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The Weight of False Loyalty: Stripping Down Ujima

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The Weight of False Loyalty: Stripping Down Ujima We’ve been sold a lie wrapped in cultural pride, and it is breaking our backs. For generations, the Black experience in America has glorified obligatory suffering. We’ve been conditioned to wear the titles of "Strong Black Man" and "Strong Black Woman" like badges of honor, when in reality, they are often just heavy yokes of trauma. We take on the "Black Tax," assuming the debts, the drama, and the dysfunction of everyone in our bloodline and our zip code. We mistake trauma-bonding for true tribal building, and it keeps us completely anchored in the lower frequencies of being Mad, Sad, and Scared. Today, we are vibrating on the frequency of Ujima —Collective Work and Responsibility. Bathed in the cool, deep hues of royal and light blue, Ujima is often misunderstood. Folks hear "collective" and immediately start gathering everyone else’s problems, saying "yes" until their own spirit is bo...

Salute to Nommo X

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I have to start this by saluting the men who have blazed a path in my life. I will do this in order and then I will dive in to this tribute. First I have to give shots out to my grandfather Cleven Brown who taught me to care and take care of my family (RIP). Next in line I have to say thank you to the person who this article is about Nommo X. Nommo then introduced me to Dr. Moriba Kelsey the founder of APDS, and the Tawi Village. Through Dr. Kelsey and Nommo I met Dr. Lewis Dodley entrepreneur and the Baba of the Simba Nation. Through Baba Dodley I was introduced to Gaylord Thomas. These men have shaped me through the fire of their love into who I am today. You may never hear about these men but they are in my pantheon of greatness. When I needed fatherly guidance each of these men gave it to me in their own way. Nommo X was a historian, warrior, entrepreneur, and a all around great man. He was a mentor that accepted you where you were and helped moved you to where you needed to be. ...

Sending Props to Seth Godin

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On this Journey you have to sometimes adjust your trajectory. You sometimes end up on a dead end trail, because the Journey is about gaining the experience so that you can share what you know. At these times it is good to humble yourself and admit that you are lost. What I have found in life is  that when you let your ego go and ask the universe for help, something always appears. Sometimes it's a book, a map, gift, and if you are lucky  a person. During one of my lost moments, I happened to be on TED.com looking for videos. This is when I ran into Seth Godin's presentation entitled " The Tribes We Lead ". He presented answer to questions I had been wrestling with. I suggested that those on the Journey check the video out. Now I want to send props for a few major things I learned from @sethgodin: 1. I was not trying to build organizations, but Tribes. It was something I had being doing but did not know what to call it. By being introduced to this idea, I have cha...