The Enigma and Allure in Baltimore

Welcome back to Better Said Than Written, the podcast supplement of Artz of Culturez where I make a personal connection with today's trending topics.

In this episode I tried to wrap my head around what's taking place in Baltimore, Md. With the help of Emrld Swmp's member, universe, I was able to get a different perspective from a poem he shared for the people of Baltimore. 

Normally, you would just click the green play button below to hear my take and the poem, but in this installment, I decided to include my write up, which includes the identity of the police officers who were responsible for Freddie Gray's death. 

When America first got wind of Freddie Gray's death by the hands of Baltimore police officers, some citizens were convinced that his death was another case of racism. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, some people of Baltimore believes Gray's death has nothing to do with race but instead class. (see: Baltimore: It's Not About Race)

The word classism is defined as – prejudice or discrimination based on class. And according to classism.org, classism is held in place by a system of beliefs and cultural attitudes that ranks people according to economic status, family lineage, job status, level of education, and other divisions. This sounds about right in the story I initially alerted you to that Steve Inskeep shared on NPR.

Baltimore's chief prosecutors has since charged the officers with the death of Gray. Once the six police officers identities were revealed, most critics became silent about the talk of racism.

Baltimore: It's Not About Race

(Freddie Gray)

Steve Inskeep, host of Morning Edition on National Public Radio, went down to the streets of Baltimore where rioters took over the city after Freddie Gray’s funeral. Gray, who was a 25-year-old Black American man, died from a spinal injury after being taken into police custody. 

Some activists, social media audience and news outlets placed Gray’s death and the Baltimore riots into the same category as Eric Garner of Staten Island, N.Y, and the uprising in Ferguson, Mo., where protesters rioted for the death of Michael Brown. Observers grouped Gray’s death into a series of Black men dying by the hand of law enforcement. Unfortunately, they didn't get the story quite right.

Things I Tell My Black Son - Pt. 2

What Do We Tell Our Black Sons Now?

Charles M. Blow

On Jan. 24, 2015, another Black young man in America was accosted by a police officer. This time it was the son of New York Times columnist and author of the moving memoir, Fire Shot Up in my Bones, Charles M. Blow.

I first heard of the news on Twitter after Blow sent out tweets expressing his anger and frustration. He then gave a detailed description of what took place in The Opinion Pages of The New York Times. (See: Library Visit, Then Held at Gunpoint - Charles Blow: At Yale, the Police Detained My Son)

So, my son, a 3rd year chem major at Yale was just accosted - at GUN POINT - by a Yale policeman bc he "fit the description" of a suspect...
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) January 25, 2015

2014 Top 10 Blog Posts for Arts of Cultures

It’s been quite a year for Arts of Cultures. 

The blog started out with stories about emerging artists in the multicultural art scene, with the likes of Maeva Fouche and Miki Turner. 

It then branched out and gave tips on how to build your art career. Whether you’re a painter, author, singer or a member of any part of the creative world, there was a tip just for you when Art Tip Tuesdays were posted. 

And as issues in American culture started to become the main topic of conversation on social media, digital news and everyday chit chat, Arts of Cultures peeled back the layers and shed light on controversial discussions. From Shonda Rimes being called an Angry Black Woman to ongoing talks of how social injustice continues to be a problem in America when it comes to people of color and the human race.

#Justice4All: Why They Marched

Social injustice continues to disrupt Civil Rights in the United States of America. Black teenage boys like Mike Brown of Ferguson, Mo., are being gunned down by the bullets of local police around the country for reasons that are unjustifiable.

And if it's not a gun then police are using their bare hands to restrain people of color. In Eric Garner's case, the Staten Island, N.Y. resident was apprehended and strangled by local law enforcement over the suspicion of selling loose cigarettes. Garner’s last words caught on camera before he died while in police custody, “I can’t breathe!” The list goes on.

The people of America, of all races, took a nationwide stand on Dec. 13, 2014, and held a peaceful protest against police brutality in hopes that they can convince congress that it's time for a change. The national protest took place in major cities throughout the U.S. and Arts of Cultures headed to Washington, D.C. with a couple of young voices to get a glimpse of people coming together.

Did you take part in the #Justice4All nationwide protest? Share your comments below.

Related stories: 

• Young Voices Discuss Social Injustice of Mike Brown
• Things I Tell My Black Son
• American Civil Rights Ripples Backwards
• Artists Takes a Stand for Mike Brown

Young Voices Discuss Social Injustice of Mike Brown

Welcome back to Better Said Than Written, the podcast supplement of Arts of Cultures where I make a personal connection with today's trending topics.

In this episode I sat down with three young Black American adults who shared their thoughts and feelings about the social injustice of Mike Brown, aggressive police officers, and how American Civil Rights has taken several steps backwards.

Click the play button to hear how these students plan on stepping up and making a change. 
   

Be sure to stay tuned for Arts of Cultures coverage of the Dec. 13, 2014 March to Washington.

Related stories: 

• Things I Tell My Black Son
• American Civil Rights Ripples Backwards
• Artists Takes a Stand for Mike Brown

American Civil Rights Ripples Backwards

The emotions of most Americans simmered over into a boiling hot mess of despondency, after a grand jury came to the conclusion not to indict a police officer for fatally shooting an 18 year-old unarmed boy in Ferguson, Mo.

Michael Brown by Demont Pinder

To anyone who is unfamiliar 
with the opening sentence, you might be thinking … “What’s the big deal? It was probably an accident.” But when you add a dash of color to the story, Black and White, and you’ll probably understand that it’s an accident that happens one too many times in America. 

St. Louis Police Officer Speaks Out Through Poetry

Race continues to be the main topic of conversation in the U.S, social media and everyday conversation on weekly, daily news shows and newspapers. Actually race talks never really went away but in the last month and a half racial tension has exploded since the killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Mo. by a Ferguson police officer.

(From Dissonant Winston Smith)

 It's important to note that some people have a sensitive, nurturing side to them...even the police officers whose lives are being threatened throughout Missouri. To get the point across of how the situation in Ferguson, Mo. has taken a toll on these officers an anonymous police officer launched a blog to share his/her feelings on the matter.

Dissonant Winston Smith posted a heartfelt poem on what he/she feels like. What's so disgusting are the comments that follows. Clearly, those who left negative threatening responses didn't sit back and take in the words on the screen.

If you read the poem carefully you'll see that being a police officer is not easy. If you read the poem carefully you'll know that all police officers aren't corrupt. If you read the poem carefully you should be able to feel sympathy. You will see that his/her spirit and sense of self is held captive because he's afraid of what lurks around the corner.

It's time to take a couple of steps back and think of our actions, the words that spews from our lips, the criticism that hits social media. I'm sick of it...aren't you?

I'm Sick of...

I’m sick of being called a murderer.

I’m sick of “peaceful” protesters threatening to kill me.

I’m sick of being told I’m not trustworthy.

I’m sick of listening to inconsistent accounts of the same story.

I’m sick of adrenaline dumps.

I’m sick of being stuck in condition red all of the time.

I’m sick of not sleeping.

I’m sick of having to watch my back when I go get dinner.

I’m sick of nightmares about my gun not working.

Click here for the entire poem...

Better Said Than Written: Things I Tell My Black Son

*This story has been edited for a correction... see below.
Welcome to the first podcast supplement to Arts of Cultures - Better Said Than Written. This is where I make a personal connection with today's trending topics. The story that is still on most people's minds is the tragic death of Mike Brown, who was gunned down by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. Mike Brown, as you know, was not armed. This could have been your son, your nephew, your brother. This could have been my son. So what do we tell our children? Click play to hear: Things I Tell My Black Son.

 


• Related story: Artists Takes a Stand for Mike Brown 

* Correction: Renisha McBride was NOT a victim of police brutality or social injustice. (see story here)
Here is the video of the Black Woman who was... 

Artists Takes a Stand for Mike Brown

As I scrolled through my Twitter feed this morning, I realized that the Ferguson, Mo. protest and riots were no longer trending. The uprising was sparked by the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer. Brown was unarmed.

After the death of Brown hit social media I came across a painting done by Demont Pinder on Instagram. Brown’s eyes pulled me right in. Pinder captured the essence of a young boy who was ready to take on the world yet there was still a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.