dear mr.sharif,
After reading your article "downtown Newark" i was taught about the drastic change that is to become . Im the article you speak of upgrading Newark's neighborhoods and downtown areas. you also speak of protecting Newark natives (such s myslef) from this slow but sure manuver.You believe that while the government is in such a rush to welcome new yorkers, they should also make this life cable for the less fortune newarkers that lived here for most of their lives. I agree i do believe that the government shouldnt wipe out the existing community in hopes d a new one. In one of your paragraphs you mention something to the note of newark being dislike new york in the fact that the rent will be much cheaper. if that is proposed to the state officials, that may be one way for native indegenous newarkers to capitalize on this new way of life. I mean why are the immense amount of residents to this urban city being forced out of thier homeland because the government wants to spend money on resturants and become a replica of times square.If anything they should be focusing in a stopping gang violence and drug trafficing. when New Jersey's government welcomes new comers from neighboring states, do they think the disadvantage in our community will dissapear?aside from that i am an eighth grader attending north star acadamy charter school of Newark. lately, in my english class we have been doin editorial analysis and this was one of thiem. i think it would be a great idea for you to come to our school and speak in our morning circle. if you are nfamiliar with that , it is when everyone in the school spends a half an hour taling about issues that have occured. it originated from african tribes when they would join together to dicuss any events. i would really appriciate your presence and so would my wonderful english teacher MRS.Christian.
Thank You,
AL-Jathiya Williams
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Cornell West Speech on Greatness and Success
On the video Dr. Cornell West pontificates about the difference between greatness and success. He first starts off with his definition of greatness. He says that one who devotes their live to giving back to others is a person of greatness. He explains how many people settle for mediocrity instead of wanting more. West clarifies that many of this from the converting from greatness to success. West defines success as having the “finer” things in life. This mostly consists of being financially stable and usually being popular in the media. He says how when people become successful and they spent their time around a different group of people they change who they are. It’s not exactly them changing who they are but more so pretending to be someone who they are not. Cornell West says that usually when people become successful they forget their purpose in life. Although, they may think that they have accomplished so much, they forget what the reasoning to be successful was. This connects to many artist who are well known in the hip-hop industry. Usually when artist are what you would consider “underground” they most likely are sending positive messages about the being better in life. In reality, that’s not what the industries want to hear. People like Talib Kweli or Common, are pushed away because music industries want to display a negative image on hip-hop. This is the reason that today’s music consist of dehumanizing women, drugs, and violence. Cornell West defines those people as people who are successful, though they have lost their greatness.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
AL-Jathiya Williams 1-24-08 Editorial Salaam
Conflict Diamonds
Since the great find of diamonds in 1867, this once rare mineral is admired all over the world. (1)In Europe, Africa, South America, and even North America, diamonds have been a constant demand.(1) What they fail to realize the hardships that Africans go through in order to supply the demands of voracious people.
Here in America African Americans have fought for the rights they enjoy today. Though back in Africa, they have distant relatives who work for them everyday. Their occupation: mining diamonds. To those who are unaware of the hardships they suffer everyday. And it’s mostly because today’s industry desire diamonds so much. Rapper Kanye west wrote a song called “diamonds”. This song speaks about how we are hurting our people in Africa. In stanza says “I thought my Jesus piece was so harmless until I seen this picture of a shorty armless and here’s the conflict: it’s in a black person soul to rock that gold, you spend ya whole life tryna get that ice.” This refers to how blacks are contributing to the system of conflict diamonds. This also relates to the relationship between the field slave and the house slave. The African-Americans who live in America are the house slaves. While the native Africans are the fields salve. The House slaves would contribute to the trouble and torment of the field slave. Today blacks do not bother to investigate the history of the diamonds they buy and their supplying companies.
The industry spends their life trying to live up to the standards of whites. Little do they know that they add to distress of those men, women, and children who are killed everyday for not finding enough diamonds for that day. They also fail to realize that by spending their money on diamonds they are actually adding wealth to whites industry. Think about it: how any black owned diamonds industries to do know that are making money.
This is similar to the relationship with field and house slaves. The house slaves would go out of their way to please their master while being comfortable with living in the “big house”. They would spy and tell on any field slaves who were trying to escape. The Black Americans make it impossible for Africans to be free from their dangerous jobs. If they would stop buying conflicts diamonds then the need for them would die. In places like guinea, the Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone, diamond mining would not be as popular of a job as it is now. (2)
After reading various articles such as Diamondfacts.org, and Combating conflict diamonds, I have learned even more about the issue of blood diamonds. The start of blood diamonds came from rebel groups who use the system to fuel conflict with the unjust government.(2) In the media, rebel groups are portrayed as unruly people. This also relates back to slavery. The field slaves were always thought of as the bad slave, this may be partially the reason why the house slaves paid no attention to the field slaves. Most African-Americans don’t fight to end the horrors that West Africans live.(2) Though the truth is that the rebels and the victims are the same people and in the end the British colonies want to kill them all. Just as the field slave and the house slaves were of same importance in the masters eyes. Although many minorities are unaware of the dreadfulness that take place in West Africa, that does no excuse them of not making change.
THE TIME IS NOW.
Simple things like writing letters and editorials to websites that take charge on such issues are simple. Instead of wasting time just hanging around with your friends, tell them about the cause and convince them to join you in writing these papers to concerned sites. If we ignore the fact that thousands of people die everyday, the population in Africa will die, not even counting the AIDS epidemic. There isn’t much time left too many tragedies are occurring in Africa. They are all a plan that the white politicians have to destroy the African-American race. The question that I want you to ask yourself is; when will you make the change.
Conflict Diamonds
Since the great find of diamonds in 1867, this once rare mineral is admired all over the world. (1)In Europe, Africa, South America, and even North America, diamonds have been a constant demand.(1) What they fail to realize the hardships that Africans go through in order to supply the demands of voracious people.
Here in America African Americans have fought for the rights they enjoy today. Though back in Africa, they have distant relatives who work for them everyday. Their occupation: mining diamonds. To those who are unaware of the hardships they suffer everyday. And it’s mostly because today’s industry desire diamonds so much. Rapper Kanye west wrote a song called “diamonds”. This song speaks about how we are hurting our people in Africa. In stanza says “I thought my Jesus piece was so harmless until I seen this picture of a shorty armless and here’s the conflict: it’s in a black person soul to rock that gold, you spend ya whole life tryna get that ice.” This refers to how blacks are contributing to the system of conflict diamonds. This also relates to the relationship between the field slave and the house slave. The African-Americans who live in America are the house slaves. While the native Africans are the fields salve. The House slaves would contribute to the trouble and torment of the field slave. Today blacks do not bother to investigate the history of the diamonds they buy and their supplying companies.
The industry spends their life trying to live up to the standards of whites. Little do they know that they add to distress of those men, women, and children who are killed everyday for not finding enough diamonds for that day. They also fail to realize that by spending their money on diamonds they are actually adding wealth to whites industry. Think about it: how any black owned diamonds industries to do know that are making money.
This is similar to the relationship with field and house slaves. The house slaves would go out of their way to please their master while being comfortable with living in the “big house”. They would spy and tell on any field slaves who were trying to escape. The Black Americans make it impossible for Africans to be free from their dangerous jobs. If they would stop buying conflicts diamonds then the need for them would die. In places like guinea, the Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone, diamond mining would not be as popular of a job as it is now. (2)
After reading various articles such as Diamondfacts.org, and Combating conflict diamonds, I have learned even more about the issue of blood diamonds. The start of blood diamonds came from rebel groups who use the system to fuel conflict with the unjust government.(2) In the media, rebel groups are portrayed as unruly people. This also relates back to slavery. The field slaves were always thought of as the bad slave, this may be partially the reason why the house slaves paid no attention to the field slaves. Most African-Americans don’t fight to end the horrors that West Africans live.(2) Though the truth is that the rebels and the victims are the same people and in the end the British colonies want to kill them all. Just as the field slave and the house slaves were of same importance in the masters eyes. Although many minorities are unaware of the dreadfulness that take place in West Africa, that does no excuse them of not making change.
THE TIME IS NOW.
Simple things like writing letters and editorials to websites that take charge on such issues are simple. Instead of wasting time just hanging around with your friends, tell them about the cause and convince them to join you in writing these papers to concerned sites. If we ignore the fact that thousands of people die everyday, the population in Africa will die, not even counting the AIDS epidemic. There isn’t much time left too many tragedies are occurring in Africa. They are all a plan that the white politicians have to destroy the African-American race. The question that I want you to ask yourself is; when will you make the change.
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