Post on 03-Apr-2018
7/29/2019 APFFC Newsletter 9
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www.apffc.org!
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WE#ARE#THE#SOLUTION#
TO#OUR#OWN#PROBLEMS
Issue%9%%%%%%%%%% % March%1,%2013%
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Like a great many of our readers, I
was born in an era where men were the
bread winders and woman maintained the
homes and raised the children. Though that
period in many ways was a simpler time, it
nonetheless had its challenges. Very few
people from that period went on to colleges,less to earn advanced degrees. However, in
urban communities these numbers weresometimes vanishingly small. A great deal
has changed since those times.
Minority woman both African
American and non-white Hispanics
womens numbers have grown
exponentially as it pertains to college and
advance degrees. In fact in most instances
there numbers exceed those of minoritymen by nearly two to one. Over the last ten
to fifteen years I have watched with
amazement the number of women that I
have met that have had masters degrees invarious disciplines. For me personally it hasbeen a rewarding experience. These women
have been knowledgeable, insightful, and a
reliable intellectual resource, as I pursued
various endeavors. However, I would bebeing far less than truthful if I said that the
joy I experienced from these encounters
were shared by many of my colleagues.
There has existed a culture in
both Hispanic and African American
communities that almost like children,when it came to decision making, the
belief prevailed that woman " are to beseen, but not heard, " that at the end of the
day, with all things being equal, thatultimately a woman's decisions would be
far to heavily weighed down by emotions.
This premise in the 21st century as men,
certainly does not work to our behest.
When we fail to recognize the
enormous intellectual resources that many
women bring to the table, as friends,
colleges, wives or lovers, we undercut ourown chances of success. There is a
teachable moment that is obvious, if one
looks beyond his intellectual box and looks
around the world. Women have moved
to the forefront of not just one or two
governments, but now operate as
President and Prime Minister from
country as diverse as South Korea,
Germany,!Liberia, Costa Rica,Switzerland, Brazil, and the list goeson.
My brother an intelligent
woman should not be viewed as achallenge, but rather as an asset. Not an
asset such as a piece of property, but
instead as a major plus in the ledger of
life. She is a gift my brother, one of the
few gifts in life that is self-
replenishing. Those of us trapped in the
matrix of machismo ignore thisprecious gift at our own peril.
Akbar Pray, Editor-In-Chief!
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!The MillionWoman March!!
Put The MARCH
In Womens History MonthBy:!Sis.!Empress!Phile!Chionesu!!!!!!!
Originator/Founder:!!
Million!Woman!March!&!Universal!
Movements!
1. The fact that if our Sisters were/are
well organized, nationally and
internationally, with a specific plan, a
fundamental agreement of modes ofoperations, and a clear concise no sell
out agenda not only would muchnecessary work get accomplished, a
serious and much needed holisticallypositive change would occur in ways too
vast to mention.
2. Sisters (African women) are the
primary care taker of the children; thus if
our women are uplifted, empowered,
edified, properly guided, and
stabilized/secured, our children would
greatly benefit as well.
3. In the USA the incarceration of women
of African descent is rapidly increasing
and the murder, rape, and other gender
related violations are alarming, globally,
and require immediate attention and pro-
active intervention. In the US the
conduct/behavior of young females of
African descent ages 5-25, but especially
between the ages of 10-18
has, particularly in urban areas, become
quite noticeably disturbing. After much
observation and evaluation, MWM and
affiliates have reached the conclusion that
If Black/African women do not make
some serious moves and actions for
Saving Our Daughters, we will all pay
the price. Our women (sisters) must step
in and up as onlywe can do to provide our
young girls with the proper nurturing,motherly love and sisterly affection, and
the necessary insightand preparations for
becoming a strong, confident, non-
exploitable, skillful, morally sound, etc.
African woman.
4. There is not one group/organization/
institution (until now) with the main
objective and mission that is totally
committed to the upliftment,
empowerment, unification, etc. of women
and girls throughout the African Diasporathat is designed from a historical, cultural,
and self-determined frame of reference,
from the grassroots through the glass
ceiling inclusiveness, and from the cradle
to the grave conviction of resistance for
freedom and justice and of course the
political stance ofAfrica for Africans.
5. Itis time that the true spirit, beauty,
greatness and essence of the Mother of
Civilization (the Original Woman, the
Africana Woman) be brought forward,upheld and readily exemplified and along
with that the fundamental principles ofMaat, for it is more than obvious that
throughout the world there is a destructive
imbalance and this must be rectified
sooner than later.
6.We Owe It To Ourselves, Our
Ancestors, and the Future Generations.
!
In future articles, more insight into the
history and legacy of the Million
Woman March and the divine seven
year mission of its Universal Movements
(which include the development of anindependent school for girls, community
based holistic health a healing center,
specific programs for women and girls
who have been abused and/or are presently
being violated (which include women
that are incarcerated and those who arenow out), special projects to fight for the
freedom of our political prisoners,
campaigns for greater community
economic development and self-
determined financial advancement, etc.),but for now we invite you all to join us in
October 2013 for the
(Power) Convention that will take place
from October 21-24, 2013, the installation
of the MWM Sistah Saints and the
Justice Now Rally in front of the JusticeDepartment on Friday October 25, 2013and the SWEET 16 Mass Assembly on
Sat. October 26, 2013, all in Washington
D.C.Your support and participation will
make assure an even greater success as
we make HERSTORY Again !!!
Event Coordinators (to assist in the
coordination for your city & state),
Volunteers, Presenters, Exhibitors,
Ujima-Ujamaa Business and Special
Sessions Partners are wanted.
Numerous MWM (Support & Active)Memberships are also now available
Financial donations and in-kind
services contributions are also very
helpful and greatly appreciated.
For more information e-mail:
nationalmwm@aol.com
or postal mail at:
National Million Woman
March/Movement P.O. Box
53668 Philadelphia, PA 19105
Attention: Sweet 16 Reunion
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Poetryby
Semaj Thomas
Despite my normalcy, which you know is militant,
Please know you are appreciated for your vigilance.
You are loved way more than what words could express,
Yet this passage is to convey those sentiments nonetheless.
Though our journey as parents has been an uphill feat,
We have weathered many storms - anchored in destiny.
In all honesty, you are nothing short of a blessing,
I proudly stand, raising my right hand to make this confession.
I now see the error in my ways,
Possessing a misguided focus for the passed fifty-one hundred-
plus days.
At this very moment, I'm deeply grieved within my soul
For having gone about my own agenda as well as goals.
You are truly a lady; the blessed mother of my son,
I bow to you like the Moon bows to the Sun.
Use this passage as a scepter while you sit up on your throne,
Please forgive me Amiya, lighten the tone of my soul......
**********
Ones life is but a book, meant to inspire, entertainAnd enlighten by way of intriguing the perusers brain.It's said, "Silence is golden", but when I speak, it's priceless,Formative dictions are compared to King Solomon's likeness.It is truly an honor to possess such a gift,A modern day Richard Wright, yet with an urbane twist.They say, "History repeats itself", well, I agree,Clearly my soul is that of Langston Hughes definitely.Words becoming expressions - views of my mind, heart andsoul.Providing a report on my tenure while here on this globe.
I started out as a grain of sand within an oysters grasp,Now I've become a pearl, the entire world can marvel at.I now await my mate - the reincarnation of Queen of Sheba,To produce a union as beautiful as the grounds of Geneva.Poetry incarnated through the means of flesh and blood,Begetting a freshness like the effects of H20 and suds.In lieu of being volatile - becoming a mercenary,I've opted to be artistic - a poetic luminary.Without a single iota of a cause for a pause,I'm trying to have the masses give my Book of Life anapplause...
I Call Her Big Mom (A Tribute)
By Daphne Benyard
I Call her Big Mom!
MATRIARCH OF THE FAMILYSHE
IS EVERY WOMAN AND MOTHER
TO US ALL
MUST HAVE BEEN KISSED BY ANGELS
WHEN SHE WAS JUST A TEENIE TINY TOT
MAKING HER TOUGH AND ABLE TO KEEP IN STEP
AND ON BALANCE
AND STRONG ENOUGH TO LEAD HER FAMILY UP
THE MOUTAINS RIGHT SIDE
THIS GOD-FEARINGRIGHTEOUS WOMAN
IS ABLE TO PRAY HER WAY STRAIGHT THROUGHTHE ROUGHEST TIMES
HER KITCHEN -- A SANCTUARY FILLED WITH HOME-
GROWN LOVE
WHERE SHE TRANSFORMS STRING BEANS AND
POTOTOES,
SERVING-UP A MAGICAL FEAST
I Call Her Big Mom
SHE IS ALWAYS THERE TO LISTEN AND GIVEADVICE
WITH A CUP OF HOT TEA OR COFFEE, OR A BOWL OFBEAN SOUP
HER FACE, GLOWING WHILE HER WORDS ENRICHED
THE MOST TROUBLED MIND
AND FOR THOSE WHO TIED- TALL TALES TO TELL
WITH LOVING KISSES, SHE BLOW THEM AWAY,
WITH THE TRUTH
CUSHIONED WITH AFFCTION, GOD HAS BLESSED
HER HEART WITH LOVE
FINDING THE TIME TO CARE, SHE COULD ALWAYS
FIND THE BEST WAY
TO CONFORT THE MOST BURDENED MIND, WHILE
EASING THE PAIN OF THOSE IN DISTRESSED
GOD HAS TRULY BLESSED BIG MOM WITH LOVE,GRACE AND PLEASANTNESS
I CALL HER BIG MOM, GRANDMA AND MAMA
A POWER HOUSE, QUEEN OF CULTIVATION,
MOTHER OF CIVILIZATION
WE FOREVER HONOR ALL OF YOU AND ALL THAT
YOU REPESENT
YOU HAVE THROUGH THE AGES DEMANDED ALL
THE LOVE AND RESPECT.
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From the Bottom Upeditorial page editor, Andrew RosenthalNew York Times Opinion PageFebruary 17, 2013President Obama was right about the need to increase thefederal minimum wage, but it was too bad that he pulledhis punches in calling on Congress to lift the wage only to$9 an hour by the end of 2015, from $7.25 an hour, whereit has been since 2009.
His proposal would boost the annual pay of an employeeworking full time at the minimum wage from $14,500 nowto $18,000, which is still very low. Several economicmeasures including purchasing power, average wagesand productivity gains indicate that the minimum wageshould be at least $10 an hour today, not $9 an hour three
years from now. In 2008, Mr. Obama campaigned onraising the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour.
Politically, the lowball proposal is understandable.Congressional Republicans are bound to oppose anyincrease. Representative John Boehner, the House speaker,lashed out against the proposal the day after the presidentsState of the Union address, a stance that will very likelyfurther alienate important constituencies from theRepublican Party, including women, who represent morethan half of the estimated 18 million people currently
working at or near the minimum wage, and Hispanics, whorepresent one-fourth.
Combined with tax credits for the working poor, Mr.Obamas proposal could lift a minimum wage worker whois currently belowthe poverty line ($18,498 for a family ofthree in 2012) out of poverty. But the minimum wage ismore than an antipoverty program. In fact, most workers ator near the minimum wage live in households withmoderate family incomes above poverty levels but belowthe national median of roughly $60,000. For them, and for
the broader economy, an adequate minimum wage canhelp ensure fair pay and stimulate the economy by puttingmore money in consumers wallets.
Opponents of an increase in the minimum wage argue thatit will harm small businesses, but that fear is exaggerated.Research shows that the extra cost is offset by lower labor
turnover, small price increases or other adjustments. Inaddition, many low-wage workers at small businesses aretipped workers whose employers have been shielded fordecades from minimum wage increases, and thus haveroom for an increase.
Over all, the argument that a higher wage will kill jobs hasbeen debunked by a range of studies showing that a higherminimum wage boosts pay without measurably reducingemployment, while improving productivity. One studyfrom the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago found that a $1increase in the minimum wageresults, on average, in$2,800 in new spending by affected households in the
following year, in large part because the increase helpsworkers accumulate down payments to buy cars. Owning acar, in turn, helps workers to keep their jobs.
On Wednesday, Congressional Democrats said they wouldintroduce bills to gradually raise the wage to $10.10 anhour. Both Mr. Obama and Democratic lawmakers havealso called for annual inflation adjustments, an importantchange that would be made better by adjusting theminimum wage to keep it in line with increases in average
wages, rather than with consumer prices. A higherminimum wage would be good for workers and for theeconomy. The challenge is to get it through Congress.
thewhitedsepluchre@blogspot.com
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Immigrants!can!affect!the!United!States!both!positively!as!well!
as!negatively.!Todays!immigrants!are!fundamental!in!the!
development#of!our!society;!transforming!the!structures!of!the!
community!so!that!all!people,!rich!and!poor,!are!able!to!fulfill!
their!human!potential!and!live!dignified!lives.!!Our!country!has!
produced,!managed!and!distributed!with!each!sweat!an!
immigrant!drops!from!his/her!head.!Through!an!immigrants!
willingness!to!take!lower!paying!jobs!and!sustain!them!for!the!
good!of!their!family,!the!U.S.!has!benefited!and!made!money!in!
the!process.!!!
Immigrant!workers!help!the!United!States!because!they!work!
jobs!that!most!people!wouldnt!consider!doing!and!do!it!for!a!
sad!amount!of!$7.25!or!less.!!Many!people!believe!that!
immigrants!are!taking!away!jobs!from!true!citizens!of!the!
country,!but!people!must!also!take!into!account!that!these!out!
of!the!country!workers,!work!really!hard!in!agriculture,!building!
and!grounds!maintenance,!construction,!food!preparation,!
service!and!manufacturing,!some!of!the!areas!where!
immigrants!are!most!present.!If!it!werent!for!these!immigrants,!
who!would!build!your!house,!who!would!deliver!food!to!the!
market?!
!
A!problem!that!may!arise!through!the!effects!of!immigrants!is!
riots.!Once!people!see!immigrants!making!money,!they!will!
complain!and!say!they!are!taking!jobs!away.!Immigrants!arent!
taking!jobs!away;!they!are!just!occupying!jobs!that!most!
people!see!as!too!hard!or!difficult!to!do.!!
!
Many!people!ask!the!question,!Why!dont!you!go!back!to!
your!country?!But!here!is!a!question!to!think!about!when!
have!you!seen!an!illegal!immigrant!not!trying!to!succeed!in!
his/her!life?!Everywhere!you!go,!an!immigrant!will!tell!you,!I!
came!to!this!country!to!give!my!family!a!better!
opportunity.!On!the!other!hand,!many!Americans!work!for!
selfinterest.!!Although!immigrants!receive!little!pay,!they!
are!able!to!accomplish!many!things!through!living!simply,!
making!choices!that!deepen!our!joy!because!they!focus!on!
essentials!of!life,!not!an!illusion!of!what!brings!happiness,.!!
Living!simply!brings!true!DEVELOPMENT.!
!
Carlos'Ivan'Vega'is'a'10th
'grade'student'at'Central'High'School'Newark,'NJ.'His'parents'and'four'siblings'emigrated'
from'Mexico'to'the'United'States.''
Hispanic Voices
America: An Immigrants Perspective
I!came!to!this!country!to!give!my!family!a!better!opportunity.!
!By#Carlos#Ivan#Vega#
But% here% is% a% question% to% think% about%
when%have%you%seen%an%illegal%immigrant%
not%trying%to%succeed%in%his/her%life?%
Director(of(Operations(Milagros Harris
Director(of(FinanceQasim S. Abdul Karim
Director(of(
Human(Resources(Rahman
Muhammad
Director(of((
Public(Relations(Toni Johnson
APFFC!Board!of!Directors!
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WomenCan't live wit' 'em, can't kill 'em."
---a male joke of unknown origin
A female to me is absolutely the mostadorable, fascinating and admirable
creature in all of Creation.Everything that is, was, and will be was
created inside the Divine Womb of Triple
Darkness. If there's a Supreme Being It's
a female.
There's only two sexes: Male andFemale; if "we don't love them hoes",
then who do we love? The exquisite
luxury and pleasure of a $2,000,000
Bugatti pales in comparison to the
potential love and comfort of the leastfemale ever created.
I don't speak from books; I speak from
the heart. I can always gauge a man's
true strength by his attitude and
treatment towards women. If we are not
even strong enough to love and protect
our wives, mothers, sisters, daughters
and girlfriends, and stop treating them
like trash and garbage, and calling thembitches and hoes, we will never, ever, be
men, free or respected.
For once let's be honest with ourselvesand each other: The naked truth is we
love "them hoes" more than anything,
but we're just too dumb, weak, insecure
and terrified of them and their
mysterious powers to ever admit it.
Akbar&Prays&Recommended&Reading&List&
&
Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery [Hardcover]Deborah Willis (Author), Barbara Krauthamer (Author).
This book is a pictorial of African Americans, right after and then long after the emancipation
proclamation. The black and white photos are moving and timeless.!Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from
Colonial Times to the Present... by Harriet A. Washington (
Harrowing accounts of all of the experiments that were conducted on African American subjects,
from slavery, the Tuskegee experiments and more, this title chronicles the inhumane manner in which
African Americans were used by the medical establishment in this country. (Weve mentioned it
beforeworth mentioning twice).!Possessing the Secret of Joy: A Novel by Alice Walker.
Most of this book takes place in Africa and deals with amongst other topics, the custom of clitoral circumcision interesting, though
at times disturbing book.!!Part of My Soul Went with Him by Mary Benson, Winnie Mandela and Anne Benjamin.&&
Winnie Mandelas account of her life with the living legend, Nelson Mandela and his 27year period of incarceration.
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, recounts her life from a Bronxhousing project to the federal bench an inspiring testament to the power of believing in oneself.!!It Takes a Village, Tenth Anniversary Edition by Hillary Rodham Clinton
"a textbook for caring.... Filled with truths that are worth a read, and a reread" (The Dallas Morning News).
By Rudy Williams
Know it or not, when great poets dreamthey are praising Mother Nature's Glory.
When songbirds and great divas sing, they
are paying homage to HerStory.
So too, when the greatest thinkers and
philosophers think and wonder.
But, when tyrants and weak little devils,plot and scheme, they cause Her to
unlease Her raging thunder and sting.
Thus, there's a divine reason why we callNature "Mother". As a female, She's the
Greatest Lover.
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Photo!by!Carrie!Mae!WeemsAin't!Jokin!198788!Collection
Like so many little girls I grew up watching Disney princesses.
When I was coming up, there were not nearly as many as there
are today, no Mulan, Tiana, or Pocahontas for little girls of
color to emulate. My personal favorite was Cinderella. Snow
White had dark hair (but I was afraid of the dwarfsdidntwant to be her). So just like Whoopi Goldberg in her early days
of stand-up comedy, I put a white towel on my head and
pretended to have long blonde hair. When I outgrew my
princess phase, I picked up fashion and movie magazines in the
hope of finding someone to model myself after, but again, no
one looked like me. My friends and I ironed our hair to look
like Ali McGraw in Love Story, but all I ended up with wastriangle shaped burns on my scalp and hair that looked like
straw. When the black power movement arrived and sisters
proudly wore their Afros, my hair couldnt do that, so one
again, I couldnt identify. I was marginal. I didnt fit anywhere.Thats when I realized I must be invisible.
Who decided the parameters of beauty? Are wedoomed to be judged by solely by looks, with no regard to
character, fortitude, intelligence or the qualities that make us
not just human, but humane? While I have had the good fortune
to be eye witness to both the Womens Liberation Movement
and the Black Power Movement, I still see us as women inAmerica, trapped by what I refer to as the colonial paradigm
of beauty, a standard determined by white, patriarchal
hegemony that reduces women of all races and ethic origins to
pseudo-white, sexualized objects. Even more unfortunate than that
is, that many men and women of color have (perhaps unwittingly)
bought in to this so-called standard.
Issues of race and ethnicity have universally been used tostabilize societies. However, as Robert Mark Silverman states, in
his book Doing Business in Minority Markets, In societies with a
history of colonialism, where dominant and subordinate roles have
been closely associated with race and ethnicity, such stratification
becomes more determinant. In other words , in a multicultural
society, such as exists in America, to maintain dominance, white
standards must persist if whites are to continue to dominate andcontrol our society.
Nowhere is that more evident than in commercial hip-hop
culture, where the fixation on the light skin and longhaired vixen
perpetuates the myth that a womans worth is measured by thelength of her hair (no matter its originif you cant grow it, sew it)
and the measure of her waist.The fixation on superficial material culture is a ruse, a red
herring, a mere distraction that keeps us from focusing on the real
issues at hand. We must teach our children to love themselves
enough to BE themselves. But before we can pass it on to future
generations, we must experience it ourselves. You will always be abetter you, than you could ever be an imitation of anyone else.
Self-love and self-acceptance is a lesson we can only teach through
example.
Who decided the parameters of beauty? Are we doomed
to be judged by solely by looks, with no regard tocharacter, fortitude, intelligence or the qualities that
make us not just human, but humane?!
If we revert to history, we shall find that the women
who have distinguished themselves have neither been
the most beautiful not the most gentle of their sex
-Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797)A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
-Dorothy Parker (1893-1967)
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Africans spreading into the Middle East,
followed by Europe and Asia, the PacificIslands and finally, the Americas."
Populations in the Middle East have a
unique signature of African, European,
and Asian characteristics. It looks like a
gateway. You see a lot more mixture
there ... that's one of the types of findings
you get by looking at this level of detail,"
said Myers. The research also showed
that sometimes a person's roots can betraced to a small group specific to a
geographic areaIf this does not give you a
better perspective on woman, weatherhuman or spirit then you will never
understand how amazing they are.
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Africa," said co-author Marcus Feldman,
an evolutionary biologist at Stanford
University in California.
This confirms the idea that Homo sapiens
left Africa about 100,000 years ago. Each
small group of individuals founded a new
population in each new colonized region,
using a smaller sample of the originally
African gene pool, in a phenomenon
called genetic bottleneck. Diversityclearly decreased during the migrations.
"If you keep sampling like that, then
mathematically you must lose variation,"
said Feldman.
Other researchers looked at a maximum of
1,000 genetic markers, comparing just 3-4
populations. "It's sort of like looking at
Mars with the naked eye versus with a
big, very powerful telescope," said co-
author Richard Myers, a geneticist fromStanford University. The detailed analysisrevealed a shared portion of genes
between the Yakut, indigenous of
northeastern Siberia, and Native
Americans, matching the archaeologicalfindings of migration across the Bering
area. The research also showed a clear
racial distinction between the northern
and southern Chinese populations and
between different European populations.
"But perhaps even more striking is how
similar humans are to each other. Some 90
% of the genetic variation occurs withinpopulations, not among them. That turns
out to be very profound, because it's not
like we've got these 51 populations that
are different species. We're really, reallyclose to each other," said Myers.
The team found that racial types were
characterized by thousands of genetic
markers. "Those genes which we
classically use like skin color and eye
color and hair structure to differentiatewhat we commonly call races is a tiny
fraction of all the variation there is," saidFeldman. "In particular, the pattern of
variation shows that the route of migrationout of Africa was into the Middle East and
then to the rest of Eurasia, the Americas,
and Oceania. That tends to agree with
what we're seeing on the Y-chromosome
side," said Spencer Wells, a population
geneticist and director of the Genographic
Project, which is charting the migratory
historyof humans around the globe.
The study strengthened the idea of
SheBy Omifalade
For thousands of years woman have played
a very important role in this wonderful
universe of ours. Through our revolvingreligious scriptures to the evolution of
politics, women have always been at the
forefront of everything: war, peace,birthing, creating, sheltering, embracing,
and educating men, boys, and young
woman. Through history we have learned
that from the beginning of time, men have
dominated all, even the royalties of their
wives. Many aristocrats have made their
mark in life not on the backs of their
ancestors but in the bosoms and
pocketbooks of their woman, as well asother mens wives. With this being said, I
have attached this article to show you how
amazing and incredible woman really areand how she, meaning mother earth, shows
us every single day not only that she is a
fertile woman but a powerful one as well.
This study is the most impressive research
so far tracking our evolutionary journey.
The new research published in the Nature
journal confirms that modern humans
emerged in Africa and then spread intoAsia to reach Europe, the Pacific and
Americas. The team focused on 650,000genetic markers in about 1,000 subjects
from 51 populations worldwide, the largest
study of this type so far. "You get less and
lessvariation the further you go from
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1
!
PARTICIPANT!MEDIA!LOCKS!DOWN!ITS!SOCIAL!ACTION!
CAMPAIGN!FOR!SNITCH,!!
NEW!FILM!STARRING!DWAYNE!JOHNSON,!
ON!MANDATORY!MINIMUM!DRUG!SENTENCING!
AND!FAIR!SENTENCING!OF!YOUTH!
legislative action around ending Juvenile
Life Without Parole sentencing including
original videos, infographics and factpackets.
About Snitch
In the fast-paced action thriller Snitch,
Dwayne Johnson stars as a father whoseteenage son is caught in
possession of a package that,
unbeknownst to him, contains
enough narcotics to warrant a
mandatory minimum prisonsentence of 10 years.
Desperate and determined torescue his son at all costs, he
makes a deal with the U.S.
Attorney to work as an
undercover informant andinfiltrate a drug cartel on a
dangerous mission risking
everything, including his
family and his own life.
Participant Media is an
entertainment company that focuses on
documentary and non-documentaryfeature films, television, publishing anddigital content about the real issues that
shape our lives. For each of its projects,
Participant creates social action and
advocacy programs to transform theimpact of the media experience into
individual and community action.
Participant s online division and Social
Action Network is TakePart.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
(FAMM), a nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization, fights for fair andproportionate federal and state sentencing
laws that embrace judicial discretion while
guarding public safety. Please visit us atwww.famm.org.
Posted on Friday, February 22, 2013
In the film Snitch, which was inspired
by real events, Dwayne Johnson plays a
father whose teenage son is wrongly
accused of a drug distribution crime andis looking at a mandatory minimum
prison sentence of 10 years. For its
Social Action campaign for Snitch,"Sentence Change," Participant Media is
teaming with Families Against
Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) and theCampaign for the Fair Sentencing of
Youth to create awareness, insight and
outreach around the issues of mandatory
minimum drug sentencing and the fair
sentencing of youth, and tools to get
involved. The Summit Entertainment-Exclusive Media-Participant Media film
opens in theaters today.
Chad Boettcher, Executive VicePresident of Social Action & Advocacy,
says, "The U.S. currently has 4.6% of
the world s population but houses 25%
of the world s inmates 60% of whom arenonviolent offenders. And one of the
leading causes for the pipeline of
nonviolent drug offenders into the
prison system is mandatory minimumsentencing and snitching. We found
when talking with the experts, that this
issue rarely comes to light, so buildingon the narrative from the film the
campaign aims to inform the public and
give them ways to make lasting policy
change." The campaign also builds on
the coalition s previous work,
specifically around the passage ofCalifornia s Senate Bill 9 to reform fair
sentencing for youth, on empowering
organizations and individuals to supportpolicy change in these arenas.
"Participant Media was an invaluable
partner as organizers and the broader
community worked toward the passage of
SB 9 in California," said Jody Kent Lavy,
Director & National Coordinator of the
Campaign for Fair Sentencing for Youth."Participant developed media materials that
educated people and
inspired them to act.Monica Pratt Raffanel,
FAMM Director of
Communications, added,"Too few people in
America know about the
dirty little secret of
mandatory sentencing
laws, but SNITCH is
blowing the lid off of it.Participant Media is
using the best and most
innovative tools to createan interactive experience
that educates the viewer
about snitching and mandatory minimums
and engages them in FAMM s efforts torepeal mandatory sentencing laws."
Participant s campaign includes a Social
Action website: www.takepart.com/snitch
featuring; A shocking animated video aboutthe issues; An interactive infographic that
highlights the costs and effects of
mandatory minimum drug and "substantialassistance," (aka snitching); A petition to
reform mandatory minimums; A
curriculum for law and criminal justice
students; An editorial series providing
context and personal stories of those
affected by these issues; A mini-documentary called "Path for Hope :
Ending Juvenile Life without Parole"; And
a multi-platform Fair Sentencing Media Kitdesigned to increase awareness and
The#punishment#is#supposed#to#fit#the#crime,#but#when#a#legislative#body#says#this#is#going#to#be#the#
sentence#no#matter#what#other#factors#there#are,#thats#draconian#in#every#sense#of#the#word.#Mandatory#
sentences#breed#injustice.##
Senior!District!Judge!of!the!U.!S.!District!Court!for!the!Northern!District!of!Florida!
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U.S. News
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APFFC: Bonnie
I am sure that you have
noticed as we have, the
incremental but decided turns that has
been taking place both in the political
arena and the political theater away
from the former policy of " lock themup and throw away the key " mantra of
the past, to a more enlightened, though
clearly not far reaching enough policy
dealing with incarcerants. What do you
attribute these changes to and how far
do you think they may go?
BK: After having received hundreds of
prisoner testimonies from across the
country, and recently publishing the
second edition of Torture in US Prisons
Evidence of Human Rights Violations,
it is hard for me to see any forwardmovement in the political arenaconcerning the neo-slave system ofcriminal justice. The testimonies describe
conditions of confinement, including
years of no touch torture, racism,
chemical and physical brutality, cold,
hunger, filth, criminal medical care and so
on. As I see it, the current system is an
extension of chattel slavery, the Black
Codes, convict leasing, Jim Crow laws
and the 13th Amendment, which continues
to mandate slavery for US prisoners. Ithink you are correct in noting that there
is more dialogue going on in black andwhite middle class churches and
community groups concerning mass
imprisonment. Having been part of that
dialogue, I am encouraged by the number
of people who want to know more about
what is happening to men, women and
children imprisoned in the US. It is,
however, hard for me to see how this will
lead to any social change of substance.We need to eliminate every system that
slavery and genocide gave birth to, mostespecially the criminal justice system. The
expansion of prisons, parole, probation,the court and police systems has resulted
in an enormous bureaucracy which hasbeen a boon to everyone from architectsto food vendors. How is it that a 15 year
old in Newark, or Atlanta cannot even
hope to go to college or find a job, yetonce in the prison system, that black or
brown child generates $30-40 thousand
dollars a year?! I dont think that the
systemic pattern of handing public money
into private hands via the criminal justice
system is genuinely changing. Thesystem never changes unless there is
some benefit for itself in terms ofeconomic growth.
APFFC: We here at APFFC and I am
certain many other community based
organization, are fully aware of the role
that you have played and continue to
lay in attacking the pernicious prison
policy of solitary confinement in both
federal and state facilities. Where are
you now in that regard and do you feel
any real headway is being made in that
area?
BK: The American Friends Service
Committee has succeeded in involving the
ACLU-National Prison Project and the
National Religious Campaign Against
Torture in isolation issues. There is also a
wonderful on line newspaper calledSolitary Watch, which publishes
testimonies, stories and videos concerningthe practice of long term isolation.
Although the actual results have beenminimal, there has been some success inmoving emotionally distressed prisoners
out of isolation. The general practice
continues, though, including the isolation
of women and children. There has been no
forward movement in terms of releasing
people who the government considers a
political threat from isolation to general
Akbar!Pray!Foundation!For!Change!Interviews!
Bonnie Kerness
Ms. Kerness is Prison Watch Coordinator of The American Friends ServiceCommittee, a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice,
as a practical expression of faith in action. Drawing on continuing spiritualinsights and working with people of many backgrounds, they nurture theseeds of change and respect for human life that transform social relations
and systems.
population. In many cases, the closure of
isolation units has led simply to a re-
purposing, as exampled by the closure of
the Security Threat Group Management
Unit (gang) in NJs Northern State
Prison to an ad seg punishment unit and
the closing of the Tamms, IL supermaxprison, only to have it sold to the federalgovernment for the purpose of
expanding the Bureau of Prison isolation
beds. The latest trend in the growth of theuse of isolation has been with the building
of security threat group management units
for street organization members, and the
Communication Management Units for
Muslims that the government defines as
political dissidents. Racism and brutality
as part of conditions of confinement
continue unabated.
For copies of the following suggested
readings, contact:Bonnie Kerness, AFSC
89 Market Street, 6th floor
Newark, NJ 07102
1. Collage excerpts from Breaking
Mens Minds History of this Behavior
Modification Laboratory.
2. Bidermans Chart of Coercion.
3. Preface from Handbook onCorrections.
4. Torture in US Prisons- Evidence of
Human Rights Abuses.5. Survivors Manual Written by
People Living in Isolation for People
Living in Isolation.
6. NJ Political Prisoners Do Hard
Time in Solitary Bergen Record, 1992
7. Modules or Cages TSP
Enclosures Stir Protest, article by Peter
Page, The Times, 1991.!
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.
As a formerly incarcerated female, I
would betray my sistahz left behind bars
if I didn't expose the plights faced while
being incarcerated. While it is knownthat the prison population ispredominately male. WOMEN are the
fastest growing population going to
prison the number of female prisoners
has risen more than 800% in the last
three decades, outpacing the 400%
increase in the male prison populationduring the same time period. According
to the Institute on Women and Criminal
Justice report, Hard Hit: The growth in
the Imprisonment of Women, 1977-
2004, in 1977, the United States
imprisoned 10 out of every 100,000women, while in 2004 that number had
increased to 64 out of 100,000. And
because women are the caretakers,
particularly of children. Mothers in
prison, Children and families are in
serious crisis.
After the Civil Rights and Black
Liberation Movements, MassIncarceration and the War on Drugs
went into full force during the 1970s and
1980's, lower income and communitiesof color began to be policed more
heavily as a way of neutralizing andpreventing people from getting or
staying organized. The War on Drugs,
whose focus wasn't on everybody. There
were specific images, like the Black
Women on crack and her crack babies.
Women who tend to be less nonviolentoffenders, a large factor in the increase
in prison has been because of the
mandatory minimum drug laws, which
was seen as a get tough on crimemeasure during the war of drugs. The
Rockefeller Drug laws mandated that
first time offenders for drugs got
mandatory sentences. I can contest to
that because for my first offense I was
sent to prison because it was mandatory,
no plea bargain or drug court was
available to me at that time, during1994. The Rockefeller Drug laws
affected women who were at the wrong
place at the wrong time with theirboyfriends, in their cars or homes, they
end up getting charged also if large
quantity of drugs are found in both
possession. Black and Latino women
were disproportionately affected by
these draconian laws, as white womentended to have greater access to drug
treatment centers and better legal
representation. Women are usually thelower level player in drug deals. Povertyis a factor in the rise of women being
imprisoned, because we resort to
criminalized means for survival,
especially if we have to make ends meet
in a single mother home. Welfare and
these lower paying jobs just wasn't good
enough. During the Clinton
Administration, Welfare Reform had aaffect of women, they were removed off
welfare and found themselves entering
prison at a alarming rate. Much of what
I know about womens pathway to crimeand prison, has to do with trauma from
domestic abuse, addiction, unhealthy
relationships, mental illness and being
involved in crimes with their men.
Crime like shoplifting, petty drug
dealing and addiction are the driving
force to why women commit these kindsof crimes over and over again, going to
jail or prison fail to address the root
causes that led to incarceration. Most of
these things are symptoms of adysfunctional family, poverty, lack of
opportunities, inadequate education,
sexual, mental abuse and lack ofrehabilitation. These symptoms are
happening inside and outside of prison
walls. We must do all we can as women
to raise awareness, to seek and provide
SOLUTIONS to these issues that affectwomen, especially women of African
descent because we are underrepresented
in society. We must put an end and find
ALTERNATIVES TO MOTHERS INPRISON. MOTHER IN PRISON,
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN
CRISIS. END MASS
INCARCERATION FORNONVIOLENT OFFENDERS, STOP
THE SHACKLING OF PREGNANT
WOMEN, WE WANT ADEQUATEHEALTHCARE FOR WOMEN NOW,
STOP THE SEXUAL/MENTAL
ABUSE OF WOMEN BEHIND BARS,
RESTORE HUMAN RIGHTS TO ALL
CITIZENS RETURNING HOME.
In the Struggle,
Munirah El-Bomani
Revolutionary Greetings to you all,
Hope this newsletter find you all in goodhealth and good spirits...As we/I honor Her
Story, and the many contributions of Mothers
of all Civilization allow me to personally
give thanks for the many blessings bestowed
upon me through out my life journey. I
cannot thank the Creator enough for the
many contributions, blessings and inspirationfrom some of my HerStoric women like My
Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother,Queen Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Nzinga,
Queen Hatshepsut, Assata Shakur, AngelaDavis, Cicely Tyson, Maya Angelo, IdaB.Wells, QueenMother Moore, Harriet
Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Elaine Brown,
Kathleen Cleaver, Fannie Lou Hamer, Jill
Scott, Amina Baraka, Ramona Africa and my
President-General Empress Chi of the
Herstoric Million Woman Universal
Movement, the largest gathering of Black
Women, or of any women anywhere in theworld.
As the popularity of women's historycelebrations continues to spread as more
people are becoming aware of the
contributions of women and girls worldwide.
It is my duty to uplift and raise awareness of
the contributions made by BLACK
WOMEN. The Million Woman Movement
cadre of women of African descent will not
allow our history to be ignored or erased out
of history. As a proud member of MWM, I
will by all means do whatever it takes touplift and share the great stories of the manycontributions made by women, particularlyof African descent past and present. So I
challenge you as you read this newsletter to
do some research and study these GREAT
POWERFUL WOMEN LEGACY that
history has very much ignored. A message to
our sistahz, if we don't write about, study and
honor OUR STORY. Who will?? We are a
reflection of each other. Sistahood is
POWERFUL!!! Today, Yesterday andForever more.....
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By Heru
Blackwomen are without a doubt {Gods}most precious
creation.However a study of nature will reveal that througoutthe mammalian species,the male is the dominant figure in the
society.The reason is twofold:
In the animal world because of the absence of intellect,moraland spiritual faculties "physical force" is the only way of
establishing and maintaining law and order in the
group.Secondly force is an indispensible requirement for
upholding the law.
Males of the mammalian species excel at brute force,and this is
why and how men came to be the dominant figures in human
society.Following an evolutionary path of progress,although not the
evolution premised on Darwinism,Ourstorical Black cultures
accomplished a balanced system of overall functioning withmatrilineal inheritence law(all order was established from the
female line)as the foundation.Which for man was the natural
order of things.Our original Black ancestors from the continent
of Afrika inherently knew what science has most recently
availed to us:"That The mother of all humanity is/was/and will
forever be a Black Woman".As a result it was within the harmonious balance that the
QueenMother Ship provided the dictates of Justice and Order
in Ourstorical Black society.Theres an old saying that says,"You can tell the condition of a
nation by observing that nation's women." Most Black women
born in Amerika do not have high lifetime expectations of theirmen,resulting in silent mental rejections of the trust, hope and
mutual dependency necessary to promote sound
companionship.Diabolical social engineering created this
condition; see the Willie Lynch papers.Having had the
father/husband ideation chipped away in her youth,the Black
Woman experiences what will happen to a nation when the
ability to be aware of one's heritage and culture is suppresedand destroyed.Black Women who have yet to acknowledge their inherent
position as,"Mother/Goddess/Queen of ALL unwittingly deal a
A MESSAGE TO THE BLACKWOMAN
"This is a man's world,
but it would be nothing,nothing without a Woman"...-James Brown
death blow to a nation of people who have been beaten into
submission by systemic injustices,confusion and self-hate.Black Woman you have a natural and balanced awareness of
yourselves,of your beauty and grace,that when cultivated allows
you to exercise your healing qualities upon your nation of BlackMan/Woman/and Child.
We need you and your serene sense of dignity.
We know that you are drawn towards Power,Strength and
Nourishment,this attraction as natural as it is for you
compels(some of)us to be The Great God-Man we were born to
be.When you fight for the proper curriculum for your children, and
become"The" positive model for our daughters,when you begin
teaching the baby even before i t leaves the womb,feeding theright information to our future,you become the re-newed, re-
born, righteous bearer of the title:GOD-MOTHER!300,000 years ago you were here. It may not mean much to
some, but it means the world to me.Science has evaluated you
and found you foremost with no peer among your gender.
From then to now,from Afrika to Amerika,in all your shades and
all your ways I salute you,I love you.
"Our desire to be free has got to manifest itself in
everything we are and do"
-Assata Shakur
Hetep(peace) M.M. Ankh "Heru" Ma'at.
To the young sisters: You must think deeply
about the way of our ancestors.They are theones who warned us about commiting treason
against the culture and tradition that makes us
Afrikan, lest we destroy ourselves.!
LAST OF A DYING BREED
BY AKBAR PRAY
COMING SPRING OF 2013(FOLLOWED BY THE RERELEASE OF DEATH OFTHE GAME)
FromtheAuthorofDeathoftheGame
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By#Joseph#Jazz#Hayden#
The dominant culture wanted to
reinforce the color and class
lines, our youth said fine.#
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MISSION STATEMENTThe Akbar Pray Foundation For Change (APFC) is a not for profit grassroots organization, dedicated to redirecting the lives
of our urban at risk youth. It has been and remains our organizations mantra that " we are the solution to our own
problems." It is our core belief that there are those within our communities, if so engaged, who can help turn the tide of crime,
delinquency and recidivism which grips the lives of so many our inner city youth.
Operating from the premise that to effectively attack or address any problem you must start at its root, we have begun a
program in some of our citys schools and group homes, where we supply speakers, mentors, CDs and written material from
the organizations founder, which cuts to the heart of the problem experienced by many of these youths. Some times workingwith former gang members, inner city icons and others that have what is referred to as street cred, we have been able to
achieve remarkable results.
Expanding on our mission, we continuously recruit individuals from various work disciplines to aid in educating young men
and woman with marketable skills.
To those ends we have engaged people both inside and outside our community to come to our classes and or workshops to
share and discuss the ups and downs, ins and outs of a wide range of work disciplines and careers. Never favoring one career
path over any other, we have invited professors, urban fiction writers, successful members of the hip hop industry, general
construction contractors and a Superior Court Judge to these open discussions and Socratic Circle seminars.
Again, it is our core belief that "we are the solution, to our own problems." In closing. We invite your participation in this
noble undertaking.
IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?
IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?
A Petition for aPresidential Commutation on behalf of Wayne Akbar Pray has been submittedto the Office of the Pardon Attorney. It is a request that his non-parolable life-sentence be commuted, makinghim eligible for parole in the near future. His success depends on the efforts and the voice of his community.Below you can find the numbers and addresses of those who are in possession of the Commutation Package. Acall to any or all of them on behalf of Wayne Pray could make the difference whether he is returned to his family
and community or spends the rest of his years in prison. Please make the call!
Attorney General Eric Holder
Correspondence to the Department,including the Attorney General, may besent to:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
By Phone
Department of Justice Main Switchboard -202-514-2000
Office of the Attorney General Public
Comment Line - 202-353-1555
By E-Mail
E-mails to the Department of Justice,
including the Attorney General, may besent to AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. E-mails will
be forwarded to the responsible
Department of Justice component for
appropriate handling.
Fax: (202) 225-7854
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
2344 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515Phone: (202) 225-2201
Congressman Donald Payne Jr.!103Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-343Newark Office
60 Nelson Place
14th Floor (LeRoy F. Smith, Jr. Publi
Safety Building)
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: (973)-645-32136
Correspondence to the Department of Justice,
Office of the Pardon Attorney, may be sent to:Ronald L. RogersOffice of the Pardon Attorney
1425 New York Avenue, N.W.
Suite 11000
Washington, D.C. 20530
By Email
USPardon.Attorney@usdoj.gov (noattachments)
By Phone
(202) 616-6070
Congressman John Conyers
Washington Office: 202-225-5126 Detroit Office: 313-961-5670
Trenton / Downriver Office: 734-675-4084
You can also visit me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/CongressmanConyers.Why? Because it is
your right!
Let us know what youre thinking on our Facebook page!
Akbar Pray Foundation For Change!