The Beat of the Street

The beat of the street

The beat of the street

Street beat

Street beat

Feet running in the street to the beat

Of marathon miles piled high on a heap

Of life’s choices...voices rejoice

For the goal setters whose better turns to best

When concentration and determination

Fly together on the wings of the wind

Feet running in the street to the beat

Of the joy of life riding in the light

Through the night whispering of hope

In spite of darkness and desolation

And drug highs that mimic

A pseudo escape into a state of elation

Feet running in the street to the beat

Of the evasive dollar...concerned voices holler

Don’t be fooled by illusive jewels

Or the bling bling of a counterfeit reality

Filled with the superficiality

Of a laughter that hides pain and shame

Feet running in the street to the beat

Dreaming dreams that may fade

Yet at the dawn of another day

determined to leap over hurdles

In order to grasp that golden ring

And in triumph be able to sing success!

Then concentration and determination

Fly together on the wings of the wind

And direct the beat of the street...

Street beat

Street beat

Environment Rap

Garbage…filth everywhere
Sure is hard to breathe this air
Fumes from pollution contribute to disease
Choking the lungs…making people wheeze
Rats…roaches…waste …spit
Broken down buildings where living ain’t fit 

What a mess!
What a mess!
Made in the name of progress

Contaminated water running through the drains
Vaporizing into acid rain
Chemicals dumped in rivers and streams
Ground water poisoned and it can’t be seen
Food we eat sprayed with bug killer
Chickens given hormones making them bigger 

What a mess
What a mess
Made in the name of progress!

Trees in the forest chopped down
This is not environmentally sound
Ozone layer full of holes
So each person now is exposed
To the harmful rays of the sun
Cancer has become a risk for everyone

What a mess
What a mess
Made in the name of progress!

Global warming is now a threat
Carbon dioxide in the air changed the climate
Record heat, storms, fires, drought
All these changes brought about
By man in his quest for financial gain
Sacrificing earth and that’s a shame!

What a mess
What a mess
Made in the name of progress!

Racism of the New Millennium

Incarceration… imprisonment...captivity…physically no longer free to come and go as one pleases. Cement walls…clanking doors…body scanners…pat downs…a sea of men dressed in khaki colored uniforms…young…middle age…old…more blacks than Hispanics…more Hispanics than white… all suffering from a malaise…a social sickness…a condition of continual malcontent underscored by a desperateness …forever plotting and planning the next scheme…the next scam…pursuing a delusion…never seeing beyond the fantasy and the illusion of the American dream. Children idolizing daddies in jail grow up assimilating prison into psyches of limited understanding consequently glorifying the new reality. Loved ones caught up in a cycle of hope and disillusionment stretch out hands of comfort that continually get burned in the fire of social injustice. The United States has more people in prison than anywhere else in the world, There are over 2,000,000 people incarcerated of which over one third are black and yet black people represent only about 13 % of the USA population. Many men and women with prison records are disenfranchised, and lose their right to vote due to felony convictions; jobs for ex- cons returning to the outside world are almost non-existent; the path to GED programs is overgrown with weeds of erosion which eat away at the roots of education …attrition has scored again… programs have been forced to close, and decent housing of course is always restricted by income. Fists are raised in rage against discrimination and economic conditions … against incarceration…against the new plantation for people of color…voices cry out against the racism of the new millennium…tears fall for the shattered dreams of children bruised by poverty. The war on drugs waged primarily in the inner cities, coupled with racial profiling, and the school to prison pipeline account for a lot of the disparity in the racial configuration of the prison system in the United States. One out of fifteen African-American males are incarcerated, one in thirty-six Hispanic males, this compared to one out of one hundred and six white males who are currently in jail. The Bureau of Justice statistics states that one out of three black men will be arrested in their lifetime. According to the Human Rights Watch African Americans make up roughly 14% of the drug using population yet 37% of those arrested for using drugs are black. Why? Because the battle against drugs is fought mainly in the respective hoods of America; because racial profiling is a reality; and because more blacks get harassed, stopped, and searched by the police than do their white counterparts. “Where’s my Daddy?” cry out youthful voices in the impending night…”I want my Mommy!” sob lonely spirits alienated from nurturing reassuring arms that then grow up always seeking to satisfy their need to fit in…to belong…to define themselves… mean while cultivating friendships with anger, defiance, and violence. Then off to school they go, and the school to prison pipeline becomes an actuality for many. According to data from the Department of Education, African American students are referred to the criminal justice system by schools more than their white peers. Of the 96,000 students arrested in the school year 2009-2010, and the 242,000 students referred to law enforcement over 70% were black and Hispanic. African-American youth represent 40% of incarcerated youth and yet they make up only 16% of the youth population today. A sea of disenfranchised humanity awaits the eradication of the racism of the new millennium. Children cry out for the restoration of loving bonds that bind the heart of a people into an affirmative identity. Hope marches through the hood illuminating a path to a new reality for those who have lost their way in the midst of dollar signs, in the midst of bling-bling, and in the midst of the illusive American dream.

A Celebration of Education

On Tuesday, August 28th, there was a Celebration of Education at the House of Love Soup Kitchen. Education is not only learning to read, write, and do math. Education is the nurturing, the guidance, and the expansion of the mind, cognitive abilities, and thoughts. Education is the path to self –determination. Education is the vehicle with which to learn about oneself, to discover one’s natural talents and abilities, and then to begin to make wise choices based on wisdom and knowledge. Education is the edification of mind, body, and spirit growing together in the beauty of harmony, coupled with unity. Education is hearts reaching out to give back positively to the global community. The celebration turned out quite nicely thanks to our partner the NJ Community Foodbank, and all the other volunteers that assisted with the event. The children were excited, the parents enjoyed themselves, and there was plenty of fun marking the end to another summer soon to be done. Math worksheets had to be completed, pizza, iced tea, and ice cream were handed out along with plenty of school supplies…tote bags, pencil sharpeners, composition notebooks, one subject notebooks, five subject notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, glue sticks, loose leaf paper, rulers, pencil cases, markers, and reading books…all necessary tools with which to be successful in school. Every young person got prizes and awards for completing worksheets. The worksheets consisted of basic math facts. The grade levels of the participants ranged from pre-school to high school. Some of the parents and other volunteers assisted the children. Everyone was enthusiastic. Certain students though struggled with concepts that should have been mastered by them already according to their grade level. We found out that many after school programs, and tutoring programs have been cut. It’s amazing that the educational hierarchy will scream about test scores yet cut programs that would help achieve desired outcomes. Math test scores right now are in the basement for many inner city school districts. Education is the means to break the cycle of poverty yet many students start failing math and reading at an early age hence that progression of destitution continues for many. Blacks have fought long and hard for the right to an equal education only to be thwarted in this day age by a different type of racism that camouflages itself in the cloak of the dollar sign. America worships the dollar and will sacrifice lives at the altar of privileged circumstance and filthy riches. It’s more expedient to build new prisons than new schools. Jails and prisons are now the new plantation in which to house excess humanity. The House of Love Soup Kitchen will continue to search for ways to assist the community in these socially difficult times.