"Danny, see your future, be your future. May, make, make it, make it. Make your future Danny...." - Ty Webb talking to Danny Noonan in Caddyshack

We did our weekly mentoring session with our 7th and 8th grade boys today at a local middle school. Talked about peer relationships. At some point we got into talking about all the fights that these boys get into. I brought up how interesting I thought it was that all the kids assumed that they could get into a fight, and always just walk away with just a busted lip or something. "Don't you know of people that come to a fight with knives and guns?," I asked. "Yeah," was their reply. Just matter-of-factly. Do they hear what we're saying?

One young man said he didn't regret any of the fights he's been in, cuz he learned from them all. He didn't seem to grasp the fact that they could have ended up with someone dead. Especially in the fights that he gets into.

This kid was 13 years old, and already in a gang. No, I'm not saying that he's just hanging out with a bad group of hooligans. I'm saying he's literally a card-carrying member of a group that people make documentaries about. And he's thirteen.

We explained to him (one of our members knew a lot about the local gang activity in our community) that the next step in his membership process was going to be participation in a drive-by. He casually agreed that such a thing was probable.

Here I am sitting 3 feet away from a little boy who's looking down the very imminent path of starting a life filled with crime & punishment. And I can't even tell if he's hearing the message we're trying to speak. It didn't seem like he was even entertaining the idea of alternatives. Not that he was one of those who refused to listen to advice - he was listening to us. Not that he had violent tendencies - he was a sweet little kid. He just happened to be a 2nd-generation member of a family immersed in the _____ gang - most of his family were in it, and he admitted that most of them were in-and-out of jail.

And he's thirteen.

After the kids left, my colleagues and I just sat there quietly for a few seconds.

Now what is we gon' do?.....

"But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me...." - II Timothy 3:10-11

In the book of Timothy, Paul is mentoring his apprentice Timothy. I can imagine that Timothy felt very blessed to have someone like Paul as his mentor. I look back on the many mentors in my life, both those that I acquired formally as well as informally, and I can say that they definitely had an impact on my life.

But I found it very interesting when Paul says that Timothy has "fully known" about Paul's life. As if to say, "you know good 'n well about what I been thru", or, "don't act like you don't know a brutha!". :-) But more importantly, BECAUSE Timothy knows about Paul - his life, his walk, his hardships - it's for that very reason that Paul's testimony and teaching in Timothy's life is so real! Paul brings up the fact that Timothy knows about his life in order to punctuate why Timothy should heed his words of advice.

What do people know about me? Is my testimony as effective as it could be if those that I talk to don't know about me, and where I've been, and what God's brought me thru?

But, I don't like folks in my biz-nazz, tho. :-) Nevertheless, when I read this I thought, perhaps it's a good idea to be more conscious of opportunities to "tell my story". Certainly, we should all be able to receive a word from someone about our situation, even if they haven't experienced it themselves. But how much more do we listen to someone when we know they've gone thru the same thing we're going thru!

Maybe I'll try to share a little more of my biz-nazz... not too much, just a little. Cuz they ain't ready for the WHOLE story!... ;-)

"No Malcolm X in my history text
Why is that?
Cuz he tried to educate and liberate all Blacks
Why is Martin Luther King in my book each week?
He told Blacks if they get smacked
Turn the other cheek..."
- Tupac Shakur, "Words of Wisdom"

I saw Michael Eric Dyson on TV speaking at a bookstore for his new book. As I waded thru his machine gun barrage of big & complicated school words, I heard him speak on how the media did not correctly report on the Katrina aftermath. He talked about how the numbers reported of death & violence were not as bad as was thought, how they said white folks were "finding" food and Blacks folks were stealing it, and he even suggested that the "thugs" that the media claimed were shooting at helicopters were doing so not so much cuz they're some crazy nigras, but because they were trying to say "Hey! We're down here, too! Come get us too!"

I'm one of the last people who you'd have to remind to be skeptical of the media, but I must admit I had to check myself and remind myself of how irresponsible the media can be as it relates to our Folk. I can remember letting the media coverage at that time paint for me a picture of the Katrina situation, but instead I should have been constantly suspicious of everything they reported. Shame on me. I have to remember that the media has an agenda also, and someone is telling the story that they want to be told - writing history as THEY see it. And this Somebody is usually not someone interested in MY best interests.

Not that Dyson is necessarily telling the truth, either. But the point is, question everything.

"It's been a long time...We shouldn't have left you
Without a little beat to step to...." - Timbaland

"The Fat Boys are back [back, back..]...
And you know they can never be wack..." - The Fat Boys

[Chuck D sample] "...Once again back is the incredible..."
"It's the return of the Wild Style fashionist
Smashin hits, make it hard to adapt to this
Put pizazz and jazz in this, and cash in this
Mastered this, flash this and make em clap to this..." - Rakim, "Guess Who's Back"

Whoooooaaaaaaaaa!!!!! It's been like 3 months since I posted on this mickey-fickey! Daaannngg!

But The Ric' is back, and now the only question is..... do I have anything to say?

Of course I do! I mean, Life gets so busy some times, it be like Life is telling me to shut the ___ up. .....I be quiet.... but when it's not so busy..... I be talking again... :-)

Yo, but where does a brother begin??? Shoot, lemme just do an M3™ on you (Mental Medley Moment, patent pending):

• "Boondocks" continues to be one of my favorite shows. So glad that a Season 2 is in the works! And big ups to Asheru (who spits the verse in the intro). Check out his other music - nice.
  
• The new Sergio Mendes CD ("Timeless") is off the hook! - includes John Legend, Jill Scott, Will-I-Am, Black Thought, India Arie, Stevie Wonder (my all-time favorite), Pharoah Monche, Mr. Vegas (Heads High!), Erykah Badu, Jurassic Five, and Q-Tip! So far, the best album of '06!
  
• Yo - wutchall think about this Covenant book? Does Tavis and dem be caring about Black folks, or is this another way for them to pay the rent? Is it practical and profound? Or political froo-froo?
  
• In a couple of weeks, me and the brothers from the 100 Black Men will be doing our book club on the book "Warrior Method - Raising Black Boys". No, Angie and I are not expecting, but still - I need to be prepared, right!

Lemme stop there. I'mma talk about all this stuff in due time. But for now, it's back to the grind... As the young urban youth like to say - "I'll holla!"