelationships builds institutions like the famed BLACK WALLSTREET.

A common symbiotic goal between businesses will lift the community. When the community is lifted and strengthened economically, your business will see record breaking gain because you are attracting customers to spend with you. Share resources, ideas, strategies, suppliers, distributors, and networks. Corporate America does it all the time! Haven’t you seen Taco Bell, and KFC under the same roof, same power, and same water filtration source? Haven’t you seen a corporation endorse another group’s interest like Target promoting the Susan G Komen foundation? Haven’t you charged money on a credit card and earned rewards for a flight on an airline, or redeem a discount at a hotel? This is how we need to embrace and promote each other.

Black businesses should be more proactive and assertive about customer feedback. Find out how you are performing in the customer’s eyes. The most important thing to find out is how you can improve your product or service, and how do you compare to bigger named corporate entities. Conduct these on a routine basis.

The major emphasis is politics now. You have to almost be a hybrid of an owner and politician, because so many laws are coming down the political pipeline that can make or break your establishment like the Healthcare reform. New tax reform codes are being levied that the previous owners didn’t have to address. You also must keep up with immigration reform and its’ mandates on human resources during the employment process and all the legalities it entails.

Lastly, technology, technology, technology!. Technology can propel your business forward, or force you into irrelevance and obsolescence. However, it is important to stay abreast of the tech advancement but also balancing it with a mindful approach of maintaining a human workforce.

This is it for the first installment of my opinion of the NEW BLACK CEO (Customer, Employee, Owner). The next article will discuss my opinions on the black employee…..Be blessed. I don’t have all the answers but I love sharing my thoughts. What do you think?

You can also read this at: http://www.kulturekritic.com/2013/11/news/samori-swygert-rebuilding-black-ceo-black-business/

African American Legacy

The importance in salvaging the African American legacy

December 2, 2013 admin Leave a comment

by: Samori Swygert

It’s imperative that we pick up the baton and carry the torch that was carried by our ancestors. Our posterity and future is completely dependent on what we do now. Our elders are dying, and our legacy, heritage, and tradition is dying with them.

Many people ask, “why does a lot of your writing revolve around Afrocentricity?”. First, the answer is because we need the most help right now. Secondly, all other cultures embrace all their cultural heritage without pushback from their own.

Dr. Claud Anderson says, “you can walk down the street of Chinatown, Little Italy, and Little Havana”. We can walk by synagogues and yeshivas. You can see America’s traditional representation by schools like: George Washington University, American University, or go to Manhattan and shop along Avenue of the Americas, or visit the Jefferson Memorial, Columbus Circle, the Washington Monument, see Mount Rushmore, Kennedy Space Center, visit the Lincoln Theatre, open an account with Bank of America, and we still have sections that fly the confederate flag with pride. I applaud these other cultures for the protection and preservation of their legacy, because you are supposed to!

What are we leaving as evidence for African Americans, and what will we do to foster a continuum of African American excellence?

Our communities and institutions are in disarray and disrepair. The important thing to remember is, this can be fixed! Why would any other race help us, if we are not actively trying to improve and ameliorate our situation?

President Barack Obama encouraged us to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, and to stop moaning and groaning. This is why I assert an African American stance in my writings. Let me be clear! I’m not talking about developing racism, and hatred. This is about repairing, rehabilitation, and restoration.

My answer is simple and a reiteration of many that have gone before me. We must continue the focus on education with application, foster innovation, and have cultural loyalty. Our kids must focus on nothing else but learning and application.

The following are my reasons for this stance. We complained about the verdict of the Trayvon Martin case, and how officers are acquitted of offenses in cases like Rodney King, Oscar Grant, and countless other court cases. These illustrate the necessity of more African Americans in law school. This ensures that we have equal representation with our judges, defense and prosecuting attorneys. We also saw the makeup of the Zimmerman jury pool. This is why we need to avoid prison because we need more eligible blacks to preside on the jury of our peers. We’ve also seen how a Pennsylvania judge got busted for taking financial deals to railroad black defendants to jail.

Our children need education to fill positions in banking, real estate, and finance. This ensures that banking institutions are not conducting biased business and housing loan denials to qualified African Americans. This reassures fair hiring is being practiced. We’ve witnessed Bank of America being fined $ 2 million dollars for discriminatory hiring practices that resulted in the denial of over 1000 qualified African American job applicants.

We need our children to enter the political arena. The more mayors, governors, senators, representatives, supreme court justices, and etc, potentially increases the representation of our concerns and presence in the American political system. We need blacks that can filibuster the same way Ran Paul can for hours on end. We need influential black lobbyist and watchdog groups that can keep the community abreast of political issues of grave concern. This is best illustrated by laws like Stop and Frisk, cumbersome Voter ID laws, striking down sections of the Voting Rights act, the rolling back of Affirmative Action, and even the accessibility of funds for HBCUs. Yes, we need more African American politicians!

Our children need to continue seeking degrees in education. School after school is being closed all across America. The emergence of charter schools are ubiquitous. This implies that we need more African Americans as teachers, principals, chancellors, superintendents, and school board personnel. Dr. Juwanza Kunjufu has pointed out in several studies that more effective learning occurs when the student and teacher share the same ethnicity.

There are teachers of various ethnicities that are excellent, because I’ve had some in my educational experience. However, I feel that a more genuine interest is innately exhibited when a teacher can see themselves in the students they instruct.

A good movie to watch and serve as an illustration is the Dead Poets Society. You can see the passion Robin Williams’ character exudes in the education of his students. You can also see that there was no black child in that movie either! Moreover, you can see how positively this type of educational setting was received, because it won as Best Film and Best Screenplay in the USA and the UK. This illustrates how white America viewed culturally devoted educational instruction as positive. African American teachers may be more understanding of particular behaviors, whereas teachers of other ethnicities may attribute a child behavior to mental disorders and recommend a psych evaluation for your child.

We need more African Americans in the healthcare field. How would you fill knowing that your doctor is examining you with biased eyes? Of course not all physicians are bigots, but you would be a liar and fool to say there are none, when there are still open KKK rallies, Neo Nazis, and Skinheads. There is a bit more comfort in knowing that ideally your physician, nurse, pharmacist, and other healthcare practitioner is providing the best care possible uninfluenced by skin color. We also need more African Americans in the science and research fields, to produce more data and research on how new drugs and procedures work on our genotype and physiology. I won’t go into how the Tuskegee experiment was conjured.

Lastly, we need to control our entertainment. Once we gain control of entertainment, we will be navigating to a brighter future. This guarantees proper and positive representation in the media. Our commercials will have equal representation and advertising of our own businesses. The business owners decide upon the number and type of actors in their commercials and movies. We can control our image and depiction as movie characters, and control the content of our music. This creates positive imagery for our children to emulate and seek higher heights.

If America is so upset, tired, and concerned about the poor, uneducated, welfare, thug-like, baby momma blacks, then this is all the more reason to support salvaging a positive African American Legacy. This is all the reason bigots shouldn’t sabotage our decision to improve ourselves unless they want to see us fail. The more positively independent we become, the less we are the perceived burden. I feel it is timely and appropriate that we do for self and salvage our legacy via these means. What do you think?

You can also read this at: http://www.kulturekritic.com/2013/11/news/samori-swygert-importance-salvaging-african-american-legacy/

Reference

1. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/09/23/bank-of-america-racial-discrimination/2857835/

2. http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/12/pennsylvania.judge.sentenced/

3. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ku-klux-klan-rally-national-military-park-cancelled-due-government-shutdown-article-1.1474046

4. http://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Samori Swygert: Letter to my younger black brother

December 2, 2013 admin Leave a comment

My Young Black Brother,

I hope all is well with you. I’m writing you in genuine concern and interest for your well being. You possess tremendous amounts of untapped potential and greatness that you have yet to discover about yourself. I’ve been in many of the same situations you’re going through now, and you are probably going through some I haven’t.

Everything I’m saying to you in this letter is out of love, because some of you never knew your father, or was abandoned by your father. I lost my father at the age of 6, and I understand the adversities in the search for manhood. Your big brother is just taking time out of his schedule to pause and holla at ya. I’m going to tell you some things that no rapper is going to tell you even after 6 full length albums and 100 interviews.

First, do everything you can to save as much money as possible. There will come a time a few years from now when you want or need to purchase, invest, or start your own business. Some point in time you are going to want to marry the woman you dreamt of and start a family with her, and that requires savings. Don’t waste your money on clothes, jewelry, drugs, alcohol and other nonsense. I did that in my teenage to college years and I don’t wear any of those clothes or jewelry now, and I no longer enjoy the effects of liquor and weed we drank and smoked. To be even more honest I lost 2 of my best friends in a drunk driven accident. I know if I was to calculate every dollar spent on fashion trends from highschool to graduate school, I would have tens of thousands of dollars. I’m doing pretty good financially now, but I would have been better if I had listened to my mom telling me to save my money, but I tried to keep up with the trends.

Second, respect your body man. You get one body, there isn’t a remix on life (that’s an AZ quote). Years of alcohol abuse, weed, ecstasy, and all other kind of drugs will take their toll on you. I’ve seen so many friends from college that look older than they are. You also want to be healthy enough to enjoy your family and be healthy enough to be an active parent in your child’s life. You also don’t want to be a financial burden on your family by being chronically ill. Make sure you refrain from unprotected sex. You don’t want to cut your life short by getting a disease that is incurable and physically destructive. Many women won’t tell you they’re infected, and some don’t even know they are infected and will infect you. Buy and use your own condoms, don’t let a female give you a condom. It is good that she is making the right and kind gesture, but you don’t know if the condom is tampered with. If you choose to engage in sex, a real man will get tested and get his girl tested for STDs. Get tested with any female you get serious with, and if she refuses, leave her.

You won’t get along with every girl you date. Some relationships will be all mental, some women will teach you things and change you forever, some will just be pure physical attraction, and you will also have spiritual connections. However, never ever, ever, ever, ever, put your hands on a woman. When you find yourself mad enough to get physical, just leave the relationship alone and quit it. You never want to be in that position. Never stay in a relationship with a woman that will push you to the point of physical force. You will end up in jail and ruin your record, ruin your gentleman reputation, deal with repercussions from the men on her side, and that’s just not love. There is a difference between a disagreement and physical aggression.

Also, if you meet a woman you really love and she loves and respects you, don’t hesitate to say ” I love you”, and express how you feel. A coward holds his feelings and is scared to act on them.

Be careful in these streets man. Society has a perception of young black men and many are looking for any reason to kill you or incarcerate you. Be conscious of your appearance, I know you’re not a thug, but if you fit the look that society sees, they will act on that perception. Les Brown said “how you dress determines how you’re addressed”. Carry yourself respectfully, talk with meaning and purpose. Don’t worry about people saying you are talking proper. One of the coldest and realest men I admire, Malcolm X, commanded the American vocabulary and could out debate anybody.

Having a child is no joke at all. As a young man, I know there are adventures, dreams, and just plain young fun you want to have. When you have a child, that will force you into adulthood, and all those adventures and fun will be put on delay. Babies are expensive man, you have to provide food, housing, daycare, education, and health insurance until that baby is your age and older. I don’t even want to mention the amount money you will spend in child support if things don’t workout between you and the mother of your child. You should not have to experience this at a young age, enjoy your youth. Always think with logic first and not emotions. Remember that all emotions are temporary, but some results are permanent so always think about your decisions. Always,…….. planning is key.

Think about your future and take responsibility for it early. Increase your reading and knowledge about any and everything. School doesn’t stop when 3:30 bell rings. Try reading a book a month, if you read 10 pages a day, that is a 300-310 page book. In 4 years you would have read 48 books that can turn you into a king. At my age I learned that knowledge is everything. The famous quote, “the strong rule the weak, but the wise rule the strong”, is true. Learn new languages and make friends of various ethnicities. Your country is becoming extremely diverse and you need to know more than english, believe your brother, I’m just keepin it 100.

Avoid gangs and violence bro. I know it’s hard because sometime the gang culture is overwhelming but try to stay neutral. You’ll get involved in all types of dangerous, life changing experiences you would never have wanted for yourself. Respect all men that respect you, and protect your elders.

Don’t believe one thing these rappers say. Rappers will have you screaming thug life and gang affiliations but they will not be there to take your bullet, or pay your bail, or keep your prison canteen commissary filled, fight your battles in jail cells and prison showers. Your favorite rapper won’t pay your debt after you try to buy everything you see in their video. Your favorite rapper wont take your STD pills if you catch one trying to imitate s****l acts talked about in their rhymes, or pay your child support. What rapper could have saved Biggie, and Tupac? None of these so called rappers could have saved them, all they could do is throw their name around, and write a song about them.

I used to hate to be told what to do. When I got older that made me say ” take care of your business or your business will take care of you”. The things that you should do, but don’t feel like doing, will having you doing things you never wanted to do for a long time. Make sure you get involved politically when you’re old enough to vote, because you want to have a say in the decisions about how you live your life.

Okay little bro, I’m about to bounce, but I just wanted to holla at you for a second. Be good. I’ll send you another one in a few months to come.

Peace,

Ya Big Bro Samori

You can also read this at: http://www.kulturekritic.com/2013/11/news/samori-swygert-letter-younger-black-brother/

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Michael Vick: “Vicktimized” by America’s double standard?

December 2, 2013 admin Leave a comment

Michael Vick: “Vicktimized” by America’s double standard?

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

Thanksgiving morning I was watching the History Channel while breakfast was being prepared for the family. The channel was airing a marathon of a TV show called Swamp People. I typically view the History Channel for history, but the History Channel has lost its’ taste, and that’s a whole different story. However, the show basically focuses on these different families that navigate up and down bayous, canals, and river banks hunting Alligators and wild hogs with pistols and rifles.

This was reminiscently disturbing to me. I thought about what happened to Michael Vick. Immediately my mind went through the mental analysis of compare and contrast between Michael Vick and Swamp People.

Michael Vick was arrested for dog fighting that resulted in animals being harmed and sometimes shot and killed if severely hurt during a battle. The winning dog was not shot of course. The winning team did earn prize money for owning the victorious canine. Michael Vick was branded and vilified once the word spread throughout the entertainment, sports, and media industry. Ultimately, Michael Vick served time in jail. Since his release, he’s conducted animal rights campaigns across the country to redeem his image, vindicate his name, and to express genuine remorse.

Paradoxically, country families and hunting groups get to parade and gallivant up and down waterways brandishing firearms, and shooting DEFENSELESS alligators in the mouth at point blank range, while yahooing sounds of jubilee on the History Channel!

Michael Vick did jail time, BUT these individuals are rewarded with a nationally syndicated TV show? Some individuals may say, “They’re killing for food delicacy to sell, and Michael Vick did it for entertainment and profit at the loss of an animal’s life”. Okay I hear that, now hear me.

This is where their logical argument breaks down. Alligators and dogs are both animals. Both of these animals were shot and killed. Yes, the alligator may be sold for food, BUT, once you create a TV show where individuals get paid with a TV contract, you’ve just entered the entertainment industry. This may be hunting for the hunters, but it’s considered PAID ENTERTAINMENT TO THE TV VIEWERS, and is obviously a thrill kill to the hunters that scream with victory (just watch and see what I mean). What was initially hunting for food has now morphed into paid exploitation of the murder of innocent animals. If these hunters never caught one animal, would they have a TV show???? The answer is NO!! They are obviously paid for the amount of animals they slaughter for TV ratings.

Let’s go deeper. The History Channel is a cable show, thus viewers have to pay for a cable subscription to order the history channel to view this show. Every person that watches this show does not eat or hunt alligator, but just watch it for entertainment. So how do does this differ from what Michael Vick did?

Vick got paid to engage in an activity that was hazardous to animals and he made money. The individuals in this show are engaging in activity that is hazardous to animals and are profiteering money, receiving endorsements, and royalties from the show airing the shooting of hogs and alligators.

The true ethical decision should be to not air this on TV. These swamp hunters should just make money from selling the food they caught in the markets they serve without a paid televised forum of entertainment. However, this is a quadruple pay day exploitation of animal life because, 1) THEY MAKE MONEY AT THE POINT OF SALE IN THE MARKETPLACE FOR CONSUMPTION OF THEIR MEAT 2) THEY MAKE MONEY FROM THE TV SHOW CONTRACTS 3) THEY MAKE MONEY FROM SELLING SWAMP PEOPLE TV SHOW APPAREL, CLOTHING, AND GEAR 4) THE POTENTIAL FOR THE SELL OF ALLIGATOR HIDE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY EXISTS. I SPECIFICALLY HEARD ONE OF THE HUNTERS SAY, “I DON’T WANT TO USE MY SHOTGUN BECAUSE IT WILL RUIN THE HIDE”. People don’t eat alligator hide, but they do use alligator hide for belts, purses, and shoes! Why was he so worried about not damaging the hide, unless they are selling it for uses other than the food industry?

They also give subliminal endorsements to the gun industry, because they will brag about the MAKE AND MODEL OF THE TYPE OF RIFLE OR PISTOL they are using to kill the animals with. You can have your own opinions about this, but you can’t have your own facts! These are facts!

The inconsistency and duplicitous application of justice is what bothers me. PETA, animal rights advocates, and other animal cruelty groups should be coming down on this type of entertainment in the same manner of vigilance they exacted on Mike Vick!

Maybe, it’s easier to focus attention on one or two individuals rather than a multimillion dollar network. However, “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere right”? Maybe lady justice is blind, because she doesn’t see the hypocritical application of law between these two scenarios!

Why is America now mute and mum, not even a mouse murmuring or mumbling about this? I don’t endorse animal cruelty, but I’ve elucidated the clear double standards. The take home point is that the killing of animal life for entertainment and financial gain is wrong, no matter if this is at your home or on a Television show. Who gets to dictate if a dog has more life value than an alligator, or any animal at that?

What are your thoughts?

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Author says black people are like chickens being fed into the prison industrial complex

November 19, 2013 admin Leave a comment

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

Chicken has long been an international staple in the dietary menus of many humans for centuries. Chicken provides a high source of protein in its daily nutritional value. In America, blacks have somehow been pegged with the stigma of chicken and watermelon eating folks (but we know that’s nonsense). However, if prepared correctly, this avian delicacy can play a part in a savory meal for all ethnicities in America, and yes whites are included!

However, the culinary processing of poultry is not what this article is about! There is a deeper tie in to this correlation between blacks and chicken. First, before taking offense, I challenge you to look deeper and have an honest introspective review of us as blacks in contemporary times, and the plots on our lives. The question I challenge you with is this, “Are you a chicken or an Eagle”?

Scan your local city terrain, and you will see pigeons, in parks you may see or hear the presence of owls and other birds that fly around. However, you will not see a chicken flying around the streets of L.A., Harlem, D.C., Miami, Chicago and etc. Chickens like Owls, Ravens, Eagles, Hawks, Doves, and Pigeons, have wings to fly, but you don’t see them flying. You can even go camping in your nearest forest or State Park, and you will not see a chicken flying around. Why is that?

Chickens have been mentally conditioned that they can’t fly, and/or don’t have the ability to engage in prolonged flight, or are fattened to the point that their wings can’t support their weight. Subsequently, they spend the majority of their life walking the grounds subjected to the will of their farmer. THEY HAVE BEEN DOMESTICATED! The farmer controls the farm and has constructed a chicken coop to warehouse his commodity, the chicken.

The chicken is unassuming and unassertive and relies on the farmer to provide chicken feed for its food supply. The farmer does not feed the chicken because he is nutritionally philanthropic. The farmer has goals and financial objectives for each stage of life of each chicken in his coop. The savvy farmer routinely feeds the chicken to fatten and plump it, to the maximum desirability for the consumption of his customers and profitability of his business. When the chicken is at maximum potential, it produces the highest quality and quantity of eggs and meat.

The unassuming chicken allows its offspring to be taken, processed, and sold to the market. The other plumped chickens are sold for the slaughter of wings, breast and thighs. Lastly, a select few are choicely preserved for the continuum of breeding and preservation of his business. By preserving some live chickens, he will always have production. When he slaughters or sells eggs, he will create two markets of commerce. This is quota control and inventory management. The chickens and eggs grow under a well regulated and controlled environment specifically for the financial aggrandizement of their master.

Furthermore, the female chicken is referred to as the Hen and the male chicken is the Rooster. The Rooster is known throughout the farming community for being a polygamous fowl and will have many Hens nesting at one time. The Rooster is also referred to as the, “c**k”. The farmer also will sell Roosters or breed Roosters for entertainment purposes of, “Cockfights”! This is where other Roosters fight each other and the winning owner gets paid.

Because chickens are unassuming of their ability, potential, and independence they are captured, caged and domesticated, and subsequently their whole lineage is subjected to domestication. In human terms, domestication equals incarceration and control.

Who are the customers of this farmer? The customers are now the private prison corporations, the military, careless educational systems, and other correctional facilities.

What does this American farmer feed his chickens to plump them for maximum desirability? The chicken feed is Crack-cocaine, alcohol and other designer drugs that keep us unassuming, noncompetitive, complacent, docile, and in violation of the law (fattened and prepared for prison).

Who are the Hens that watch over and control the coop? The Hens are preselected black leaders and entertainers that urge us to remain in the coop, or men that exert physical control of homes and communities, but provide no quality influence over family and community structure or future progress. We are engaged in “cockfights” as military soldiers for big government desires for global control, and domestic benefit of slave labor in prison when we kill each other.

I believe we are eagles, capable of our own freedom of flight, and keen perception of independence to feed and provide for ourselves and families. Eagles build their own nest, determine their future, and will fight to the death for their offspring. I favor the story of Rev. CL Franklin about The Eagle Stirs Her Nest. I encourage us all to be eagles and teach the power of flight to our fellow friends, and family to get off this farm. Peace!

African American Legacy

The irony behind Nelson Mandela’s hospitalization

November 19, 2013 admin Leave a comment

The Irony behind Nelson Mandela’s hospitalization

by: Dr. Samori Swygert

Nelson Mandela earned his international notoriety by boldly confronting and condemning the racist system of apartheid in South Africa. He is revered by many as a beacon of courage, fortitude, and resilience. During the mid 1940’s to the early 1990’s, the National Party, a political party comprised of Afrikaners that maintained a racist and segregationist socio-political philosophy commanded the South African government. The ideologies and philosophies were endowed to white supremacy that extended from prior Dutch colonial rule of the South African region.

Nelson Mandela was a persistent agitator that sought to dismantle this oppressive regime. He was eventually jailed as a political prisoner for his activities. Nelson Mandela earned a two-year diploma in law which enabled him to utilize his training in his pursuit to disrupt the oppressive system of apartheid. He also established the first black law firm in South Africa with an associate called Mandela and Tamblo. He was arrested several times for conducting, and participating in what would be termed “sedition”. In the system of apartheid, resources were reallocated and redistributed to enrich the privileged, and deprive the underprivileged. The racism permeated all institutions (financial, educational, political, labor, law and etc). The heads of South African apartheid regimes conducted acts of removal, where approximately 60,000 black people were forcibly moved from Johannesburg to Soweto. Black African communities were bulldozed and rebuilt to construct white communities. Laws and policies were preferentially skewed in favor of the National Party such as the Public Safety Act of 1953, where mass arrests were enforced upon nonviolent, civil disobedient protestors of apartheid. Ultimately, Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962 and started a 27 year prison term. When released he became the first Black South African president in history. Mandela’s story is extremely compelling and complex, but there is an ironic twist to this.

In recent years Mandela has been hospitalized, discharged and readmitted for numerous physiological ailments associated to general aging, and secondary ailments associated with the harsh environmental conditions of his prison facilities. He’s battled prostate complications, pneumonia, and other pulmonary illnesses. This week he has been readmitted to Pretoria Hospital in South Africa, and listed in a “serious but stable” condition. What is significant and ironic about this prominent leader staying at Pretoria Hospital?

Historically speaking, the majority of South Africa was once inhabited and controlled by the famous Zulu Tribe. During the 1800’s, a group of Dutch emigrants called the Voortrekkers from the Cape Colony traveled into the South African region controlled by the Zulus. The Voortrekkers tried to arrange a geographical settlement between themselves and the Zulus. The supposed agreement deteriorated and resulted in the Zulus killing approximately half of the Voortrekkers. The remaining Voortrekkers that were focused on conquest engaged in a retaliatory strategy against the highly skilled Zulu warriors. The emigrant Dutch resurfaced with superior weaponry, guns! They literally circled their wagons and had a 2-3 man reloading system, and when the Zulus approached with spears and other subpar weapons, approximately 15,000 Zulus were slaughtered and only 3 Voortrekkers were injured. This was known as, The Battle of Blood River. Subsequently, the descendents of the Voortrekker lineage have maintained power and control over South Africa ever since. The National Party had genealogical and philosophical heritage directly linked to the Voortrekkers. The leader of the Voortrekker assault on the Zulus at The Battle of Blood River was named, Andries Pretorius. There is a whole region of South Africa named Pretoria after the Voortrekker general, and so is the hospital that Nelson Mandela is currently staying. The same bloodline that usurped and commandeered the South African region from the Zulus started the system of apartheid. This is the very same system Mandela fought against, and now at the tender age of 94 his health is in the hands of healthcare practitioners in the hospital named after the patriarchal leader of this oppressive regime. If you would like more info on this topic, I encourage readers to buy the book or watch the documentary entitled: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. He clearly explains the timeline of events and historical perspectives.

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Genesis 3:9 –ADAM WHERE ART THOU? ( A Father’s Day question)

November 18, 2013 admin Leave a comment

By Dr. Samori Swygert

As Father’s Day approaches, I pondered about this question God asked Adam in the Garden of Eden. I feel this is an apropos question during these times. We’ve grown accustomed to news reports and police briefings about children that have been kidnapped and/or abducted. Local and statewide authorities will typically issue an Amber Alert to the public to make citizens aware of the abduction. What happens when the parents blatantly disregard their offspring and abandon their children?

Many parents have surrendered, forfeited, neglected, and purposefully defaulted on their call to duty of parenting. There is an alarming trend of parents in both genders that have chosen the AWOL and MIA pill. However, the child is left to swallow and experience the side effects of their parents’ choice. The irony of this scenario is this, as humans we struggle to prove independence, maturity, and adulthood. We walk around the city, workplace, neighborhood, and demand respect from strangers, colleagues, friends and family, but yet some of us aren’t performing the duties worthy of the title of man, woman, father, and mother.

The terminology of man and woman is often distinguished from boy and girl by age, physical maturation, and more importantly, ownership of responsibilities. Have we morphed into a society that condones adult s*x, but reneges and relinquishes responsibility, when it comes to caring for the life created from our own tissue that didn’t volunteer to be here?

There are understandable explanations at times, but there are also unacceptable excuses. Some parents may be subjected to violent spousal abuse, and this can be both physical and psychological. I wouldn’t encourage anybody to remain in a violent and volatile environment where their psychological hygiene and physical being are at risk of destruction.

However, there are derelictions of duty on the premises of selfishness, laziness, fear, incompatibility, anger, finance, new romantic interests, and a myriad of other excuses. Excuses are easily exposed by a simple question from the child to the parent in question. Why did you leave me? If the answer revolves around the prior list, then you probably made an excuse for a dereliction of duty. It is understandable, and real that some people are just not meant to be together, however it is not a get out of parenting free card.

When parents agree to terminate the relationship, they should fortify the plans for consistent involvement in the child’s life. Many children are left to the streets and unpredictable acquaintances of their surrogate guardians. Many kids today grow up in an environment where the mother is the TV, the father is the computer, the sister is the cell phone, the brother is the radio, and the grandparents are the streets.

These precarious familial structures often result in social tragedy and mental instability for many youth today. There is often no concrete accountability to the child, and at any given moment the streets and the new interim guardian can turn their back on the child, and leave the child feeling betrayed and broken hearted. This domestic dynamic is occurring in several homes in many communities across America.

However, on a more positive note, this domestic quagmire can be fixed and repaired. When these situations arise, the child must become top priority. Children are our seeds, and seeds need watering to grow. Both parents must put aside any and all excuses, accept reality and hydrate the child with the love it deserves. A flower will not grow by one glass of water once a week in the face of sunshine.

The sun will eventually dehydrate the flower, and too much water without sunshine will drown the flower. A proper balance of sunlight and water must be applied for proper cultivation.

This metaphor exemplifies the mandatory balance of both parent’s influence in the child’s life. Parents should exhaust every effort to provide the child with the love of a parent or stepparent without confusing it with the desires, expectations, animosity and resentment of a love once enjoyed, but currently defunct. A good relationship with your child’s mother is not a prerequisite to caring for your child, and caring for your child should not be contingent upon the mother being with you.

There are many good, strong black men that are actively fathering in a two parent household. There also men that are separated from the mother of their child, but still handle their fatherly responsibilities with diligence. Kudos and accolades should be granted to these men during this upcoming holiday. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO THE MEN THAT ARE FATHERS! However, to the transient male that has produced a child, Genesis 3:9 has a question for you to answer. Adam where art thou?

Science & Technology

Rise of the new police state: Predictive Policing in effect!

November 18, 2013 admin Leave a comment

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

We are at the dawn of a new era in law enforcement. There is an expansive and proliferating trend that grants unprecedented authorities and capabilities to our police. This year we’ve witnessed the supreme court ruling, that authorizes cops to take and warehouse the DNA of individuals that have been arrested (more so for “serious crimes”) in a database.

We’ve seen the re-implementation of STOP and FRISK policing on the public. We’ve seen the New York State Senate pass a bill that Okays the arrest of a citizen that annoys, and even harasses a cop, with a punishment of up to 4 years in jail and a felony conviction on their criminal record.

I posted an article that discussed how a new gunshot recognition system records the video, photo, biometric facial scan, and audio of individuals once a shot is fired in the city. We’ve seen the use of license plate scanners mounted on police patrol cars to identify the status of the car, and identify the respected driver.

Police departments across the country have now added a new tool in their crime fighting efforts. This is called PREDICTIVE POLICING, and the company developing the program is known as PredPol. This system is currently in use in California, Washington, South Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, Illinois, and even the United Kingdom.

The system is data driven, and uses the information from prior crimes, and current crimes. The company has specific modeling algorithms that compiles: date, time, type of crime, geographic location and other data parameters. Statistical analysis allows the system to generate the probability of a certain type of crime in a specific location and time. These locations and time stamps are referred to as HOTSPOTS. The hotspots are then marked on maps of the city for police to patrol and do reconnaissance work if they are not involved in an active pursuit.

Many police departments like the system because it grants a virtual or real time circumstance where they can exercise proactive interventions of criminal activity. The software is accessible on their cellphones and laptops. Pete Cribbin, Assistant Chief of Tacoma, Washington Police Department, was quoted as saying “we have had several successes of catching the offender ‘red-handed’ and making arrests.” The police departments like the PredPol system also because it conserves monetary resources. They’ve not had to hire more officers and waste time on general patrols, because they have hotspots and projected potential crime scenes based on data analytics.

My Thoughts

This seems a bit like the movie Minority Report to me, where you are almost anticipating and forecasting behavior. I understand data driven software models, but this seems a bit much! The articles I read said that the developer did not design this to profile individuals. However, I have numerous questions. Who inputs the data? How do you remove or compensate for bias or prejudice of the data user? Won’t you eventually develop a profile if you implement this in Hotspot? For instance, if you set this up in a highly populated African American community that is plagued with unemployment, drugs, and crime, won’t you eventually say that police should look for a black male, on this date and time,. And find someone that fits the description a computer generated? They just have to add race to their parameter (I’m sure they have, but just haven’t disclosed it in the articles I’ve read), and you will have a racially based system of patrol. This can turn unwitting innocent citizens into potential suspects by just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This really makes me believe that this is tied to a guaranteed 90% occupancy of private prisons. The police departments and states can furnish this data, and crime statistics to bolster their support for the construction of more private prisons. When you can predict, forecast, anticipate, and project crimes that have yet to crystallize, you are walking on thin ice. The system can generate the hotspot, but when the officer arrives and encounters a potential suspect, the imperfect human factor gets introduced into the equation, and that’s the wild card! Thus, we must also factor in several components such as: police and community relations, race relations, financial incentives, influence of elicit and illegal drugs or alcohol in the patrolmen, dirty cops, quotas, and the psychological state/condition of the officer on duty. We can find ourselves in a situation where officers are trying to make arrests to fit the data generated by the system, or “make the ends justify the means”! This can result in thousands of Trayvon Martins, Sean Bells, and Amadou Diallos (innocent men targeted).

There are also things that the system can’t account for such as: people’s morals, values, ethics, religious principles, moments of clarity, character, and standards that may abort an individual’s involvement in a crime.

So in closing, we have STOP and FRISK, DNA extraction, Felony for harassment, Real Time gunshot audio, video, photo, and facial scan technology, license plate scanners, the NDAA, and now predictive policing under our law enforcement umbrella. This seems like the rise of the new state of the art American Police State to me. The strategies above seem to provide safety benefits, but they also have a duality of potential perversion and abuse of authority that was unaccounted for and not calculated into the system. We should definitely keep an eye on this, and query our local police departments and city council if they plan on implementing this. Okay be blessed!!! Next article………..TATTOO DATABASES

REFERENCES

Science & Technology

Dr. Samori Swygert: Will you be jobless in 2 years?

November 18, 2013 admin Leave a comment

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

We are being replaced by technology. The creations and innovations that bring us tremendous convenience and speed are reducing human utility into obsolescence. Automation, digitization, robotics, and software engineering are replacing humans at lightening speed.

The news outlets routinely report and forecast the unemployment rate. We are also familiarized with the influx of immigrants, and competition with foreigners in this global economy. However, we must address our silent competitor, TECHNOLOGY!

First, it’s important to understand that owners and employers don’t create jobs as a moral obligation to society. Owners and CEOs only hire because an employee is an essential liability to produce their products or operate the services they provide. Owners would be exuberantly thrilled if they could keep the money spent on payroll as revenue and profit! I’m going to share the impetus and reasons why employers are addicted to this downsizing and phasing out of human capital.

Why use technology over humans?

Robots, machines, software, and automation don’t require scheduled lunch breaks. Employers don’t have to worry about holiday schedules or holiday pay. Job productivity is easily predictable, uniformed, measured, consistent, and non-emotional. Theft and employee shrinkage is a nonissue with an inanimate object. Computers can get viruses, but employers don’t have to worry about pregnancy and maternity leave. Attendance is a nonissue because all equipment is onsite 24/7, and this eliminates call-ins, and tardiness.

Moreover, employers are not responsible for provision of health insurance, supplemental life insurance for the employee, and their family. Robots, software and the like, don’t get injured, and thus this relinquishes any responsibility of the employer in worker’s compensation cases. Employers are not bogged down in battles between labor unions, because the employer’s workforce is not based on human resources.

Furthermore, with the use of technology employers eliminate the issues of whistleblowers, insubordination, workplace violence, and s****l harassment. Technology also reduces the legal risks of the employment process for owners, because it eliminates religious, racial, gender, and age discrimination lawsuits.

Oh, I almost forgot, all the payroll money is converted to revenue, or small time insurance/warranty policies that pale in comparison to the cost of a fulltime employee. Technology is void of emotions and is programmed for precise algorithms and protocols of production. Technology lacks poor habits, and is easily upgradable and updated seamlessly.

Samori show me the proof!

This transition of culture in the work environment is happening as I type. Think of the following cases. Blockbuster video used to hire human employees, and now we rent from a Redbox, Netflix, or download our movies. We used to book vacations using a travel agent, and now we use Travelocity or the plethora of online travel sites. Grocery store cashiers have been replaced with automated express checkout lanes. The surge in ATMs starts reducing the need for bank tellers. Courtroom stenographers can be easily replaced by voice to text software like Dragon. Secretaries are now in the palm of executive’s hands with a smartphone, because they have calendars, schedules, alarms and contacts at the tap of the screen. When we call the businesses that we have an account with, we typically get an automated greeting, and the Rosetta Stone assisted language of choice if you press a specific number.

Allow me to be more current, and in depth with the illustration of my argument, consider these developments. What is the use of the Airforce or pilots if we now have drones? Furthermore, the United Nations is currently petitioning countries to stop making robot soldiers (yes they have robot soldiers).1 Bars, lounges, and restaurants are now ushering in robot bartenders (so long to the cute bartender with the good convo fellas, unless you like Computer Love).2 MIT’s technology review reported how Toyota is currently developing robotic nurses.3 Forbes magazine produced an article in November 2012 that detailed how driverless trucks are being used in mining and other transportation endeavors.4 How will this affect the vast number of human truckers, bus drivers, cabs, limo drivers, and train conductors in America? DARPA is under The Department of Defense (DoD), and has created so many mind blowing robotic innovations that you have to ponder your job security. Will we literally evolve into the “Hunger Games”, where our only use is the shear entertainment of the wealthy in the years to come?

I say develop laser like focus on the needs, wants, and demands of society, become your own boss. Acquire resources now, and create an independent impenetrable network of like minded individuals to facilitate some sort of sustainability in our communities. Develop our own systems of commerce, trade, and production. Corporate greed is not concerned about the implications and ramifications of human substitution.

References

1.http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/31/world/europe/united-nations-armed-robots.html?_r=1&

2.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/monsieur-drink-robot_n_4017095.html

3.http://www.technologyreview.com/view/426090/meet-toyotas-robotic-nurses/

4.http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/11/26/dont-tell-the-teamsters-but-driverless-trucks-are-already-here/

5.http://www.darpa.mil/our_work/tto/programs/darpa_robotics_challenge.aspx

Health and Fitness

Life and death is in the tongue [Part 1]

November 18, 2013 admin Leave a comment

By Dr. Samori Swygert

We are being marked for deαth. Currently, we are engaged in a nutritional, chemical, and environmental war on our bodies. As consumers we are targeted by profit driven competitors in the food industry. This is the battle of WEALTH vs HEALTH! I highly encourage you to read this top to bottom and share with friends and family.

The quality and source of our food supply is being compromised by environmental pollutants that result from oil spills (BP, Exxon), nuclear radiation leaks (Fukushima Reactor), Fracking (hydraulic fracturing), by products of industrial manufacturing, and other environmental manipulation.

Furthermore, our dietary consumption has become inundated with steroids, antibiotics, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms (GMO). The food industry, FDA, and Biotech industry has morphed into an almost clandestine triad with fraternity like partnerships. Each component supports the others at the ignorance of the consumer.

Our babies, children, and ourselves are consuming food that has been adulterated with artificial sweeteners, preservatives, dyes, additives and other ingredients. When you read the ingredients of a food product, it almost sounds like you are reading the back label of a hair care product. We then wonder why we are experiencing and witnessing such high rates of cancer, endocrine disorders, and cardiovascular disease.

Let’s Get Specific

The availability and accessibility to grocery stores with an adequate supply of nutritious and organic produce at affordable prices are sparse to scarce in low income communities. However, a ubiquitous and ever-present covenant of fast-food chains are standard fixtures in middle to low income communities. The usual suspects (KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Popeye’s, Pizza Hut, and etc), can all be found within a 1 mile radius of each other in low income landscapes. The main menu items are processed foods that are loaded with salt, sugar, fat, cholesterol, and cooked in grease. However, their products are strategically formulated, tested, and streamlined to the desirability of our taste buds.

You may be dismissive of this, but I encourage you to think of the cumulative amount of diseases and ailments over time. Individuals in middle to low income communities with fast-food chains in close proximity to their homes have a high incidence rate of strokes, heart attacks, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, high cholesterol, kidney disease, and obesity.

The Veil of Secrecy

It has become fashionable for companies and governmental agencies to say, “we are about transparency now”! Our health institutions encourage us to always, “know your status“, “be informed”, “get tested”, “ask your doctor”, but their actions are paradoxical. The FDA, congress, and food industry has yielded and pandered to biotech firm money.

These firms have lobbied, and encouraged the suppression of labeling GMO based foods. This removes the ability of the consumer to make an independent, well informed decision about their health. The FDA says that GMO foods are safe for consumption, but has yet to furnish any long-term study results to substantiate their position. How can you say these products are safe, and you have no 5, 10, 20 years studies on humans that consumed GMO over an extended period of observation?

Some of the biotech and fast-food companies use food industry sponsored researchers to conduct studies, and this introduces biased results that are skewed in favor of the companies. This type of research also leads to the censoring of negative results.

Members of congress quietly allowed passage of the Monsanto Protection Act into legislation. Why are they conducting policy and operations in such a clandestine, insidious, and surreptitious manner? WHERE IS THE TRANSPARENCY THAT YOU PROMISE? If you will not afford the public the opportunity to make informed dietary choices, and indirectly force these foods on us by not labeling them, then we all need free health insurance for life! We don’t know what the long term effects will be, and we should not have to pay a dime for any ailment linked to these foods in the future.

Real Talk!

To my Muslim and Jewish readers, are you aware that the citrus industry is in the process of making GMO oranges, and they are going to either use the genes from spinach or the pig to modify the orange? Will they be transparent about this on the labeling? The engineers believe that splicing these pig genes into the current genome of oranges will help combat the Citrus Psyllid disease that has ravaged the Florida Orange Groves.

To my seafood lovers, a company named Aqua Bounty is in the process of gaining approval from the FDA to market and sell genetically engineered Salmon. Furthermore, Fracking spill-off in a Kentucky stream has killed off a whole line of fish according to a U.S. Geological Survey and Fish /Wildlife Services.

To my sweet toothr’s and diabetics, high amounts of sugar, corn syrup, and fructose load our sodas, soft drinks, milkshakes, and candy. Are you aware that research has found that the main energy source for the growth of cancerous tumors is glucose? The growth of cancer malignancies may be linked to excessive sugar intake in our diets.

To my water lovers, we must be conscious at all times. We are in a climate when a prescription is generated for anything. There has been a surge in the diagnosis, and prescriptions for ADHD medication in our children. However, are you aware that the consumption of lead, even in small amounts, manifests the exact same symptoms of ADHD. It is quite possible that lead paint, and plumbing that our children drink and bathe in can be causing ADHD symptoms, but our children are just victims of a toxic and polluted environment.

To my chicken and fried rice lovers, Arsenic has been found in vast amounts of rice supplies and the chicken line of our poultry chain. The FDA and other food regulatory agencies choose to take a cavalier dismissive approach about the levels in the food. I would like people to remember that these are chemicals and should not be present. It would only be right to try and downplay the issues to avoid public hysteria, and massive amounts of litigation in court cases. Arsenic is a cancer causing agent.

This will conclude Part 1 of Life and Deαth in the Tongue. I will post part 2 later this week. I will illuminate more environmental and corporate assaults on our health and how others are profiting off our planned misfortune and disinformation. Until then, be safe, and choose to be healthy, God Bless!