Rodney's Rambling's

  Some people will take you out for little more than a bottle of Ripple or a pack of Cigarettes. I mean, really, for many life ain’t worth a dollar or the paper it’s printed on. But then those peeps ain’t from my hood. There, you can find really stand-up folks, who will take a slug for a brother or put one in to make a point. And then there was Slim. Almost on any day you could find Slim, leaning up against the telephone pole or sitting on the curb or scrunched up in the abandoned door way of a store that closed long back when. Even though the winter winds would blow cold air so frigid it would make the snot freeze on your nose, Slim didn’t give up that corner. He would greet us as we trudged through the dirty grey, black snow –crossing Broadway along 15th street. 15th street –was that strange no-where land where anything could happen, but mostly for us it was the boundary between our world and that forbidden zone that lurked to drag us into drugs, booze, broken dreams, and...

  First, they came for the LGBTQ+ individuals,   and I did not speak out—because I was not a gay. Then they banned abortion, books and the pill, abortions and gender affirming surgery,  and I did not speak out—because I was too busy watching the birds fly.  Then they pushed the undocumented strangers out, forcing them to live in hovels,  cross barbed wire fences, and I did not speak out because my people have been here for 3 generations. Then they came for the Palestinians, the Haitians, the Ukrainians,  and I did speak out because I was too obsessed with my own stuff,  and really did not care about these foreigners.  They wrapped themselves in the flag, preached patriotisms, and declared themselves the warriors of god - I said nothing because I was confused.  Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me

  When God created woman, he was working late on the 6th day. An angel came by and asked, “Why spend so much time on her?" The Lord answered, “Have you seen all the specifications I have to meet to shape her? She must function in all kinds of situations. She must be able to embrace several kids at the same time. Have a hug that can heal anything from a bruised knee to a broken heart. She must do all this with only two hands. She cures herself when sick and can work 18 hours a day.” The angel was impressed, "Just two hands...impossible! And this is the standard model?" The angel came closer and touched the woman. “But you have made her so soft, Lord." "She is soft", said the Lord, "But I have made her strong. You can't imagine what she can endure and overcome." "Can she think?" The angel asked. The Lord answered, "Not only can she think, she can reason and negotiate." The angel touched her cheeks. "Lord, it seems this ...

  The Book of Isaiah is one of many interesting and intriguing books in the Bible.  What I find to be most interesting and intriguing is that while much of the book concerns problems, plagues, judgement, wrath, wars, and destruction these are interspersed with promise, abundance, redemption, love, peace, and restoration.  So while the children of Israel were being punished for their determination to not follow God, God is determined to redeem them no matter what.  So in the middle of the storm, He provides a rainbow.  In the middle of distress, He provides a safe haven.  And in the middle of condemnation, He provides a path toward salvation.  So, no matter where you have fallen, no matter what you sins you may be guilty of -God is faithful, He is forgiving, and He has promised that you will never be forsaken or without Hope. From Isaiah 60:1: we read. Arise, Shine, for your light has come     and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, dar...

  I would like to sincerely thank  all those that counted me out,  That tried to take me out.  I  am not only still here,  but stronger because of your efforts.  Thanks for all those who lied on me despised me and distorted my realities. You only showed me how not to be and helped me see who i could be. To those who tried to trip me up, lead me down false paths, provided misinformation thanks, I learned how to navigate through the valleys of lies and deceit. Thanks to those who pushed me under the bus made me your excuse for your own failures, thanks, I learned to swim with the sharks to recover from loss, and overcome disaster To all those that tried to marginalize,  ignore, or otherwise discourage me.  Thanks so much, I learned to overcome,  do more than survive but to thrive.  And all those who dismissed me,  labeled me a failure and  tried to block my dreams.  Wow, thanks cause all of my dreams  have come tru...

It' Ain't - Going in Circles First of all, I am far from being perfect.  In fact, I am about the most imperfect person you will probably come across.  But I am a fast learner.  Why this is important will soon become apparent, maybe.  A bit of history - I am what many would call the black sheep of the family.  This means that I did not follow the pattern, I frequently colored outside the lines, and rarely abided by the rules -until I discovered that I was not impervious to said rules, patterns or lines.  My mother used to caution me that "If I made my bed hard, then I would just have to roll over that much more."  My father had one rule "if I screwed up, got in trouble, and was arrested -Do not call him, It was on me.".  So needless to say I find myself giving the same advice to my young relatives.  One in particular who seems to have a hard head.  So let's see.   Homeboy, selling drugs decided, about a year ago, that he would u...

  Denise’s 2 nd Poem – We’ll See   Tenaciously stubbornly persistently emphatically enigmatic. Authentically mysteriously genuinely enthusiastically honest. Real beyond description, brilliant beyond degree, strategically beyond belief. Talented, spiritually centered, morally situated, and empathetically connected.   Standing on the cusp of yesterday and tomorrow Situated on the corner of reality and fascination Voyaging into the premises of promises from on High Traveling along the highway of possibilities.   Will we stroll along the path to wonder Will we share the hope of something beyond imagination Will we dare dream as a new beginning unfolds Will we, or won’t we – only tomorrow holds the answer We’ll see!  

  Rodney D. Coates is a Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies in the Department of Global and Intercultural Studies at Miami University (Ohio). He studies race and ethnic relations, inequality, critical race theory, and social justice. Coates is the recipient of the Joseph Himes Career Award in Scholarship and Activism from the Association of Black Sociologists, the Founder's Award for Scholarship and Service from the American Sociological Association, the Joseph B. Gittler Award by the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), and the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Outstanding Faculty Award for Student Success. Rodney has published dozens of articles and several edited books, and frequently writes on issues of race and ethnicity, education and public policy, civil rights, and social justice. Coates's coauthored book, the Matrix of Race, 2nd, has sold over 20,000 volumes. His most recent book is entitled Critical Race Theory and the Search for Truth.

  An Evening at the 38 Club An evening at the 38 Club Rodney D. Coates* I know, I have a really strange family, something of everything –preacher, teacher, cops, thugs, dealers and pimps –and then there was Momma Dot. Daughter of a preacher man, light –damn near white, could have passed but decided to fight against the madness and remain black. Momma Dot, on any given Sunday morning, was right up their near the front –“amening” with the best of them. But Friday and Saturday’s, and most any other night were quite different. You see –Momma Dot, along with Uncle Otis (even lighter, if you can imagine) ran the 38 Club just down the street from the Armor/Swift Packing Houses (actually this was the slaughter house) –up on the hill-in National City . The 38 Club was among a string of taverns and hangouts that lined the road leading from the Packing Houses. Each of the clubs offered varying degrees of pleasures and treats in their attempts to strip the workers of their meager paycheck...

  White Flight-Then and Now: Chocolate Networks and Vanilla Platforms White flight occurs when white people feel threatened, challenged, or intimidated by Blacks, Hispanics, Indigenous or other people of color.  It is a racially motivated sudden or gradual migration of whites from a specific neighborhood, community, or locale.  This was most apparent after the desegregation orders ended racial exclusion in schools.  Many whites, often with the aid of federal loans, rather than allowing their kids to attend schools with black and brown kids, fled to the suburbs.  Hence, we have chocolate cities and vanilla suburbs.  In modern times, with the internet, this same phenomenon is witnessed on various social network platforms, including listservs and newsgroups, Facebook, GroupMe, TikTok, etc. Typically, before flight, other mechanisms, both covert and obvert, might be witnessed, ranging from violence and intimidation to marginalization and attempts to silence the...

 Shut Up and Dribble rodneyc/24 So ungrateful, did we not rescue you from the wilderness We gave you civilization and helped you unlearn those savage ways. Did we not teach you a religion to replace your heathen gods,  and did not we feed and clothe you and give you jobs, a place to live, and chitterlings, pig feet, tails, brains, and greens? So just shut up and dribble, and stop all that complaining. Here you stand in the destiny we gave to you we washed the filth of your history, gave you the pride of place did we not teach you about how Lincoln emancipated you gave you liberty, cut the shackles, and let you work the land and in the factories, wash our clothes and tend our children So just shut up and dribble, and stop all that complaining. You got your freedom, thanks to us; you live in houses, thanks to us, you worship our God, thanks to us, you who would be wretched of the earth had it not been for us, and here you stand -talking about how hard it was to live in ghettos...

              Often, when we discuss history, we ignore the role of women.  Doing this not only marginalizes women but also reifies patriarchy.  Haitian women played a decisive role in the Revolution.  These women, much like the males, provided a wide range of skills.  First and foremost, Haitian women served as combatants.  Such skills they had been trained in various West African societies, which allowed women to participate in war actively.   (Boisvert 2001) Some Haitian women were trained in a variety of herbs and medicinal products.  These women, who formally served as midwives, rejected the colonial-imposed Catholicism and again practiced Voodou.  As priestesses, they weaponized their medicinal training and created poisons against the French enslavers.  (Boisvert 2001)   Here are just a few of the legendary women who fought in the Haitian Revolution:   Legendary Women in the Hait...

  Denise’s First Poem of Many Rodneyc//24   Are you a dream, a fantasy, an impossibility Or the reality, the blessing, the possibility Of what can be.   I don’t care - if it is a dream, then I will never wake up, If it is a reality, then I will never stop praising God For making this dream come true.   I want to journey into your soul, take a spiritual voyage Through your heart, walk the paths of your dreams. I want to watch the sunset a million times, walk along a thousand Beaches, and stroll along a hundred paths into the wonder That stretches out before us.   Will you dream with me, hope with me, dare to be with me Heart, mind, and soul - let’s see what it means to walk free.