Book Excerpt Of The Week- Part 3: “Black Dawn, Bright Day” By: Sun Bear with Wabun Wind

“We can help heal the world by easing tension instead of aggravating it. In relationships and families in this society, we have a problem with tension points. Sometimes there’s a little thing, a rub, between two people, and instead of being aware of it and easing off, some people seem to like to pick at it. That’s what causes a lot of the pain in the world in the world. If somebody is sensitive about a certain subject, maybe you don’t need to rub their nose in it. You can help that person without pounding them into the ground.

If I feel something is helpful to a person, I’ll see how much of it they’re willing to talk about. But I don’t wear them out with it. It’s important to understand that when you’re dealing with human beings.” -From, “Black Dawn, Bright Day” By: Sun Bear with Wabun Wind

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Book Excerpt Of The Week- Part 2: “Black Dawn, Bright Day” By: Sun Bear with Wabun Wind

“In third world countries, at least 27 million acres of forest- an area as big as Tennessee- are either slashed and burned or flooded for dams each year. The most alarming destruction is in the Amazon Basin. (Not coincidentally, the indigenous people of the Amazon region have gone from numbering three million in the early part of this century to a population of 250,000 in 1989).

According to Brazil’s Space Studies Institute, which conducts satellite surveys, fires set in 1987 to clear the Amazon for farmers and ranchers destroyed 80,000 square miles of rain forest. In 1998, 50,000 square miles of forest lands were burned, of which 30 to 40 percent were virgin rain forest.

The environmental disaster in the Amazon is exacerbated by recent installations of giant power plants, mines and factories. To operate, these all require wood.

Coca growers also chop down large stretches of Amazon rain forest and dump millions of gallons of toxic chemicals into the Amazon River. Coca growers, who produce 75 percent of the primary source of cocaine consumed in the United States, have invaded two national parks and two national forests. They use fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, including Agent Orange and paraquat, to clear land and to care for their crop.

Some side effects of the Amazonian deforestation that contribute to other ecological problems come from the fires used to rid the area of trees. In 1989, these fires in Brazil produced approximately 600 million tons of carbon dioxide, 44 million tons of carbon monoxide, 6 million tons of particulate, 5 million tons of methane, 2.5 million tons of ozone, and more than one million tons of nitrogen oxides, according to the Earth Island Journal.” -From, “Black Dawn, Bright Day” By: Sun Bear with Wabun Wind

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Book Excerpt Of The Week- Part 1: “Black Dawn, Bright Day” By: Sun Bear with Wabun Wind

“Over the past 100 years, half of what was 7.7 million square miles of rain forest has vanished. The problem began in Africa where the colonial nations allowed private companies to harvest timber without any restrictions. When the African people gained independence, they often continued to sell timber because it was one of their most profitable products.

Worldwide, at least 40 percent of the rain forests were lost between 1960 and 1990. For every 25 acres of trees that have been felled, an average of less than one tree has been planted.

The World-Wide Fund for Nature estimates that at least 77,000 square miles of tropical forests fall to the saw and flames every year. The United Nations Development Program says that only a nuclear war could equal the global effects of the destruction of the tropical forests.” -From, “Black Dawn, Bright Day” By: Sun Bear with Wabun Wind

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TODAY IS BUY BLACK FRIDAY

PLEASE PASS THIS ON! (EACH ONE TEACH ONE OR TWO!) THIS IS PHASE ONE ON HOW WE CAN HELP TO STRENGTHEN & EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITY:
The 2008 not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case evoked outrage, emotion, and debate. It is not an anomaly that the police officers involved in the Sean Bell slaying were acquitted of all charges on all counts in State Supreme Court. I could run out of ink printing the names of people who have been victimized by the inaptly named justice system.

The American justice system has been especially terroristic towards the African American community. Many community members can cite historic and personal accounts to prove this. Therefore, it would be foolhardy (at the least) to turn to a system that has methodically oppressed us, and request that they free us. We can only free ourselves through extreme discipline and intelligent planning.

As a community we have been too compliant with leaders who organize ineffective, delayed reactions. The only strategy that can save us in this last hour is one that calls for a collective code of conduct that will be conducive to improving the conditions of our community, and shifting the paradigm of how we are treated by outside entities. The first step of this code of conduct should be based on economics.

The old adage of “money talks,” still reigns true in the new millennium. Any political scientist worth his or her library card will tell you that: “Economic powerlessness equals political powerlessness,” and conversely “economic power equals political power.” This means that if we continue to allow our wealth to be extracted from our community, we will remain impotent.

The power of the collective “Black Dollar” is often discussed. However, that power has been left unchanneled. Today is the day to change that. A one-time boycott is not going to bring long-term change and respect to our community. Our community has launched boycotts before. Our success and ascension will be based on what we consistently do. For this reason, we should initiate “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS.”

BUY BLACK FRIDAYS is a small step towards our community acquiring power via controlling our economics. Every Friday, people who acknowledge the injustice and oppression that the African American community has been consistently subjected to should do one of the following:

Option #1: Spend $0 on Friday
Option #2: Spend no more than $10 on Friday
Option #3: Only Shop at Black Businesses on Friday
[PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE OPTIONS CAN & SHOULD BE EXERCISED ON A DAILY BASIS. However, we can all at the very least focus on Fridays. This way we can take a collective stand and build our collective discipline. Please remember that this is only Phase 1!].

To the people who are tempted to label “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS” as racist, I say this: In the big scheme of things, this is about right & wrong, justice & injustice. The African American community is a strong, proud community that has endured the brunt of America’s iron fist. We must stop the pounding. I feel that any fair-minded individual will concur, and join in.

ANY business that is privileged to enjoy the support of the African American community MUST return that support.

I thank you in advance for your effort and dedication.

-Elsie Law AKA Starface

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Black History Fact Of The Day

In 1823, Alexander Lucius Twilight became the first African American to receive a college degree. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College.

[SIDEBAR: In less than 200 years of “higher” education, look how far African-Americans have come in the corrupted & bias “educational” system. NEVER believe the stereotype that African-Americans don’t value education!]

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