“The duality of American society today need no longer be reinforced by laws, for it is now and has long been in the minds of men: The Harlems of America, as opposed to those who decide the fate of America’s Harlems. This is essentially a historical continuation today, of yesterday- the plantation mentality, system and division, in the cloak of 20th century enlightenment.” -The Panther 21
Inventor and engineer Otis Boykin helped to develop the guided missile. He patented over 2 dozen electronic devices. This included the pacemaker. He was inspired to create the pacemaker sue to his mother dying from heart failure when he was only a year old. Ironically, Otis Boykin also died from heart failure in 1982.
“Because he who controls distribution, controls the wealth. It doesn’t matter what arena you’re in. That’s the reason you don’t have independent Black grocery stores. That’s why you don’t have a daily Black newspaper. That’s why Essence Magazine is no longer Black owned.” -Catherine Hughes
Dr. John Henrik Clarke created the Harlem Youth Action Project. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar participated in this program as a youth. In his most recently published book, “Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On And Off The Court,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, dedicates the book to Dr. Clarke. The book’s dedication states: “This is dedicated to all the young people who value scholarship and the teachers and mentors who sacrifice for them. I especially want to thank Dr. John Henrik Clarke because the Harlem Youth Action Project, which he created, was crucial to me in understanding my path.”
“A man is worked upon by what he works on. He may carve out his circumstances, but his circumstances will carve him out as well.” -Frederick Douglass
“Consider that for generations now the cathode-ray glow of our national campfire, the televised reflection of the American experience- and, by extension, that of the Western free-market democracies- has come down to us from on high. Westerns and police procedurals and legal dramas, soap operas and situation comedies- all of it conceived in Los Angeles and New York by industry professionals, then shaped by corporate entities to calm and soothe as many viewers as possible, priming them with the idea that their future is better and brighter than it actually is, that the time is never more right to buy and consume.” -David Simon
The City has invested in a widespread marketing campaign, not imploring people not to use drugs, period; but to advertise that people should do drugs “safely.”
Last week, I got on a train that was wallpapered with advertisements in English and Spanish, bearing the NYC logo, that told people: “Every 6 hours a New Yorker dies from an overdose. Carry naloxone. Save a life.” “Avoid Mixing drugs.” “Avoid using alone. If you do, have someone check on you.” “Using cocaine tonight?…Safety Tips: Use with others. Carry naloxone/narcan.”
These ads clearly don’t scream a no tolerance drug-use message, or even a don’t do drugs directive. The ads seem more like an advertisement for naloxone, and permissive illegal drug use.
Can you imagine being a young child reading these befuddling messages on your daily commute? I, like many other NYC born and raised children, enhanced my reading skills daily by reading aloud posted advertisements to my parents during commutes. Can you imagine what kind of messages these ads are implanting in young minds and psyches? SMH!
According to NYC’s website the marketing campaign has a $730,000 price tag. The website also states: “The campaign will run citywide on subways, bus shelters, billboards, LinkNYC kiosks, online in local businesses and the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.”
“Your ancestors dragged these black people from their homes by force; and in the white man’s quest for wealth and an easy life they have been ruthlessly suppressed and exploited, degraded into slavery. The modern prejudice against Negroes is the result of the desire to maintain this unworthy condition…I believe that whoever tries to think things through honestly will soon recognize how unworthy and even fatal is the traditional bias against Negroes.” -Albert Einstein
