Letter

Naim Jamil Quail

501 Gresham Pl Nw

20059 Washington, DC

December 2, 2009

Kanye West

555 Walla B Way

70067 Hollywood, CA

 

Dear Mr. West:

It has been brought to my attention that you created a scene during an award show a few weeks back. However, this is  not the first time that such an embarrassment on your behalf has taken place. Personally, I think you are very talented. I mean the way you have the ability to introduce poetry is phenomenal. And despite your music you have become a fashion icon, having great impact on the fashion world. Your style of clothing, becoming popular among blacks, has a lot of young black males dressing more proper than ever, with the collard shirt topped off with a sweater. Even more amazing, black men are starting to where clothes that actually fit! So, you have impacted the world with more than just your music.  It is amazing to me the impact you have on the black community, yet you continue to represent yourself as fool on national television. The truth is, it doesn’t matter to me how you made yourself look, but what matters is the example you have set for millions of young people. I would like to address the fact you are not the only one taking part in being a bad example, however, I am specifically pointing you out because I see, with all you influence, all the positive things you can do. Thus in ending, I would like to say, please stick to your old style of hip hop, because the computerization of your voice is very unattractive to the ear.

Thank you for your taking the time out your busy schedule to read this letter, and I hope you take into consideration some of the things I have said.

Sincerely, Naim Quail

The N-Word

The N-word , originally used by Whites to degrade the black race, is now used by blacks as a term of endearment like, "You my nigga!", and a term used to greet like, "What up my nigga!", or "How are you my nigga!". Modern African-Americans claim they took a negative word and gave it positive meaning. However, they fail to comprehend that every word has an origin, and its origin gives it a root meaning in which no man can change. In the "Isis Paper"Francis Cress Whelsing, a black psychologist and a Howard alumnus, indirectly discusses the origin of the N-word. She developed a theory called the "Color-Confrontation Theory". In her theory she states that when whites first came in contact with non-whites they noticed that these people possessed diverse amounts of pigment . In addition, they saw the abundance of people that acquired such pigment. The whites soon came to realize they were genetically unable to produce such diversity and they realized they were minority. Thus, they were psychologically infected with genetic color inferiority and numerical inferiority. Consciously or subconsciously they began to develop psychological defense mechanisms because of their color and numerical inadequacy. One of the defense mechanisms she discusses is reaction formation. This is a defense mechanism one uses when he or she desires something that they know is unattainable. Therefore, he or she discredits and degrades those who obtain what they so eagerly desire. Hence, one display of reaction formation was the word "nigger", which means ignorant or because of the time period in which the word was established it can take the literally meaning, which is, of unequal intelligence to whites. Accordingly, the root meaning of the word was used to make the black race inferior. It was a form of segregation and a way of humiliation. However, modern blacks claim they have transformed the meaning of the word, but that is not the case. They have only transformed the words surface from "nigger" to "nigga", and the root still remains. Thus, when a black man says "What up my nigga", he is proclaiming that their brother is ignorant,he is proclaiming that his brother is unable to be just as articulate as whites, he is proclaiming that his brother is inferior to whites, and lastly, he is segregating his brother, not only from whites, but he is segregating his brother from intelligence. How long will we let this psychological black on black crime persist?

Hip Hop

An art, the essence of poetry,  a  form of expression originally used by our ancient ancestors, a way to illuminate to the world the inequalities of the various social conditions, and a way of life, Hip Hop, has made a tremendous impact on the world. It has transformed so many lives by turning negativity into a positive form by reshaping its existence. It reshaped negativity by influencing people to show others that a path of negativity is a path of "self-destruction", thus presenting a negative lifestyle as the wrong path for ones life. However, others may associate Hip Hop with violence, sex, money, cars and all other materialistic things that the media influences us to obtain. Michael Eric Dyson, a minister, professor and author, defends Hip Hop's truest form. He shows the positivity displayed in Hip Hop using examples of Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC, and KRS One, which were some most influential people in Hip Hop.  He showed how they used their lyrics to uplift people, specifically the African American community. Although ignorance is displayed by people who may call what they are doing Hip Hop, they are only presenting a bastardized version of Hip Hop that I and many others like to call, rap. However, it is hard to control the rap community, who are only in it for a quick buck, but Hip Hop is something that is done for more than just money.  Hip Hop reveals to the world experiences of injustice, inequality, peace, love, hate and the list can go on but one vital point is , Hip Hop comes from within.

Black Founding Father

As seen through many moments in history division can transcend to unity of a particular of group. During slavery some of the enslaved formed a bond and an unwritten pact that they would stick together, and many of them escaped. During segregation the excluded and ostracized commenced the Civil Rights movement. Thus, no matter how much one tries to divide groups unity will appear in some form. A journalist and historian, Lerone Bennet, in an essay "Black Founding Fathers", exemplifies unity stemming from division. He discusses the implementation of institutions, specifically black institutions, branching from their seclusion from whites. He says that these institutions began to define these black. They displayed the unity of blacks during unfair times. He specifically talks about two people, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, who created the Free African Society. One day while in church Absalom was praying  in church where whites are suppose to pray. White men were forcing him to move from this spot and many of the blacks were watching. After this they all walked out the church in one body. Therefore, from seclusion came a body of people and the formation of the Free African Society. This black society established positive institutions including churches, and schools. Many of these establishments are still used today. So, if it wasn't for the unity that the black founding fathers established in our past many of the institutions used by blacks today would not have been created and change would not have happened.

Pan-Africanism

Division is a tool used to weaken groups of people. Through unity comes strength and when one is attempting to obtain control over a group of people weakening these people is the first step. In "Pan Africanism" , Kwame Ture discusses the division of Africa. When one recognizes someone of Japaneses descent, despite what part of Japan they are from, they are classified as Japanese. In contrast, a pseron of african descent is specifically classified by culture or ethnic divisions. However, if one is of African descent they should no long involve themselves with these divisions. They should recognize that before anything else they are African. They should be identified as only African because that is the essence of their true identity. However, when divisions are set in place their is a higher possibility of animosity between certain groups evolving. Therefore people, who are one in the same, begin to grow hate towards each other. The unity that was once in place now no longer exist. Thus, the strength once established between those people has detiorated into weakness.

Since the mid 1600's to the late 1800's Europeans forcefully spreaded their culture among Africa through the colonization of numerous African countries. This colonization caused a change in many of the Africans authentic culture. However, some African culture remained rooted and grounded, thus, allowing some of Africa to keep its pure form. Furthermore, the European ways greatly differed from the Africans. Steven Biko, a prominent South Africa activist, wrote a detailed comparison of western and African culture. In this comparison religion consisted of drastic differences between the Europeans and Africans. Initially, Africans denied the existence of a hell, because they refused to belief that such a wonderful God would create humans to live a short life and be sent to such a awful place. However, Europeans corrupted the minds of the Africans with this idea using it as a scare tactic to gain African followers. Therefore, the Europeans debased the African culture for personal gain, forever changing parts of the African culture.

Their Eyes are Watching God

It is often thought that men maintain a majority of the power in a relationship. Their main duty as the male is to take on most of the external hardships in which women are too physically or mentally weak to handle. However, the reality is many men use this responsibility as tool to control the relationship. Most men feel like they are obligated to withhold a position of power, therefore they use their strength in the form of physical means to uphold this position. Zora Nelson adequately depicts these types of relationships in which a women, Janie Starkes, is unable to break free from the power of men. Janie Starks is a women of free will, but throughout the book she displays a level of weakness. She marries three times, and every marriage consisted of some form of abuse. Out of her three marriages, Janie only truly loves one of her husbands. Her weakness is displayed by the allowance of physical and verbal abuse. There is no excuse for a man to hit a woman, and there is no excuse for a woman to take it. Only a powerless woman allows a man to destroy her pride and dignity, however a woman of power will defend it to the death. Accordingly, Janie Starks was portrayed as a woman with no will power to defend her pride or dignity, but a woman with a weak mind who lived under total control.