Pen Pals: Letter 1/Realizations

Dear Shannon,



I will start this letter by adding the most obvious statement in letter writing. I hope this letter reaches you in good health. In addition, I hope this letter makes it you without being half way opened and any mysterious blacked out lines from the German governments attempt to censor this letter. As a mater of fact, I should be more concerned about the American Bureau of Censorship doing those things. ABC…Get it? You know like the T.V. station that blinds people from seeing the truth in real world issues by throwing four unattractive, over promiscuous, 40 year old women in the face of America.

Attached to this letter you will also find a copy of “Awaken,” to inspire you. You remember? The only blog you have cried after reading it.

Although it is late in the latter, I want to know how are you doing? Are you feeling homesick like Scoby from White Boy Shuffle? Speaking of which, I would for when you to come back to the states and see me as the fore running leader of a black conscience revolution. That would be a huge dream come true for you and me. I promise you that I have not given up on that dream or my people.

I’m taking a few classes this semester that are increasingly expanding my thinking and solidifying my perspective in black political theory, but I will explain that in another letter.

Here is a question that I was asked in one of my classes that I would love for you to answer: When did you realize that you were black? Was it a happy day? Or do you remember being in pain?

I was searching my mind and I ran across a memory of us just kickin’ it in my car. There may have been sexual activity, but my mid focused on how we used to just chill and be happy. I ain’t getting all sappy and shit, I’m just realizing the real friendship we have. It’s amazing how our friendship has lasted the tear of time. Or is it wear of time?

I don’t know how long this letter is supposed to be but here is my address:

Bryant Brown

[insert address]


Do not answer any of theses questions unless they are in the response of this letter. And be long winded. Remember who you are and what made you.



This Nigga



Bryant Brown

Clip From Black Dynamite

Give Yourself A Black Eye

W.E.B. Dubois writes, “One ever feels his two-ness, an American, a Negroe; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, two warring ideals in one dark body…this longing to attain self conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self.” Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a split between your Black side and you American side and, these two perspectives are constantly and consistently at war with each other’s conflicting view. The question now rises, “Whose eyes are you looking through?” The eyes that you look through, either Black or American, determine how you see your people. I would be willing to bet my tuition that there are some of you reading this column that are looking at your own people through the wrong eyes. In order to appreciate, consider, and change the wrongs of black people, you must look at black people through your black eye.

In the 1960’s there was an intellectual revolution in which students, like us, fought for a new field of education called Black Studies. This effects of this revolution brought classes such as Black in the Arts, Black politics, Black Psychology, and Black Political Theory. The students who fought for these classes realized that classes taught about black phenomenon could not be taught from an American view. In other words, the American eyes see things according to their ideals, concepts, and values. Those ideals being the democratic theory; one man, one vote, those concepts being pluralism; the fight for political power through numbers, and those values being individualism; the basis of the “American Dream.” These ideals, concepts, and values are all included in the American eye but can not adequately express the ways of Blacks in America. There is a point of view that these Black Studies fighters realized. That view point is the black eye and our perspective can not encompass the ideals of the Democratic theory because for most of American history we were not considered man and surely did not have a vote, our perspective can not involve the concepts of pluralism because never in American history have we had the number to fight for political power, and our perspective’s values can not be individualism because we are collective by nature and history. In simpler terms, the founders of Black Studies realized that it was impossible to teach the struggle of Blacks through American eyes. So I reiterate my question, “Whose are you looking through when it comes to looking at your own people?”

Before we conclude this argument, we must discuss what is Black and how there is a separation between Black and American. Black is the connection between an individual and the Black struggle, Black glory, Black demise, and Black history since the first enslaved Africans arrived in America as indentured servants’ in1619. The connection must be genuine for the individual to be considered Black regardless of skin tone and phenotype. Skin tone and phenotype are secondary requirements only seen by the eye. Primarily, Black is our struggle, our glory, our demise, and our history.


Once again, whose eyes are you looking through when it comes to seeing your people? It is easy to accept your American eye because that’s what you have been socialized to do through American education, American government, and American media. But as strong Black men and women, we must do as the Black Studies fighters did and realize that our American eyes can not adequately explain our people. We must make the disconnection between our veils and “attain self conscious manhood.” So the next time you hear that beautifully unique name on the roll before class, use your black eye to see its worth instead of using your American eye to call the persons parents’ ignorant for naming their child that name. The next time you think of beauty, use your black eye to see your beautiful naps instead of using your American eye to define beauty as you pick up that perm box. The next time your American eye tells you that Black struggle is over, racism ceases to exist, and you are equal to every American, ignore your American eye, and give yourself a Black eye.

I Dream of Detroit

I dream of words unwritten;
      In a language where periods need not be dotted
      Where “t’s” need not be crossed-
I dream of dialects unspoken;
      In a voice enunciation need not to be stressed,
      Where infliction is definitions-
Sight through subconscious is unfathomed to the minds eye
Leaving dreams to be safe from
For what can one feel in the absence of a body?
The lack there of? Or the presence of obscurity?
I dream of music unplayed;
      In a sound only heard through script,
Where distance articulates quality-
I dream of things unseen and not to have happened;
      Retention is a curse, and the forgotten is blessed-
But as I rise from once was;
      I’ve lost it all-
I dream of words unsaid;
      Cursed by memory.
      Decided through ignorance.

Excuse Me House Nigga

It is important to realize and comprehend that slavery is over. I, in no way, approve of the tactics nor execution of slavery but as in those times, there are two basic types of blacks; house niggas and field niggas. Since slavery, in the physical sense, has ceased to exist in America, it is also very vital to know the definition of a house nigga or a field nigga is not solely defined or characterized upon skin tone, but rather, more importantly, ways of thinking.

According to W.E.B. Dubois, each and every black person has a dual conscience; black and American. In the American conscience, blacks have concerns, considerations, and pride for being an American. In the black conscience, blacks have concerns, considerations, and pride for being black/ descendent from enslaved Africans. Basically, your conscience mind fights over which conscience to follow; culture vs. the establishment. For the sake of the length of this argument, the establishment will be considered your American conscience and your black conscience will be black culture.

A house nigga, in these times, is an individual of the black Diaspora who values the establishment over black culture. For example, a house nigga carries an umbrella on a sunny day to prevent themselves from getting darker because American society says the lighter you are, the more socially acceptable you will be. A house nigga is so caught up in chasing equality that they overlook their own people’s potential supremacy. A house nigga determines beauty from the standards of American society instead of finding beauty in their own culture. A house nigga is offended by the word nigga because they truly believe and live by the standards and definitions of American society. A house nigga has forgotten the 4 girls in Birmingham, a house nigga neglected the events in Jena, a house nigga doesn’t care about Derrion Alberts.

I write this not to change you of your ways. I write this to offend you. If you are offended consider yourself a house nigga. Instead of anger, find the closest field nigga and ask them what you must do to be saved.

As a field nigga, I inherently love all blacks and could care less about the establishment, but the fact that I walk the halls, sit in classes, live, and eat next to stubborn house niggas is going to kill me faster than the U.S. governments many attempts. Ladies and Gentlemen, I go to school with house niggas. If you don’t believe me, check out the bleaching crème in the bookstore.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Expect More to Be More

Sacrifice

How much are you willing to sacrifice for your convictions? Friendship?....Money?... Love?,,,, Social acceptance?....Life?.... When entering into new spectrums and facets of life, one must ask themselves the aforementioned question. If not, one will never truly experience what the new facet and spectrum of life has to offer completely. If you truly believe in something and hold that something to be right, than in theory, nothing should differ you from practicing in what you believe in. The question that now arises is “how much are you willing to sacrifice for that belief?” In you asking yourself that question, two major actions should arise in the intellect of your mind. Your first response would be to automatically answer the question, but the deeper meaning of the question is for you to question your convictions. “No struggle. No Identity.” This statement that I live by is not exclusive to physical struggle, but inclusive to the emotional and intellectual tug-o-war that occurs in your mind about your convictions.

For example, in order to become more independent from societies silly standards, I refuse to wear matching socks purposely. Oddly but expectantly, I gained a lot of criticism for my choice to not wear matching socks. My emotions told me I did not have to endure such scrutiny over socks, but my intellect told me bear the pain and follow my own ethics. (I am not stating that your emotions are always wrong, but in this situation, they are.) In law, most cases are decided through analogous precedent; meaning that there was a case similar to the one being decided and that the decision in that case can be implemented in future cases. In reference to my socks, which may sound silly to you, if I gave up on this small conviction, this small ethic code, what else will I give up for the acceptance of society. According to law, if I quit socks for social acceptance than I quit religion for social acceptance; I quit racial passions for social acceptance; I quit being who I am for social acceptance. Hence, I am willing to sacrifice social acceptance for this conviction because I am willing to sacrifice social acceptance, at the least, for all of my said convictions and beliefs.

Though this is a small faction of my life, it is a microcosm of my personal beliefs. When upon reflection of your own beliefs, know that the strength of your convictions are based upon what you are willing to sacrifice.