So What Are We Doing Now? I thought the topic was police brutality? Where to donate to Support #BlackLives

Let’s talk about how the world is moving after the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmed Arbury.

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We’re now near to a month in with bringing police brutality to the forefront of the media. Almost every day, we’re hearing new stories of someone getting killed or abused by cops. Just this week, former Atlanta Officer was charged with the murder of Rayshard Brook, a black man who was fatally shot in an Atlanta Wendy’s drive-thru after running away with the officer’s taser. We’re also seeing multiple petitions for many other cases involving social injustices being revisited. Mom of Kendrick Johnson, the black Georgia high school student that was found dead in the high school gymnasium in 2013, held a “Justice for Kendrick” rally on Saturday. Even Kim Kardashian shared her sentiments and support for signing a petition to reopen his case. The world looks like it’s making a turn for a change.

There are hundreds of companies and organizations making public stances in support of ending police brutality, supporting police reform, defunding police departments, and so on. The world is looking like it’s making a breakthrough. It really is. As a result of all these changes happening, we as a society look like we don’t know what we should be focusing on because there are lots of organizations making PSAs that aren’t directly focused on police reform but systemic racism in general. I log online and feel like my brain is being pulled from one breakthrough on one side of the country to the next breakthrough on the other.

And like any hot topic, there are so many inquisitive people pondering why we are making so many changes. Questions I’ve seen being asked:

What should be our main focus in the media?
What should we have our attention emotionally, spiritually, and physically?
What’s good for our mind during all of this?
What does this tell me about my frame of character?
Are the changes we’re making moving us in a positive direction?

These are all very good questions to ponder. But I also see people arguing about why we are fighting when they thought racism ended? What are we trying to change? Honestly, I can sense their frustration. If you’re now truly beginning to see how messed up everything is, I’m sure you’re finding out how much more fight we have left to right a wrong system.

Ultimately, all of these questions show us how much we don’t know how structured a systemic racial society has shaped how we live our daily lives. So we’re confused. It’s good news one minute to hear people talking of police officers walking out in Atlanta after the charges were made against the cop accused of murdering Rayshard Brooks. “Because this is what it all started from. Police Brutality is the topic.” It’s labeled off-topic the next minute people celebrate the rebranding of breakfast delicacy Cream of Wheat, which if someone was educated on the history of the image on the package, they’d know the chef name is Rastus – a pejorative term and considerably offensive as it’s associated with a depiction of a stereotypically happy Black Man in a plethora of minstrel culture in the 1920s.

We are capable of focusing on more than one thing at a time. Still, while these are two separate stories, racism is the dark cloud that overcasts each. Systemic Racism needs to be addressed from every angle. We don’t have to erase it. But let’s REVISE our history to include everyone in it. Let’s have our story told with the inclusion of the people it’s about. Let’s hear the dialog of those who find that this is wrong. This is one reason why we diversify the people sitting in the seats at big tables at large corporations…AND actually, listen to their input, then implement it. We include them so we don’t have to say oops.

Change is good. Social evolution is a good thing. If you have a problem like NASCAR’s Truck Series Driver Ray Ciccarelli who quits racing because of the confederate flag ban, and if you don’t see how innovative such change can be for NASCAR to move forward from allowing this in the first place, it is your complacency to racism speaking from within. You’d better check it. Because we must knock out every single angle of this racist ass circus:

Though…I agree, there are some people making stances for change that are a little questionable. I’m seeing how desperate during this political season candidates make statements in hopes they sway voters in their favor. I question how genuine Joe Biden really feels when he makes public his opinions about wanting reparations for blacks as long as it’s expanded to Native Americans, too. Sounds like you itching for my vote buddy. If you mean it, I’m with it.

As I mentioned before in my blog “Is this the Revolution I talked about not being Televised? My #BlackOutTuesday Protest Against Racism in the Wake of the 2020 Minneapolis Riots,” it is time for people of color voices to be heard. Everywhere there are injustices there should be someone trying to address it. Society is evolving with many breakthroughs because people are sharing their stories with white allies who are listening. We have to be ready to receive it.

It still blows my mind people complain about good changes.

Why should corporations and companies change their company stances and political stances in supports of #BLM matter?

Because the “black” dollar has weight.

Black people spend money. Everyone should know black people spend their money. As stated in the Black Detour, “Though Black America makes up a small portion of the US population, Black buying power is approximately $1 trillion with estimates placing it close to $2 trillion by 2020, making us [black people] one of the largest economies in the world according to the World Bank, the 15th largest economy in the world in terms of GDP.” This means black people have an influence on what defines mainstream simply from decisions made from their wallets. This is important to everyone else because this tells us black spending is why you’ll see that item in the isles at the stores, on your television screens, and even down to the place you choose to purchase your crabs in Maryland. It’s crazy how you can find a GoFundMe account created for a Maryland crab shop after it opted to shut down all four of it’s Maryland locations because BLM protests emerged at the Middle River location for the owner and his family’s choices of words and viewpoint in response to 2020 Minneapolis riots and looting.

The weight of the black dollar matters to these corporations. What we see here is our country facing an economic crisis from the coronavirus crisis, too. When the stores open back up, the black dollar matters, right? I’m cautious knowing that my wallet has weight. I’m aware of this power. Companies are changing policies and making public stances also because they know this power, too. Especially in the wake of a pandemic where we’re desperate to not fall into an economic depression. So now I’m choosing to use this power to continue to expand on with conscious shopping, investing in what I feel is worth my money. I’m researching the company and its product. Does this give back to the issues I care about? Hmm…and is it blacked owned, too?

Humans know right from wrong. But our issues are layered and capitalism is corruption. We have to put back into what matters in order to live a better life. So putting money into communities that matter to me is important.

Finding a motive that you’re passionate about. It doesn’t have to be specifically for the BLM organization.

I read everything. I’m not naive to claims of people who opt-out of paying money directly to the BLM organization. Speculation of where the money that’s donated to BLM is always questioned. Speculation for why #BlackLivesMatter protests emerge during the political season, too. Why is it? Who knows? Is it the assumption that it’s a black organization? People could argue. I research where my money is going, too. So often when speaking to someone about supporting black lives, I hear their doubts about donating money to an organization like #BlackLivesMatter.

You can still donate to something else…🙄

The Curators Of Hip-Hop hosted a zoom panel discussion “The Organized Culture” on Facebook live discussing issues in the current climate like what we should be doing next from protesting and what needs to be done to see changes when it comes to injustices. Five community leaders in Baltimore had this open discussion on Facebook live sharing what they do as their contributions to helping support the community around them.

[Watch the Facebook Panel Of The Organized Culture hosted by the Curators of Hip-Hop via their Facebook Channel.]

It’s important that I shared this entire panel because each speaker shared points worth considering when taking on supporting a cause against injustices like #BlackLivesMatter. But there are many more issues that require attention because the injustices are interchangeably relatable to each other when it comes to the challenges that plague an oppressed and disadvantaged culture. As crime is directly linked more to poverty than race or any other factor. We should be looking to support and find ways to better improve these communities and neighborhoods. We can find roadblocks to almost every avenue of social interaction. Causes that could be addressed for inner-city communities are unemployment, poverty, drug, and alcohol addiction, homelessness, it is not only police reform that needs fixing. Because there is a connection to high crime rates in a system that embellishes all of the above, racism is a plague that is weaved within all of it, and a privileged group that rarely experiences it at all needs to know what’s going on.

Will you make a stand to donate to a cause to change systemic racism in its entirety? What are some causes that you know that fight against injustices? List them in the comments below.

Is this the Revolution I talked about not being Televised? My #BlackOutTuesday Protest Against Racism in the Wake of the 2020 Minneapolis Riots

I started writing this blog last week. I revised and deleted it a few times. I’m still weird about publishing this now. But to tell you the truth, I feel the same feeling of word vomit eroding my mouth today as I did 5 years ago when I wrote “#OpinionEssay: The “Real” Revolution Will Not Be Televised. #ILoveBaltimore” during the unrest in Baltimore resulting in the Baltimore Uprising. I don’t care how the blog comes off because it is another protest about what is happening around me. I just asked God to use me as he did before.

On Memorial Day, May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black American man was executed on video by Officer Derek Chavin of the Minneapolis Police Department. The video went viral like a plethora of other police brutality videos that surface online. But this one…this one might just be the video that dropped a major bomb into white people’s reality. Do we actually have white people on alert as to what happens to Black people in America? Because a week later after this horrific image was shared countless times on our feeds, America also has seen protests and riots in cities across the country calling for justice for Floyd.

When I wrote my Opinion Essay about how a revolution and revolt would not be televised, it was to send a message to Black people to come together and educate their families on the realities of being black. I wanted people to talk to their children about Black history. I needed black parents to take the time to teach their kids about a culture and a reality that has led their children to face a different lifestyle than those of other backgrounds. I wanted black people to heal in their black pride by sharing themselves with each other. It wasn’t my intention to tell black people to seek help or compassion from anyone who is white. When black people feel betrayed, that is the last thing they’re thinking of doing. I really believe many black people, like myself, took the time to immerse themselves in their blackness and grew in their pride because I saw so much uplifting and positivity living in the midst of the 2015 Baltimore Uprising. But the revolution was not going to be televised and all the positivity Black Baltimoreans experienced was short-lived.

Today I feel different about this revolution for Black America. I mean, the revolution is definitely on TV lol. There are so many black people who are already strong, having pride for themselves and culture. Black people live in their blackness daily. We don’t need to keep being reminded of why we go through these harsh realities. We’ve even gotten accustomed to healing each other whenever we’re knocked down with each release of a new video or news story. Though so many people yell #AllLivesMatter or Black on Black crime -blah, blah, blah- that is absolutely irrelevant to what attention we want. Black People are faced with injustices that people are deliberately ignoring. The revolution we’re watching for sure needs to be televised but this part of it is not for our spectatorship, it’s for our voice.

This revolution needs our labor at this moment to be a voice in our pure authentic blackness. This revolution needs for us to share our black stories, our black experiences, our black pain, and our black hopes. We need to share these things with our white friends so they can empathize with them. We need them to find some way to feel how we feel so that it can provoke them to fight for their allies because when white people care, they fight. It’s liberating to see more of my white friends, co-workers, and acquaintances speaking up after seeing this video. It’s amazing seeing white people taking the initiative to do the things that I asked of from Black people.

June 2, 2020, is a unique day in history particularly because #BlackOutTuesday will mark a day when industries and companies around the world chose to stop what they were doing to stand in solidarity against systemic racism. It’s the day America is literally acknowledging the bullshit. It might not be the whole country because there are still many doubters. But America today looks like it wants to listen to what we have to say. Black people have been screaming for such acknowledgment since forever ago. I’m a little overwhelmed with America lending an ear to Black folks, but goddammit about time. It’s the first time in all my life that I’m seeing white guilt on such a huge magnitude. I watched a video on Baltimore Fox 45 Facebook Live of hundreds of white people kneeling in solidarity on Northern Parkway and Roland Ave. We’re nowhere near the endpoint of racism but at least I’m seeing white people just as outraged as we are.

Several hundred protestors are kneeling for 9 mins on Northern Pkwy and Roland Ave.
Eddie Kadhim WMAR is on scene (Source: Facebook WBAR-2)

It’s not over. We still need our white allies. But we need this issue to be in their faces constantly. That’s the just reality of it. Once George Floyd’s investigation dies down in the media, will white people stop trying to learn what’s really affecting people of color? When I think of the answer to this question in general, it’s no because it’s a really uncomfortable subject. People do not like facing being uncomfortable. A huge part of me believes that once we stop talking about it, we’ll fall back into this being black people’s reality, and I’m not being a narcissist when I think this because this is my reality. I’m black and there are a lot of wow factors about my daily escapades of being a black woman I often gaze over as just another thing I’m used to.

This is the new challenge that I would like white allies to face now that we’ve got a lot of their attention. I challenge them to continually diversify their mind while learning black culture because many of us have concerns about what’s genuine. All these awesome stances are being made, but will they make an effort to continue to learn about systemic racism and seek ways to help fight it? Will they deliberately seek moments that may make them uncomfortable with the intentions of it helping them grow? The country needs unity and in order to get there, we need collaboration and understanding that will not expire once the next headline takes the lead, I’m just saying.

Credit: **Stephen Maturen/Getty Images**

I’m tired. So are a lot of other black people. Are white people truly tired?

Have you read What You Missed at the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March… (Four Main Points Minister Farrakhan Shouted at Us)?

Quality Vs. Quantity (Part 2): The Lack of Distinction In Baltimore’s Underground Media is also Why Baltimore Lacks an Art “Industry”

As we should all know, the media helps shapes the perspectives and minds of many that stay abreast of current events. There are millions and millions of people in the know of what’s happening around them. They take what they read and watch on news outlets as fact. It shapes the way each individual chooses to live their life. Most importantly, it’s extremely influential in molding the opinions of people participating in buying and selling. More recently we’ve found it’s one of the leading factors as to why America is in so much turmoil in politics and policy with our current president. So this is why I cannot overlook critiquing Baltimore Media in my second post of Quality vs. Quantity because, with or without media, it continues to be influential to Baltimore’s art culture.

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Indie Media has the ability to mold the careers of inspiring artists by helping them move from 0 to 100 through merely talking about an artist’s successes and downfalls. From covering an artist’s success when they have a breakthrough project to talking about movements that aren’t too favorable to the progression of an artist’s career, the media has the power to make or break whether an artist will make it to legendary status.

Having this knowledge that the media has this much an impact in shaping an artist’s career should be the leading factor for why artists should be involved with getting to know their local underground media like the bloggers, podcasters, and many other commentators who are fans of the city’s art culture.

Artists and media need to work hand-and-hand in the progression of the industry of Baltimore’s art culture. But somehow the light bulb hasn’t powered on with that idea and there’s is a big gap in linking the two.

Why is Baltimore Indie Media not helping the Baltimore Art Culture Progress into an Industry?

Traditional media is falling by the wayside as more journalists are left without work. There are fewer printed newspapers and more online news sites. But passionate journalists work hard to continue to do what they love; by recording the history of which they currently live through. They do this on more accessible platforms that some of these journalists invest in on their own.

Underground media has little to no funding to push its indie brands. This leads them to depend heavily on instant gratification online. No longer are they going to work for large media companies aiding them with story leads and money to put food on the table. They report where most people spend their time in order to get recognition, which means social media is where the majority of these outlets can be found excelling.

But if they all can be found on the same platforms, it means most media has the same story leads. They all report about the same things. One great example is knowing about Baltimore’s own comedian Monique’s recent battle with Netflix. Everyone knows she’s called out the black community to a boycott. But, I can bet you that no one can remember which news sites reported the Monique story first.

Major outlets, like the Baltimore Sun, 92Q, Fox 45, and Baltimore Magazine are not the only sources for breaking and entertainment news in the city. There are a plethora of small name underground websites, blogs, podcasts, and magazines that flood social media with opinions about current events on a daily basis. If more local artists and media worked together to saturate the internet with UNIQUE stories on smaller platforms instead of focusing on what everyone else is reporting, we wouldn’t have to see recurring topics on our timelines.

How many times are we going to talk about the same stories? How many times will we only talk about Young Moose or Lor Scoota like they were Baltimore’s only rap artists? Or why aren’t local media coming up with new creative ways to highlight an artist on their websites without doing the usual “get-to-know-the-artist” interviews of creatives who nobody knows about on their podcasts or blogs? There’s a lack in the quality of content in the media that’s similar to the lack of quality in the artists. I think it’s time we stop ignoring the lack of distinction in media if we want to work towards the change I spoke about in my previous essay Quality vs Quantity Part 1: The Saturation of Wanna Be Artists In Baltimore Art Scene.

Underground media in Baltimore city are not exempt from the numbers of individuals seeking to be the voice of the culture. Like many artists and entrepreneurs, inspiring journalists seek to be the “it” factor for change in Baltimore, as well. Everyone wants to be a legacy. But each platform shows proof that following the same formula doesn’t help push progression. We have multiple online radio stations in the city that follow a similar strategy for marketing and studio production, which shows there’s little research done to help each radio brand standout amongst larger successful media. We have podcasters whose production comes off parallel to the other, which shows there’s a lack of research for what’s actually working that’s helping successful podcast accelerate. It’s easy to tell who’s taking the necessary steps to push their brands and who’s not. Who’s going to be our leading TMZ of the city- breaking all the details of our industry if these brands can’t differentiate themselves?

Being similar isn’t the only thing that’s keeping Baltimore’s Underground Media from helping progress the art culture…

The rise of social media brings a wave of opinionated perspectives from every crevice and corner of the Internet. People are not afraid of sharing their thoughts online. But there comes an increase of sensitivity to the opinion that has arisen which makes me concerned about the status of Baltimore City’s urban art culture. More people are sensitive to opinions, and it’s one of the reasons Baltimore’s art scene is lacking genuine underground media outlets willing to step up when it comes to critiquing Baltimore artists. This is a problem because constructive criticism is what Baltimore artists need in order to improve their crafts.

There is a downfall of quality in even the highest-rated of underground media. I believe it’s caused by the lack of direction of each company’s branding techniques, and the additional pressure to chase lead stories. What we’re experiencing as readers and followers of pop culture is brands fearing their power being lost because they’re considering readers’ opinions of what they share. Instead, these companies should be focused on pure facts of what’s necessary to share and not what’s going to make them popular.

The integrity of emerging media is at stake alongside the quality of artwork being circulated. Both sides need to take a moment to pause when evaluating their influence in Baltimore’s Art “Industry.” To improve the stance of our industry, the questions that should be asked by both artists and underground media are “what am I doing to help the current art community,” “Am I making a positive or negative impact in this culture,” “Is what I’m doing necessary for this industry’s growth,” and “Are there any other platforms available currently doing what I do that I can collaborate with and add my input?” Once creators can answer these questions with the benefit of the city’s culture in mind and become successful in getting implementing their findings, then maybe we will see a change for the better?

What do you think? Do you believe the underground media outlets in Baltimore have an impact on the stance of Baltimore’s Art Culture? Leave your comments below.

Did you read about the grand opening of Baltimore’s first ever Mini Hip-Hop Museum? Read Why Every Baltimore Artists Should Have Attended the Grand Open of In My Lifetime: MHHM on Doc’s Castle Media.

Quality vs. Quantity (Part 1): The Saturation of Wanna Be Artists In Baltimore’s Art Culture

This blog was bound to come. For it’s been brewing for me to bring up this topic for a couple of years since my article Baltimore is Too Cliqued Up to Have Supporters. I never knew how to approach it until now after years of living as a writer, artist, and social influencer in Baltimore’s Art scene. It’s not until now that I know how to express my observations on what has changed, and what we as artists and influencers should be doing to finally let go of our crab in a barrel mentalities and work together to show the value of our city.

I decided to write a four-part blog series about the quality of the Baltimore arts scene since I’ve become a participant of the culture in 2013. When I began frequently attending open mics, showcases, and other artsy events in the city, I met a lot of talented people while writing about my experiences. I learned that this culture is constantly changing but there’s a stigma that remains were artists fight for support. Though I haven’t heard the saying “Baltimore city artists are crabs in a barrel” thrown around much this past year, this city has not overcome it. So I thought I’d reflect on some of my speculations.

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It all starts as a response to my friend and blogger of Uncommonrealist Shae McCoy who discusses her sudden lifestyle change as her opinion for Baltimore’s Art scene changed in her December 2017 article “Becoming an Introverted Creative: Being Seen Ain’t Always Peaches and Cream,” I’ve found a lot of bloggers and artists, including myself, who once took a front seat in being influencers of their crafts slow down and become more reserved since the 2015 Baltimore Uprising while a plethora of newcomers stood in a line waiting for their glorious turn to have their shine in the front seat. There was a slew of folk taking larger interests in things already innovated in the present art culture, and until this day there remains a culture of creators lacking originality; very few creating a lasting impact for “real” talent represented in Baltimore.

Shae discusses her shift to becoming an introvert having sparked from observations of the social environment that surrounds Baltimore creatives. With this generation’s desire to chase instant gratification, Shae finds that she isn’t a creative that resonates with the fascination of social climb visible on social media. The temporary fame that follows instant gratitude lacks substance and becomes similar to debates contrasting quantity and quality. For people who want to be remembered for what they spend most of their lives perfecting, building a legacy is what’s most important for many artists in Baltimore. Shae doesn’t believe that a legacy can be met focusing on the attention attracted through staying abreast on social media and each amount of likes on a post does nothing but temporarily boost self-esteem.

There is more to the artists that meets the eye. Have we forgotten why we like art? Have we forgotten why we pursue these artistic dreams?

Why has the art scene in Baltimore become much more saturated with people pursuing similar passions?

As social media usage breeds more creators and self-starters, an increase of there being less unique content fills the pages across our browsers. Everyone who wants to be anyone creates startups for podcasts, blogs, vlogs, websites, and more. There are more rappers, painters, party promoters, models, producers, photographers, videographers, graphic designers, and clothing designers. The scene is lacking originality and a true understanding of good branding because everyone wants to do the same thing. It comes off as people being more ready for their big break and quick fix.

Published Book by Baltimore Photographer Devin Allen

Could these newcomers be looking for their craft to become their savior? Influencers like D. Watkins, author of memoirs The Cook Up and The Beast Side, Devin Allen, photographer and author of A Beautiful Ghetto, and Kwame Rose, activist, and public speaker during Baltimore Uprising, gained recognition and a social following for their talents after the tragedy of Freddie Gray’s death. They sparked a career in their passions that people see and admire with the help of the Uprising. People from around the world seek to hear the stories of Baltimoreans during a time of adversity and these people showed a promising perspective while using their talents. They also received support from many locals because they presented a story of our city that we could all agree upon.

I once mentioned during the Uprising artist should take this moment to share what makes Baltimore city a great place to live. We should shed light on what’s positive happening rather than focus on what national media wanted to report. But never did I think that everyone would jump the gun to use their art to grasp the attention of the world.

With the rise of these artists came the many crabs of the city still seeking the same gratification. But three years later, it’s evident these crabs were not understanding why these artists were getting genuine love and support from locals. Baltimore is known for its crab in a barrel mentality; which means whenever people see others succeeding they generally find ways to hold those reaching success back by not lending support or by offering alternatives that could ruin their positive climb.

In the case of the many crabs that have emerged, there isn’t much of a pull to hold others back lately, rather a saturation of the culture. There are too many people doing the same thing. There are too many artists providing a solution to an issue already resolved by other artists that paved the way for recognition. Everyone wants to provide a platform for artists to showcase their talents. Everyone has an open mic. Everyone believes they have the “it” factor. The list goes on.

We used to hear, “Everyone wants to be a rapper.” We would hear it so frequently that we coined the term “Baltimore rapper” and knew immediately the persona of that individual. Now everyone wants to be anything they see another person doing within the arts. The entire country was watching us at our worse, and Baltimore artists decided it was a show-and-tell for literally everyone.

It could be the number of likes a successful artist gets that crabs start snipping at their glimpse of hope. But that should not be the general mission for building a better reputation for a city that’s constantly slandered in national media.

We as influencers do not chase likes. We chase a legacy. We strive to be the change the Baltimore city needs. We are the positive images opposing HBO’s The Wire, a series that outsiders praise and uphold as what they think is a true representation of Baltimore city. We are the people that work hard to erase those negative stereotypes. We cannot reach change chasing views and likes on Instagram or Facebook because those likes are only temporary. Those are only platforms that assist in the bigger picture.

I don’t believe it’s doing the Baltimore Arts Scene much justice having so many artists doing similar things, instead, people look like they’re incapable of being authentic. Artists that come after innovators are viewed as trend followers rather than trendsetters. That isn’t what true pushers of the Baltimore Arts culture wanted. The art culture in Baltimore is unique once you stumble across true gold. But saturation pushes the talented and influencers away from being the great representation the city needs. Thus why we hear so many people believe they must move out of Baltimore in order to truly gain the recognition they desire.

Why should we need to move away to get what we deserve? It should start at home, as it did for Rose, Allen, and Watkins. An artist who has real talent must bring the spark that makes an audience adhere to a story worth hearing. It must be original. They must work hard and strive for their legacy. It won’t happen overnight or in an instant with a click or like.

The quality of our cultural scene is still thriving because there are so many people that participate. But there should be more resources available to help artists own up to a legacy they see within themselves. It’s not enough if the artist is the only one who sees their own potential. Alike does not confirm that a message has been met, and there is a desperate need for someone to force these crabs to wake up smell the coffee.

What do you think? Is it a problem that there is more artist striving to do the same thing? Do you think Baltimore is on the right path to playing in the fields with artists who come from Atlanta, LA, and New York? Leave your comments below?

Have you read about DaCornerStore’s attempt to create a #NewBaltimore for hip-hop artist in Baltimore and my opinion of how it was a drastic fail? Read NewBaltimore or OldBaltimore? We’re all Crabs on Doc’s Castle Media.

#YTubeVideoAlert! Delegation of Authority: What did #KorrynGaines Mean?

Everything that happens has a reason and a cause. That’s why I won’t knock the knowledge I’ve learned since the death of Korrynn Gaines, the 23-year black woman who was gunned down by police officers earlier this August in front of her 5-year-old son and the comfort of her own home.

Since Korrynn’s death, there’s are numerous questions about what truly happened during her 6-hour standoff with the Baltimore County Police Department. For several days, the general public was left in the dark about whether the police kicked her apartment door in while entering her apartment or if they obtained a key, and questions on whether she fired her shotgun at police first or if the police did.

Hearing so many questions regarding this shooting can make someone question if the people we put our trust in to protect and serve us are really honest in their dealings. It caused me to do a little more research about policy.

Previous to Korrynn’s most recent encounter with the Baltimore County Police Department, there was another incident with county police in March. The police interrogated the Korryn for 20 minutes for driving around with cardboard tags instead of Maryland state tags on her car. When asked to provide documentation for her vehicle, she repeatedly refused to present her driver’s license, tags, and registration. Some articles on the Internet state Korryn was pulled over while practicing sovereign law. Take a look at this footage as she refused to provide identification for police officers in March while she was pulled over for a traffic violation.

Delegation of Authority: What does it mean?

Like many of us that have a growing curiosity for something we desperately want an answer to, I went to YouTube for a quick definition. I came across a lot of videos that gave good definitions. But there was one particular journalist named Andrew Westmoreland who gave me the best explanation to what delegation of authority meant in the sense of its use in law enforcement. I also found websites that further explained how it is used to delegate orders to people of the law. Though I can’t say what Westmoreland is saying is the fact, he does make a few valid points that I cannot look past, like people not being aware of their laws and policies as it relates to current events with cases about police brutality.

With Korryn Gaines, lots of people may have jumped to conclusions too quickly about her character by saying she’s crazy or mental. There is obviously something more. According to what is observed in her encounter with the addition to learning more about delegation of authority, Korryn had a genuine concern about how she dealt with law enforcers. She was a smart and strong-willed woman. She truly stuck to what she believed was her due to rights. To her, there is a correct way of doing things. She literally died for what she believed.

Would you believe Korryn’s notion to ask the police for delegation of authority was justified after watching journalists explain what it means? Leave your comments below.

Did you read about the Korryn Gaines Pop Up Art Show in Honor of her message? Read Protecting A Legacy: Korryn Gaines Pop-Up Art Show on Doc’s Castle Media.

One Year After Baltimore’s Uprising (A #DCM Recap)

It was around this time a year ago when Black Baltimore Youth decided to take a stand against social injustice as a result of death to Baltimore native Freddie Gray. One year ago, the city was at unrest as media from around the world had their cameras focused on the city’s reaction.

First at an uproar, then later turned uplifting, the riots became like a light switch flicked on gaining the attention of billions. Baltimore had all eyes on them as its citizens showed the world what’s truly happening in the city while public officials, like Mayor Stephanie Rawlings – Blake, left the citizens with “space to destroy.” Many have wondered would it be this be time for a revolution; will there be a change in the fight against systematic racism?

Read: The Real Revolution Will Not Be Televised #ILoveBaltimore on Doc’s Castle Media

During the 2015 Baltimore Uprising Protests, people gathered at the historical intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and North Avenue with a mission to show whoever watching the truth. Hundreds of people met with the same purpose against police brutality and social injustices. It was in front of the burning CVS Pharmacy, we designated a landmark for many of the Uprising’s protests. On the corner of Penn North Station, a revolution was sparked but is the flame for Black deliverance still lit?

A year later, there still remains an urgent call of attention to those same social injustices. Every day, there are signs that let people in on these still prevalent social needs. There are activists continuing on the search for ways to fight for funding towards a corrupt Baltimore City education system. By December of 2015, crime rates skyrocketed way past the usual records leading to more than 300 homicidal deaths throughout the year. There remain blocks-upon-blocks of vacant homes untouched since the riots in Baltimore during 1968. The homeless continue to be pushed out of tourists friendly areas in shame to prevent an unwelcoming presence for visitors. The city is the same.

On April 28, exactly one year following the Baltimore rising protest, another protest was held in honor of Freddie Gray, Tyrone West, and more recently 13-year-old African American student who was shot by a police officer on school premises after withdrawing a replica handgun.

Did you see the Million Man March Gallery? Read Face of Liberation (Million Man March Gallery) on Doc’s Castle Media.

#PrayforLove Movement: A Response to A World of Tragedies

Pray For Love

The year 2015 was very rocky. Before the year’s end, by mid-December, I felt like I reached 50 years old through experiencing so much internal suffering and empathy for all the tragedies happening throughout 2015, in addition to the little struggles I’ve experienced within my own life. I thought I was going to explode.

The year was a killer, literally.But I cannot get over all the ignorance I’ve seen from humanity last year. I’m disappointed in the human race. My heart aches from seeing man become such a disgrace in the most recent blunders of current events. From the increasingly publicized stories of police brutality and racism to acts of horrendous terrorism from ISIS, humanity has orchestrated a very effective visual of what selfishness looks like. It’s so saddening and makes me feel that there is little hope for what our world will become in the next few years. Will it get better or worse?

In the wake of how terrible last year has made me felt towards man, I’ve come up with lots of questions about compassion, sympathy, love, generosity, and anything that could be considered humanly traits that make a man be considered human and not a vicious, self-seeking, destroyer of the living robot. I want to observe what love is. I want know why people can’t give compassion to another. Why is it so hard to give another person a piece of happiness.

#PrayForLove is not just a hashtag I’ve adopted just to post on all my social accounts each time I have a new picture, meme, or status to share.#PrayForLove is my call for attention for people to mind to what’s happening around them. It’s a one woman movement where I’m spending my days recording my thoughts of what’s happening around me. We as a people are losing touch with our spiritual selves. People aren’t awake or aware of anything worth being proud of. We all just seem to be getting by.

Pray for Love is something I hope will start with Doc’s Castle Media, along with all my other social sites, a call to action to possibly influence other people to learn to love themselves and everyone around them, regardless of what’s happening in the world or in their personal lives.

I want to make a difference in the hearts of many. I want the world to focus on the positive and not feed into the world’s demons and devils working to destroy a sense of peace. My post is here to provoke thought; to create a second for someone to think before they act. Though biology may beg to differ, humanity is not a bunch of animals without the capability to overcome hate. As the most developed species to walk this earth, we do not often act as such because of selfish intentions. Not to say ignore what you want, but people should learn to be more considerate and mindful of choosing to not harm another through their words and actions.

As you read this blog, I challenge you not to only #PrayForLove but to notice the areas in your life where love is needed. Ask yourself, what can I do to change the world around me? Does your elderly neighborhood need someone to help with shoveling their sidewalk? Does your boss seem like they need a word of encouragement after having to discipline an unreasonable coworker? Do you need a moment to yourself to distress from constant turmoil? Let’s learn to love through pulsing and considering what is best.

What do you believe can be done to spread love? Name one thing you can tribute to this movement in the comment below.

Life As A Black Baltimorean After The 2015 Baltimore Riots

Waking up on April 28, 2015 was the most surreal feeling I’ve experienced in my 23 years of living. To open up my eyes at the crack of dawn after tossing and turning caused by the Baltimore riots happening blocks away from where I laid my head that night, how could anyone feel any other way?

Two days prior to probably one of the most shocking riots to ever happen in history, I spent 7 hours writing about my frustrations towards the riots in Downtown Baltimore. In opinion essay on Doc’s Castle Media, “The ‘Real’ Revolution Will Not Be Televised. #ILoveBaltimore,” I speak from an emotional standpoint on the ways I believe Blacks should move forward after the major breakthrough of riots on Saturday, April 25th. I’d hope it’d be a message to calm people down from seeking to destroy more of our city as my blog reached over its average viewership.

My words may have reach quite a bit of individuals but as this week started, I see that my efforts may have not made much of an impact. Monday morning at Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore, only 5 minutes away from my job, was rioted by a huge group of young people immediately when dismissed from school and lasted for hours that day.

Rioting eventually turned into looting and destroying of historical neighborhoods. People who once had jobs along North Avenue and Mondawmin Mall are now without employment, and as riots made it across East Baltimore later that night, near Monument Street, again around the corner from where I stayed that evening, a senior center was burned down, leaving older people who were anticipating to move into a new home suddenly without one. To top it off, our mayor grounded the entire city. So we have to be in our homes by our 10 o’clock curfew.

Baltimore is a mess. The city I’ve known all my life is scorned from which the world believes is because of police brutality against 25 year old African American man Freddie Gray. But our story is deeper than the surface. It is now that we use everyone’s cameras as a tool to let you in on the scoop.

Words cannot express how I feel about what happened in my city. I’m not a fan of the media like I once was before, especially as I’ve watched events that day come to pass. There’s a media circus in my backyard reporting from Penn-North subway station, now internationally famous for our CVS that burned down on its corner.

Come on, now! Just the other day I bought a chocolate Snickers bar out of there. I’ll never be able to do that again.

We’re never getting some of those shops back. It’s hard to have hope for the restoration of CVS or any of those other buildings due to the the reputation of reconstruction in Baltimore. We’ve waited YEARS for our government to rebuild the hundreds of vacant buildings and shops damaged from the Martin Luther King Jr. riots in 1968. The only reconstruction we’ve ever seen has been to our pothole infested streets, and I swear, we can’t improve the pavement on Charles Street anymore than it is.

Geeze! Does all our tax money go to that street?!

In the minds and hearts of many people here, it’s second nature for citizens to want to walk outside to see what’s happening for themselves, rather than to watch the news nowadays. The world’s painted picture on television is far from what we’re experiencing. A trust barrier is broken for many who relied on national news stations to give us the 4-1-1 on events occurring during the week. So the local news and social media is our only best friend during this time.

The media from outside of Baltimore lacks an understand of the type of people who live in Baltimore and the lifestyle that we see on a day to day basis. It’s like the media’s way of looking at us is similar to viewing through a microscope. They’re looking to find where all these horrid problems and rioting behavior could be stimming from. But the people who experience the lifestyle of living in here will always have a better understanding and a better way of explaining what’s going on.

Poverty is one of the hardest struggles a person can try to shake in Baltimore City. With a phrase like “The struggle is real,” which is often recited in Baltimore’s Black communities, it models the hard knock situations we see as being seriously rough to live through. When we say this phrase, almost everyday nonchalantly, we as black Baltimoreans adopt an “It is what it is” attitude, learning to also desensitize and quiet ourselves from what’s really happening. Well, Baltimore’s tired of being quiet now.

People who are publicly judging my city worldwide are failing to understand. Even I feel uneasy each time I come into the realization of what’s happening to us sometimes. Tuesday evening, I walked passed a reporter from Russia and another from London. Like whaaa?! These people don’t even know that just 2 weeks ago I was frustrated from fighting to be heard because of Baltimore’s crab in a barrel reputation.

Our youth isn’t afraid to make a change. I think of how some of those kids who were rioting were doing so to scream out they were fed up. Some of those kids had no home before they rioted. Some of them go to school everyday to get away from their daily worries of not having something to eat once they leave school. Some of them were angered because they were stranded without transportation to get home due to the police shutting down the bus lines and subways before school let out. (But that’s another mystery in itself I won’t get into.) And I admit, some of them were just following the crowd. But to see our kids act this way, hurts the most because they are innocent. They’re the one’s we’re trying to protect from “the struggle.” But we can’t.

Baltimore needs change and everyone knows now. I’m so proud of us. We made a stand for so many things this week. We’re fighting police brutality, racial profiling & systematic racism, bad publicity and corrupted governmental policies not only for us, but for our entire country, we’re making a statement. My feet are suffering from it and I don’t mind it all. I have a bigger hope for my city, though I may doubt our government’s follow-up as an African American woman who’s part of the working force striving for success and a better Baltimore. But I’m glad to have seen a better side, finally! I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Rest In Peace, Freddie Gray. You’re gone, but you are not forgotten. Your name will be in history books along with our city. Change will surely come for us and our country.

#OpinionEssay: The “Real” Revolution Will Not Be Televised. #ILoveBaltimore

Special Note: This post will be my least uniformed blog post due to the built up emotions from recent events caused by the death of Baltimore black man, Freddie Gray. It’s my duty as a Baltimore writer to talk about this the way mainstream media does not want us to. PLEASE KNOW THIS FIRST WHILE YOU READ THIS: I AM NOT A JOURNALIST, now. I AM WRITING AS A BLACK WOMAN FROM THE CITY OF BALTIMORE!

Words pour onto paper as I’ve become a part of American history today while I write about what my eyes have witness on April 25, 2015, a day which I thought I would never see my city be the forefront of America for something so severe and extremely civil. I thought it was a part of mankind’s inhumane struggle that Black people conquered, or at least scratched the surface of overcoming. But we haven’t and it’s obvious to the world now.

America is governed by a system corrupt that uses the very people who help build this very nation as a stepping stool to bringing the world back to square one by embarrassing my whole race through provoking us to move; by tormenting Blacks unfairly.

As a Black woman, myself, and a blogger who lives in Baltimore, it is my duty to talk about the problems my city faces in the eyes of millions, nationally and internationally, who are watching my town react to police brutality towards yet another African-American male, who met his end in the most unfortunate and unfair manner society could ever grant, death by the very people meant to protect him.

Who is Freddie Gray?

If you don’t know by now, get the fuck off my blog. You don’t care enough. This post isn’t for those who rather sit in their ignorance while we are at war. This post isn’t for the people seeking to view how “ratchet” and “routy” my city is to confirm our “home of The Wire” reputation. This post is not for people who go on major media outlets social media pages to read and participate in the racist comments. This post is to wake you the fuck up! This post is meant to make you realize from the eyes of a Baltimore writer that something really messed up is going on. So open your eyes.

Baltimore, what are we doing? No, let me redirect my concerns to the correct group of individuals… America, what are we doing? No, no, no. WORLD, what the fuck is going on?!

These last two years of my life has been about watching a massacre of black men, AND black women, being slaughtered by a system who prays on a culture who isn’t united and hasn’t been since we were active in the 1960s US Civil rights movement. The way that I feel about it, I have no words for what’s going on in my heart. I have no words for how I see my country being portrayed. I have no words for how my race is being treated. I only feel a fire burning within me from how close to home Freddie Gray’s death has hit thousands and thousands of hearts around this country, and I’m in awe because I would have never thought something this relentless happening in front of billions of people watching is happening in my very own backyard.

I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES! This shit happens everywhere else, not in my home.

As each month unfolds since the death of Trayvon Martin, I started to view my country as the ultimate hypocrite and bully. I use to watch and read about the United States in international affairs while growing up, thinking how phoney we must be to walk into other countries, like Liberia and South Africa, trying to assist with their racial issues when in neighborhoods where I live didn’t match up to the persona America tries to paint for the world to see. It is here, the media hides what’s really happening between blacks and whites, until now. Why? Our country’s own racism was hidden and blocked from mainstream media and majority of this country’s citizen for so long, so we could believe we were past oppression; to make us feel like we could give a helping hand to other cultures around the world. America needed us on the same page so we could be viewed by countries around us as “land of the free” and “home of the brave.”

Black people have fallen by the arms of police officers since forever ago, and white people, and even black people, still want to yell out one of the most irrelevant and most repeated statements recited in recent years as if it’s an excuse for why we shouldn’t make a difference in our law enforcers policies. “Blacks kill blacks all the time.” WE KNOW THIS! WTF DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH POLICE KILLING US TOO!?

Black people I need you to listen! I need you to open your eyes because this is what’s real.

Do you know we are being manipulated by national news? Of all things to capture and broadcast to the world, they choose the most uncalled for and offensive images to represent our race at such a delicate moment in our history because they know it will make our uneducated youth move and take an opportunity like protesting as an excuse to “show out” and express their anger, when they don’t even know what to be angry about. Do you know we are being made to have opinions that we’re unsure of because the media knows this will make us angry and ready for a revolution? And why is it that our own news stations WJZ and WBAL are taking a different approach in reporting about Freddie Gray than stations like CNN and the Huffington Post? Nothing’s making sense. This isn’t adding up.

Do you realize the media’s power, now? LISTEN!

Though we are made to believe the media is not bias, people of Baltimore and black people around the world, we do not have control of the media’s motivation to stay unbiased. Even I am being bias now (and I encourage you to continue to have your own opinions during this time. All I ask is that you realize and watch everything going on)! The media is what’s making police brutality the fuel of our anger ; it’s turning it into something bigger than expected. The media, which is funded by BIG corporations who bank on black people’s money, are making my culture out to be unruly savages and it does not sit well with me. It makes me angry. It’s what made me step up and write how I feel today. Black people I don’t blame you at all. We have a right to be mad, but it is unwise to be so turbulent.

To me, this is beyond race. Racism is being used as a tool to push a bigger motive because it’s the only way to get large bodies of people to move. We have to be wiser. We have to be smarter in our decisions because 10 years ago, we lived in a better peace. But with the media suddenly pushing stories about police brutality incorrectly more often, seems every couple of weeks to days, it’s also corporations that are funding the media’s weapon to wither our peace away and box us in for something we don’t fully understand yet.

So what is real? What is true? We can’t rely on our reporters to be honest and staying away from these stereotypes we’re fighting about.

To all the kids who are reading this, you must choose now to learn your history. You need not act before you are educated. Do you see how dangerous it is to go through this? This entire ordeal isn’t transparent enough, and this anger escalating within us is not good, especially coming from a group like us who can’t get past light skin and dark skin.

Peace, love, joy. Peace, love, joy, everyone.

Why is it that America decides to use my backyard as a war zone this week? America decides to take the city that I’ve spent the last 3 years trying to help put on the map, positively, as a target and guinea pig for a bigger agenda. Can you image how I feel right now? For someone who spends all her spare time trying to help the city become angry with her fellow Baltimoreans. They don’t see the bigger picture, and rather dig a bigger hole for us to climb out of? I’m so disappointed and proud at the same time. This is why I have no words. I’m so all over the place.

I doubt this will be my last post on this. I’ve been awakened.

I ask that anyone who lives outside of my city to turn to the World Wide Web for real accounts of what my city is doing in honor of Freddie Gray and not CNN. I ask you to read about what we are really going through from us. I ask that you empathize for us. I ask that you pray.

#PrayForBaltimore #PrayForMyCity

Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath. -Proverbs 28:9

Let us be wise men. To Be Continued…

Did you participate in the Baltimore Protests? Read “The Current Generation Doesn’t Take Part In Civil Rights Movements Because…” on Doc’s Castle Media.

What Happened To Being All About Your Family On The Holidays?

Now that the holidays are over, I can finally ask this question? Is it just me or does the holidays suck now?! Haha

Christmas feels a little odd since I’ve gotten older. I don’t know if it’s because as a child I wasn’t consciously aware of everything going on around me or if it’s really changing. I no longer get that merry feeling I once did as a child when the season approaches. This Christmas eve, I literally asked myself, “Am I suppose to feel odd about Christmas, especially the day before on Christmas Eve?”

Everything I do is different from when I use to feel the Christmas spirit. Everything I see is the same, but the feeling behind what I know as “christmassy” is different. Even as I speak to my friends, it feels like another average day. Only thing that’s different is the fact everyone’s giving people stuff, and it doesn’t feel like people want to do it. Christmas feels like a season people must participate in because we’ve been doing it for years. That’s not cool.

The way I remember this holiday growing up is with pure tenderness, happiness, and love. My family spent every Christmas together. I woke up way before dawn Christmas day, excited to open presents from all the people I loved, with the people I loved, and every evening I saw more people I loved during our traditional Christmas dinner.

This Christmas was weird. I mean, I asked my mom and sister would we be having Christmas dinner this year, and nobody knew. I asked two days ahead of time, too. They couldn’t tell me. That’s was odd and unusual because we usually know at least that. So I assumed I wasn’t the only person feeling odd.

I even had to work Christmas day. That’s nothing new but it puts the icing on the cake when you realize your family’s doing things differently this year.

I came across an article while searching the web from blog site, On Being.org titled “Why I Don’t Do Christmas” by Krista Tippett. I found it while looking for people who might have similar thoughts about the holidays as I. Krista hits it right on the nose with her explanation for why she doesn’t like Christmas anymore.

Krista isn’t participating in the Christmas as we know it for many of reasons this year. To her, the holiday has become senseless. It’s all about money and reward. People are more selfish with thoughts of what they think they deserves during the season and not seeking solely to make someone happy. Days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday represents corporate businesses way of turning Christmas into an economic relief. The ole mighty dollar has become the country’s savior.

Christmas doesn’t seem so sweet and I believe it’s because the meaning is withering away from us. Krista isn’t far from figuring it out for her family.

When I think of Christmas, I think of happiness, togetherness, genuine generosity, and love. These are all things I rarely see on a daily basis. That’s why Christmas means more to me than any other holiday. But if the day is suddenly losing its meaning, what’s the point?! Our point should be to celebrate the birth of the world’s savior, but without these principles it becomes really hard to create a better world to live in and its purpose slowly disappears.

As a record for myself and to the many of you who care about Christmas too, I wanted to remind everyone what each principle stands for during this season and why they’re important.

Happiness means contentment and joy. It’s contagious. Someone who is always happy can spark curiosity in someone who’s seeking to be happy. A happy person has to ability to uplift any atmosphere. In the world today, we’re lacking that high-spirited person who’ll promote hope, wonder, and change. Instead, the world rather enforce the harsh truth plainly. Hopefulness should embark in our children’s future but with all this “reality” going on, I fear that if I ask a child about what they’d picture life to be in five years, they’d take what they’d picture on television as a depiction of what will happen for them.

Ask a child what they’re looking forward to for Christmas, and they’ll probably tell you a new cell phone or tablet. They’re not seeking to spent it with the people they love. The first thing they’re thinking about is their gifts. It’s more common to hear their mom or dad has to work Christmas day, too. Forget about togetherness. They need to chase the olé mighty dollars because they spent their last trying to show their love through buying materialistic things to keep their kids happy.

Togetherness induces warm affection and tenderness. It makes a person feel needed and wanted. Without togetherness on Christmas, the holiday seems much colder and lonely. That also is depressing.

As far as genuine generosity goes, I rarely see it at all. Holidays have turned into a person’s duty. People don’t seem like they’re doing things because they truly want to anymore. It’s like they partake in the festivities because it’s a habit or reward. It’s instinct to do something because someone else will be doing it, too. People buy gifts because others are buying gifts for them. People seek for self first and the holidays are far from being about yourself.

All these notions are connected and each sparks off the other. They all are connected to the final principle, love. The more people become selfish, the less we feel loved. Love is sacrifice. Love is patience. Love is kindness. Love is generous. Love is tenderness and happiness. It’s putting someone before yourself. It’s showing what your soul looks like. So without all these principles we lack a soul, compassion, and all things that are important in making Christmas really feel like the Jesus’ Birthday.

How can we bring love back?

We have to step away from our selfish needs first and choose to think about others. It can be as small as having a 15 minute conversation with someone we love. Those 15 minutes can be the beginning of sharing togetherness, which could possible spark of working to improve other principles. It starts small then gradually expands into something greater and better. We can work on it together and turn any holiday into a day that’s meant to show pure, genuine love.

Who’s down to do that?

How do you feel about the holidays? Do you think people care enough about the holidays to try to change it for the better? Leave your comments below.

Do you want to change people’s outlook on Baltimore’s Hip-Hop Scene? Make sure you read “#NewBaltimore or #OldBaltimore. We’re All Crabs” on Doc’s Castle Media.