Railroaded

What's totally unpopular to say about the Napa Valley Wine Train incident is "yeah, I can see at least one of those women being too loud."  But I think the truth is many of us have been on public transportation or a group trip or something....with the loud black woman a couple rows behind us.  Some of us might have even been the loud black woman.  And when I read the articles and I look at the interviews...say what you wanna say, but I think we have somewhat of an idea what probably went down before the women were asked to leave.  Now whether putting them off the train was the best solution is not for me to decide.  More than likely I wouldn't have done it.  I can't imagine my mother or grandmother being kicked off and forced to stand in the middle of nowhere.  But then again, I can't imagine my mother or grandmother being that disruptive either.

The View of an Overcomer

For years I struggled with the substance of my Christianity; similar to how many African-American kids growing up in the suburbs would struggle with the substance of their blackness.  Looking back, I can see this came from being around and in a culture that celebrated struggle while inadvertently shunning success.  The norm was to honor the grueling test more than the victorious testimony; the ol' "coming up the rough side of the mountain" syndrome.  It took a while to realize the notions aren't valid, and that a relationship with Jesus has more to do with what He did and is less about what we've done or been through...good or bad.  Still, in many circles when winning or overcoming is mentioned, the tendency is to look at things other than...winning or overcoming.  In my mind, this is so common that many people inaccurately are leading others to falsehoods about what success entails.  Then there are others, like I was, who are looking for that devastating event or series of events that they believe will validate them.  And still there are others more who believe they have overcome...when they are actually still in the same position of bondage.

Pimpin' Ain't Dead...It Just Moved to the Web

In 2007, the late Chad "Pimp C" Butler, a member of the legendary Port Arthur, Texas rap duo Underground Kings said...

"pimpin' ain't dead it just moved to the web, the [expletive] ain't gotta hit the track...ain't got to give no trick no head...ain't gotta give no trick no[expletive], just cameras and screens, easiest money you can make it's the American Dream."

Political Popularity Smokescreen

I gotta give it to President Obama for motivating me to go against my why vote philosophy.  Actually, it was a combination of his 2004 campaign, my grandmother being a sharecropper, my parents growing up in the Civil Rights Era, and me even experiencing a relative form of bigotry that lead me to ignorantly (meaning not researching all of the information) vote for him.  But a part of me realizes I shouldn't have gone about it like that.  Looking back, I know I got caught up.  I mean, the events, the rappers, the Rock the Vote, the clothing, the history.  We're talking growing up in the capital of the Confederacy and possibly seeing a black president here.  And it was infectious and fun.  It was exciting and inspiring.  It was free-spirited but passionate all at once.  But the reality is the party ended quickly (as a small business administrator at the time, I have a not so happy experience with the Affordable Health Care Act).  And I should've just...paid more attention.