After Incarcerated: The Irony of Job Opportunities

As I sat down at the court building with my brother, I noticed the wall seen in the above photo. It has numerous postings of job opportunities, but for who? Most formerly incarcerated individuals are discriminated against because of their background, which leads to them not obtaining employment. So then what? You are not able to provide for yourself so you get frustrated; you become angry at the world. You commit crimes to survive, to feel better about your situation, or to just release your anger. As a result, you end back in jail; it’s a never ending cycle.

If you continuously miss your appointments with your Parole Officer (P.O.), you could be thrown in jail. What if you do not have money to see your P.O.? That’s a charge. What if you illegally ride the bus or train to try to meet with your P.O. That’s another charge. What what can you do? The Justice System is designed to keep you in; it’s designed to make sure you never succeeded in life.

Waiting to see Patrol Officers

The waiting room is extremely hot, and many of the formerly incarcerated were becoming irritated. Many of them wait for long periods of time and no one ever comes to the front desk. When they knock on the window to get the workers attention they are told to “calm down and take a seat.” They were calm. They are talked down upon as if they are children. I asked if they were always treated this way and they said yes. This is sad to see, and it needs to change.

Bring the New Year in with the right mind

​Let 2017 be a year of learning. Many will go into the New Year believing that Blacks and other minorities are not oppressed. Many will believe that Blacks and other minorities can be racist. Let me bring you in the right way. Blacks and minorities are oppressed. It’s as clear as day. It shows in the jobs we can get, it shows in what store we can afford to shop at, most importantly, it shows through genocide. The oppressed, minorities, can’t be racist, but we can be prejudice (there is a difference). 

Racist show power over minorities. They control what jobs we get and or how much we are paid, therefore they also control what foods we can afford (mostly unhealthy), and they even control our population (genocide). With most of the networks and stations being owned by the majority, they control what we see.This is what I think, this is how I feel, and this is what I learned. And, it didn’t take a Howard education to find out either.

(IT’S NOT UP FOR DEBATE)

After Incarcerated: The Irony of Job Opportunities

As I sat down at the court building with my brother, I noticed the wall seen in the above photo. It has numerous postings of job opportunities, but for who? Most formerly incarcerated individuals are discriminated against because of their background, which leads to them not obtaining employment. So then what? You are not able to provide for yourself so you get frustrated; you become angry at the world. You commit crimes to survive, to feel better about your situation, or to just release your anger. As a result, you end back in jail; it’s a never ending cycle.

If you continuously miss your appointments with your Parole Officer (P.O.), you could be thrown in jail. What if you do not have money to see your P.O.? That’s a charge. What if you illegally ride the bus or train to try to meet with your P.O. That’s another charge. What what can you do? The Justice System is designed to keep you in; it’s designed to make sure you never succeeded in life.

Waiting to see Patrol Officers

The waiting room is extremely hot, and many of the formerly incarcerated were becoming irritated. Many of them wait for long periods of time and no one ever comes to the front desk. When they knock on the window to get the workers attention they are told to “calm down and take a seat.” They were calm. They are talked down upon as if they are children. I asked if they were always treated this way and they said yes. This is sad to see, and it needs to change.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Wasn’t About Peace?

Someone said,

“Whenever MLK left town, riots and violence followed. How was he about peace?”

My response was:

“He was about peace, and it was that fact that made whites DURING THAT TIME angry. But he knew what he was doing. The riots got media attention. Media played an important role in the Civil Rights movement. It got global attention and allies of the US started to question the US. They started asking “how can you come here and tell us how we should treat our people when you treat your own like trash.” When the US government started to lose support thanks to the media coverage of the riots, sit-ins, bombings, brutal beatings and killings, the government had to make changes and laws. It was a [very] good strategy to me.”

Silenced No More

Silenced | letstalkraestyle.files.wordpress.com

It will be as if my mouth grew extra lips.

Each pair will spit words like justice, peace, and equality,

All things that Black Lives Matter stands for.

When one mouth is closed, the other will take its place.

There will be no more silence when objections are loud,

Objections to police brutally, objections to the justice system, and objections to a school system design to keep us below average.

There will be no more silence when the oppressed rise up,

Rise up through war, peaceful war and protest,

The type of protest the Dr. Martin Luther King preached.

Fighting violence with violence only cause more death,

The death of a mother, the death of a father, the death of sisters, and the death of brothers.

If we do not act now, we will all be responsible for their deaths, their funerals, and the many who will mourn  for them.

Act now, reminisce later.

 

Sounds Of The City

Beep, beep, beep
This what I hear as I stare out of the window 
Onto the streets of this city
This city is D.C.

This city is loud
This loud city Is unfair
This city is rich
But also poor
For all its beauty
There’s ugliness too

The sounds of this city are not for me
The construction trucks, with their loud roars and clashes,
Are not for me
They’re not for anything like me
Not my skin color, or my hair texture
Not for my disability, nor my many abilities

Beep, beep, beep
I hear again
As I stare out of the window 
Onto the streets of this city
D.C. is the name
God I hate this lovely city

Author Notes: Life is full of pain

 

Religion or Status?

It’s no secret that many, if not all Christian, pick and choose what they want to practice from the Bible without even noticing it. I can’t speak on behalf of those of European decent, but my People of Color can probably relate. You know how that sweet and God fearing–which I’ve learned that God fearing means respect, honestly, and loyal rather than actual fear–Granny always tell you not to lie because God doesn’t like it. How do you expect me to follow the words of the Bible when 1) we go to all you can eat buffet (which is gluttony), and 2) you’re stuffing chicken in your purse (which is theft). So, although we are going against the Bible in many ways, we still use it to justify our actions and criticize the actions of others. But in cases like Kim Davis, is she using the Bible to justify her actions against opposing actions, or is she acting out the power that she has over people?

For those who don’t know, Davis is an appointed Kentucky County Clerk who refused to issue marriage licences to those wishing to marry someone of the same sex, all in the name of religion. Being a Christian woman myself, I do have the same beliefs as Ms. Davis. However, I don’t believe in dehumanizing anyone based on the decisions that they make. I also would not be working in a position that will cause me to do something against my religious beliefs. Why not step down? How Davis carried out this event leaves men to think that she’s not doing this in the name of Christianity, which actually tells us to uphold the laws of the land. Davis is doing this because of her status; she knows that she cannot be fired, which gives her power over a very important part of the LGBTQ community. Davis is using Christianity as an excuse for her abuse of power. Like i said before, I believes that men should not be with men, and women should not be with women; however, the bible also speaks of “Free Will.“ Also, God doesn’t want us to put ourselves in positions that goes against his will, so in that case, Kim Davis needs to step down.

Living While Black

Walking while Black, driving while Black, singing while Black, parenting while Black, just simply living while Black is dangerous. No matter how successful you are, your skin color makes you a target. Blacks in this country are looked at as all criminals, and in some cases we are not even seen as humans.

It’s sad, and I can remember when my mother would literally tell my brothers how they should look and act while out in public. How many white parents honestly have to tell their children to “keep your hands where they can be seen,” or to not “raise your voice around the police?” I also remember being with a group of friends and hearing or seeing a police car, and how we would get quiet. This wasn’t planned, it was programmed into us; we did get unconsciously because deep down we knew that we could be arrested.

Body cameras are completely useless because they can be altered, it’s not hard to do. On Thursday September 10, 2015, Black Lives Matter DMV and ACLU hosted a Town Hall on the Policing of Black Girls. As one of the facilitators for the Town Hall, it was my duty to ask my group “what the most essential problem is, and what is the most essential solution” was when they think about not only the policing of Black women, but of all People of Color. The problem was obvious; Black people in general are constantly being killed by the police.

Racism in the police department was also a major problem, and one of the main reason so many of our people are being killed. One middle school girl said that the solution is to have police who are not racist working in the police department. But how can we point out who and who is not racist exactly?

Unequal pay between Blacks and Whites is still a problem. According to CNN, “Over the past 25 years, the wealth gap between blacks and whites has nearly tripled, according to research by Brandeis University.” The median household wealth for Whites is $91,405, versus the $6,446 of Blacks. In July of 2014, the unemployment rate for Whites was at 5.3%, while Blacks were at 11.4%. How much more proof is needed? Why refuse to see things for what they really are? 

Since the Black Lives Matter Movement started, there have been many people trying to turn it around and say that all lives matter. If all lives mattered, there would;t be a need for the Black Lives Matter Movement. People always tell Blacks to “stop pulling the race card.” Whenever this is said, I simply respond by saying, “we’ll stop pulling the race card when we are dealt new ones.

 

Who Is She? Poem Co-Written By Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes

When you think of the Black women that you meet
Is it her struggles that you see?
Do you see all that she could be?
Would you even see me for me?

Would you see her as a mother who is not financially free?
Or would you see her as a hustler whose second title is welfare Queen?

Would you see her as a woman exploring her sexuality?
Or is she a Jezebel, Ho, or THOT to be abused verbally?

Is she a provider demanding resources for her family?
Or is she a money hungry gold-digger trying to take advantage of her nigga?

Is she comfortable in her own skin and finds joy in her community?
Or is she a loud ghetto chickened who has no dignity?

Is she a divine Queen worthy of respect from every entity?
Or is she a bossy bitch who needs to be checked sometimes physically?

Does she refuse to live by the rules made up to keep her from being free?
Or is she a sapphire, rude, and crazy with no future in this reality?

Author Notes: Break the silence, while breaking
the stereotypes. Co-Written By Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes

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This is powerful. I have been Looking for a way to write up my feelings, but this is absolutely amazing!