Kingston Expressions

Day 12! SAY IT LOUD! I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD! “And let there be light”…. My entire life I grew up in the Catholic Church. The pictures of Jesus I was fed was a blonde hair and blue eyed jesus. No matter what version of him I saw…in my mind and my heart Jesus is and will always be BLACK! ?? Now I don’t care whether people worship a tree or the wind…as long as you aren’t discriminating against, oppressing, or killing anyone in the name of your faith…I respect your right to believe in what adds LOVE and PEACE to your life! But for me…much like my ancenstors who were slaves…a white jesus did not come here to save my soul…while his living relatives oppressed my people’s mind, body, and spirit! No no no! Only a Black Jesus could do such magnificent things! ?? Today I salute my BLACK JESUS! HE could only die for my sins if HE truly knew me, my struggles, and loved me still? ~KJM on Serenity Sunday?

Day 11! SAY IT LOUD! I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD! Today I salute all Black Singers who transformed the sounds of the world…especially Whitney “The Voice” Houston! Her voice is strong, her voice is beautiful, and her voice is everything! Our sounds of blackness can transform all hate…we can reach the world in song…a note that most cannot reach! A harmony that can calm all storms of destruction! Thank you to Whitney and all of our black singers for making sure that my voice will always be heard…even in venues that want to deny my existence. “I Will Always Love You” ? ~KJM saying Whitney we miss you on Serenity Saturday! 

Day 10! I Salute Black Inventors! Born into slavery…many were told that the black hand and mind could not invent a thing for himself and his people. BUT GOD! ?? Not only did the black mind and hands uplift his people but he would go on to uplift the world! While white people all around the world would try to take credit for the black inventor’s work…nothing was so beautiful and so extraordinary like a man born into oppression that could build up nations…never tearing them down. Nothing was ever handed to the Black Inventor! He created through genocides, apartheid, slavery, Jim Crow, and still exists even now…in the new Jim Crow. What made the Black Inventor exceptional was he was GOD made…not man made! “No weapon upon him…had ever prospered!” This is why he will remain unstoppable through history and the passage of time! ?? We thank you this month, all the days of our lives, and for generations to come! Because of you…we can! ?? ~KJM on Flashback Friday. ?

Day 9! SAY IT LOUD! I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD! Today I salute all Black Poets! Poetry in motion. He said I was poetry in motion…but it wasn’t until he put pen to the paper and explored my existence…in a lyrical form that could have been a song…MY song…did I fall in love with his words. The Black Poet saw me in all my pain and glory and loved me still. I did not have to sing for him…all I had to do…was be his words…. Poetry in motion…he called my soul! He understood me in a way that very few did. Little did we both know…at that moment in time…that the Black Poet would go on to give birth to nations of writers, singers, musicians, and be the father of a revolutionary genre…that many of us of call HIP HOP! ?? ~KJM on this very snowy Throwback Thursday

Day 8! SAY IT LOUD! I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD! Today I salute all Black Comedians! Recently, somebody wrote that in white society…their comedians are not their leaders (I kind of beg to differ if you think about people like John Stewart when he had “The Daily Show” which was filled with political satire for Left Wing White America) but in the Black Community…comedians are seen as leaders…for better or for worse. Whether you agree with that statement or not…our Black Comedians…over time…had no easy task! To go from being the “butt” of white people’s jokes to reclaiming our blackness and black pride through laughter…we rose up as a people. Our Comedians, for the most part, are smart, witty, and brilliant…educating our communities and beyond about Social injustices! Laugh if you must…but never leave without the true message! ?? In today’s media, trust that Comedians are telling our stories more openly and honestly than most journalists! They rose up and took us on their journeys… And even when some lost their way (the decent black men and women who love comedy)…they came back to our communities and enlightened us to what was on the other side of money. Many learned that no amount of money made them less black! ?? To the Red Fox’s, Richard Pryor’s, the Bernie Mac’s, Eddie Murphy’s, Martin Lawrence’s, and Dave Chappelle’s (welcome home)…we thank you!  ~KJM on Hump Day!

And Day 7 shall be a special day! SAY IT LOUD! I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD! Today I salute our ancestors who endured apartheid, slavery, Jim Crow, and genocides around the world! Where would I be without you? You experienced lashes, burns, bruises, rapes, and even death to your bodies so I could live! No one could be brave and bold enough to endure deep oppression of the mind, body, and spirit AND still give birth to new nation of black children ready to continue on your mission! Long live the spirit of our black ancestors during these current times of darkness and evil around the world! ?? What has destroyed other groups only made us stronger. No one but you understands why we are still standing. It is your blood, sweat, and tears that we use to inspire us when we march and stand up against injustice! All Hail the Spirit of Our Ancestors and let us never forget what they went through…for us! ?? ~KJM on Temptation Tuesday?

Day 6! SAY IT LOUD! I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD! Today I want to salute some of the original Black Feminists like Ida B. Wells that paved the way for me to be who I am! ?? Mainstream White Feminism has never been the same as Black Feminism. Yes there are some similarities in today’s times but the struggle of black women around the world can be compared to no other. We are more likely to be beaten, raped, murdered, and forgotten…sometimes even in our own communities. We are seen as the least valued women yet we rise upon it. We are successful, we march for us and all groups underrepresented, we raise our children with little to no help from anyone else, we hold our heads up high, and we love ourselves! ?? What makes the Black Feminist so fucking amazing is she blows doors open with her own home made ammunition….for herself, her sisters in the struggle, and even for women who do not believe in the feminist agenda. She doesn’t just say “Fuck the Man” aka White America…she also says fuck any man who stands in her rise to glory! The Black Feminist is THE QUEEN and whether you all know it or not…each of you reap benefits from all the battles she’s won! All hail the QUEEN! ?? #becauseofyou #ican

Day 5! SAY IT LOUD! I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD! Today I want to salute all the BLACK BUSINESS OWNERS…past, present, and future! From our farmers to our lawyers, I want to thank you for stepping outside of the box and providing for our communities. In the nightmare that we were repeatedly told…we were meant to have nothing of our own. We must wait for White America’s hand me downs…the nightmare said. But many of you believed in the dream…some even before the dream was ever even spoken of. Many of us were too scared to break away from the nightmare but there were trailblazers who believed we could build our own businesses and work on our own land…not as slaves but as entrepreneurs! BLACK OWNED means so much more for our current generation and generations to come! I thank you! Today I want to salute some of the Black business owners I know: Damon Pendleton Jamar Creech Sharri D. Mapp-Jones Trena Smith God-Is Ike and the newest arrival…. Desmon Andrade #yeswecan ~KJM on Serenity Sunday?

Day 4! SAY IT LOUD! I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD! Today I salute all our black teachers and professors! No one could ever really get me to understand my ancestors and my history like someone who has walked the path of discrimination, injustice, and hatred like I have. No one could teach me to love my pain and to use it to nourish my soul…instead of letting it hold me back…like a black teacher. No one knows how to teach my struggle with pride in their eyes like a black professor of life! Today I shout out two real life black teachers/professors and thank them…for enriching all the lives of black children they have inspired… Tish Gotell Faulks Dameka Harrington Cole ~KJM on Serenity Saturday! My BLACK is beautiful ?