Sticks and Stones

I received a notice from Google that this blog was going to be closed due to inactivity. I read the first and only post and I remembered why/when I created The Uppity Negro blog. At the time, I wanted to address the killing of Trayvonne Martin without inaudating the Lumberton Informer with posts that didn't directly affect my homtown. As I emotions of the tragic death of Martin filled my mind, I became a little emotional because never in a million years would I have imagined it would be open season on black males and the primary hunter would be police officers. It's been two years since I posted on this blog and I find it kismet that I post on the anniversary of the murder of Mack Charles Parker. Parker was a distant relative that lived in Lumberton but was lynched in the city of Poplarville, Mississippi after he was accused of raping a white woman. Parker was a 23 year old truck drive that was lynched on April 25, 1959 by 10 white men that were never indicted. We see all the advancements and think we've come a mighty long way but when the news is constantly reporting the modern day lynchings of black males like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Freddy Gray and countless others, I realize we have a long way to go. It takes more than the election of the first African American president to classisfy America as post-racial.

Before going any further, I want to make it clear that I'm still blogging as the Lumberton Informer but I'm currently involved in a legal battle and in order to read the Lumberton Informer the reader must register their email address. Also, if you're interested in knowing more about Mack Charles Parker, you can check out the book Blood Juztice: The Lynching of Mack Charles Parker. It's a very interesting read. Now, let me address the title of this blog. The matter is actually addressed in tbe previous post but as a blogger of color, I get criticism from black and white people. A lot of white people are quick to try and label me as a racist because I'm unapologetically outspoken whereas a lot of black people like to label me as a sellout because I support police and vehemently oppose the hood mantra of no snitching. Let's be clear, I I witness a crime, I'm calling the police. It's time out for putting on blinders when it comes to protecting criminals. I will expose injustice in all forms. You can be wearing a hoodie or a badge. If you're breaking the law, you're not welcomed in my circle. I'm a lover of social media as well as social activism. One phrase I see a lot on social mefia is "if it's not directed, it's not respected." Most people that "know" me know I'm wired differently. I don't buy into internet thuggery. Here's my take on the phrase, I don't need your respect as long as I have your attention.

When a person decides to blog about social and/or political issues they must be prepared for attacks. I can deal with name calling even when they're made by the anonymous cowards. However, if you feel the need to resort to damaging my personal property and making threats, you've crossed the line of being a coward to being a cowardly criminal. I can deal with name calling. I think Dan Savage said it best in his open letter to Herman Cain.

"The strange irony of my life is that I've been called a faggot by niggers and been called a nigger by faggots. We need to see that we are all in the same boat, and while we stand around arguing about who is worthy, someone who considers us all to be worthless laughs all the way to the bank. Meanwhile, we step on each other, trying to gain a bit of extra footing of "success" while crushing another's soul."

Words are stones. Words have meaning. Words have life. Slurs are attacks and are tantamount to an attack, character assignation and in my opinion, slurs are the verbal equilivant to being spat on. As you can see, this blog is going to be slightly different, offering me a forum to discuss race relations in America, the recent diatribe Michael Eric Dyson wrote about Cornel West, the Spice epidemic and the New Jim Crow. I can't describe all the issues that will be discussed in this blog but I hope you join me on this journey of self-discovery.