Senator Edwards Pretends To Shovel Mud With Black Katrina Victims

Guess who's running for president?

Welcome to another season of American Idol Politics. Our entire electoral process is a television show. I marvel at people who can walk into a "voting booth" and still manage to keep a straight face.

The Crucifixion of Cynthia McKinney

"Is it something I said?"

Well, yes Cynthia. It is something you said. You spoke the truth. You broke the biggest taboo in America - you addressed the obvious connection between faked evidence for war, US Foreign Policy not in America's interest, and the out of control Israeli Lobby.

Consequently you have become the target of overtly racist slander and the victim of illegal campaign tactics designed to drive you from office.

Sadly, more African Americans rallied to the defense of the strippers in the Duke case, who lied about being raped, than they did to the side of this brave US Congresswoman who stood virtually alone against the pro-War / pro-Israel lobby.

God Bless You



#1 “What is... disturbing to me is that many of these pro-Israeli lawmakers sit on the House International Relations Committee despite the obvious conflict of interest that their emotional attachments to Israel cause... The Israeli occupation of all territories must end, including Congress.”

#2 “The world is teetering on the brink of conflicts while the Administration's policies are vague, wavering and unclear. Major financial conflicts of interest involving the President, the Attorney General, the Vice President and others in the Administration have been and continue to be exposed.”

#3 “A cruel wind blows across American, starting in Texas and Montana, ... And despite our presence today, it continues to buffet and batter the American people (with) a war started on deliberately fake evidence ... and now, criminal incompetence in providing our security.”

#4 “The 9/11 Omission: Did the Commission Get it Wrong?”

#5 "... Prior to its invasion, Iraq had not one (not one!) instance of suicide attacks in its history. Research shows a 100% correlation between suicide attacks and the presence of foreign combat troops in a host country. And experience also shows that suicide attacks abate when foreign occupation troops are withdrawn. The US invasion and occupation has destabilized Iraq and Iraq will only return to stability once this occupation ends.


#6 "We must be willing to face the fact that the presence of US combat troops is itself a major inspiration to the forces attacking our troops. Moreover, we must be willing to acknowledge that the forces attacking our troops are able to recruit suicide attackers because suicide attacks are largely motivated by revenge for the loss of loved ones. And Iraqis have lost so many loved ones as a result of America's two wars against Iraq."

#7 In a friendlier article, The Washington Times ( 8/22/02 ) reported: “Jewish money both national and local flowed into the campaign to McKinney's opponent.” Significantly, the paper then quoted a key Jewish McKinney supporter, Joshua Ruebner, Executive Director of Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel: "This is a dangerous dynamic… doing irreparable harm to [Jewish] relations with African-Americans.”

Even in death ... Still The Godfather of Soul 1933-2006

Ladies ands Gentlemen,

There are seven acknowledged wonders of the world.

You are about to witness the eighth.Standing in the spotlight, on showcase, twelve young men, who have given you such tunes as [drum roll] "The Grunt", Pass The Peas", "Gimme Some More".

Ladies and Gentlemen, without no doubt, these are the J.B.'s !

“The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing”.

“I taught them everything they know, but not everything I know.”

“Sometimes you struggle so hard to feed your family one way, you forget to feed them the other way, with spiritual nourishment. Everybody needs that.”

“When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don't go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it.”

“It doesn't matter how you travel it, it's the same road. It doesn't get any easier when you get bigger, it gets harder. And it will kill you if you let it.”

Saartjie Baartman

Shá Cage plays Saartjie Baartman, a 19th century woman who represented "the other" to racist and sexist Britons.



Her exhibition in London created a scandal and a benevolent society called the African Association petitioned for her release. Baartman was questioned in Dutch before a court, and stated that she was not under restraint and understood perfectly that she was guaranteed half of the profits. The conditions under which she made these statements are suspect, because it directly contradicts accounts of her exhibits made by Zachary Macaulay of the African Institution and other eye witnesses (Strother 1999). She later traveled to Paris where an animal trainer exhibited her for fifteen months. French anatomist Georges Cuvier and French naturalists visited her and she was the subject of several scientific paintings at the Jardin du Roy.
Baartman died December 29, 1815 of an inflammatory ailment. An autopsy was conducted and the findings published by French anatomist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1816 and by Cuvier in the Memoires du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in 1817. Cuvier notes in his monograph that Baartman was an intelligent woman who had an excellent memory and spoke Dutch fluently. Her skeleton, preserved genitals and brain were placed on display in Paris Musée de l'Homme until 1974.

There were sporadic calls for the return of her remains beginning in the 1940s but the case became prominent only after US biologist Stephen Jay Gould published an account, The Hottentot Venus, in the 1980s. When Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa in 1994, he formally requested that France return the remains. After much legal wrangling and debates in the French National Assembly, France acceded to the request on 6 March 2002.

Whilst studying in Europe Diana Ferrus, a South African poet of Khoisan descent, wrote "A Poem for Sarah Baartman" which includes the desire "to wrench [her] away-/ away from the poking eyes..."

Baartman's remains were returned to her land of birth, the Gamtoos Valley, on 3 May 2002.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MEN

30+ Player … or Homosexual?

According to Henry Makow, Homosexuality is a developmental disorder defined by the failure to establish a permanent bond with a member of the opposite sex.

Becoming a husband and a father is the pinnacle of a man’s development. Creating and nurturing life is the stage when we graduate from self-indulgence and become God’s surrogates. Contemporary social engineering does not facilitate this level of maturity. Our culture is producing men who remain stunted: single, sex-starved, and self-obsessed.

It's time men jump off of the feminizing tread mill of perpetual courtship and build something with a woman that will transcend themselves.

Marriage, is cool ...

Then Almitra spoke again and said...
"And what of Marriage, master?"
And he answered saying:

You were born together,
and together you shall be forevermore.

You shall be together when the white wings
of death scatter your days.

Aye, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.

Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each of you be alone,

Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.

And stand together, yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,

And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each other's shadow.

ARE POLITICIANS STILL RELEVANT?

If we had 30 Harold Ford's, 5 Barak Obama's and 2 Jesse Jackson's in Congress - 1 million black men and women would still be in prison. Our nation would still occupy a country that had nothing to do with 911. 60% of the African American population would be suffering from obesity, diabetes and colon cancer.

What's Going On ...?

Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on

The Wire

Last night HBO aired the season finale of The Wire. There really is no reason to watch TV again until next season.

If you don’t watch The Wire, you are unfortunate.

If you don’t like The Wire, there is something wrong with you.

Calling it “the best show on television” doesn’t do it justice. More novel, than TV Show, The Wire is among the most accomplished art this country has produced since Miles Davis recorded “Kind of Blue” and Marlon Brando did his thing in “On The Waterfront”.

What is often overlooked, is that The Wire presents more positive portrayals of black men than any other show produced by corporate media. Yes, most of the black male characters are drug dealers, addicts, gangsters or compromised cops. However, despite the coincidences of their various occupations, the black men on the show are portrayed as something rarely seen on TV – as human beings. They are ambivalent, complex, subtle, cunning and often principled. The Wire does not patronize the audience with cookie cutter “good guys” and one-dimensional over the top ‘thug for the sake of thug’ bad guys.

At a time when the mass media shoves T.O. down our throats as the prevailing image of the black American man, I’m happy to see Avon Barksdale, Stringer Bell and Marlo Stansfield.

The Wire is critically acclaimed though it typically draws only about 1.5 million viewers a week - a small audience when compared with 15 million for Fox's 24. Marx was right. The masses are basically ignorant.

Decisions

Week 1
December 2nd 10:03pm.
Curtis Martin


Your life is the sum total of all the decisions you have or have not made, therefore you are where you are in life because you have chosen to be there. If your decisions have placed you where you do not want to be, then only your decisions can get you out of where you are.

Lesson: Your life is your decision!

December 3rd 6:43am.

How many times have you said or done something without thinking? The truth is none, there is no such thing as not thinking before you make a decision. You may not have given enough thought or the right thought to your decision, but your words and actions are simply the servants of your mind. The body does not work alone; it does what it is told to do.

A decision is only as good as the information one has, and the power of that decision is greatly enhanced with the presence of information. Without the correct information every decision becomes a guess, and it is rare to guess right. We tend to rush into our decisions and hope for the best, instead of patiently making the best decision that yields the best results.

Lesson: Right thoughts and right actions don't produce wrong results.


December 4th 11:17am.

Even though emotions are true feelings, they are not always true facts. In the midst of emotion we tend to disconnect with reason and accept our feelings as reality. This is oftentimes the furthest thing away from the truth. During our deepest times of pain and our greatest moments of bliss, we tend to make our biggest mistakes by doing what feels right. These decisions are usually the ones we regret. You should never make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings. When making a decision remember: All sin promises to serve and please but only desires to enslave and dominate.

Lesson: Beware when all you can see is the benefits, and have never considered the consequences.

Athletes With Something To Say ...

I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong!

I ain't draft dodging. I ain't burning no flag. I ain't running to Canada. I'm staying right here. You want to send me to jail? Fine, you go right ahead. I've been in jail for 400 years. I could be there for 4 or 5 more, but I ain't going no 10,000 miles to help murder and kill other poor people. If I want to die, I'll die right here, right now, fightin' you, if I want to die. You my enemy, not no Chinese, no Vietcong, no Japanese. You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. Want me to go somewhere and fight for you? You won't even stand up for me right here in America, for my rights and my religious beliefs. You won't even stand up for my right here at home.

- Muhammad Ali




I believe that us going to war would be a mistake. Being a humanitarian, I think that war is wrong in 99.9 percent of all cases. I think it has much more to do with oil or some sort of distraction, because I don't feel as though we should be worrying about Iraq.
- Steve Nash



'What's the Iraq war all about?' he said, his voice rising. 'If it's about oil, just say that. Don't give us this Weapons of Mass Destruction crap when all you find is three firecrackers.'
- Adalius Thomas Baltimore Ravens



"I am Totally Against This War"
- Etan Thomas NBA Washington Wizards

The Essenes

WAS JESUS BLACK?

The earliest gods and messiahs on all the continents were black. Research has yielded an impressive amount of material on the subject...The Messiahs, some of whom lived many centuries before Christ, had lives which so closely paralleled that of Christ that it seems most likely that the story of the latter was adapted from them. Moreover, the word Christ comes from the Indian, Krishna or Chrisna, which means "The Black One."

J.A. Rogers

Many of the madonnas painted in the earliest centuries of Christ- iandom were black, according to historians, and it wasn't until the Renaissance that it became popular to give the mother of Christ the features of a Florentine maiden [a white woman]

Washington Post (Religion) May 4, 1979.

.... Continued >

You Write The Caption

"No child should be left behind. So I'm gonna take lil Ray Ray here, home with me ..."

Miles - The Movie

Hollywood does not have a very good track record when it comes to dramatizing the lives of black American icons.

Not only was that watered down version of "Ali" starring Will Smith a poor knock off of the "When We Were Kings" documentary, it came no where near capturing the spiritual phenomena which was Mohammad Ali.

I pray the complex and rich genius of Miles is not reduced to a Lifetime Channel soap opera that can't get beyond drug addiction and spousal abuse.

Don Cheadle Eyed
For Miles Davis Movie

Actor Don Cheadle is being eyed to star as jazz legend Miles Davis in a biographical film, members of Davis' family said backstage after he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame.

"It could touch on many things [like] the way he changed music in different decades," said Davis' nephew, Vince Wilburn. "From Bird to bebop to hip-hop and in between."

Wilburn said the family has also been in talks with director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") about helming the film, but added, "First of all we have to get a script."


Davis, who would have turned 80 on May 26, will be celebrated this spring via as-yet-unannounced archival CD releases via Sony's Legacy imprint as well as several DVD projects, including highlights from his many performances at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival.


10
Miles Davis Playboy Interview 1962
http://honors.umd.edu/HONR269J/archive/Miles.html

U.S. involved in Iraq longer than we were in World War II

“Every time anyone says that Israel is our only friend in the Middle East, I can't help but think that before Israel, we had no enemies in the Middle East.”

- John Sheehan, S.J. ( Jesuit priest)

'N' Word Please!

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

So … here we are. 400 years of race relations in America boil down to a Reality TV Show staring OJ Simpson, Kramer from Seinfeld, and a word grown people pretend it's OK to think, but not to say.

Was this really news or was it yet another Weapon of Mass Distraction? What war?

Stop 'B' Wording. ‘F’ Word Kramer. Move on.

We should choose what we allow to become headline news more carefully.



#1 the word, in and of itself, has no power
#2 how we choose to respond to it gives it power

#3 choosing to respond as if wounded to the soul every time any obscure racist uses it, grants that racist power
#4 Granting others power over oneself makes one a de facto slave



What is more offensive, is the suggestion that a moron like Richards has the power to offend the entire black race by what he says.


Alan Watts

“The reason we have poverty is that we have no imagination. There are a great many people accumulating what they think is vast wealth, but it's only money... they don't know how to enjoy it, because they have no imagination.”

“To be angry about trifles is mean and childish; to rage and be furious is brutish; and to maintain perpetual wrath is akin to the practice and temper of devils; but to prevent and suppress rising resentment is wise and glorious, is manly and divine.”

“We are sick with fascination for the useful tools of names and numbers, of symbols, signs, conceptions and ideas. Meditation is therefore the art of suspending verbal and symbolic thinking for a time, somewhat as a courteous audience will stop talking when a concert is about to begin.”

“Really, the fundamental, ultimate mystery -- the only thing you need to know to understand the deepest metaphysical secrets -- is this: that for every outside there is an inside and for every inside there is an outside, and although they are different, they go together.”

“The reason we want to go on and on is because we live in an impoverished present.”

Who Is Afraid of Cynthia McKinney?

Transcript of Cynthia McKinney's statement and interview of March 25, 2002.

Thoughts On Our War Against Terrorism

KPFA, March 25, 2002, Flash points Producer Dennis Bernstein's interview with Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. Taped speech and interview drawn from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/665750/posts. Transcript independently verified and corrected 4/21/02.

Taped comments of Congresswoman Cynthia A. McKinney:

Authorities tell us that the world changed on September11. As a result, university professors must watch what they say in classor be turned in to the "speech" police. Elected officials must censorthemselves or be censured by the media. Citizens now report behavior ofsuspicious-looking people to the police. Laws now exist that erode our civil liberties.

Americans now accept these infringements as necessary to win America's New War. America, the world's only superpower, is stifled in its ability to defend human rights and democracy abroad because it has failed the fundamental test at home. Our combination of money and military might, and our willingness to use them, did not make us a superpower. We are the most powerful nation on the face of the planet because we have combined raw power with American ideals such as dignity, freedom, justice,and peace. These ideas and ideals are admired around the globe and are more important, in my view, to our position of global strength than our ability to shoot a missile down a chimney. We might be feared because of our military, but we are loved because of our ideals. Sadly, we have put American goodwill at risk around the world because of an imbalance in our foreign policy that is palpable even to the most disinterested observer.

In 1994, after an act of terrorism killed two sitting presidents, the Clinton Administration purposely failed to prevent the genocide of one million Rwandans in order to install favorable regimes in the Central Africa region. In 1999 Madeleine Albright OK'd a Sierra Leone peace plan that positioned Foday Sankoh as Chairman of the Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, a position that placed him answerable only to the President despite the fact that his terrorist organization raped little girls and chopped off their hands as it financed its way to power with illegal diamond sales. Jonas Savimbi, recently killed on the battlefield, helped the United States protect the minority rule of racists in South Africa and his organization continues to rampage across southern Africa in Angola, Namibia, parts of Congo-Kinshasha, and Rwanda without restriction, financed again by illegal diamond sales. The continued plunder of Africa's rich resources without penalty and sadly with the knowledge and support of powerful people in the US, serves as the foundation of the particular terrorism that victimizes Africans. And now, as Africans grapple with the fundamental right to control their own resources and despite United Nations reports making no such links,Bush Administration experts seem prepared to link African diamonds with anti-US terrorism, thus necessitating tightened US control over Africa's resources.

And so, with no concern at all for the effects on others of US-supported terrorism, the US, with its bombs and military, embarks on a worldwide crusade against terrorism that Bush says likely will last as many as twenty years. The list of target countries is long with Afghanistan, Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan, the Philippines, and Iraq offering the starters. But what of the fact that Henry Kissinger and the current new US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, bothonce lobbied Washington, DC on behalf of a US oil company, Unocal, anda softer policy toward the Taliban? Whose war is this really?

In November 2000, Republicans stole from America our most precious right of all: the right to free and fair elections. In an organized manner, Florida Governor Jeb Bush and his Secretary of State Katherine Harris created a list of convicted felons--57,700 to be exact--to "scrub" from the state's voter rolls. The names were created from Florida records and from lists provided by 11 other states, the largest list coming from Texas. We now know that most of the people on that list were innocent of crimes. The list was a phony. And worse, the majorityof these rightful voters were people of color and likely Democratic voters. Of the thousands who ultimately lost their vote through this scrub of voters, 80% are African-American. Had they voted, the course of history would have changed: Harris declared Bush the victor by only 537 votes.President Carter has said that the Carter Center would not certify the US 2000 Presidential elections had they had been asked to do so. Consequently, an Administration of questionable legitimacy has been given unprecedented power to fight America's new war against terrorism.

Before September 11, two million Americans found themselves behind bars: 80% of them people of color. Millions of Americans are sleeping on the streets of American cities. All over America, unarmed black men are targeted by rogue police officers, who shoot first and ask questions later. While 52% of all black men feel they have been victims of racial profiling, the Supreme Court declines to hear an important case on racial profiling. The Bush Administration totally "disses" the World Conference Against Racism and the people around the world who care about eliminating racism.

In February 2001, The United States Commission on National Security, including Newt Gingrich, recommended that the National Homeland Security Agency be established along with a hefty price tag. Most people chuckled at the suggestion. After September 11, we have OK'd the targeting and profiling of certain groups of people in America while not arresting in any way the racial profiling and discrimination that existed prior to September 11. Mass arrests, detention without charge, military tribunals,and infringements on due process rights are now realities in America. Even more alarming are the calls in some circles to allow the use of torture and other brutal methods in pursuit of so-called justice. Sadly, US administration of justice will be conducted by an Administration incapable of it. Interestingly, prominent officials explain to us that September 11 happened because we are free. And they hate us because we are free.

Moreover, persons close to this Administration are poised to make huge profits off America's new war. Former President Bush sitson the board of the Carlyle Group. The Los Angeles Times reports that on a single day last month, Carlyle earned $237 million selling shares in United Defense Industries, the Army's fifth-largest contractor. The stock offering was well timed: Carlyle officials say they decided to take the company public only after the Sept. 11 attacks. The stock sale cashed in on increased congressional support for hefty defense spending,including one of United Defense's cornerstone weapon programs.

Now is the time for our elected officials to be held accountable. Now is the time for the media to be held accountable. Why aren't the hard questions being asked. We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, delivered one such warning. Those engaged in unusual stock trades immediately before September 11 knew enough to make millions of dollars from United and American airlines, certain insurance and brokerage firms stocks. What did this Administration know, and when did it know it about the events of September 11? Who else knew and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered?

September 11 erased the line between "over there" and"over here." The American people can longer afford to be detached from the world, as our actions abroad will have a direct impact on our lives at home. In Washington, DC, decisions affecting home and abroad are made and too many of us leave the responsibility of protecting our freedoms to other people whose interests are not our own. From Durban to Kabul to Atlanta to Washington, what our government does in our name is important.It is now also clear that our future, our security, and our rights depend on our vigilance. It is also now clear that our future, our security,and our rights depend on our vigilance.

As published by Charles Utwater II in ONLINE JOURNAL,May 12, 2002:

The Essenes II

Here in the United States, well over 95% of the 27 to 30 million people of African descent are Christians and they joined most of the rest of the Christian world in observing the birth of Jesus on December 25, Christmas Day. No other historical figure has received the recognition, veneration and unquestioned loyalty of Black people in the Western world that Jesus has. Yet, despite their widespread respect for and worship of Jesus, few Black people in the Americas or elsewhere ever have raised the question of whether He was Black and whether the doctrine He espoused was of African origin.

Trained by white theologians or taught in White owned, controlled or financed seminaries, the average Black minister will not only deny that Jesus was a black man and claim that it is sinful to raise the question of His color, but also will insist that Jesus was colorless and declare that the blue- eyed blond painting of him hovering over the minister's pulpit is just a White reflection of Christ's universality. It is quite understandable, then, that the masses of Black Christians, who generaLly hold their ministers in high esteem, blithely continue to bow before, pray to and worship a blue-eyed blond stranger whom they have come to know as Jesus without ever questioning this image and its impact on them, their families and the Black race as a whole.

Recognizing the historical significance of religion to Black people and observing its present role in their nations and communities the world over, this writer feels that it is high time that the deeply-rooted religious beliefs of Blacks be fully examined by Black scholars with an eye toward freeing the race of false doctrines and misconceptions that were designed to perpetuate Black inferiority and servility. Since religion plays a key role in molding Black opinion and guiding Black behavior in Africa and the diaspora, the specific intent of this article on religion, is to reveal what modern science is proving each day - that the roots of all major religions are traceable to the Black people of ancient Africa and that most of the world's venerated religious leaders were Blacks. It is hoped that these revelations will instill a sense of pride in Black people, hasten the day when false images will be removed from their houses of worship and free them of the widespread assumption - which is deeply embedded in their individual and collective subconscious - that they are cursed and doomed to failure because they were not created in God's image.

Professor Locksley D.M. Geoghagen is one of the few black authorities on the origin of the Christian religion. A scholar of African-Jamaican ancestry, he has served as the Associate Director of the Educational Opportunities Program and a teacher in the Education Department at Cal Poly College, San Luis Obispo, California. He is a learning specialist with expertise in brain physiology, especially the cerebral hemisphere, and has teaching credentials on the community college level in psychology, education, political science, counseling and pupil personnel. Professor Geoghagen is also the coordinator of Leadership Programs at Cal Poly College.

A rare pluridisciplinary scholar, Professor Geoghagen has lectured broadly on subjects that range from melanin and the pineal gland to the African roots of civilization. He has often lectured with the distinguished author and scholar, Dr. Donald Cheek, and has traveled extensively, especially in Africa, with the world renowned historian, Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan.

Professor Geoghagen has completed the course requirements for the Ph.D. in education at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and he plans to soon enter the field of Egyptology as an understudy of Dr. ben-Jochannan, Professor Geoghagen's expertise on early Christianity has been acquired over the past ten years, during which time he has engaged in research, lecturing and writing in the United Sates, the Caribbean and Africa.

The following is an interview with Professor Geoghagen on religion in general and the ancestry of Jesus in particular.

MAAT: Professor Geoghagen, why don't I just start with the question before us: Was Jesus a Black man?

Geoghagen: Yes, unequivocally and beyond a shadow of doubt, Jesus was a black man and there is much evidence to substantiate this. However, before I discuss this evidence, I would like to consider in some detail who Jesus was and to focus on the history of Christianity because Jesus' blackness will not be fully understood or accepted without this background.

MAAT: Okay, just who was Jesus?

Geoghagen: That is a very difficult question to answer, for Jesus was and still is many things to many people. To Christians he is a part of the Godhead, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Prince of Peace, the Word made flesh, the messiah of Jewish expectations. Hence, through his trials, sufferings, temptations, death and resurrection, He provides for the remission of sins, redemption and life eternal for those who follow his teachings and accept him as their personal savior. To me, he is one of the world's 16 crucified saviors -- the last of them, I might add - whose lives fit an almost identical pattern from the time of Horus in 4100 B.C. (according to the most ancient beliefs, he was the first crucified savior) to the time of Judas Christas (Christ the anointed) in the pre-Christian era. In essence, the life that Jesus purportedly led, the activities in which he engaged, his teachings, his trials and sufferings and eventual death and resurrection, are identical to those of Horus and Osiris (two ancient Egyptian gods) and the other 14 crucified saviors. This point of view or revelation, though potentially shocking to the mass of believers, is nevertheless common knowledge to scholars. So Jesus and the belief system that he represents are thus a reappearance of one of the most beautiful ideas of the ancient black Africans of Ta-Merry - now called Egypt - which represented the eternal Father by the ever- coming Son, as in the Child Horus. This was the child of a mother who was the eternal virgin. The doctrines of the Incarnation, i.e., the word made flesh: the virgin birth, the resurrection, the Father-God who is identical to his own son and other doctrines (believed to be specifically Christian) were Egyptian long before there was even the concept of Adam and Eve, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

MAAT: Are you saying that Christianity as a religion had its origins in ancient Egypt?

Geoghagen: Yes. In addition to what I have just stated, in the Eschatology of the Egyptians is found a trinity and a unity, and the Egyptians believed in punishment as well as everlasting happiness. Not surprisingly, then, the doctrine of everlasting life and the belief in the resurrection of the "Spiritual Body" are, according to Dr. Albert Churchward(author of Signs and Symbols of Primordial Man, Origins of Freemasonry, The Origin And Evolution of Religion, The Origin And Evolution of The Human Race, etc.) "the brightest and most prominent features of the Egyptian religion, and this we find was their belief before the time of the first king of the first dynasty." The general teachings and cosmological world view of the Egyptians eventually filtered down and provided the foundation for later so-called 'Western Religions,' i.e., Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This point is thoroughly documented by the brilliant and prolific African scholar, Dr. Josef ben-Jochannan, in an epic work, African Origins of the Major Western Religions. These teachings were handed down to the Essenes (a mythical Jewish sect in pre-Christian times) who were responsible for the development of many of the teachings and concepts attributed to Jesus.

MAAT: Are you suggesting, then, that Jesus was an Essene?

Geoghagan: There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus was an Essene. Essene doctrine is directly traceable to its African-Egyptian roots. In short, Jesus was one of the world's 16 crucified saviors whose beliefs and teachings were founded on the doctrines and principles of the ancient African Mystery System, and the events of his life directly parallel those of Horus (the first crucified savior), who lived at least 4100 years before Christ. For example, Horus was born of a virgin (immaculate conception), he disappeared at age 12 and reappeared at 30; he died at age 33 and descended into Hell. On the third day, he arose again and ascended into Heaven to sit on the right hand of his father, etc. Horus was cut into 14 pieces; Jesus was stabbed fourteen times. Horus' mother could find only one piece of him, his penis, and so she built obelisks in his memory. Jesus had the same phallic symbol associated with him, i.e., he had no sexual relations (at least after the conference of Nicene in 325 A.D.). So as you can see, Jesus and the other world saviors are copies of Horus. Their biographical facts are the same; only the names have changed.

MAAT: Are there parts of Jesus' life that are generally unknown to the public?

GEOGHAGEN: Yes, much if not most of the facts surrounding his life are absolutely unknown to the general public. To be specific, there is a twenty-one year period of his life that is completely unaccounted for in the Gospel. These 21 years, I would argue, are of critical importance in understanding who Jesus was as well as the source, inspiration and eventual development of his message and ministry. The fact is that not only Jesus but also John the Baptizer and some of Jesus'disciples were taught, by Egyptian priests, some of the fundamentals of the African Mystery System which later, through adaptations and distortions, became the foundation for what is now known as Christianity in its various forms and manifestations. The fact that Jesus was an initiate in the African Mystery System; that Jesus was taught and did study at various subsidiary lodges of the Grand Lodge of Luxor in Africa and elsewhere (i.e. Tibet, India, etc.) The fact that it was in Africa that Jesus became acquainted with the Essenes, who were largely responsible for much of the teachings credited to Jesus.

MAAT: You keep mentioning the ancient African Mystery System.Can you briefly tell us what this was?

Geoghagen: Basically, the African Mystery System was the educational system of Africa. It was called a 'mystery' by E. Budge, the Famous Egyptologist, and other Egyptian scholars; but it was not a mystery to Africans. It encompassed many branches of knowledge, including all of the sciences, philosophy, physics, all of the liberal arts and, of course, religion and metaphysics.

The foundation of that which was later called Greek philosophy comes directly from the African Mystery System. If an individual wants confirmation of this, he can consult such books as G.M. James' Stolen Legacy, B.D. Alexander's History of Philosophy, Alfred Weber's History of Philosophy, William Turner's History of Philosophy and Zeber's History of Philosophy.

Included as a part of the ancient African Mystery System were the major beliefs contained in the so-called 'Western Religions' of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For those who want a closer look at this, I would recommend the Egyptian Book of the Dead and The Ancient Mysteries by C.H. Vail. Another book which provides great detail is Albert Churchward's Signs and Symbols of Primordial Man. It lays out all of the Hebrew, Christian and Hindu doctrines that come directly from the African Mystery System. A comparable book, also written by Churchward, is Origin And Evolution of Religion.

MAAT: Speaking of references, do you have any sources that support your shocking revelations concerning the life of Jesus?

Geoghagen: I most assuredly do. The details of Jesus' life from ages 12 to 33 are documented in the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus The Christ by Levi. It gives an account of Jesus' interaction with his African masters and the teachings which they bestowed on him. Further, it documents the travels of Jesus from Africa to India and his eventual return to Africa; and confirms how Jesus acquired his cosmological world view in the process. The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Kersey Graves documents much of what I've said thus far. Stolen Legacy by George G.M. James, The Kione Bible (the original new testament written between ca. 50 A.D. - 100 A.D.). Anacalypsis by Godfrey Higgins, The Black Messiah by Albert Cleage Jr., and Jesus and The Zealots by S.G.F. Brandon, The Apocryphal New Testament by M.R. James, Rahids' Aquarian Gospel (another portion of the books removed from the Bible). The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics by J. Doresee. There are literally hundreds of references to back up what I have said, including the work of Gerald Massey, E.A. Wallis Budge, Joel A. Rogers, Albert Churchward and, of course, the works of Yosef ben- Jochannan. These references that I have given will allow interested scholars and individuals to begin to scratch the surface of the wealth of material that is available on this subject.

MAAT: You keep mentioning the Essenes and the fact that Jesus was somehow connected with them. Who are the Essenes and have there been Any scientific or archaeological discoveries that document their existence?

Geoghagen: A large portion of 'Western Culture' is indebted to a little known secret cult (a direct offshoot of the African- Egyptian Mystery System) which was called Essene, among other names. This cult of Hebraic people has been identified by their occupation, geographical location, forms of worship and peculiarities of faith. They have been variously known as The Baptizers, The Third Sect, Men of Essa, The Mystery Sect, The Seers, The Pious, The Associates, The Apron Makers, The Propheciers, Seekers Of The Prince of Righteousness, The Essenes and The Ossenes. Ancient documents indicate some of the earliest Essene origins. Pliny the Elder (70-77 A.D.) called them the Hessenes. Josephus (6-8 A.D.) labeled them the Essenes. The same term was later used by Chrysostam, Eusebius, Porphery, Hippolytus, and many other ecclesias and chroniclers. Many of the descriptions given by these writers, particularly Eusebius and Pliny, depict the Essenes as an 'awesome, ascetic, pietistic sect which might be viewed as the forerunner of today's 'mod' communities.' This quotation is from Jesus Christ Super Psychic by T.N. Tiemeyer. Anyway, these and many other ancient references to the Essenes were fragmentary, distorted and often inaccurate. For example, ancient writers reported that the Essenes "lived without women, having renounced all sexual love."

Yet recent diggings in their ancient cemetery have so far unearthed a number of female skeletons. Greek and Roman historians also failed to discern the religious and mystical element which were basic to Essene thought.

MAAT: But what is their relationship to Jesus and what evidence do you have to support it?

Geoghagen: Like you, my primary concern with the Essenes is the relationship of their Order of Sect, and how, through their guidance and direction, Jesus was able to develop his own spiritual talents. For countless centuries, scholars have suggested that many of the teachings attributed to Jesus were very much influenced by the teachings of the Essenes. No doubt the expression of such a viewpoint subjects one to declarations of heresy by those in orthodox church circles. In other words, to even suggest that any part of the message of Jesus is or was less than original with Jesus is, no doubt, heresy. But, heresy or not, the historical facts speak for themselves. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls by a young Bedouin, Mohammad el-Deeb, in 1945, did much to shed some light on this controversial topic. These scrolls were discovered in the northwest part of the Dead Sea Valley near Jericho in a series of caves on the edge of a valley named Wali Qumran. In the entire twentieth century, no discovery has had a greater impact on Biblicists, theologians and Judea-Christian exponents than the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Most scholars greeted the news with exultation. Such was not the case, however, for orthodox Christian believers in Jesus as "the only begotten Son of the Father." Hence, their response to the discovery of the scrolls and its implications was less than joyful. Ancient prophets, such as Isaiah, Moses and Zacharia, had predicted the coming of "the Messiah," "the Holy One of God," "the Prince of Peace," etc. And, early Bible authorities were aware that the Essenes had prophesied the coming of a "teacher of righteousness." It was naturally assumed that this was a term equivalent to those in the scriptures and that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Essene prophecies as well. But the Dead Sea Scrolls revealed that by the time of Jesus, the "teacher of righteousness" had already come and gone. Compounding this is the fact that the Dead Sea Scrolls were a source of further embarrassment to scholars of Biblicism because many of the sayings attributed to Jesus as original are found in the Essene records. Among the expressions and sayings generally claimed by Christians as original with Jesus, but yet contained in the pre-Christian Essene records are:

"Peace on Earth and good will to men," "You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world." "The thirst for righteousness." "The kingdom of God." "The Sons of light and the Children of darkness."

These are just a few. In addition, I would like to paraphrase from T.N. Tiemeyer's Jesus Christ Super Psychic. Rev. Tiemeyer states that the Dead Sea apocalyptical scrolls and The Book of Enoch, which were found in the caves of Qumran, beyond a shadow of doubt, have been dated before Christianity. However, these writings contain numerous phrases and concepts similar to those in the Sermon on the Mount. Also a list of selected Essene sayings compared to the Beatitudes of Jesus are remarkably similar. Tiemeyer goes on to say that: "obviously the best explanation is that Jesus was taught in the training schools of the Essenes." The evidence also points to New Testament persons as disciples of this same cult. The Bible descriptions of John the Baptizer, his life and personal habits conform to the practices of the Qumran community. Again in my mind there is little doubt but that Jesus was an Essene who espoused Essene doctrine which originally came from the teachings of the African Mystery System and were later incorporated as part of the foundation of Christian thought.

MAAT: Now that you have made these astounding revelations concerning the life of Jesus and the origins of his teachings, let us return to our original question: Was this figure of world renown a Black man? And, if so, are there any paintings, statues or icons that portray him as such?

Geoghagen: Indeed, Jesus was a Black man, and there are numerous early paintings, statues and icons that graphically depict both Mary and Jesus as Black people. According to Godfrey Higgins (author of the monumental historical document Anacalypsis), who visited the cathedrals of Europe before the anti-religious period of the French Revolution, all the madonnas and Christ-childs were depicted as black: "In all the Romish countries of Europe, in France, Italy, Germany, etc., the God, Christ, as well as his mother are described in the old pictures to be black. The infant God in the arms of his black mother, his eyes drapery white, is himself perfectly black. If the reader doubts my words, he may go to the cathedral of Moulins - to the famous chapel of the Virgin of Loretto, to the Church of Annunciata; the Church of St. Lazaro, or the Church of St. Stephen at Genoa, to St. Francisco at Pisa; to the Church of Brixer in the Tyrol, and that of Padua; to the Church of St. Theodore at Munich, etc. This is further supported and documented by the work of J.A. Rogers, Albert Churchward, Yosef ben-Jochannan, C.W. King, J.S. Matthews, Gerald Massey and various other writers who give detailed accounts of the original Black Mary and Jesus. It was with the advent of Michaelango, who used his family to pose for the paintings that he did of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, etc. - coupled with European white racism - that we begin to see Jesus portrayed as a white man. But how could it be otherwise? How could a group of people simultaneously proclaim and practice white racism and justify slavery under the guise of bringing the message of Christianity to the 'heathens' or 'pagan black savages' in Africa - and at the same time tell the truth that Jesus was a Black man and that in fact Christianity started in Africa, where Panteus and Boteus reported that Jesus was born in a cave in Ethiopia? And that it was not until the Nicene conference that Jesus' birthplace was changed to a stable in Bethlehem.

MAAT: This is the second time you have mentioned the Nicene Conference. Where was this conference held? What was it about? And who attended it?

Geoghagen: There were two councils of the Christian Church held in Nicea (Nice), in what is now northwest Turkey. The most important was called in 325 A.D. by Constantine "the Great" and 219 bishops from all of the powerful Christian regions attended it. It was the intent of Constantine to change Christianity into Christiandom. In other words, religion would now become the vehicle of government control over the people. Achievement of this goal involved changing some of the tenets of Christianity. Anyone who is interested can obtain a copy of the proceedings of the Nicene Conference and see the tremendous political struggle that was going on between the "Men of God."

One will notice that at least 18 books - including the book of Mary - that were part of the Koin Bible (the original Bible up to that point) were removed from the canons. Furthermore, many of the ancient African teachings, including the concept of reincarnation, were removed from Christianity. And it was at this time that they put into the new Bible the ancient African concept of the Immaculate Conception.

MAAT: Are you literally saying that the original Bible was changed at the Nicene Conference?

Geoghagen: Yes. But this was not the first time that Church leaders had gotten together to fight over what was to be accepted as Christianity. A similar conference was held in Jamnia in A.D. 90, at which time other changes were made.

MAAT: Getting back to the questions of whether Jesus was a Black man: Some scholars, of course, would challenge your position that Jesus was a black man on the ground that he was Jewish and could not therefore have been Black.

Geoghagen: My opinion is that those would be very misinformed scholars because the original Jews were Black people.

MAAT: Some scientists today might also raise the point that the ancient Shroud of Turin, which has been highly touted by the press and which many now claim bears the image of Jesus, does not appear to depict a Black man. What would be your response to this?

Geoghagen: It would be of little consequence as to whether the shroud of Turin appears to be Black, Asian, Caucasian or whatever, because the only thing that scientists are able to determine at this point is that indeed this probably was a shroud that covered a human body and does not appear to be fake.

But no Scientist alive of whom I am aware - racist or nonracist, Christian or non-Christian - can in any way, shape, form or fashion document that the Shroud of Turin is the one that was placed over Jesus' body at the time of his death.

MAAT: Was Jesus the only great religious leader who was Black?

Geoghagen: Absolutely not. Most of the ancient prophets and saviors of most religions were depicted in their original form as Blacks.

MAAT: If all of these ancient prophets, gods and goddesses were Blacks, does this suggest a universal Black dominance in the ancient world?

Geoghagen: Most certainly, yes. One might read Gerald Massey's Egypt: The Light of the World, from archaeological and anthropological evidence alone, there is no doubt that the race of Black people was the seed race for humanity. In other words, we were here before anyone else and our presence was felt and known throughout the world.

We not only occupied Africa, but our remains have been discovered from the Fiji Islands to Tasmania, Melanesia, India, China, Japan, Mexico and even Europe. Many scientists have shown that the original race of people in all of these areas was the Black race.

MAAT: Why is it that the facts that you have revealed here are unknown to the general public?

Geoghagen: They are intentionally kept from the public. You take a situation where you have a group of people - namely white people - who have actually taken philosophy, religion, education, science, liberal arts, everything that you can associate with the word "culture" from Black people. They have taken it, distorted it, adopted it and used it against the very people from whom they received it as a justification for slavery. So, it was convenient to enslave Blacks in Africa under the guise of spreading Christianity when it fact the religion as developed in Africa (there were 27 bishops and seven Popes of the North African Church before the first one in Rome - this is documented in the book Libers Pontificals, which, when translated into English, is Book of the Popes). I should also point out here that few references are made to the fact that three of the earliest fathers of the Christian church were Blacks. St. Augustine (born at Tagaste, Numida, North Africa in 354 A.S.), who set the moral doctrine of the Christian Church; Tutillian and Cyprian. How could white people tell Blacks that they had no history or culture other than that which Europeans gave them and at the same time tell them that Christianity was not only developed by Blacks, but that its master, Jesus, was a Black man? This could not be done.

MAAT: Why do you think that it is important for Black people to know that Jesus was a Black man and that Christianity is of African origin?

Geoghagen: I feel that this information is critical to the self- esteem and future of Blacks around the globe. Our contributions as the originators of high culture or "civilization" have been systematically kept from us. Our inventions, our philosophies, our religious concepts and

systems have been stolen, co-opted, distorted, adopted and then used against us. We as a people must begin to assert ourselves and to reclaim our history and our science, and become knowledgeable about who we are, whence we came, and where we are going. Without a thorough knowledge and understanding of African history (including the development of Christianity in Africa), our future as a people is at best bleak. --------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 1997, Legrand Clegg II, All Rights Reserved

David Banner Responds To The Professional Rap Critics

Stop Attacking The Kids

To all the black ‘so called leaders’. Al, Oprah, Jesse, etc, etc, etc… I’m saddened by your current direction and current ‘pet projects’ you guys have taken under your wing at the expense of Young Black America. As an urban professional living in this crazy world, I dare ask, who are you leading? I listen to what you say, I hear you complain about the youth, and about the direction of our lives, the kids, and where Black America is going and yet I still ask – who are you guys leading? And most importantly, where are we going? Do we know the goal we are trying to reach before we get there? Have we identified our end before articulating our means to an end! Who are you REALLY reaching? Why do you feel the need to attack the young generation for the things we are doing? “WHO DID WE LEARN THESE THINGS FROM? We are trying to have fun in the midst of our traumatic circumstances. People are trying to make a living by any means necessary, people are voicing their experiences, people are speaking the truth about situations and honestly the truth hurts and sometimes it’s ugly. If music/hip hop/ rappers are wrong with the language they use, the images they portray in their videos – then come talk to us – I use the term ‘us’ as a collective because I’m defending what I have a passion for so this also involves me. Pull us to the side and say “hey kids, that’s not the way to go” and then we can say “change what we see daily so we cansing and rap about the roses and not about the bullets”. We will say, help give us better situations to create better verbal material”. Don’t just go running off to the media to air the dirty laundry of the family and not expect us to fight back in some kind of way. What you are doing is wrong and it’s pissing off a lot of people with less money and camera

time! Young Black America’s problem is not Hip Hop or the music, Young Black America’s problem is Old White America. In the young black community, there is a growing level of resentment toward the ‘so called leaders’ because you guys DON’T WANT TO REALLY FIX OUR PROBLEMS. You guys don’t really want to be on our side fighting for better school systems, more after school programs, more money for college funding! Where areyou leaders at when there’s a need to break down to freshman in college on how not to get caught up with credit cards by singing up for an MBNA card, with high interest rates that eventually screw up your credit and makes it that much harder for you to become a homeowner after you graduate collegestudent loans! Where are those seminars? Dubois had it right when he spoke of the Talented Tenth! Rally around us to help teach us about THIS life! It’s not our fault that the world is messed up and filled with debauchery. It’s not our fault that our communities are screwed! The problems in our community should not fall on our lap. And if you begin to hold us accountable for simply our words – then I will begin to hold you accountable for your actions; or lack there of. Right is right and wrong is wrong. You as our leaders should have taken a better approach to gaining the attention of those that you are dissatisfied with and had a conversation with them. You don’t scold your child in public without fair warning! pending you can find a job in your field after you’ve spent all this money in

Al Sharpton: You run around towns and cities speaking words of wanting to better our community by cleaning up the airwaves. You hold rallies in front of radio stations saying turn off the music and clean the airwaves. You want to shut down local stations that are playing urban music when most of these local stations house and employ the same people in your community – the black community. When you visit any station in any city (big or small) playing urban/rap music, the staff is generally black. Now if those stations were to ever shut down – where do those employees go? Al, if you are for the people, where was your rally when the 3 college students were executed in New Jersey by black men. Where is the rally atfor those families and that neighborhood??? I don’t see you out there asking for justice yet that incident happened in a black community. If someone was to rap about “how f**** up black on black crime is and how even if you go to college you aren’t safe on the streets and nigga’s aint’ s—” – that kind of tone is offensive to you and you want to stop that! If that’s the truth, then why are you censoring it? No, you need to stop the crime before it happens so that there is no gangster song about a gangster situation.

Oprah: You recently you held a town hall meeting dedicating 2 days of talk to have an open forum about the “Nappy Headed Ho” comment from Imus. Everyone had their 2cents to say and yet the people that needed to REALLY be there were not at all on your panel of ‘experts’. The questions all were about “why use the word ho or b**** or nigga etc” yet the rappers in question ala Nelly, Snoop, Ludacris weren’t anywhere present on your panel. In my eyes you had all the wrong people on there representing and speaking on behalf of other people. Common is great but he’s not gangsta. If you had a problem with the true content of rap songs then where were those that do that kind of rap

100%? You want to talk about change, and about having us not call women in rap songs “bitches” and “hoes” but one thing I noted, you had all men on your panel of executives. Russell is wonderful but he’s not the Zenith when it comes to new school rappers or their new school mentality. Kevin Liles is great but what happened to Sylvia Rhone the head of the label that Nelly is signed to, or Kathy Hughes the head of Radio One or Deborah Lee the head of BET. If the problem really was about women and the “bitch, ho” term being used, where were those ladies to speak on their stance on this issue! They are the ones with the ultimate say pulling all the strings and yet they weren’t dully noted as absent from your panel! Oprah you are suppose to protect us, I can find more harm being done to the black community by the movies and sponsors you promote than any rap song.

Just like your son or daughter, niece or nephew… rappers are just kids growing into their own. They aren’t always right, but they aren’t always wrong either. If our path is misguided, then help us get back on the right road. I’m young, I’m black, and I’m a hard worker. I’m from the hood where mother’s leave their kids in the hands of strangers and never look back, I’ve been with killers, dope dealers, b******, church folk, grandparents, bad parenting from good parents, pushers, junkies, robbers, middleclass workers, but that’s the life I’vebeen around. Gunshots and church hymns usually go hand in hand in most neighborhoods. The grim reality for a lot of kids out there living alone is that life is harsh and cold; kids grow up faster than they want to because they are forced too! Kids are growing up in situations that are f***** up. So the songs we listen to mirror the things we see, the things we dream about and the fantasies we have! Don’t change the songs I listen to, change the circumstance from which it comes from—then the situation will be better!

Growing up in this world of hip hop it’s disheartening to see our ‘so called leaders’ leave us out to dry. Fine you don’t like what we say. Fine disagree with our choice of topics; however, the things we talk about aren’t new. We didn’t invent the term pimps, pushers, hoes, tricks, doobies, nigga’s and gangsta’s. Hip Hop didn’t create that. Those words were left here for us to use by you guys, your generation. This life we are continuing to live was handed to us by the people before us who didn’t do much to clean it up. There may never be a time that we agree on anything, but there is always room for change. As a family – we will agree to disagree but it’s the synergy in which we do it. If you are on one extreme tangent, and I’m on another, we will never meet eye to eye. At the same time, I will not allow you to bash, yell, condemn, and have a condescending tone on my source of refugee and happiness. As you leaders call out the hip hop community saying that we are wrong for what we do and how we do it, I am CALLING EACH OF YOU OUT saying you are wrong for what you are doing to us. How dare you guys not call Nelly, Snoop, Lil Wayne, David Banner, Jim Jones, Akon, Rick Ross, Fabulous, 50 cent, Young Buck, Bun B, Too Short and say lets talk this through. Do you even know who ANY of these people are??????? You are so disconnected from us that we don’t even look at you for guidance. If you really want to change something, start by changing your dialogue. Don’t talk at us, talk to us!

-DAVID BANNER

Artist Renee Cox portrays the plight of African American women. Yo Mama, a photograph taken in 1993, illustrates a slender and muscular black woman. She is naked and appears to be strong and powerful; she holds an infant in her arms as she stares intentionally into the viewer's eyes. The artist sought to capture the lingering horrors among African American families that stem from slavery and the separation from loved ones. African American family ties are notably strong today, as the illustration portrays (Source: Chicago, Judy and Lucie-Smith, Edward.
Women and Art: Contested Territory. The Ivy Press Limited, 1999.).