EXCERPT ”How to Build A People’s Army” by Kalonji Changa (www.ftpmovement.ning.com): Everything that exists within the universe has an order and anything that doesn’t have an order is chaotic. Whether we are dealing with reproduction, how we breathe, how we eat or how we walk, there is an order as to how things work. Taking on the task of being a community organizer, a freedom fighter, a revolutionary or what have you is no different. You must organize yourself, your immediate family, your extended family and then the masses. You start with your house, your community, your...

By Rohit Kachroo of the Grio.com Contrast two dictators — two friends in two different parts of Africa. One is Colonel Muammar Gadhafi — his face bloody, his shirt undone, his life over. After several weeks of silence, a grainy image has emerged which appears to show the corpse of the former dictator. Its release is a significant moment — it underlines the undignified end of Gadhafi’s years of terror, but it might also signal the end of the apparently unceasing momentum of a liberation movement that has swept across parts of Africa. theGrio: Does Gadhafi’s...

Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a Georgia police officer in 1991. Nearly two decades later, Davis remains on death row even though the case against him has fallen apart. The case against him consisted entirely of witness testimony which contained inconsistencies even at the time of the trial. Since then, all but two of the state’s non-police witnesses from the trial have recanted or contradicted their testimony. Many of these witnesses have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying or signing statements against Troy Davis. One of the two...

republished from the Queens Courier Michelle Obama visits US Open BY STEVE MOSCO smosco@queenscourier.com Tuesday, September 13, 2011 10:20 AM EDT First Lady Michelle Obama arrived at the U.S. Open with one mission: to get city kids moving. She started the morning in the SmashZone, the premier fan interactive attraction at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing on Friday, September 9. There, the First Lady played some 10 and under tennis with a group of kids from the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program along with tennis superstars Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, John...

“The only person on this planet that has the ability to stop your progress is you, use your obstacles as stepping stones…” – Kalonji Changa It’s not often that SHE has the opportunity to meet a man so humbly committed to our community and so clear about his vision.  Meeting Kalonji Changa was an inspiring experience that would have anyone leaving wanting to rise and “Be the Change” in their own communities.  Not many people can note as many titles on their resume as Kalonji; to include filmmaker, artist, activist, public speaker and most importantly, an organizer...

Wyclef Jean Shot in Haiti Poll Rage By ALEX WEST featured at TheSun.com.uk HIP hop star Wyclef Jean told yesterday how he was shot in Haiti. The Fugees frontman was campaigning in the troubled country for a pal standing in its presidential election. Wyclef’s hand was grazed by a bullet when he stepped out of a car to make a phone call. Describing the noise of shots Haiti-born Wyclef, 41, said: “I heard ‘blow, blow, blow’ and I looked down at my right hand.” The US-based star said he had no idea who fired the shots or which direction they came from in the capital...

Back in August I attend the Black August/Happily Natural Weekend event in Atlanta. The entire event was a learning experience as well as a visual treasure for me. Happily Natural has been going on for about eight years now and the purpose is to reaffirm our pride in our culture & ethnicity as African people worldwide. I’ll have more on Happily Natural in a later post.  What I didn’t mention before (and what I didn’t know until this event) is that the Black August tradition was established during the 1970’s in the California prison system by men and women of the Black/New...

What has President Obama done? Listen to Rachel Maddow… Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Now that list is dense and I only knew, maybe a third of what is mentioned here and I have to thank MSNBC pundit Rachel Maddow for this list. She made that list approximately six months ago. So he did all of this in 18 months and yet we lose enthusiasm and his popularity falters. He passed Healthcare Reform; something that Clinton couldn’t do, Carter couldn’t do, Ford couldn’t do; Johnson, Eisenhower and Coolidge couldn’t do. He did it...

Or will it?  Today, I checked my and the hubby’s voter registration, since I found out it was the last day to register in Georgia before the upcoming elections on November 2.  (By the way, if you live in Georgia, you can find your polling station, change your address, and check your status at the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page).  Sigh of relief: everything looked fine. My co-worker passed by my desk and asked me what I was doing.  A puzzled look crossed her face when I pointed out . “Um, there are elections coming up?  What for?” I wanted to blurt out, “Everything!”...

Vincent here and I just wanted to take a moment and vent. Just a moment and I am thankful to Tafakari for allowing me to do so on her dime. A lot of politicians and right-wing sycophants are grabbing for political power by demonizing Islam. Conservative Americans are making an issue of building a mosque a few blocks from the place where 9/11 occurred. It not the brightest idea to build there, I think, in these trying times of economic depression and prejudicial fears. And if it stopped there, MAYBE (and just maybe) it would not be so bad. But it doesn’t stop there. Muslims are getting push...