Been A While

Ok, Ok, so it's been a while since I last ran my mouth. It's not that I've had nothing to say or that I've been consumed with Facebook, ok, maybe just a little, or that all is good in the world. But I've just been...simmering. so much so that I don't quite know where to begin. So I'll just...ramble a bit. First let it be known that I love my city. Baltimore is my home. I was born and raised here. But today, I don't like my city. It's dirty, full of crime, drugs, filth, and quite frankly it's full of people from top to bottom who just don't seem to care.

There is a lack of respect for humanity in my city. We've got dudes shooting 5 year old children. Dudes shooting women execution style. Bodies being found in cars, park bathrooms, shot in broad daylight! WTF!!!! B-More!!!! Every night the news gets more and more depressing and I've yet to hear a call for an end to this madness from ANYONE!!!!! Mama, please save the babies. They said WOMEN were more sensitive to the needs of our community, of our young, of our needy...but where is the call for this madness to stop? And brothers...leaders, waiting for your photo op...or an election year, and get out an fix this. You have the voice and the ear of your community. Say something and not just under your breaths as you criticize. Go old school, pull that soapbox out, set it up on the corners of Park Heights and Woodland or Erdman and Belair, or Fulton and Baltimore, or North and any fuckin where (except Park Ave) and scream at the top of your lungs...STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!!!!!

The level of violence, although statistics say it is on the decline, (but I DON"T SEE A DECLINE...I need, WE NEED this to stop...NOW!!!!) is like I've never seen before. And it reaches beyond the "hood". It's unsafe to go to our "safe havens". Please Baltimore...we've gotta do better. And last...

The TRASH, the RATS...YO, I've seen more RATS this year!!! The pot holes, Baltimore has some of the worst streets in America, piss poor customer service in our local government buildings, on the phone at the board of education...and my property taxes are high as HELL!!!! The conditions of our school buildings...deplorable. I know ya'll see it. Point that stuff out in your community. Tell somebody, any body...we gotta do better!.

OK, I'm done. Now leave me a damn comment cause I know you're tired too.

More Than A Dreamer

I've always been a great admirer of Dr. King. Not the "dreamer" that we celebrate but the revolutionary we've been made to forget. Dr. King's "Dream" speech was delivered as we all know on August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We also know that Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee in 1968. But during the time between his "Dream" speech and his assassination, very little is spoken of his philosophy toward freedom, justice, and equality. The revolutionary King has all been silenced. In fact, many people believe that Dr. King made his "dream" speech, walked off the stage, and was assassinated.

Today, students learn of five major events. The Bus Boycott in 1955, The "Dream" of 1963, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (maybe), The "Mountain Top" speech and The Assassination of 1968. But Dr. King had so much more to say about the injustices in this country not only toward Black folks but to poor, disenfranchised people all over the world who were suffering because of the racist policies of this nation.

While in college I studied those speeches and campaigns designed to bring attention to those injustices. Dr. King was great not because of a dream but because of the realities he made this government face during those times. The struggle for freedom and equality wasn't only about fire hoses and water fountains. It was about policy change and reform. It was about spreading the word across the globe of the institutional racism which created the conditions that exist during those times and continue to exist today. The revolutionary King was an embarrassment to this nation but his non-violent tactics, knowledge of his basic human rights of free speech and expression and his fearlessness to use those tactics, made him dangerous. You don't kill dreamers...revolutionaries on the other hand... Check your history not only US but World history and see the comparisons of all those who were silenced. I can remember reading Malcolm X when I was in high school and thinking that Dr. King was "soft" in his approach because all I knew was "The Dream"

Not only has Dr. King been physically silenced. His legacy as a true revolutionary has been buried in street and school names, (in the worst neighborhoods in our nation), parades, MLK Day Sales, and the mis-education of our youth. Dr. King's dream was so much bigger than a speech, it's even bigger than a Black President. Its up to all of us to remember him for so much more than he's being portrayed. Tell our children, he was a giant...bigger than Jordan, Kobe, Weezy, Kanye, Jigga, and yes...even Obama.

Dr. King is so much more than a day off (that ain't even his real birth date)

Please everyone, as we come to the annual commemoration, look at this video put together by the brothers at SleptOn.org as a tribute to the Dr. King we rarely see/hear from. Thank you.

E. Dodson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvnpyS430dg

Welcome 2009

Welcome 2009. So...now what? Every January 1st most of us re-evaluate our lives and make promises to improve what ever it was that made us miserable the year before. Stuff like losing weight, eating the right foods, or just being a better person and less of a rat bastard. I'm guilty of the same insanity that usually last two months tops. So this year I've decided to share some of them with you so when I fail...you can bust my balls December 31st. So here we go.

Be happy and health at all cost
Divorce one woman
Marry another woman
Sell one house
Buy three more houses
Make enough money so my daughter won't have to take out student loans
Learn an another language
Learn to swim
Learn to play the guitar and/or the trumpet
Travel more
Save the world
Learn to fly
Write a magazine article and have it published
Shoot one short film
and finally...
all that other shit we all promise to do each and every year.

My problem with resolutions is that we spend three months trying to accomplish them and the other 7 months saying "I'll do it next year" WTF????? Good luck on your resolutions. Wish me luck on mine!

Obama Victory Parties

This is my two cents. Not that anyone cares but none the less, I'm giving it. I've been opening emails this morning both MSN, Gmail, and checking out my Facebook page and I've gotten no less than 10 emails about parties to celebrate Obama's win. Most are free and offer the opportunity to'witness history' which is cool but they also include drink specials,(including drinks named after Obama) open buffet, (until 11pm) a fashion show, no less than 40 big screen TV's, host include special guest DJ's, political officials (I think O'Malley, Dixon, and Cummings are hosting an event at Bourbon Street) and other prominent Baltimore folks.

I know there is a buzz of excitement in the air I mean look, we ARE witnessing history. But do we really need drink specials, special guest DJ's etc. I love to party just as much as the next person but I think I'm having issues with Black Folks 'shaking that ass' at an Obama victory party. I mean, I'll be the first to pump my fist in the air....but do I really want to ' pump it like I just don't care'? Do any of us want to? Now I'm seriously considering going to one of these events but I have mixed emotions about what we're doing because I know fo sho...shits gonna get out of hand SOMEWHERE. Especially if Barack loses...a very real possibility knowing the history of this country. I don't know ya'll...so, what ever you choose to do, where ever you choose to go, do me and our ancestors a favor. Silently or aloud...grab a loved one and say or sing the following words...


Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty ;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the ro lling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that t he present has brought us,
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears have been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us fore v er in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, Our God, where we met Thee;
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our GOD,
Tru e to our native land
James Weldon Johnson June 17, 1871 - June 26, 1938


My name is Eric Dodson, and I approve this message.

Minority women-owned firms show most growth among all U.S. businesses

Minority women-owned firms show most growth among all U.S. businesses

(October 14, 2008) According to recent data released by the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), minority women are establishing their own businesses nearly twice as fast as male minority entrepreneurs and more than four times non-minority men and women. Between 1997 and 2002, the growth in number of minority women-owned firms was 57 percent, compared to 31 percent for minority male-owned firms.

Minority-owned firms play a critical role in generating jobs, creating wealth and introducing innovative products and services in local communities. Nearly 1.5 million minority women-owned firms generated approximately $111 billion in gross receipts in 2002. All women-owned businesses only grew 20 percent during the same time period and male-owned firms grew only 16 percent.

Out of the 57 percent growth for minority women-owned businesses, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women-owned businesses grew the most at 84 percent; African-American women-owned firms grew at the second fastest rate of 75 percent; Hispanic women-owned businesses grew 60 percent; and Asian women-owned businesses grew at a rate of 40 percent.

'Women see entrepreneurship as the key to freedom -- providing flexibility and wealth creation,' said Ronald N. Langston, MBDA's National Director. 'Women are taking advantage of their talents and experience establishing businesses throughout our communities at astounding rates. Many choose entrepreneurship as a way to battle the glass ceiling that still, unfortunately, exists in corporate America.'

Though minority women-owned businesses are expanding more rapidly than other businesses, they still have not reached parity based on the population and they lag behind minority male-owned firms in gross receipts. Currently, only Asian male-owned businesses have reached parity in number of businesses, gross receipts and employees.

'Providing resources and support for minority women-owned businesses is important to the nation's economy. Finding better ways to access capital, increase financial literacy, and using technology to expand business opportunities are the keys to entrepreneurial success,' adds Langston.

Minority women-owned businesses span all industries, though the top industries include health care and social services; other services (see below for definition); retail trade; administrative and support, waste management, and remediation services; and professional, scientific and technical services.

[Other Services includes firms not provided for elsewhere in the classification system which are engaged in activities such as equipment and machinery repairing, promoting religious activities, grant-making, advocacy, providing dry-cleaning and laundry services, personal care services and dating services.]

For additional information visit The State of Female African American Business.

NIGGER!

So I had this conversation the other day with a brother and I said the word NIGGER. WOW, this dude blew up at me about my use of the word. So I asked, "what should I have said"? I mean, how should we identify ourselves? You know...what are we? Who are we? This is an argument that many of us struggle internally with. I mean. I'm just as confused as the next man. But why? NIGGER doesn't offend me because I won't let it. I won't give IT that kind of power. African American...nope! The word American offends me more than NIGGER! BLACK...OK, I dig that. Now, nobody WHITE better NOT call me a NIGGER, I've heard that said. But what if I change its meaning, I give it MY own power. Make NIGGER like SUPERMAN to me? Let NIGGER empower me.

Now know and understand that I know the history of that word and how it stung when it came out off the mouths of our oppressors. But didn't Martin Luther King through his preaching of non-violent tactics teach us to ignore the word and all other derogatory names and prejudices because we were MEN and that as MEN we were bigger than those words? Didn't we take the sting out of the word NIGGER by our actions? So whats with all the sensitivity?

You can't be my NIGGER no more or is it NIGGA? Ain't it all the same? My NIGGERS is my NIGGAS like my DOGS is my DAWGS...synonyms. Get it?

I heard Jesse Jackson call Obama a NIGGA or was it NIGGER. Oh and by the way...Why do you NIGGERS, NEGROES, BLACKS, AFRICAN AMERICANS, and COLOREDS whisper the word WHITE when you are talking about WHITE FOLKS....even in a room full of NIGGAS? Don't you know that they know they are WHITE?