make noise.

[ On March 26, 2012 at 5:30pm, Atlanta will stand together and protest the injustice of Trayvon Martin's murder. Colleges, Universities, Civil Rights' Groups, and Non-profit organizations will rally together to make noise.  If you would like to be involved, the protests will take place on the state capitol steps : 206 washington street, SW atlanta, GA .

About two weeks ago, i posted a video about the murder of Trayvon. It broke my heart that a harmless kid could be a victim of such cruel and prejudiced circumstances. Last week, Someone tweeted that this situation was about oppression and there was nothing we could do at this point. I wonder ... if my ancestors had a similar mindset, where would i be? I'll be damned if i let hardship and injustice silence my voice. I'd rather go down ...kicking and screaming any day. 


The longer I live in Atlanta, travel the country (New Orleans, D.C., Florida, North Carolina, etc.), and read scholarly work on the ideology of racism, the more I have a hard time with California. They live in such a euphoric, narcissistic place that blinds them from the truth. Racism is a living, breathing, thing that - historically- worked relentlessly to break souls and necks simultaneously. Confederate flags still hang, "reNIG" buttons are being made, and innocent men are being sentenced to death. wake up, please.

I have a 19 year old brother. His name is Dallas. His name is Troy Davis. His name is Trayvon Martin. -->

put a ring on it ... or else.

[ i attended a forum about relationships, sex, and violence at Morehouse last week. We hurried into a classroom, flooded with students from Morehouse, Spelman, and Clark Atlanta University. While men and women battled back and forth about the dynamics of relationships and sex, i listened. ]

We were discussing the validity of the title "boyfriend/girlfriend". A lot of ladies said that they wanted a title. A lot of the men were saying that they did NOT need a title- feeling as though the title is used to merely appease the people outside of the relationship. A girl (with extremely intense eyes) raised her hand and expressed that --> dating a girl without the intention of commitment is disrespectful. She said she needed a respectful man and also stated that certain things regarding dating are just "common sense".

Let me first and foremost say that i see the validity of a relationship (they can be beautiful unions). But right then and there, I saw a piece of me in that girl- a naive piece. When i was in high school (and the beginning of college), i said that i wanted a guy with common sense. i realized a few years later that i was living in a euphoric state of mind. when it comes to relationships, "COMMON SENSE" does not exist.

For example,Some girls said they would leave if a guy did not "make it official" in 6 months. Another girl said 3 months. One girl leaned over to me and said, "nah, if he doesn't know in 2 months ... I'm out."And that's all fine. However, it is unfair to just assume that a man would know his "time constraints" ... considering that every one's preferences are different. nothing is "common" about dating. And "respect" is another fluid term. While the young lady thought it was disrespectful to "lead a girl on", some guys refrain from cuffing because they know they are not ready for monogomy. they stay away from the titles ... out of respect for the young lady.

While i listened to the two genders swing rebuttals back and forth, i suddenly realized something: i was siding more with the men than the women. I realized that a lot of women treat the boyfriend/girlfriend title like an "EASY" button from Staples. They think the title will clear up all of the confusion and grey areas about their relationship ... and they're wrong. point. blank. period. A relationship is a different recipe every time- full of unique ingredients (time, place, personality traits, emotional baggage, circumstances). i know people who merely "talk to someone" who have stronger relationships than people with the title. It's about COMMUNICATION. people have so many different expectations in relationships/dating - what constitutes cheating? what is respectful? what are my responsibilities as a bf/gf? are we discrete? to PDA, or not to PDA? While it may seem like common sense, it is NOT. honestly, what's a title if you do not know what it means?

word.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN? this cover is one of the best i've heard. snaps & claps.

i met someone else. [short short stories]

“He sat across from me, broken. Yes. He sat across from me, just as broken as his bloodied hand. I rose from the cushioned stools my mother gave me and walked to the freezer for ice. I pulled the handle on the freezer door, stopped, considered the chilly state of things …and then preceded back to the marble counter- my man, my shit storm.”

---

"She came back from the freezer door lookin’ all gentle-like.  She looked like the first time I met her – soft and tender like love oughta look. But I aint fallin’ for that shit again. Oh no, with time I have learned to call out a snake wrapped in diamon’ ribbons when I see one. Yeah, she love ta’ slither and be pretty all right. She’ll strike ya’ when ya back turned. Mmm hmm, that’s a snake alrigh’."

---

"I told him that it wasn’t intentional, that I just found something worth holding onto. My mind was battling for my attention. On one hand, I wrapped my million dollar- ivy league words around his head like a python preparing prey. On the other, I wondered who would pay for the destructive hole in my periwinkle walls. He iced his hand and I told him about the man I was leaving him for.  Yes, that night ... I helped ice his hand and his heart."

marry me.

btw, jesse williams. that's all.