Zimmerman/Martin vs Taylor/unknown assailant

I went to the Blvd today to donate some money to Nathan Taylor's family to help with burial expenses.

A senseless killing. Unlike the Trayvon Martin killing, deaths of black men at the hands of other black men are the norm. Not that pice have arrested Taylor's killers but I'm willing to bet the perpetrators were black.

You won't see Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton putting up a fuss over this. According to them, angry gun-toting white men are still mowing black folks down in record numbers.

Trayvon Martin

Not sure what all the fuss is over the Trayvon Martin case, but it is yet another example of what's wrong in the black community (the BC).

One crazy white man kills a teenaged black kid and the BC goes into an uproar. Mean while, everyday in this country a teenaged black kid will be killed at the hands of another teenaged black kid. But you won't hear the BC get upset over that. As long as they kill each other they don't have issues but let a white man kill one of them and all hell breaks loose.

It's just like Muslims getting upset because someone like Glenn Beck uses Muslim and terrorist in the same sentence but when a Muslim suicide bomber actually attempts to blow something up, you don't hear a peep from Muslims.

I don't like Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. I think they create more problems than they've ever helped solve. They make every case about racism. Even if Zimmerman is the newest blood thirsty racist, it doesn't change the fact that the number one killer of black men is black men. Where's the racism in that? Why are Jackson and Sharpton protesting about that? Why do they jump on the rare incidences instead of jumping on the common occurrences?

Generational curses

Do you believe in generational curses? I believe they exist. It's one way to explain why people continue to repeat destructive behavior.

I still cannot stop thinking about the movie Courageous. Nathan Hayes (the black officer in the movie) realized how not having a father figure in his life left him scared. Some people don't realize it when so many people around them are living the same way. I must pray.

Setting standards to live by

"Setting the standards you need to aim for in life."

I watched the movie Courageous tonight. It was the most beautiful, awesome, biblically focused movie I've ever seen.

The whole movie touched me dearly, but the part I cherished the most was when the Nathan Hayes (the black officer) takes his daughter to a fancy dinner and gives her a heart shaped-ring. He told her that if he knows a guy interested in her loves God, that guy will also love her. He said the ring would be replaced the day she gets married, but until then he would take care of her and respect her as a lady. He not only showed her how valuable she was to him, but he set an example for the type of man she should be looking for. That was priceless.

A little bit of Black History

One of the things that annoys me about black folks is how they bring their children into the world.

This past Thursday, I met with a group of singles who live in the AV. One of the ladies, a Jamaican twenty-something, asked me if I had any kids. When I answered her question, she then told me I should get on it and asked what I was waiting for. I told her I was waiting on a husband.

I don't understand why black folks think it is okay to have children outside of marriage. I was born that way as well as most of my cousins. Growing up without a father in the home as greatly effected myself and my cousins.

For her to even suggest I have children without being married insulted me greatly. I can see things from her point of view. When everyone around you has their children that way, it becomes normal. I'm not into doing things the black way. Just one really bad habit the black community practices that needs to be shelved and forgotten.

The need for men

I spoke to my dad yesterday. He brought up the situation that's going with my brother (his son).

I don't feel it's my responsibility to call my brother and chastise him for the choices he's been making. I'm not his parent. I also won't do it because I feel it's not my place to counsel a male. I have no idea how to be a man (apparently men have no idea how to be a man either).

Having children outside of marriage is never a good thing. It is best for women to keep their legs closed and wait for a man to marry them.

Remembering to the Point of No Return

I spent Labor Day at my cousin’s house in Torrance, California. I don’t know what I was thinking when I let my mom talk me into going. I knew nothing was going to be different from the previous holidays I spent with them. I was hoping it would be different. Just hoping, but the older they get, the more they stay the same.

I’m not sure if other black families have this issue, but it seems the older members of my family like talking about slavery and racism. It’s almost as if they can’t forge an identity without it. I can’t identify with being a slave because I’ve never lived through slavery. I’m not sure how they identify so well with it considering they never lived through slavery either. But nonetheless, they love talking about it, reminiscing about the good old days (I never could consider them good), and berating the younger generation for forgetting their roots.

Is slavery worth remembering to the point where that’s all you have to talk about? Is there anything wrong with wanting to live in the present and looking forward to the future?

Is there anything wrong with appreciating the opportunities available to me today?