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Showing posts with the label anti-oppression

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Transcend All Limits

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Transcend All Limits  Listen to show The trap was set, the jaws had snapped shut, and the predator was already licking his teeth. By every conventional law of nature, the smaller creature should have surrendered to terror. The options on the table were horrific: roasted over a pine-top bonfire, hanged by the hind legs from a willow branch, or drowned in muddy plantation water. Any one of us facing systemic traps or sudden life crises would immediately cycle through raw panic: the blind rage of becoming Mad, the grief of becoming Sad, or the paralysis of being Scared. Yet, the rabbit pleaded on his knees for every possible death—begging for mercy from only one thing: the thorny, razor-sharp thicket across the ditch. Why would a captive beg his captor to avoid the very torture chamber waiting right in front of him? And more importantly: why do modern, educated Black folks keep screaming in horror at the very environments, histories, and challenges that our ancestors used to master th...

Breaking the Chains of “Excellence”: A New Lens on Black Success

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Breaking the Chains of “Excellence”: A New Lens on Black Success I had an epiphany today. Well, it’s been creeping up on me for a while, but today, it finally hit me in full force. And before I go any further, let me say this—this is more of a message to myself. I’m not trying to offend anyone or shake anybody up too much, but sometimes, we have to be real with ourselves before we can be real with the world. Lately, I’ve been digging into some serious research, looking at the gaps in my own education—specifically, my Africentric education. And when I say gaps, I mean areas that were straight-up neglected or hijacked. We talk a lot about history, but what about the deeper political and economic structures that shaped our people? What systems did we use before we were forced into the ones we operate under today? As I started peeling back the layers, I realized that we’ve been having the wrong conversations. We talk about white supremacy, but we don’t always dig into the soil that it grow...

Kuumba Toast - Countering Oppression with Creativity (Sample)

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  Creativity is how we process the world. It's a by-product of our existence and something we just do. It's also something that can be developed and honed to have a more profound impact on the way we interact with our surroundings. Creativity is often associated with artistic endeavors, but the most powerful creativity is one that goes beyond art. Tapping into your creative potential can be done in many ways. Some people take up hobbies such as painting or music to get them through life. Others take part in political activism and social movements. In today's show, I will examine creativity as an alternative tool with which we can confront institutions of oppression and exploitation, create new communities of mutual aid and cooperation, provide alternative sources of employment, and generate models for human development that are consistent with our high potential as a tribe. Join us for todays discussion and be sure to get on the email list so that you can get the full artic...