Rodney's Rambling's

  Blues - a tonic for whatever ails you.   B.B. King is quoted as saying, "Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you." I am reminded of a skit on the Flip Wilson show.  In this skit, Flip Wilson played a club owner looking for an entertainer to sing and play the Blues. One of the applicants was white, and he said, "Everybody knows the Negro gave the Blues to America." His wife (in the "Geraldine" voice) said, "Jus' a minute, honey! The Negro didn't give the Blues to America. America gave the Blues to the Negro." And so it is; it has not been a bed of roses for blacks here in America.   Early on many Sunday mornings, as my Mother and her sons prepared to go to church, I would dress while listening to B.B. King and other Blues songs. I remember my mom asking, in frustration once," Son, it's Sunday morning; must you play the blues." My response makes me feel good. Why? Racial trauma historically has been ignored, submerged u...

  Gospel – the soul of America   For far too many scholars and conventional history, the history of African heritage begins with the discovery of Africa by Europeans. But, such a perspective only renders the African as an object, not the subject of his own story. Being an object means that Africans respond to the European definition of reality. Such an object has no real identity save that connected with the European. Alternatively, being an agent means that the African creatively engages, makes choices, and is the architect of both past but also their future. Which of these perspectives one takes is central if we are to understand the realities of Blacks, is it the creation of another, or is it a result of their own designs?  Academic objectivity, the idea that it is fair, honest, and based on science and scholarship, has long been demonstrated to be both myth and ethnocentric. This is particularly the case when understanding other cultures and peoples based on som...

  Songs of Freedom -Say it Loud, I'm Black, and I'm Proud -celebrating Black History.   Throughout our history of trials and triumphs, our songs have been of freedom as we plowed the fields of justice and planted the seeds of equality; we sang of a brighter day yet to come. That day is today, as we lift up our eyes to the hills. Our faith, resilience, and determination have brought us a new song of freedom. For far too many, the story and reality of Africa and the African springs from the imagination of the Europeans. It is a story of the initial contact situations in which the Europeans discovered Africa and the Africans. This story is part mythology, part apology, and part ideology, as Europeans emerge as white, superior, and conquerors, and the Africans are defined as black, inferior, and victimized. Much like the father of American psychology, S Samuel Cartwright, argued that enslaved Africans seeking to escape were mentally ill (Drapetomania), the father of Americ...

  Haiti: A Failed State, Not A Failed People Prominent Haïtien-Americans include singer Wyclef Jean, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, writer Edwidge Danticat, former Utah Congresswoman Mia Love, and current Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormack. The Chrysler 300 was designed by Ralph Gilles; Reggie Fils-Aimé is the former President of Nintendo America. Vanessa Cantave is the co-founder and executive chef of the catering company Yum Yum.  When we consider nations such as Haiti, we often concentrate on the failure(s) of the state and translate this as a failure of its people. So while such state failure exists, and as pointed out in this chapter, much of it is a consequence of external constraints. This failure, and yes, is also associated with the caprice, malice, and troubles orchestrated by some of its leaders; we must still separate the actions of these "state" actors and those of its people. In this final section, we shall look at the continual struggle of thes...

The Fork in the Road: Freedom is not free    As observed in a previous section, before 1960, Haiti and The Dominican Republic were virtually tied concerning GDP and capital incomes. But then, the Dominican Republic was afforded a fork in the road and now has GDP and capital incomes nearly 800% higher. What accounts for this meteoric rise to superstardom for one and the dreadful fall of the other? In this section, I will explore this fork in the road. We shall discover that this fork, and the access to significant resources, enhanced policies, and a whole range of choices demonstrates how to structure success for one and failure for another racial state. The fork in the road consisted of becoming a "most favored nation" and enhanced trade and investments and liberal immigration, which provided easy access to education and training. In the end, we have a trading partner, a major tourist hub, and billions of dollars flooding the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, freedom was sign...