The Plight of Black Men and Ra-Ubadiah Hotep Who Cared About Us

by Kenny Anderson

From my experience as a Black man and what I’ve seen, the life-span of the majority of us as Black men in racist America whatever the ending age has been a constant grind that’s distressing and exhausting. Living for Black men in this country is a tiring battle; psychologist refer to it as ‘racial battle-fatigue’.

Black men we live each day knowing that we can be murdered by racist law enforcement officers like the recent police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota; that Black men can be murdered by all types of racist white men and other non-Black males; that they can be murdered by other Black men; yes Black men we live with a ‘bulls-eye’ on our chests, it’s always open-season on us!

Black men we live everyday being ‘male-bashed’ by so many Black women and non-Black females, this male-bashing causes too many of our children and grandchildren to disrespect us. Black men we live under a barrage of being unappreciated, devalued, disgusted, slighted, blamed, accused, suspected, investigated, discriminated, rejected, neglected, stunted, marginalized, hunted, attacked, murdered, victimized, and traumatized.

All the chronic stress Black men face every day causes many of us to die prematurely from heart attacks and strokes; while many of us seek daily temporary relief through drugs, alcohol, sex, religion, ego-tripping, or zoned out in sports land. Many Black men try to find a ‘space’ in the house generally in the basement ‘man cave’ to debrief and relax from relentless stress.

Ra Ubadiah Hotep His Open House: An Oasis in the Distressed Desert

For decades in Pontiac, Michigan Ra Ubadiah Hotep who recently became an Ancestor was a conscious cultural facilitator and Black male advocate who provided distressed Black men with much-much more than just a man cave; he opened up his home on Fridays for decades as a space where Black men could come relax, rejuvenate, recreate, and redevelop themselves.

Ra Ubadiah Hotep's open-house was known informally as the ‘Omni Development Space Complex’ (ODSC) a cultural free space likened to the safe houses of the Underground Railroad. The safe houses of the Underground Railroad were spaces where our enslaved Ancestors could stay and hide; food and clothing was provided as well as a bed to sleep on.

Ra Ubadiah Hotep’s ‘Omni Development Space Complex’ represented a contemporary Underground Railroad 'free space' that facilitated the ‘all’ in the sense of avant-garde jazz music therapeutic expression, promoted learning an instrument, promoted learning Black History, enhanced a sense of Brotherhood, encouraged creative expressions (poetry) and polemic rap sessions, use of herbs and herbal remedies, and provided nutritious meals (navy beans with smoke turkey and cornbread).

Black men looked forward weekly to come through ODSC; local Black auto workers who played instruments would come through after a stressful day of work, musicians would come through, Black male college students from Oakland University would come through, conscious Black men came through, and a variety of other Black men came through ODSC.

Ra Ubadiah Hotep was an embodiment of 1960’s Black Nationalism & Cultural Nationalism that he kept alive so we could be connected to this super-important classic period. Ra Ubadiah Hotep left an indelible mark on me by exposing me to the writings of the great Black Panther revolutionary George Jackson who matured my thinking and sharpened my political ideology.

Ra Ubadiah Hotep would send many Brothers hand-written letters including writing many in jail and prisons; he was a surrogate father-figure for many younger Black males. Ra Ubadiah Hotep was an avid reader and was constantly recreating himself to his death.

About a month ago I talked with Ra Ubadiah Hotep for several hours, our conversation focused on Kemetic spirituality and its funerary ritual that he requested I conduct for him. In the Kemetic funeral ritual the deceased heart was weighed on scale before Ancestral jurors. Indeed Ra Ubadiah Hotep’s heart was with the overall betterment and wellbeing of Black men, thus our Paternal Ancestral jurors’ judgment is that they are pleased with his heart!

Ra Ubadiah Hotep is now an Ancestor to be constantly remembered through portraits of him on walls and altars; his birthday becomes a holiday celebration; and libations poured consistently in his name. As Black men we thank you for caring about us, in your memory let us extend your legacy by continuing to care about the welfare of Black men. Much Love & Appreciation!!

Stop 'Sect-Trippin' Unite and 'Gang-Up' on Racial Oppression

by Kenray Sunyaru

Black folks in this brief post I will use the terms ‘gangs’ and ‘sects’ interchangeably. From my perspectives sect is a word which conjures up many different emotions, opinions, and perspectives; for me a sect is a group of Black people who share a particular set of political, gang, or religious beliefs.

These sects believe their particular sect’s interests is greater than the overall interests and struggle of Black people resulting in narrow-minded partisanship which is ‘divisive’ preventing operational unity; in the case of Black ‘gang’ sects this division is often hostile leading to a constant cycle of violence and murders.

Where are all the Black ‘gangsters’ when it comes to defending the hood from racist attacks and murders like the recent killing of Ahmaud Arbery? When are all these Blacks sects of all kinds going to come together to ‘bang’ on racial oppression?

Racist Murders of Black Men From 'Walking While Black' to 'Jogging While Black'

by Kenray Sunyaru

  "White men are experts in killing Black men" - Malcolm X

Black men y'all remember in Florida 2012 the racist George Zimmerman followed an 'unarmed' Black boy Trayvon Martin and murdered him for ‘Walking While Black’.

Recently in Georgia a white man 'ex-police officer' Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael chased down an 'unarmed' Black man Ahmaud Arbery like a deer and murdered him for ‘Jogging While Black’; these murderous white men were never arrested nor detained!!

Black folks, a Black man being a murder victim while jogging aint nothing new! In 1999 ex-University of Detroit basketball coach Ricky Birdsong an 'unarmed' Black man jogging near his home in Skokie, Illinois with his son and daughter ages 8 and 10 was murdered by Benjamin Nathaniel Smith, a member of the white supremacist Creativity Movement.

Indeed Black men we need to hear ‘some’ many more stories about armed Black men who defend themselves killing murderous white men. When many more of these stories occur white men will think twice about running up on us.

Black Men Lead in Dying From COVID-19 Deaths

by Kenray Sunyaru

Black men when we usually think of the Ebonic phrase "being caught slipping" it means not having a gun in your possession possibly resulting in being shot or robbed by another Black man. 

This time in a viral sense we’ve been caught slipping by the COVID-19 disease pandemic because our health was ‘slacking’ so our lungs are being attacked and shot through by the virus.

Unfortunately but expectedly due to racism and health irresponsibility as Black men we lead the U.S. in COVID-19 disease deaths. Our deplorable health slacking status in America has been an urgency racial health disparity issue for us to address for many-many decades. 

Black men are dying disproportionately to the COVID-19 virus pandemic

This COVID-19 pandemic has now fully exposed our slacking health neglect and fragilness as an emergency that's taking us out. Too many of us neglected our health pursuing expensive clothes, shoes, jewelry, and vehicles. 

Previously, the only deaths we were focusing on was Black-on-Black male murders which is important, however we weren't focusing on chronic diseases that have been killing Black men off hundreds of times greater than Glocks, AKs, Dracos, and AR-15s. 

Black men millions of us have been 'laid down' prematurely by Heart Disease, Strokes, Diabetes, etc. Yeah we've been focusing on Black homicidals, but not on our suicidal health slacking. 

For all the Black men out here who consider themselves rough-neck, hard-core, thug, and gangsters none of these 'tough identities' can protect y'all from COVID-19; add some health awareness to y'all's identity! 

To Black men who smoke cigarettes and marijuana every day y'all need to quit to save y'all's lungs; smokers are more vulnerable to contract the virus. Y'all need to learn about y'all's lungs and respect y'all's ability to breathe, cause COVID-19 is a 'dog-ass' breath taker for real!

Indeed the COVID-19 upheaval is a time of reckoning and resolution; it's a time for realization that the American system nor us in the past or the present have addressed the Black male health crisis. 

Now in this COVID-19 pandemic we're not dying from 'drive-bys', we're dying from 'airbornes'. Our current Black male health slacking crisis is what Rapper Kendrick Lamar stated when he rapped: "For generations we've been dealt a bad-hand with bad-plans."

As Black men during this COVID-19 pandemic let us now deal ourselves a 'good-hand', developing ourselves a lifestyle changing personal health plan! 

Black Man's Perspective on the Past Spanish Flu Pandemic and the Present Coronavirus Epidemic COVID-19: What Have We Learned in a 100 Years and What We Gone Do?

by Kenny Anderson

Black folks the current coronavirus ‘COVID-19’ is causing many of us to panic as if viruses ‘massive communicable diseases’ are new, unfortunately they are not!

From the beginning being the first humans on this planet our original ancient African Ancestors had to deal with viruses interacting with nature. When it comes to pathogens, viruses, and diseases nature is always creating them; since 1970 more than 1,500 new pathogens have been discovered.

These pandemics and epidemics are sparked either by the re-emergence of pathogens that have been familiar for a long time, but now threaten new, immunologically vulnerable populations, or are newly-emerging ones. They come in a daunting array of species of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

Some of these communicable viruses and diseases are facilitated by oppression, poverty, and ill-health; some are caused by man-made habitat destruction and global warming; some are borne in contaminated water or food; some others are carried in the air we breathe and by human touch.

The emerging pandemics and epidemics are coming from animals; this is a burgeoning threat, because animals are intensively farmed, transported for trade and kept in close contact with other species and humans in market places.

What we have to accept and understand is the uncertainty of life and the unpredictable power of nature including its ability to create new infectious threats to human health that emerge often without warning like being hit with a viral sucker punch.

Deadly U.S. Spanish Flu Pandemic

Also Black folks we need to know that a virus pandemic like the coronavirus COVID-19 is nothing new to the U.S. as Malcolm X once said that “the study of history rewards all research.”

History shows that in 1918 the U.S. was hit with a deadly Influenza Pandemic ‘Spanish Flu’, this flu afflicted over 25 percent of the U.S. population and killed over 675,000 people. In one year, the average life expectancy in the United States dropped by 12 years.

The Spanish Flu pandemic swept the world from January 1918 to December 1920 killed an estimated 50 to 80 million people. One fifth of the world's population was attacked by this deadly virus.

Within months it had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history. The Spanish flu was the first of two pandemics caused by the H1N1 influenza virus, the second was the swine flu in 2009.

Black folks it’s interesting, but not surprising that the overwhelming majority of us know nothing about the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic though we were hit the hardest by pneumonia deaths from it!

Seemingly there’s an ignorance of history that the influenza pandemic of 1918 has been overlooked by most of us who post on Facebook.

Blacks and the Spanish Flu Pandemic

When the 1918 influenza epidemic began its deadly tour across the United States, Blacks were already beset by racism caused major public health, medical, and socioeconomic problems that shaped how they experienced the epidemic and how the epidemic affected them.

By 1918, medical and public health reports had documented that Black folks had lower rates from the Spanish Flu pandemic than whites. Though Blacks were less susceptible to this influenza, however if they contracted it they died more frequently than whites because of their deprived social conditions and their susceptibility to ‘pneumonia’.

The great scholar and activist W.E.B. Du Bois contended the higher rates of pneumonia for Blacks was due to racial health disparities that reflected racist socioeconomic degradation, not racial susceptibilities; he stated “poor health is not a Negro affair, but an index of social condition.”

Learning Lessons from the Spanish Flu Pandemic

As Black folks what should we learn from the Spanish Flu pandemic? First is, we were more prone to dying from pneumonia when we contracted the Spanish Flu. This is not surprising, studies show that upper respiratory diseases was the number #1 cause of death for our enslaved Ancestors.

Indeed slavery stress trauma epigenetically compromised our lung genes. We know the coronavirus ‘COVID-19’ attacks your lungs and its worst impact is it causes death ‘pneumonia lung collapse’.

Yes Black folks we are more vulnerable of dying from ‘COVID-19’ due to slavery weakened lung genetic predispositions, chronic stress that causes inflammation to the lungs, and chronic diseases that compromises lung functioning. Currently Blacks lead the U.S. in respiratory diseases and die more from pneumonia.

Black Self-Determination and the Spanish Flu Pandemic

Although during the Spanish Flu pandemic Black folks faced racism, Jim Crow segregation, the Klan, shortage of resources, and a lack of health-care facilities, our folks mobilized themselves to provide relief activities.

In many cities Black women went into the homes of Black influenza victims to provide care and clean homes. Black women who were home economics teachers volunteered to cook at food centers, schools, hospitals, and nurseries.

Across the country Black folks assumed the primary responsibility for providing care for each other stricken by the Spanish Flu; they clearly understood that their health was not a priority of the American government.

In 1918 Black folks faced the Spanish Flu pandemic being on the bottom socioeconomically degraded; aint shit changed still today we face the COVID-19’ pandemic in last place with too many of us sick and suffering from socioeconomic degradation.

The Spanish Flu pandemic was just over 100 years ago, now in 2020 we as Black folks face the coronavirus ‘COVID-19’ pandemic, do we have any internal self-reliant health contingency plans to address this new pandemic?

As Black folks if the COVID-19 virus disease continues to spread and we are more vulnerable to die from it because of our compromised health due to suffering ‘super-significantly’ more from chronic diseases, so what are we going to do every day other than just gossip, worry, panic, and spew conspiracy theories?

Do we have any other possibilities other than praying, hoping, and waiting? Is our only plan to stay at home and maybe get a $1,200 Trump coronavirus check? Does our organizations (Urban League, NAACP, NOI, Churches, etc.) have alternative relief plans?

Right now where I live I don’t see hospitals doing much for Black folks who’ve contacted the mild form of the coronavirus other than sending them home to stay indoors and take a Tylenol.

Since we have to deal with the reality of social distancing, how do we best use social media (Facebook, Zoom) conference calls, etc. to provide immune boosting health literacy, stress management, and direction?

If push comes to shove and we have to go in the homes of our family members, relatives, and friends who’ve contacted the coronavirus to assist or save them shouldn’t we be buying some hazmat suits ($62) and training ourselves of how to use this protective suit? Or is it going to be every Black person for themselves and God bless us all?

We need to really think about contingency relief efforts that includes tapping into the spirit of Sankofa, identifying historical prescriptions, practicing the 7 Principles of Kwanza, applying the healing insights of Dr. Sebi, Dr. Laila Afrika and other local healer leaders of how we are going to self-manage the coronavirus pandemic.

If we don’t try to manage the coronavirus, who will? Talk to me!

Black History Month: The Racist Sexual Molestation of Enslaved Black Men on Plantations

by Kenray Sunyaru

Black Folks especially Black men, Black History Month is a time for truth, the truth is that historians and everybody else will talk about how Black women were raped, but nobody wants to speak about what happened to Black men and boys sexually.

Most of us know the truth about 'Lynching' a white male supremacy tool of castration to emasculate enslaved Black men. What we probably don't know the truth about is 'Buck Breaking' another white supremacists degrading effeminate tool of anal raping of enslaved Black men.

A degraded and humiliated Buck-Braked Black male slave

During slavery white male plantation owners had something that’s very rarely talked about called "BUCK BREAKING". This is where they would look out on their plantations and take the biggest, the baddest, and the strongest Black male slave that there was and they would take this slave and tie him down spread eagle naked and then in front of all the women, the children, and the other male slaves, they would repeatedly run up in his anus as a means of not only effiminizing him but to let all around know that they had no protection.

As Black men deep in our psychological DNA and generational subconsciousness is this racist ghost of 'dicks being chopped-off and assholes busted out' that insideously haunts us.

This sexual molestation unconsciously drives our insecurity which influences a sense of powerlessness, impotency, inadequacy, and over compensating 'super-machoism'; this is coupled by the extreme lacking of the 2 dominant universal Manhood attributes 'Providing' and 'Protecting'. 

Indeed as Black men under institutionalize racism, we are both systematically and socially-engineered kept economically and militarily weak!! We operate in the world with a 'baby-boy' psychology and get treated as such. 

In Black communities we as Black men and our sons daily give our monies to non-Black male store owners whose businesses dominate us. Moreover over 70 percent of Black households are headed by females; increasingly I see little Black boys being escorted by lesbians. More and more Black gay men our being promoted by the white controlled media. 

Yes there is a Black male crisis! This Black History Month, Black men we need to analyze and address the serious identity crossroad we face. There are forces externally and internally trying to make traditional Black manhood confusing, irrelevant, and obsolete through unisexualization.

A Black Man’s Perspective on Mother F**ker Its Use Toward Racism and in General

by Kenray Sunyaru

White linguistic scholars don’t agree on the origin of the word ‘Mother Fucker’, but they do agree that the first documented use of the word was by Black folks. 

According to Black folks’ etymology the word mother fucker was based on the experience of Black male slaves who used the Ebonic term to refer to white slave-masters who raped our foremothers in order to break the Black family down physically and psychologically; and the word ‘MF’ also served as a means to avoid calling your slave-master your father.

Since Black folks used the word first I’m going to roll with our meaning of the word mother fucker. Growing-up as a child I constantly heard Black older folks and elders say with disdain when talking about racism was “them dirty-rotten white motherfuckers,” and I heard many young adult Black males often say disdainfully "mother fuck them racist crackers." 

I also would often hear Black men with pride say in an ignoring sense "mother fuck them white people they aint important" meaning don’t pay attention 'get caught-up' in white peoples looks, beliefs, values, standards, and what they think about you because they’re ‘messed-up’; that they ain’t special 'superior'; you don’t need their approval so stop approval-seeking and be proud of your own Blackness!

As I grew older I heard many conscious Black men say the white man has fucked us and is still fucking over us, in this sense fuck means to deny, neglect, and take advantage of ‘exploit’. These same Brothers would also say the white man has fucked our minds up 'mentacide' causing dependency, doubt, distress, shame, and self-hatred.

The word mother fucker can be used to describe Black folks too, for example in the case of Black men who just want to fuck ‘have sex’ with Black women get them pregnant and don’t want to be fathers. MF used in another form to nullify ‘Fuck You’ can be said to many Black women who are damaged, never satisfied, selfish users, and play manipulative emotional mind games. 

Fuck you can be said to many Black folks in general who are ignorant and stubbornly stuck on stupid; have bad attitudes, addictions, unrealistic expectations, ungrateful, etc. Fuck you can be used as mindful self-talk by saying ‘fuck my own bull-shit’ to self-check your own unproductive mental chatter and negative thinking. 

Indeed fuck that, fuck them, fuck you, and fuck me can be used as a quick external and internal dismiss tool to keep it moving ‘don’t miss a beat’!

In recent years whites have taken the Ebonic term ‘Fuck’ and made a philosophy out of it and they have a manifesto book "The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck” written by Mark Manson. This book is a decent read and highlights some good general insights; the following are some of Manson’s noteworthy points:

*Not giving a fuck is not about being indifferent. It just means you’re comfortable with being different. Don’t say fuck it to everything in life, just to the unimportant things.

*To not give a fuck about adversity, you must first care about something more important than adversity.

*Whether you realize it or not, you are always choosing what to give a fuck about. The key is to gradually prune the things you care about, so that you only give a fuck on the most important of occasions.

*If you are able to not give a fuck about the pain your goals require, then you become unstoppable.

*The moments when we don’t give a fuck and take action are often the moments that most define the course of our lives.

*You are going to die someday. Everyone you know is going to die soon. And in your short life you only have a certain amount of fucks to give. 

Indeed, Black folks we give a fuck about a lot of petty BS that has much to do about nothing, aint got nothing to do with dealing with racism, nor self-determination and gaining more freedom. 

Moreover we have a lot of out-cold Black men who subscribe to a “I don’t give a fuck mentality” that’s self-defeating and self-destructive which drives Black-on-Black violence and murders. 

It ain’t just about not giving a fuck, it’s what you're giving a fuck about?