Road rants and tales of brokeness

Rainshine Intergalactic

I have been having a lot of time to muse on the road back and forth between the east bay and Mendocino county as I transition to living in two places at once, in an attempt to be involved with both my kids lives, and eek out some kind of non traditional money making ritual.  At times I have had to hitchhike, and take public transportation to get back and forth, as my car reality is shaky.  When  I am driving, I sometimes travel with friends and comrades, and oftentimes one or both the kids are riding with me, or lately hitch hikers who I have made a habit of picking up whenever possible.  But usually I am on my own, alone with my thoughts, the radio, and the sights which range from stunning natural beauty, to grotesque human uglification of reality.  It a lot of food for thought, and…

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fuzz

Wood Moss by the Navarro by Natural Mystic Photography

May Day in Mendocino..tales from Beltane

 

I had a cool encounter the other day at the Beltane celebration down at the beach in Mendocino. I was heading up the footpath back up to town, and I was a bit distracted by thoughts and devices A woman stops me as I am walking by..”help me pick up this garbage that people dropped”…Feeling kind of sheepish for not having already noticed and volunteered, I start helping..”I am an anarchist” she remarks out of the blue. I perked up.”hey , me too..cool. Happy May Day!” Given that she was about a generation older than me, I joked. “If you are over forty like us, and still call yourself an anarchist, then you probably really are one,” 

She said “yeah well, I am sixty five…I am not all into violence, just the natural order..like if you see garbage, pick it up…not because of city ordinance 55642j, but because it’s the right thing to do!” I agreed with the righteousness, and timeliness of her analogy.. she then proceeded to teach me an ancient breathing technique for hill walking, and had me sample a couple edible plants that were growing along the path as we talked politics and ecology until she met up with her kids and grand kids. 

made my May Day complete and reminded me how i dig the radical elders. ..the hold outs, so to speak,,they have knowledge that provides continuity and context, and they provide rare examples of not giving in or selling out, and they probably don’t get the appreciation they deserve,,,they do it because it’s right, and that’s where it’s at. much thanks, and respect to all my elders and teachers, and mentors. of course I am pretty much right there at elder hood with you all at this point,,

mendo vista

chillin on the edge

Statement from the Intergalactic Black Hippie Alliance, and affiliated, and unaffiliated groups and individuals of like minds regarding The Black May Day Movement

 

Given that May Day is traditionally a day to celebrate the struggles of the workers of the world, and to renew efforts to dismantle the oppressive structures enacted by the bosses of the world, and given that the black people of the world are without doubt a most exploited class of worker in any society that we are found, we find it timely and appropriate to kick off a movement on May Day that will seek to redress all historical injustice formed to subjugate the black people of this planet.

Our demands are as follows:

1) We want our stolen wages. Our wealth as a people should be commensurate with our population. That it is not is proof of thievery, and fraud. We demand our stolen pay, and the stolen resources.

2) We demand land, and housing of equal amount and value to the percentage of our population.

3) All black prisoners must be released from jails and prisons, and from the confines of the Justice System. The unequal punishment and incarceration of our black brothers and sisters is proof of a flawed anti black system that can not continue to have control over the lives and freedoms of black people. We demand exemption from the barbaric rule of law that passes for justice in this society.

4) All underperforming schools with black students must immediately have it’s budget doubled, with community control of spending decisions. All disciplinary system must be reviewed for anti black bias.

5) All jobless black adults must be given immediate employment at a rate of no lower than $20 an hour. Furthermore these jobs must be designed based on the desires and interest of the individuals, in conjunction with the community the jobs will be based in and serve.

6) We demand that it be recognized that black people were robbed of something invaluable, when we were removed from our land, culture, community, and language. We do not see this culture that we have been forced into as superior, and we have the right to pursue our own ways of resolving and reclaiming our past, broken and glorious that they be. All efforts and displays of black cultural reclamation of innovation shall be respected and not be hindered in any way. All false, misleading, and biased historical information regarding our history must be corrected.

7) We demand debt cancellation for all African nations, and black 
Diaspora nations. The extortion of the colonizing societies must end.
These demands must be met by May 1, 2015, or a Global General Strike will begin.

In preparation for the acceptance or denial of our demands, we are beginning to organize a black economic boycott, and solidarity movement effective immediately. All efforts will be made to promote the withdrawl of funds and support from all anti black institutions, and the corresponding support of black owned, and black friendly institutions. We will begin to organize our own infrastructure and develop our own frameworks for an emancipated black society. All efforts will be made to follow a path of high ethical standards in our pursuits, and to conduct our communication in a respectful manner, as we do not want the seriousness of our resolve to be underestimated. The Black May Day movement is for real. We want off the sinking ship. We welcome all supporters, and fellow liberation movements to discuss ways of joining efforts, or work in support of common goals. We do not seek recompense from anyone but the super wealthy, and do not seek to disempower any other groups, but we must act in black solidarity, and put our survival at the forefront of our efforts. Any black groups or individuals who wish to join in any way please let us know. Black Businesses that want to be part of the network, holla!

“Being mixed doesn’t make me less black” and compliments that devalue blackness by exalting European attributes

Black Brazil Today

Note from BW of Brazil: Today’s piece, like so many others, is exactly what this blog is about. Stephanie Paes covers so many issues that are pertinent to the comprehension of blackness from the Brazilian perspective. Hair texture, racial mixture and “compliments” that simultaneously mask racist sentiments are all covered here. In this piece, Stephanie Paes takes the reader through the many complexities of the development of black identity and the development of black consciousness. In Brazil today, there are thousands, if not millions of young women that do all in their power to disassociate themselves from blackness. If one has a looser type of curl or brown skin on the lighter side of the spectrum, the Brazilian racial ideology questions any person with such a phenotype about why they would choose to define themselves as negra because they are “too pretty” to be black. With consciousness, Paes is…

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