stuffs and things.

In this world, and in this life, there will always be people who do evil. Those who derive their pleasure from the misery of others. And today, we got yet another example of how evil can rear its ugly head. But we have got to remember that we cannot let events like this define humanity as a whole. If we let this tragedy shape us, let it shape us for the better. Let’s not become fear-mongers, or finger-pointers, or overnight political pundits. Let us instead send our thoughts and prayers to the people of Boston, to the victims of this senseless crime, and let us hope that they find the perpetrators.

That being said, while thoughts and prayers and well-wishes are wonderful tokens of kindness, there are victims of the bombings who are going to need more tactile things like blood, and funds to pay for their hospital stays. So I’m going to leave these links here.

This is to donate to the Red Cross, until Boston has its own chapter set up: http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations.

And this one is to donate blood for the victims: http://www.redcrossblood.org/ma

In addition, call 617-635-4500 if you’re looking for any family members who may have been injured, and 1-800-494-TIPS (8577) if you have any information on today’s explosions.

Too Hot Ta Trot - The Commodores (1977)

Ladies and gents, this is it.
This is the song that made me fall in love with the Commodores.

And, in a broader sense, soul music as a whole.

Holy crap, it’s been forever since I’ve posted here. Even longer since I’ve posted some artwork.

I’ll get to rectifying that soon.

Shades Of Scarlett Conquering - Joni Mitchell (1975)

The string arrangement in this song is haunting.
Just simply haunting.

Atmospheric and ethereal, you kinda just get lost within the music when you listen to it.

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“And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

I can’t think of a better way to close out February. Because we’ve come a mighty long way, but we still have so far to go. We have yet to truly allow freedom to ring. And I pray, from the bottom of my heart, that this will happen within our lifetime. I truly hope that you all enjoyed the black history facts that I’ve posted.

Keep in mind, I will be posting facts from time to time throughout the coming year. Because although “Black History Month” is over, black history itself is far from finished.

Please, let me know if there was any particular fact or facts that you found interesting. I would love to hear them. Thank you for listening, and I hope you learned something.

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This is a very long, very ranty black history fact today, and I’m not sorry about it. For any of you who believe that racism is not a big problem in modern society, you first need to check yourself. Then, you need to remember that just a year ago, after Trayvon Martin was murdered, notable news journalist Geraldo Rivera claimed that had Martin not been wearing a hoodie (“thug wear” as he called it), he may not have been shot by George Zimmerman. Even if you agree that people think “criminal” when they see that style of clothing, why is that the problem of the wearer, and not the problem of the person who is stereotyping? Then, you need to think about how many people of all races freely say the word “nigga” when quoting rap songs or participating in internet discussions, despite the fact that the word has not lost its hateful sting. Next, you need to read the case about James Byrd, Jr.:

On June 7, 1998, in Jasper, Texas, 49-year-old black man James Byrd, Jr. accepted a ride home from three white men, Shawn Berry (age 24), Lawrence Russell Brewer (age 31) and John King (age 23). Byrd was acquainted with Berry, who was driving. Instead of taking Byrd home, the three men took Byrd to a remote county road out of town, beat him severely, urinated on him and chained him by his ankles to their pickup truck. The three men then dragged him behind the truck for three miles. Byrd died after his right arm and head were severed after his body hit a culvert. Despite Brewer’s later claims that Byrd’s throat had been slashed before he was dragged, forensic evidence implied that Byrd had been attempting to keep his head up while being dragged. An autopsy suggested that Byrd was alive during much of the dragging. Byrd’s brain and skull were found intact, further suggesting he maintained consciousness while being dragged.

Berry, Brewer and King dumped their victim’s mutilated remains in front of an African-American church on Huff Creek Road, and then went to a barbecue. Along the area where Byrd was dragged, authorities found a wrench with “Berry” written on it. They also found a lighter that was inscribed with “Possum”, which was King’s prison nickname. The following morning, Byrd’s limbs were found scattered across a seldom-used road. The police found 81 places that were littered with Byrd’s remains. State law enforcement officials, along with Jasper’s District Attorney, determined that since Brewer and King were well-known white supremacists, the murder was a hate crime.

King had several racist tattoos: a black man hanging from a tree, Nazi symbols, the words “Aryan Pride,” and the patch for a gang of white supremacist inmates known as the Confederate Knights of America. In a jailhouse letter to Brewer that was intercepted by jail officials, King expressed pride in the crime and said he realized in committing the murder he might have to die. Berry, Brewer and King were tried and convicted for Byrd’s murder. Brewer and King received the death penalty, while Berry was sentenced to life in prison.

In the aftermath of this incident, Byrd’s family created the “James Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing” after his death. Additionally, in 2009, the “Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act” expanded the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, in addition to race.

Oh, and if you’re one of those people who are thinking, “Well, these guys were white supremacists. Of course THEY were racist. You can’t count them in your argument about racism still existing in the same realm as it once did”, two teenagers, Joshua Lee Talley and John Matthew Fowler, were charged with criminal mischief for desecrating James Byrd Jr.’s grave with racial slurs and profanities in 2004. The two have no ties whatsoever to any Aryan group or the KKK.

Like I said, if you think racism is not as bad now as it once was - including all races, not just blacks – you seriously need to check yourself and do some research. Or maybe you don’t want to, for fear that you’ll be proven wrong….

Rest in peace, James Byrd, Jr.

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Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an African-American singer, songwriter, guitarist and recording artist. Tharpe achieved popularity in the 1930-40s, with her gospel recordings. She blended spiritual lyrics with early rock and roll accompaniment. As the first recording artist to impact the music charts with her spiritual recordings, Tharpe became known as “the original soul sister.” She was an early influence on iconic figures such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Johnny Cash.

Willing to cross the line between gospel and secular, she laid the groundwork for later gospel performers such as Andrae Crouch, The Winans, Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin, to name a few; artists who further blend achieve mainstream airplay while maintaining gospel messages.

Tharpe’s 1944 hit “Down By the Riverside” was selected for the American Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2004, stating that it captured her “spirited guitar playing” and “unique vocal style” which were an influence on early rhythm and blues performers, as well as gospel, jazz and rock artists. Tharpe has been called the “Godmother of Rock n’ Roll”.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

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