being latin and black

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Being Latin And Black: Afro-Latinos Grapple With Labels In U.S. By Janita Poe is another decent overview from a few years back.

what does "afro-latino" mean?

From Afro-Latina scholar, Tanya Hernandez: What Does "Afro-Latino" Mean? is a brief demographic overview with some good links.

"i've seen ethiopians knocking out rome"

I've recently been reflecting on the Seas of David and have been working (for a while now) on a post which looks at a broad class of groups which are similar in a very loose sense. That process of reflection reminded me of a group called the Longhairz Collective who aren't Rastas or Hebrew Israelites but they sing about living a natural lifestyle, keeping the Nazrite vow (growing dreads), Black Jesus etc. Their album Dreadlocks and Ponytails, features the song "1nce in a Lifetime" which contins one of my favorite lines of any song.

1nce in a LifeTime

You don’t have to know
Just as long as you let your hair grow
So ease your worried mind
Once in a lifetime you could let your light shine
Once in a lifetime you could let your light shine

Once in a lifetime I write rhymes upon holy topics.
MC’s blaspheme me… I say stop it.
Once in a lifetime, or maybe twice, I’m gonna be a prophet.
So listen to the message when I drop it.

Once in a lifetime you realize that there is something greater.
Too many lifetimes have gone by, back to the Creator.
In prime time the rhyme I display to make you savor
Your lifetime, and every breath.

‘Cuz I know lifetimes that ended within a blaze of anger
My brother by his own hands, or neighbor killing neighbor.
The flavor I discovered my cousin at the hands of her lover.
Love her? Word to the mother.

Speaking of mothers mines passed on. I was a youth.
So now I am a wanderer searching for the truth.
I doubt that I exist. I need to find some proof
In this lifetime. What’s the use?

Once in a lifetime I see my existence worthwhile
If I can make a difference in the life of a child
Provide an opportunity for cracking a smile
In a lifetime.

My folks be living Volume 2: The Hard Knock Life
Once in a lifetime is a feeling and you can’t put a price
On the right time, the right place, the right situation
Like Malcolm giving speeches to a standing ovation

Like King when he preaches
Or Ella when she sings
Madame Zora when she wrote
It was a beautiful thing

In my lifetime I‘ve seen pharaohs upon the throne
I’ve seen Ethiopians knocking out Rome
I’ve seen Nat Turner rise and claim his own.
In my lifetime the Prodigal Son is headed home.

The Prodigal Son is headed home.

You don’t need to know
Just as long as you let your hair grow
So ease your worried mind
Once in a lifetime you can let your light shine
Once in a lifetime you can let your light shine

Do you understand Aaliyah as the muse to the Pharaoh?
What the hell you think they mean by “His eye is on the Sparrow”?
Have you seen Biggie and ‘Pac in guerrilla apparel?
You think that camouflage is the shit that they wanted to wear?

In my lifetime, when we were stomping Europe led by Hannibal
All folks could do is run, hide and call us cannibals.
My father ruled Spain as the king of the Moors
The blackness of my skin is what the named the Dark Ages for

Wisdom is what we had sages for. Don’t ignore!
How can I be rich if my grandmother is poor?
In this lifetime each move we make is for a goal
And every step we take works for making us whole.

All the cheddar that we earn and the plots that we plan
It’s moving us to levels we can't yet understand
In this lifetime we move from surving to thriving
From taking up space to really being alive

If we be seeing each second we exist as a gift
Living life ready to die, and dying, ready to live
Living life ready to die, and dying, ready to live
In this lifetime.

First of all, the song is amazing overall. But on the most literal level, the line "I've seen Ethiopians knocking out Rome" makes me think of how Ethiopia under Hallie Selassie fought back and successfully resisted an invasion attempt by Italy under the Fascist leader, Mussolini. But in addition "Ethiopia" and "Rome" sit in the middle of incredibly rich sets of associations. "Rome" is the heart of the ancient "West". It was the center of a fallen pagan military Empire. Cosmopolitan. Exemplified by compromise. (After all, "When in Rome...") The Roman Catholic Church. Ceasar. Nero. Caligula. Technological achievements, power and force combined with brutality and violence. Fascism. The aqueducts and roads. Crucifix and the Colliseum.

"Ethiopia", on the other hand, is the spiritual homeland of the Rastafarians. Ethiopian Orthodoxy is arguably a more ancient form of Christianity than the Roman Catholic Church. Ethiopia protected the early Muslims when they sought asylum from the pagans of Quraysh. Ethiopia is one of the few countries in Africa which was never successfully colonized by Europeans. Ethiopia is also the secret location of the Ark of the Covenant. There is also a tradition that Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (called Bilqis in Islamic sources) had a child named Menelik who brought Judaism to Ethiopia and was the ancestor of the Ethiopian Jews. (So not unlike the Da Vinci Code we have a secret relationship of a major Biblical character which left behind a bloodline of prophetic and political significance since Halie Selassie/Ras Tafari claims descent from this union.)

I could probably go on but I don't want to bore y'all. InshaAllah, I'll blog on the other movements later. But it's just amazing how much meaning is packed into that Ethiopia/Rome pairing. What side are you on? Genius. What can I say.. I'm a fan.

the egalitarian face of islamic orthodoxy

New study finds religious orthodoxy associated with support for progressive economic reforms

In research based on survey data from seven predominantly Muslim nations (Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) the authors found that Islamic orthodoxy -- identified as the desire to implement Islamic law (shari'a) as the sole legal foundation of their nation -- is associated in every country with support for such progressive economic reforms as increasing the responsibility of government for the poor, reducing income inequality, and increasing government ownership of businesses and industries.

latino muslims of the bay area

Wow, new blog. Say hello to: Latino Muslims of the Bay Area

muslims march with latino community - july 18th

As part of IMAN’s ongoing commitment and work with the Latino community, a key group of IMAN staff and leaders have formed IMAN’s Immigrant Rights Committee (IRC) with the intention of forging a long-term strategy to advocate and mobilize on behalf of immigrant rights and to develop meaningful grassroots collaborations and connections between urban communities and issues.

Towards that end, IMAN’s IRC will be joining Centro sin Fronteras and other key grassroots Latino organizations and media outlets in several weeks to mobilize for a march on Wednesday July 18th. Many key social justice issues concerning the fate of millions of undocumented peoples have yet to be resolved and the call for justice, mercy and human dignity must continue to be heard from all our communities. IMAN feels compelled to make certain that the Muslim voice remains loud and clear on these issues.

Wednesday July 18th
7:45am-2pm
Immigration Rights Struggle Continues
Bus Leaves 7:45am-Returns 2pm
From New IMAN Office
2744 W. 63rd Street
Chicago, IL
irc@imancentral.org
www.imancentral.org
773.434.4626
Reserve a Seat Today!

terry howcott

I just found I was given a link over at Terry Howcott's: Strongly Recommended Sites (albeit under the name "Tokens Aren't Just for Buses") so I thought it would be cool to return the favor.

su-shi simplified

From Lantern Torch: Su-Shi Simplified is a Shia response to egypt and the shias from Tavis Adibudeen who is the latest new contributor to the Third Resurrection group blog. (Did you notice how I worked in the subtle plug for Third Resurrection?)

african aspects of the puerto rican personality

African Aspects of the Puerto Rican Personality by (the late) Dr. Robert A. Martinez covers some familiar ground and rehashes some well-known topics like the African contribution to Puerto Rican music and popular religion. What I found a bit more interesting is how the paper touched on Arab/Spanish racial attitudes as well as some of the economic factors which determined the course of Black enslavement in Puerto Rico.

ranks of latinos turning to islam are increasing

Puerto Rico Herald: Ranks Of Latinos Turning To Islam Are Increasing by Daniel J. Wakin

"when in the course of human events..."

A holiday sampler from Grenada's past with words from Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Filiberto Ojeda Rios and an alternative perspective on Black Freedom and the American Revolution. Also, if you want to read more broadly, I also found an interesting list of Movements for National, Ethnic Liberation or Regional autonomy. I often wonder to what extent we as Americans believe in the ideals and principles of the Declaration of Independence. Do we celebrate the 4th of July because it is simply the national birthday? Or is there a real affirmation of the idea that government authority depends on the consent of the governed?

Planet Grenada:
what to the slave is the fourth of july?
for the fourth of july
"querido fbi"
black loyalists

egypt and the shias

Since I'm on the Su-Shi web ring, every once in a while I feel obligated to blog on the subject every once in a while. To be honest, I don't think I've significantly deepened my thoughts about how to understand the Sunni-Shia split since the last post. I'm basically Sunni but I'm intrigued by the idea of how close to Shia Islam a Sunni can get. I occasionally recall how almost all the Sunni Sufi tariqats trace their lineage through Ali (ra) and some of the exalted titles given to Sufi Shaykhs (like Insan al-Kamil or perfect man) seem to come awfully close to the Shia concept of Imamate. So even though Abu Bakr (ra) was the valid khalifah, a Sunni could still say that a unique spiritual characteristic was transmitted through Ali (may allah enoble his face [1] [2]) and touched several of his descendants. (Some of the Shia imams also appear in the chains of Sunni tariqats).

I'm rehashing some of this, because I recently came across the following article from Al-Ahram: Egypt: Sunni but Shia inclined which discusses the role of Shia Islam to the history of Egypt.


Grenada's past:
sushi revisited: part one
sushi revisited: part two

mumia abu jamal: hispanics, latin america and the struggle against the empire

Hispanics, Latin America and the Struggle Against the Empire an interview with Mumia Abu Jamal by Rafael Rodriguez-Cruz on the Black Panthers, Cuba, COINTELPRO, the Patriot Act, the immigration movement and other issues.

See also: mumia abu jamal - death blossoms

a "new" look at engagement?

In A "New" Look at Engagement? Motazz Soliman looks at African-American and Hispanic-American struggles for inclusion in order to gain insights to guide Muslims in American society.

black versus brown

MSNBC: Can the venerable black-Latino coalition survive the surge in Hispanic power?

the senselessness of guantanamo

In These Times: The Senselessness of Guantanamo

better formatting?

For most of the time I've had this blog I've surfed the web with Internet Explorer, but I've recently learned (first-hand unfortunately) that the program has weaknesses which can be exploited by viruses so then I switched to Mozilla. But then I realized that Grenada hasn't been displaying properly on Mozilla so recently I started to tweak the html a little and now things seem to be looking a bit better. I've also noticed an upswing in hits. I wonder if it is all related?

the south park where chef becomes muslim (the comeback)

I posted this before but You Tube removed the clip from their site so the old link is no good. But I recently found another site where it is still available. This is the episode where Chef decides to protest the flag of South Park because of its racist overtones (undertones, through-tones) and along the way becomes Muslim and changes his name to Abdul Mohammed Jabar-Rauf Kareem Ali.

the one who got away

On the personal tip: I found out a few days ago that "the one who got away" has a daughter who is a little less than a year old. It's weird. When I found out she got married it was bittersweet but I can still honestly say I was happy for her. This time around it's still bittersweet but I think its more bitter than sweet. Odd. Maybe I'm just in a different place. Or maybe it's just me getting sad about the road not taken.

Also, it's funny that I'm getting into this at all because I also recently found out that Grenada is even less anonymous than I thought it was. Anyway... I have some posts on the back burner and I'm still figuring out life stuff. More later.

amish drug rings or why profiling is really stupid

This recent mess in Miami (where many of the news reports jumped to the false conclusion that the Seas of David were Muslim) reminds me of some of the dangers of profiling. The problem is, any time you single out one group and treat them with greater suspicion, then logically it means putting everyone else under less scrutiny. And when some of those people realize how much they can get away with, they will often take advantage of it.

For example, when I was in high school I had the sense that for some of my white classmates, shoplifting was almost a "rite of passage". When they went to the stores, no one was paying particular attention to them, and they could nab things with a certain amount of confidence and impunity. After all, why would anyone suspect a fifteen-year old white kid?

I thought I'd share with you my two "favorite" examples of how this logical flipside of profiling can lead to some rather spectacular misdeeds.

The first is an Amish drug ring. Yes, you heard me correctly. An Amish drug ring. Apparently from 1992 to 1997, two Amish youths had entered into an arrangement with a local motorcycle gang and sold $100,000 worth in cocaine to youths in the Philadelphia area. This was possible, precisely because the police would generally ignore the Amish. After all what could they be up to in their buggies and hats?

The second example happened after 9/11. Everywhere in the U.S. , Middle Easterners/Muslims were obviously being singled out as a threat. Security in many public places was elevated and racial profiling was becoming more blatant. The amazing thing is that in this atmosphere of heightened attention to certain ethnic groups, where people can't even bring cigarette lighters or nail clippers onto airplanes, a fifteen-year old white kid still manages to fly a plane into a building!

If we really want to be safe and secure, it means (among other things) looking objectively at the world and not taking for granted that certain demographic groups are innocent and harmless while other groups are scary and threatening. We have to be willing to look objectively at the world with fresh eyes instead of taking the prejudiced (and intellectually lazy) route of merely rounding up the "usual suspects".