Jena, Louisiana, breaking my heart

I just heard today about this sad event coming up in America: Group Plans March Against “Jena Six” on MLK Day. They call themselves the “Nationalist Movement” and they plan to go to Jena and protest the celebration of MLK day (Dr. King is a hero of mine) and to protest the support shown to the six teens in Jena who were charged for assault and given a horrendous prison sentence. There were reasons behind the assault – some other teens in the area had put up a noose and taunted them. Regardless, they teens that did the assault (school yard fight) should have some punishment, but not long term jail sentences. That is why I have “Justice for the Jena Six” on the back window of my car.

The sad thing is – this protest group going to Jena will be armed. They made a point of mentioning that. They are calling it “Jena Justice Day” which is hideous. I got an email today that alerted me to this event – from a young women in the eastern part of NC. She is headed to Jena. I will be with them in spirit and in thought, and I hope this ugliness does not turn violent. (I read another report that said they will not be armed. Hope that is correct.)

Unfortunately, I will miss the local MLK parade because I was dumb enough to schedule a DENTIST appointment, for crying out loud. I will head over to the meeting place on Monday morning and hand out some flyers that have information on Dr. King, voting and the upcoming H K on J march (more on that later).

And here is a poem I found recently on The Black Commenter website:

Wisdom

A stature man once told me

that I have the voice of many

hypnotized by his gray lazy pupils

mirrored a reflection of history’s past

while holding his staff—he paralleled it

to

the

world

wisdom explained the journeys

the struggles

the battles

& the lives lost in our advance toward

social change & equality

& must not forget the sacrifices

of our ancestors—for to forget

would mean

they as well

as all of us

would not exist—

it’s time to resurrect the spirits of

the dead and gone

into

men, women & children, so, their stories

will not die but live in our hears & minds forever.

(The preceeding poem is included in Blackman Preach's self published chapbook titled, "The State of the Ghetto Address." Click here to listen to Blackman Preach read this poem. BlackCommentator.com Spoken Word Columnist, Poet Blackman Preach (Cedric T. Bolton), is a poet (spoken word artist) and producer, born in Pascagoula, Mississippi and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. Cedric received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Washington University and currently resides, with his wife, in Syracuse, New York. He is the Founder of Poetic Black Fusion, a writers' workshop that provides access and opportunities to poets of African Ancestry living in Central New York. He is also the co-founder of Voices Merging, a student-run poetry organization (spoken word) at the University of Minnesota that provides a social outlet for undergraduate students to develop as writers, network and express themselves on stage. He has been writing poetry for 14 years and is published in the Ethnic Student Center's Newsletter at Western Washington University, The Spokesman Recorder, and St. Cloud Times. Click here to contact Blackman Preach)