Don't Complain, Adjust!

We live in a world of captions and quotes now. Every day, minute, and hour someone is trying to think of the catchiest, coolest, most boisterous way to get their "mood" across to the world. "Don't Complain, Adjust!" is more than that to me. Always have been. I believe in affirmations. I believe in energy. I believe in speaking things into existence. That being said, a year or two ago, I was at a crossroads. I was letting a lot of bad energy affect me. Like always, I looked to music or quotes or quotes from music to change that energy and motivate me. "Don't Complain, Adjust" came to me one day as a product of all the things that I was ingesting at that time. It was a reality check to myself. I started tweeting it every single morning. Not for retweets or likes per say, but my intention was to give good energy out to people, all the while giving myself that daily reminder also. Eventually it started to catch on. People started retweeting it and liking it. People started replying saying "Thanks, I needed this today" or something to the sort. That made me feel good because it was touching people, not because it was hitting a certain retweet number. Everyday we are around people, literally or virtually, and we don't know what they are truly going thru or dealing with on. Everyday people are venting their frustrations directly or indirectly and that energy becomes contagious. Naturally. Unfortunately, negative energy moves like Usain Bolt and positive energy moves like the time clock at work after lunch. The consistency in which I was tweeting "Don't Complain, Adjust" led people to say, "Hey you should put this on a shirt". I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do it because EVERYBODY has a shirt line. Plus "Don't complain, adjust" wasn't a money grab for me. But more and more people said it and it made me reconsider it. A good friend of mine, Anthony Hezekiah, already had a beautiful clothing line, Lords (Living Our Ridiculous Dreams) that I loved. I loved what the acronym stood for but more so than that, I believed in his passion and vision for the line. I had already purchased a couple of pieces a year before that so now that I wanted to put this vision across my chest, I wanted to go partner with someone who I knew would understand, this isn't about money! We met a few times, discussed the vision, and got to work. We got the right shirts, the right quality, the logo and we executed the vision. After seeing people love the shirts and wear them everywhere, across different states and different races it inspired me to not only continue to print up more, but to not be shy about putting other ideas out. But this is forever the foundation and forever my motto, if you purchase a shirt or not, if you love the shirts or not, think about the words carefully and if they help you get through anything, my job is done. We will always face different things in life, approach them head on! Don't Complain, Adjust!

If you would like to purchase a shirt or any of the other great merch from the line click on the link

https://living-our-ridiculous-dreams.myshopify.com/products/dont-complain-adjust-tee

Lords | Don't Complain, Adjust | 

He Wants To Waste Your Time (Love You)

"I used to think about immature things... you know like... Do you love me? Do you want me? Are you gone call me like you said you would? Is this really your real phone number?"


A common and fatal mistake that we make everyday, is assuming that people know what we want. Assuming is a very flawed way to navigate your way through relations but in the case of dealing with someone who doesn't make their true intentions clear, you have to use some context clues. Today, I want to address this. A lot of women, for whatever reason, haven't learned to read a man's actions consistently and recognize what his plans for her really are. I regularly see question variations that essentially ask the same thing, "How do you know if he really likes you".

Sexual interactions have become a bloodsport. Not in that way, bring your minds back out of that filthy place. In a bloodsport, it's kill or  be killed. In a lot of ways, that's the dating scene today. Both parties are essentially fighting to acquire or postpone sex. Although, contrary to popular belief, it's not always the man making the sexual advances first. I want to be very clear about that. There's a saying, "Men use love for sex and women use sex for love". Very very accurate depiction in my opinion. However, men typically read women better. {Insert outrage here}. Sorry, but it's true. There will be contrarians and proud pieces of... that will debate this and tell me how they, and women like them, get over on men everyday. I'm sorry to hear that. But back to my point. Men typically read women better. And women tend to also be more honest with their feelings. So I'm sure that plays a part. Men can see very early what type of woman they are dealing with and what she's interested in relationship wise. Men also take advantage of this inherent openness, which has led to a lot of women being intentionally colder and less open as a defense mechanism. But how can a woman that doesn't want to be cold or play games know if a man is really interested in her for more than just his next thrill? I'll tell you.

I put so much thought into deciding what's the one thing, first and foremost, that's a tell tale sign that he's really interested in you... a man that doesn't always tell you what you want to hear is probably the most interested in you in totality. What I mean is, when you're trying to gain the favor of someone, naturally, you're complimentary. You look at their strengths and you magnify those observations. Most women want to be told they're beautiful. Whatever compliments he gives you, he's giving it with the intent of making you feel good, whether genuine or disingenuous. But if you take time to have convos over however long with said man, you'll undoubtedly come to unpleasant ground. Or rather come to find things you don't like about each other. Not necessarily catastrophic things. But for example, a man who's been unfaithful in a relationship prior, isn't walking around with that on his business card. That's not the best resume piece when you're trying to attract a woman. Especially if that man is taking full or most of the responsibility for his infidelity. The vulnerability in revealing discretions show he's trying to be somewhat open to possibilities. Because he could easily lie, right? Another example is, if you're a woman who has a hard time maintaining friendships, and he points out YOUR part in those failures, when he has nothing to gain from it, he's trying to help you be a better person. If he just wanted your nectar, he's probably not going to care to have that disagreement. Last example, if you two aren't currently exclusive and he's honest about his other dealings, knowing you may leave him alone, he's probably trying to keep a clean slate.

Secondly, CONSIDERATION. A wise woman once told me, "when someone wants to be with you, you may have to ask them to do some things, but you won't have to ask to do everything". My beautiful grandma was that wise woman, and that has stuck with me for years since. To truly consider someone is to be unselfish. Being unselfish, no matter how unselfish you are, is unnatural. Our natural instinct is to worry about ourselves. Through training, or through love, is the only way we learn to be truly unselfish. Consideration can be displayed in a matter of ways, big or small. From a man calling to make sure you're awake because you needed to get up at a specific time and you struggle getting up early, or him making sure your son has a haircut as he's headed to the barber shop (some men don't do this for their own kids). It took me until my mid 20's to truly learn the importance of consideration. My mom was dating her long time boyfriend at the time and every Friday there would be frustration in her face and anger in her phone call. He'd forgotten to take the trash to the end of the road Thursday night, again! Very small, right? So I thought. Not to get too much into my mother's business but she didn't feel like she was being given the unselfish consideration she was giving. So something so small became a big thing. "He knows the trash man comes every Friday morning, and every Thursday when he leaves he doesn't even think to roll the trash can to the end of the road." At the time it was the craziest reason to have an argument to me. But, I eventually got it. That didn't mean he didn't love my mom, he was a great guy. But consideration has to be in you for you to really be into someone, in my opinion. When a man is unconsciously considering how he can lighten your load, he's really trying to be apart of your life. Not just apart of your bed. Is he letting you know his whereabouts and plans without you asking, just so you know? Is he being mindful of time management to prioritize "we time"? Not meaning he has to try to spend every waken minute with you or pick time with you over everything every time, but is he making sure to see you even when there's no plans of undressing? Is he?

Attentiveness. Men pay attention to things that intrigue them. Ask a Sports man who was the last noteworthy person his favorite team signed. Ask a car guy what's new about the 2017 car of his dreams. Ask a man did he know when his last relationship was coming to an end before it happened. So how attentive is he to what's going on with you? Attention has become the drug of choice for these modern day times, but being attentive is not always the same as giving you attention. You can be attentive to someone without ever looking at them physically. Attentiveness is more than the eyes can see and the hands can touch. Does he know what time you normally go to bed? Has he taken your care to get the oil changed without you asking him to? Does he normally send your good morning text around the time you're getting ready everyday? Him paying attention to your patterns that provide him with no gain, is a true test. Is he in tune with when you need encouragement? What about when you need a metaphorical kick in the but? Does he know when you just need him to listen? Being attentive is paying attention to where the holes are, and attempting to fill them.

Lastly, affection. Even the least affectionate man's affection level will increase if he's really trying to build with you. Affection isn't just kissing or the superficial PDA. Affection, true affection, is subtle. It's almost being done unknowingly. Is he rubbing your leg non-sexually as you all are watching tv? Has his affection become less since sex occurred? How full are his hugs now? These are all small giveaways.

Ladies, every man isn't looking to find forever. In fact, every woman isn't either. There's no shame in that. The shame to me only comes when you're dishonest about it. A lot of people have no hesitation to manipulate another to gain whatever their goal is. That's just the nature of society. You can't be perfect and catch them all, but the goal is to limit the accessibility to that manipulation. Paying close attention to what a man is truly giving you is essential. If none of the things above seem familiar in his pattern, he's just not that into you! If they are, he probably is trying his best to love you, let him!

What It Means To Love A Man

I'll never be jealous, and I won't be too proud, because love is not boastful, oooh and love is not loud! Tell him I love him! Tell him I need him!! It'll be alright" - Ms. Lauryn Hill; Single, Actress, Icon

We're living in troubled times. I'm not one for dramatics, so I won't insult history or my grandparents and act like this is the worst of times, but this is a different fight. During every other period of history,  when {WE} didn't have anything else, not freedom, rights, or money... we had each other. I frequently come to this keyboard, and spill out first, how us men need to step up for our women. I do that first because I'm still of the mind state that men are protectors. Men are leaders. Humbly. Even in that, though, men aren't robots. We need, too. 

Before I get too far into it, I want to profoundly state that, our women haven't neglected us. Our women stand on the front lines everyday defending us. I don't want that to get lost in the perspective. However, what I've observed gradually more and more is that, even the people who want to love, don't exactly know how to. We don't have nearly as many blueprints as my grandparents' and parents' generations had to follow so its very little trial and so much error these days.

What do men want? What do men need? Does he love me? The first two questions are great, the third question is the wrong question, in this moment anyway. There's a paranoia that comes with love now where people feel like they can't "do too much". In a generation where certain unfortunate trends have left women betrayed, bitter, and in poverty because men have been excused for not being men, many women now are scared to love naturally. The natural desire in the nature of a woman to love wholly and unselfishly. The bravery it takes to ignore the society around you and still love this way takes a stronger woman than it takes for a strong man to step in front of a bullet; But we need that! Only a woman has the ability to make a man turn off his instincts. Throughout history we've seen this in many instances whether it was to that man's benefit or his detriment. But only when a woman has exercised that ability, can a man reach his full potential. Contrary to the divisive rhetoric that have been drilled into us over the last couple of decades, black men and women, we NEED each other. A man needs to know that his woman has in essence, put him before herself. Stay with me. haha. To love someone genuinely is to do just that. You basically put the needs, desires, and feelings of someone else before yourself. Men are naturally wired this way. Even with their kids. For us it's learned behavior. It may be learned from the woman he loves romantically, or his mother or grandmother. Hence the saying, "If you want to know how he'll treat you, look at how he treats his mother". Now that's certainly not a full proof practice but what it's really implying is that, that's probably the most important woman in a single man's life so paying attention to how he's willing to sacrifice for that woman will give you a barometer on how much he's willing to emotionally sacrifice and cater to a woman. How much he's learned to embrace unselfishness for the sake of a woman. Good women truly make us better. The right woman makes us great. As men we're trained to be soldiers. A soldier in the field of war has to be prepared for harm to come his way from any and every foreign being. Be that a child, a woman, or a bag in a strange area. So, unfortunately, that training leads us to be cold and distant initially. To change that you have to prove yourself to us. Make sure that man has proven himself to you first. Trust me, I know we're asking a lot. 

In proving yourself to a man, you're just proving to his heart and his ego that you see him worth immunity. Be that in superficial ways or not. "Well if he don't call me, I'm not calling him" or "If he don't say I love you, I won't". How many of you think like this? It's counterproductive. NO! I'm not saying women should be doing the pursuing. I'm old school. A woman doesn't have to take all the initiative to communicate, but a woman, most times, have to take the initiative to love. She has to teach him how to love. She can't go into it trying to compete with him on who's doing what. When he learns that from you, you become what he trusts. That's when doing these things become second nature to him. Then you become his new strength. Before that his programming is what protected him. Now your love does. It nurtures him. It energizes him. It inspires him. Him knowing that someone else appears to genuinely care about him, even more than he cares about himself, will always breakdown the wiring society has given him. Because everyone else poses a threat that he always has to be ready to defend himself against, except his mother. A woman's touch is more than physical, in both aspects though, it's unmatched. The only way for a woman to tap into this is to take that leap of faith to love him unselfishly. Without competition. I know that leap seems to be as wide as the Grand Canyon in this era, but even with men being leaders, a great leader knows when to take direction from a trusted adviser. There's no Barack Obama, without a Michelle Obama. She's as much apart of his identity as his very face is. She allows him the comfort of knowing despite it all, someone is in his corner. He often references her tenure as the best First Lady of all time, as a job she didn't even ask for. It's so much gratefulness in him saying that. He's essentially saying she was willing to die for his dream. Unselfishly. Selfishly, she could have said, "I don't want to deal with this" or "You won't have enough time for me", or "You're going to be around too many women" but her leap of faith and her love for him settled his soul. She made it possible for him to face adversity with a strong will while also having peace of mind. So is cooking for him so important? Yes. It's it a necessity for every man? No. Is doing the majority of cleaning your absolute job for every man? No. To truly love unselfishly is to not love every man the same. Or not love every man based on what society tells you that you should do x amount of times per week. To love unselfishly is to give that person what THEY need. You might need a lot of attention, that man might need a man cave and 2 hours every other night of space to watch the game. Don't resent that. Embrace that. Understand that. Understand that when you love somebody it's about them. Them loving you is about you. 

Ladies, I'm not blind or neglectful to the fact that many of you do this everyday, for the wrong man. I realize I'm speaking from a state of an ideal situation. But I just know, as a man, and a friend  to men of many walks of life, we all need unselfishness. Understanding in its essence is unselfishness. Looking at a situation from the perspective of how that person feels vs how you yourself feel.

Just my thoughts!

Let's Get Married

“I got a ‘Love Jones’, for your body and your skin tone, five minutes alone and I’m already on the bone, plus I love the fact you got a mind of your own, no need to shop around you got the good stuff at home” – Method Man; Rapper, Actor

I’m always in constant thought about what will help us get better? What’s the cure? Cure for what? Cure for the regression of Black America. Black Lives Matter is such a brilliant name to be out front of a movement to progress Black America to equality. Not supremacy. Equality. While I’m sure they have a full plate, I often wonder how effective Black Lives Matter could be with viable branches. I pose this question because contrary to popular belief, while not minimizing its catastrophic effects, cops killing unarmed black men isn’t our biggest problem. It’s not the murder weapon to our extermination. Our oppression. Or even our depression.

I don’t have all the answers but I have some of the dominoes. I think a lot of things have been systematically put in place to cripple Black America, but most of them come back to a fundamental war tactic, divide and conquer. What more effective divide than dividing us at home?

If you check the stats, black women are the least married demographic. Black married couples are the highest divorced demographic. If you check network television, there’s one black married woman on primetime. I know television is fictional, but art imitates life. As a 28 year old, I speak with a lot of people daily in this world of mass communication that we live, and the most disappointing part is how few of them want to get married. So many people have been hurt, maybe once, or they constantly see so many images and acts of betrayal that having a family has been removed from the “American Dream”. Scratch that, from the “{Black} American Dream”. Without going into his actual politics, this is one of, if not the number one, the most inspiring impressions President Obama and his lovely wife Michelle and kids left on me. That, THAT, should be apart of our dream.

This is why marriage is important in the black community, because what you practice at home is what you’ll consciously and unconsciously do once you leave your house. Unity was the number one weapon in the effectiveness of the Civil Rights Movement. It’s not even close. No matter which group or leader you credit the most champion the most, be it Martin, Malcolm, Marcus, Fred, or other, their power came from the army of loyal followers behind them. An example for modern day times would be “The Beyhive”. Stay with me. I know everyone isn’t a die-hard Beyoncé fan, I am, that’s my aunt and Jay Z is my uncle who taught me everything my parents didn’t, but have you ever seen what happens to anyone on twitter that speaks ill of Beyoncé? Her dedicated militia of followers “get in formation” in the hundreds of thousands to defend her honor. While on an entirely different spectrum of sacrifice and importance, my point is, there’s strength in numbers. There’s strength in unity. There’s strength in unwavering support. There’s strength in love. Those are all the underlying proponents of marriage. We have to get back to getting married and staying married. A loving couple provides balance in a world of dysfunction. It provides balance of influence on a generation of kids that have more information, true and incorrect, at their disposal than ever before. Children have age requirements on a lot of things because they haven’t had enough experience or brain development to know how to reason in the real world. By never showing them HOW to love and that love is NEEDED in the household we leave their brains undeveloped even into their adult years. By not prioritizing marriage we leave a trail of single parent homes that have been proven to be a perpetuator of poverty. We have to get back to loving each other fully. Too many of us have lives that resemble love and hip-hop and not Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv.

On a personal level, separate from the social level, I think we were put here primarily to love. All of us. That’s the true happiness in life. Can you be happy and single? Yes. Can you be fulfilled and single? I don’t think so. So many different things happen in this life that nobody should have to go thru alone. Not even the good things. I don’t want all the money in the world. But I do want to make exceptional money to live a comfortable life with luxuries. The main luxury to me is time. Affording the time to do and see certain places and things… I don’t want to do that alone. I don’t think being rich is better than being in love mutually. I know people with millions that still long for companionship. If I became a billionaire and never found a wife to live for and die with I’d ultimately feel like I wasted time. Being the richest person shouldn’t be the goal for everyone. We have to change our priority. We have to change our future. We have to change our hearts. We have to change our division. We have to change our children.

Miss Black America

Miss Black America
Can I talk to you?
Tell me where you're going
Can I walk with you?
It appears this cold world has been hard on you
Let me soften you
No matter how often
Or how little
Let me be a wall for you
To protect you from intruders
And Misusers
The Liars and abusers
I'll be your shield as you maneuver
Your slave baby, just use me


Miss Black America
Can you excuse my plans
Erotic at times
Maybe you should tie my hands
Maybe you should punish me
Let my portal be your pedestal
Your rhythmic waist movements is a love potion
The curve of your hips never go unnoticed
The delicacy of your lips often mimic the deepest ocean
Chocolate syrup between your 9 to 5
Like its my job to clock in between your supple thighs

Miss Black America
How dare anyone neglect your intellect
So much knowledge between the perimeters
East and west
Those perimeters provide you tools to absorb the sounds
I'm speaking of your brain
And how its filled with the Paramount
Of Pictures, the true vision of the creator
You were pulled from the rib of man
Your touch so seductive
So much power lie in the palm of your hands
So much peace you can bring to the perfect man
So much balance you bring
The only star I wish to understand

Miss Black America
Love of my life, Miss Black America
I wish I could get lost in your heart
That love is what we lack, America
That Pain you've survived for being Miss Black America
I know it's a lot
But it makes you the love of my life
Miss Black America

The art of falling back and taking care of YOU

The popular phrase "falling back" has always been tied to dating and relationships. It always seems to fit in when the person of your interest is not reciprocating your efforts the way you need them to. They could be playing games or maybe not as interested as you thought they were. But either way we decide (early on or even when its too late) that we need to fall back.

Urban dictionary gives us plenty of definitions and examples but the overall feel is to lose interest, stop caring and let someone "do them". 

In another light fall back can mean for someone to chill out, relax and think about their next actions before they actually do them. 

So whether you like the first definition or the second, does it apply somewhere in your life? Not just in relationships. Life nowadays seems like it can get pretty busy for me between working two jobs, trying to finish school, trying to maintain a social life and working on my dreams. Sound familiar? Even with all this I have found several ways to master the art of falling back and taking care of whats important, me.

Listed are a few tips to help you do the same; if you have any input on what you do to maintain drop them below in the comments section :) 

1. Unplug from social media. 

Gone are the days when we wouldnt know our friends business unless they told us, or someone else spilled the tea. But today you can log onto any social media platform and see everything from what they had for breakfast to what their kids are wearing to school that day. Social media, in my mind, becomes the land of comparing. And that can be dangerous. Your life is your own path, but that road can get hazy when you have flooding images of partying, vacation photos, weddings, and numerous other things. We get sucked into the thoughts of "I dont have those things" or "they sure are happy" but we tend to forget people don't often display the bad. 

When social media becomes overwhelming, and it does, its ok to log off. Scientific studies have shown that excessive use of certain social media platforms can have a vast effect on your daily mood, sometimes even your health. Depression and mood swings have been linked to longterm use of social media. I recently wrote a research paper on it for a critical thinking class I took. Taking a day or two to not log in may actually be just what the "Doctor" prescribes for you to get you back to being YOU. 

2. Find a new hobby. 

Hobbies are those little things that we love to do but sometimes we get too busy "adult-ing" to actually do. Recently Ive gotten back to finding new things to do or revisiting old favorite past times of mine. Reading, writing and dancing are a few of mine. I started reading again and actually taking time out of my schedule to find new books to get lost in. Getting back into writing has been the best escape for me. Maybe you aren't into writing or reading and prefer something more active or hands on. Groupon and Living Social offer great deals to try something new. Trying something new may spark an interest in a hobby you never knew you had. Recently I  tried a dance class with some friends and we had the best time. 

3. Developing healthy lifestyle changes. 

Eat right and exercise. Sounds simple right? Gets preached to us often, right? Between the supplements, new superfoods and the influx of Instagram models pushing waist shapers and flat tummy teas it can get to be a bit much. For me at least. But recently I got with one of the best trainers in Atlanta, IamtherealDP and its had a positive impact on my life. Ive adopted a better way to eat and dine out. Ive also joined his group fitness sessions. My early mornings that include the gym help me have a better mood and a jumpstart on my day. Im not preaching fitness but swapping out candy for fruit, or even joining a social dance/workout class can help you to burn a few calories and even help improve your mood. Increasing your heart rate increases blood flow which in exchange helps your body function better. Simple changes can have you looking better. And when you look better you feel better. 

4. Removing the toxic people/things from you life.

Mary said it best when she was hitting those signature moves and telling us "dont need no hateration, no holleratin in this dance for me". (Literally had to Google because I just mumble the last part when I sing along). But all jokes aside its easy to get caught up in stress and drama. Whether its from work, family, friends or internal. It can be draining and really bring you down. Music really helps me. I literally have to stop some days and throw on some Solange or Jhene and breathe. Breathing can be therapeutic, why do you think your Apple watch tells you to take a few minutes and breathe throughout the day? Because it works. And it may not be that simple. Some days I need to walk, pray or even shut my phone off for a few. I recently recognized the hidden gems of ignoring the stresses of life and making sure Im happy and healthy. Ive made some changes in the relationships I choose. My friends list may have had some reductions, on Facebook and in real life. And work is work, 9-5 and then Im done. I don't take it home with me. I have developed a method of keeping my feet up and my headphones readily available at my desk. Does wonders for my mood and when I need to tune people out. There are so many things that you can do. Meditation apps, coloring apps and even apps that coach you on breathing. Fitting a way to improve your mental health on a daily basis can really help you focus on whats important, YOU. 

5. S O L I T U D E. 

It may not work for everybody but it definitely works for me. And sometimes its necessary to get your thoughts and feelings together. I get lost in those moments for hours, sometimes days and weeks if need be. My friends sometimes hit me like "what have you been doing?" or "where have you been?" And I cant come up with an answer. Ive either been under the covers binge watching a tv series or catching a movie or trying a new restaurant by myself. I know people that refuse to eat alone, but I enjoy it. If you never spend time with yourself do you know what you really need? Honestly it may not work for you and I do enjoy my friends and family time, but there is something so magical about "me time". Its like investing in yourself. Getting your nails done, hair cut or done at the salon, and going for a facial; are just some of the ways you can enjoy yourself without a crowd. Doesn't hurt to try it! 

Its so easy to be consumed by the things that surround us, but are you taking care of you? These are just some simple things that I do to make sure Im taken care of. There are so many things that you can do and may already do. Dont be afraid to be selfish with your time, fall back and take care of you! 

Drop what you do (in the comments) to take care of yourself. 

Back to Black

“And it’s much bigger issues in the world, I know, but I first had to take care of the world I know!” Jay Z; Rapper, Businessman, Mogul

Trump Won. The majority (Hillary won the majority vote) of the country is still in shock. I’m not. Majority of the country is distraught; I’m not! Majority of the country is scared; you get the picture. My life’s mantra is “Don’t Complain, Adjust!”. I really live that. But not everyone has that mentality. Complaining has a negative connotation so I’ll say most people are way more concerned than I am, and are voicing that concern. Right now though, I want to speak to my people. Black people. Black America is coming off of Barack Obama. Our biggest symbol of hope, nationwide, since Martin Luther King. President Barack Obama and his beautiful family exemplified everything Black Men, Black Women, Black Families, and Black love is, could be, and dare I say should be! That’s a high bar but that’s why God gave us wingspan. So most of my people feel like this is going to be a 50 year relapse. I can definitely understand why that sentiment seems plausible but the truth of the matter is, that won’t happen. But action needs to be taken Black America, and it needs to start now.

“The jewel is in the perspective, not the other way around”. That’s one of my favorite quotes. To me it means that the gift is being able to look at the same things as most people, but look at it differently. That’s how I look at segregation. Segregation was a horrible practice in this country. A product of racism and oppression but in jest, it’s not a bad practice. The reason behind it was the problem. I named this “Back to Black” because I feel like black people have to get back to caring about black people. About loving black people. About protecting black people. EDUCATING black people!! As a disclaimer I have to say that this isn’t about hating white people or any other ethnicities or about thinking that all white people are racists or against us, but you have to “take care of home first”. When PBS aired their Black Panther Party documentary earlier this year the most profound thing that resonated with me is that whenever this country saw black unity, it saw a threat. Whenever this country saw blacks being educated and self-sufficient, it saw a threat. “This country” being the powers that be. I don’t think anyone with an ounce of knowledge and integrity could deny that black systematic oppression has always existed here, even today, but I want to be very clear. The Black Panther Party wasn’t without rogue members, I doubt any organization with great volume and influence is, but what the Black Panther Party was and stood for, wasn’t what “this country” portrayed them as. No surprise there. The Black Panther Party at its core was about unity, protection, accountability, and education. Every leader in that organization had the fate of a bullet in the head, prison, or exile. Similar to Nation of Islam. In my humble opinion, the Black Panther Party was criminalized, and ultimately dismantled, because it cared more about black progression than it cared about capitalism. Capitalism isn’t the issue but we know in this country capitalism is a motivator for crime. Amongst all races and creeds. For anyone who dares to disagree with why the Black Panther Party was tactfully dismantled, tell me, were they a bigger crime threat than the Bloods and the Crips? Or any other street gang? Why was this country able to so effectively and swiftly take down the Panthers but still haven’t figured out how to reduce or eliminate the murders in Chicago that rise like the stock market? I’ll tell you why, because the Black Panther Party was educating and unifying black people; The Bloods and Crips are killing people. Could Beverly Hills ever look like the south side of Chicago? No chance in Hell. I say all that to say, our greatest strength is our unity.

If you’re black and concerned about the potential threats that have arisen with Trump becoming president, your task is simple, it’s time to go to work. It’s time to punch those time clocks and stop swiping those credit cards. It’s time to save 30% out of every paycheck (Start at 10% and work your way up) and get off government assistance slowly. It’s time to start community programs to teach kids the importance of literacy and stop depending on schools with predicated curriculums. Time to start reading up on true taxes instead of just child allowance credits. Time to read up on investing. I suggested to my own extended family (which consists of 11 adults and 11 kids) that we should start a “Family rainy day fund” where all the adults deposit $15-$20 monthly. So if anyone hits a tough stretch down the line and needs a light bill or two paid, it comes from the rainy day fund and God willing it doesn’t happen so it just builds up and eventually a portion can be used for family vacations. Start a book club amongst your family and friends where every reads non-fiction books on finances, history, politics, etc. The more information, the better. It's time to save up and buy the convenient stores in our neighborhoods back. Learn who the city councilmen are and vote to get liquor stores and pawn shops off of every corner in black neighborhoods. Start growing our own food again. Who's going to become the nutritionist in the neighborhood? Who's going to open the juice bars? Who's going to reopen, do fundraising and outreach, and take on the task of reopening community centers? Who's going to fight for the grant money allocated in the city's budget for these programs but ultimately not being dispersed? It’s time for blacks in Corporate America to give back more than money to organizations. It’s time to give back time. It’s time to give back direction. We have to educate our people on the importance of getting into position in Corporate America. Not for status or envy, but for diversity and influence. Sharing your path with kids and parents who have no idea that so many industries exist, let alone how to break into them. Oppression is and has always been systematic.

The system isn’t broken; it’s working how it was designed to work. What we have to do is break it and rebuild it. The only way to change a system is from the inside out. In New Jack City, when “The Carter” got infiltrated they had to burn it down… it’s time to infiltrate the power structure. Not for vengeance or supremacy, but for balance and equality. It’s time to go to work.