It's All Connected (But We Still Don't Get It)

 The more I reflect on the Brett Kavanaugh hearing going on at this moment, along with Bill Cosby being sentenced to prison, Jameis Winston being sued by the Uber driver, and other events  where men are accused of assault/rape, the more I keep going back to Serena Williams and the US Open controversy, which took place a couple of weeks ago. The world got to witness up close firsthand, uncut, live and in the flesh what happens when a woman accuses a man of sexism without evidence, which is slander,  and the reactions by those who support her without factoring in any evidence that points to the contrary.

  The following days proved that many of us missed the point altogether.

  It was an open and shut case that proved how human beings are not creatures of rationale, but creatures of emotions and desires. Emotions and desires are great, when used in the right context. But when love and hatred blinds one from seeing that which is clear and evident, there is no hope for truth, justice and guidance.

Artwork by Quwwa Davis, with digital assistance by S. Davis

  Serena Wlliams' antics at the US Open were only a continuum of the ongoing story of the mythological Champion of Women's Rights aka Feminism, that Serena has fallen victim to. This was not an isolated incident, nor was it the first time for her to rail against what she sees as sexism.

 When Serena was nominated as Sports Illustrated's  Sportperson of the Year in 2015, it marked a monumental point for feminism. Around this time we saw a rise in feminism, politically helped by the Obama administration( and no I'm not Republican either), and repeated over and over in the media, which lead to other token feminists getting their shine, especially the likes of Beyonce'. Remember the Super Bowl halftime show, and the preceding video "Formation"?

Around that time Serena seemed to began chanting more about advocating "women's rights" and dedicating her matches for "women's causes" and the like.

This past summer we found Serena at a "Purple Purse" event, advocating "awareness" against domestic abuse, a feminist pseudonym for men hitting women. When addressing the topic of domestic abuse, she calls for not only men, but boys to be educated about domestic abuse.. She  also uttered "That could be something my daughter could face and that's not cool." My question to her would be "what if your daughter is the perpetrator?"  Domestic abuse is not just men abusing women, but women abusing men as well. But we all know feminists don't see it that way.

This past summer we also found out #MeToo advocate and one of Harvey Weinstein's accusers Asia Argento has been accused of trying to pay off former child star Jimmy Bennett, for an alleged sexual assault incident occurring in 2015. The New York Times wrote an article about the incident, but quickly deflected the issue by proclaiming "men do it too", and reiterating their bogus claim that sexual assault and rape is about "power and gender". and not sexual mores.

  The parasitical MeToo and Times Up movements are misleading people, and merely exploiting those who have truly suffered from these traumatic experiences.  Under these quasi-justice organizations, the true victims are being relegated to the status of pawns, tokens, expendables and collateral damage in their so called war. The very moment they publicly stated rape, sexual assault/harrassment, and domestic abuse were issues of power and gender, and not declining sexual morals and morality in general, we should have known their intentions, but we failed. We dropped the ball.

  Some of those who disagreed with Serena's antics also dropped the ball by asserting race was implied. The infamous comic strip drawn by the Austrtailian cartoonist clearly accentuated stereotypical Black/African American features; big lips, large, volatile and angry women, yet it was insisted that race had nothing to do with the cartoon.

  Some broadcasters clearly accused her of also pulling out the race card, to which I did not hear any instances of race in her tirade, nor in the post-game press conference. Reviewing the clips will show she clearly stated she was trying to stand up for women's rights.  Instead of focusing on the fallacy of feminism, some people took it as part of a broader issue to attack what they call "identity politics" and "social justice"in the broader sense, and left wing politics, with multiculturalism being mentioned as well, a pseudonym for race-mixing.

   Frankly speaking, I don't see how she can rage against racism, or especially White Male Privilege, seeing that she's married to a White man anyway. If anything,  Serena,  like Bill Cosby, Monique and other Black celebrities suffer from the illusion of inclusion.  This usually occurs after achieving some sort of mainstream acceptance, or adulation. It causes them to either give unbalanced and unfair criticism at poor Black people , while downplaying or avoiding racism and bigotry, or to harbor grandiose feelings toward one's personal achievement, and totally deny racism altogether. In the end, most of Serena's talking points, like feminism itself is mostly White liberal-influenced talking points.

  The masses of people are being misguided by those who desire something other than truth and justice, and here belied the opportunity to begin to detect and rectify the matter. It was served on a plate, for all to see, reflect, and begin to repair. But we turned it down. Instead we went to our colored corners, one corner blue, and the other corner red, listened to the pundits whisper in our ear, and came back out to the center of the ring, swinging away, and not hitting a darn thing.

We still don't get it.

Leslie and Milo Part 2

TO CONTINUE: This past week I went to an event held at my local library where the poet, Jamaal May, recited a few poems and spoke briefly about certain aspects of his poetry, and current events surrounding us. He touched on something that impacted me in my blogging approach, where he stated that things happens so fast and are captured by social media outlets so quick, what could be news today will be considered old and irrelevant in a matter of days.

That is one of the main reasons why I try to approach my blogs differently, not just focusing on what just happened, but the lingering after effects of what occurred, and to see if there were indicators that would have led to incidents like this. The situation with Leslie Jones and Milo Yiannopulous was to me not just an event that happened on social media, then came the ouster of Milo from Twitter and so forth. This had been building up apparently, when one research both individuals past, and how it was really only a matter of time before something like this would occur, for both Milo and Leslie.

It just seemed that no one cared when Milo went on to defame Islam, while acknowledging on Joe Rogans' Youtube Show that this world will be better off if people adhered to Judeo-Christian values, which he happens to be a frequent violator of.  Some of the values he blasts Islam for holding are parallel to values he claim to espouse, especially the prohibition of homosexuality, sex outside of marriage althogether, the man being the head of the household, among others. That's what makes him suspect, the obvious pandering to the Judeo-Christian community, while accusing Islam of holding the same values. It should be considered shameful to see some conservative groups and outlets use this person as some form of resource to debate and attack others' beliefs as well as signifying a sign of desperation. This is not the first time this happened. Remember The Cold War?

This form of bigotry would ultimately catch up with him when the Twitter catfight took place, prompting several other unintelligent minds to hurl the most hurtful of slurs at Leslie Jones, especially the reference to her as an ape. Milo's continuing rants and antagonistic ways opens the door for the most insidious of racists and bigots to hurl insults at those they hate, all the while confirming the backwardness of this society, as well as the world itself, despite the so-called advancements in technology, proving that people can still degenerate and stoop to the lowest forms of stupidity, and behave in levels of ignorance one could never imagine.

But don't think for one minute that I'm pro-Leslie here. Although the incident was sickening and uncalled for, I cannot say this caught me by surprise. Not to toot my own horn, but in March of this year, after watching the Ghostbusters trailer on Youtube, I found myself adding Leslie to the list of Black women being protrayed in the media in some of the worst ways imaginable.

And this was before I did any true research on Leslie, but more on that to come.

                                         TO BE CONTINUED...

Click Here for Part One http://realquwwa.blogspot.com/2016/07/leslie-and-milo-two-branches-off-same.html

Leslie and Milo :Two Branches Off The Same Tree (Part One)

Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, yet what is in their hearts is worse.

The Holy Quran, Surah Ali Imran (Chapter 3) verse 118

...the most effective form of propaganda is when the subject moves in the direction you desire for reasons he believe to be of his own.

The Cultural Cold War,  by Frances Stonor Saunders

The intent of this blog is much more far-reaching than just focusing on that hideous Twitter cat-fight between Milo Yiannopulous and actress Leslie Jones, star of Saturday Night Live and the recent remake of the movie Ghostbusters. This blog intends to go into depth about two individuals, whom although they appear to be entirely different, actually have more in common than you think. Both are attention seekers, deal with the mind-warping media, relying on unfunny jokes, wit (dim-wit is more like it), and rely on stereotypes and misinformation to butter their bread and garner attention. The only real difference is while Leslie involves herself with what is called "ethnic humor" and comedy, Milo just focuses on making fun of other's beliefs and ethnicities.

Milo is a strange breed of all sorts. A self-proclaimed Jewish/Catholic who is openly gay, claiming to acknowledge Christianity's prohibition of homosexuality on Joe Rogan's Youtube show, yet claims he can't cure himself of it, and yet this same individual blasts Islam because of ITS prohibition of homosexuality, using the suspicious Orlando, Florida massacre as a pretext to accuse Islam of homophobia, whatever the hell that means.


SIDE NOTE 1: Islam is the Way of Life prescribed for those who submit themselves to God, referred to in Arabic as Muslims.  Despite the propaganda by bigots and liars like Milo, who infest all forms of media, the prohibition of homosexuality in Islam is reserved only for MUSLIMS. Islam does not concern itself with the sexual mores of those who do not claim to be Muslim, unless either one lives in a society where Islam is the Rule of Law (in which those who have sex outside of marriage even if heterosexual are also punished as well, Muslim or non-Muslim) or try to undermine the Islamic Way of Life with their personal mores and beliefs. Besides that, non-Muslims in general do not fall under this prohibition, especially those who live in Non-Islamic societies. 

SIDE NOTE 2: The people of Prophet Lot (AS) were not destroyed for their disobedience, but they were destroyed for their disbelief and denial.  The Quran clearly speaks of this when it says;

And We said "Go down all of you. And when Guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My Guidance, there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. And whoever DISBELIEVES and DENIES My Signs, those will be the Companions of the Fire, they will abide in forever... Surah Baqarah (Chapter 2) verses 38-39

And Lot, when he said to his people, do you commit such immorality as no one has preceded you among the worlds? Indeed you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people. But the answer of his people was only that they said "Evict them from your city, indeed these are MEN OF PURITY."   So We saved him and his family, except for his wife, she was of those who remained.  Surah Al Ar'af (Chapter 7), verses 80-84.

SIDE NOTE 3: There is no evidence in the Quran or The Sunnah in any way to justify or validate what happened in Orlando, Florida as being Islamic, especially considering these facts;

1. The people were not Muslim.

2. They were not in an Islamically run environment.

3. There was no evidence showing any of them were hostile to Islam, nor even heard of Islam. Islam concerns itself with calling the people to its Way, not killing.

As I stated in my last blog, when someone does not like you, there's nothing you can do to change them. All you can do is take control of the narrative.

Anyway, I took the dubious and unpleasurable task of watching certain excerpts of this dialogue between Rogan and Milo, concentrating on the part where things got really heated, and being a former Christian, I felt Milo was not being sincere in most, if not all of his responses, but was in fact very patronizing of Joe Rogan, and the Christian religion, talking about his alleged sexual encounters with Catholic priests, and proclaiming that if he could in his own words, "cure his homosexuality", he would.

I came out of that wondering if Joe knew when somebody was playing him for a fool.

Even more troubling are the conservatives who employ or support this guy simply because of his "logical" arguments against feminism, the Left, his racist beliefs, and his undeniable bigotry towards Islam, which had him rubbing elbows with fellow propagandist Pamela Gellar, the co-creator of the Prophet Muhammad cartoon drawing contest disguised as "free speech", and founder of the pseudo-patriotic American Freedom Defense Initiative, supposedly dedicated to stopping the "Islamicization" of America, a phrase which along with radical Islam, Islamic extremism, and fanatical Islam I have yet seen defined by these propagandists. Together with sites like Answering Islam, with its rabidly inaccurate article 164 Jihad Verses In The Quran, it seems that these people will stop at nothing to have their idea become the dominant thought or belief in America, and throughout the world. Even if it means lying and deceiving, something supposedly abhorred in the Holy Bible...

Do not steal, do not lie, and do not deal falsely with one another... 

The Holy Bible, Leviticus 19:11

It just seems nowadays The Truth Don't Matter.

Bye Bye Black Sheep...Beyonce', The Police and the Panthers...Part Two

OK,

The first part may have been unsatifactory to some of the readers, seeing that I posted a video with an ex-KGB officer explaining Communist subversive activity in the United States. My humblest apologies...I thought it was educational and informative.

In this part of the blog I intend to squash this notion that part of the Beyonce Super Bowl performance posed as a tribute to the Black Panthers, but first let me pause to stop my laughter.

There are so many ways I can go at this, seeing the fact that Beyonce herself has never come out publicly to address this issue, and it seems no one in the media has tried to contact neither her, her publicist, nor any parties involved to get a statement or something regarding the matter. To add more sugar to the Kool-Aid, it seems it was the media who first brought this issue up in the first place. It seems rather strange to me that the media would TELL or INTERPRET the performance, and not try to get any word from the artist herself, the producer of the halftime show, Ricky Kirshner, son of the late famed Don Kirshner, nor NFL for their reaction to such allegations, which has caused quite a stir, and quite an opportunity for some to either enter the spotlight, or recapture some lost shine.

But let's add some visuals to the subject, shall we?








These are pics from Beyonce's 2014 MTV VMA performance. Read what is displayed behind the silhouette. It says FEMINIST. This has been Beyonce's self-appointed mission in recent times, to proclaim feminism and do her part to further expose it to the mainstream. Never mind that feminists themselves are to this day scratching their heads at Bey's contradictive stances such as the 2014 "Mrs. Carter" tour. I'm sure that rubbed feminists the wrong way(no sexual innuendoes intended) to see their unofficial mainstream mascot take part in a tour entitled MY HUSBANDS' SURNAME tour.



With that in mind we must turn our attention to the Black Panther Party, the original one that is. In short the Black Panther Party was an organization dedicated to self -preservation and self-determination of Black people in America, basing its' philosophy on Black Nationalism. Malcolm X (El Hajj Malik Al Shabazz) was a major influence in shaping the Black Panthers' philosophy and 10 point program, which ranged from quests for land, bread and housing, to the removal and exemption of Black men from military services.

This is the same Malcolm X who has suddenly become a target by today's generation of Black liberals, being accused of homosexual activity by Marc Lamont Hill, being an inadequate father by the likes of Boyce Watkins, and having a strained relationship with the womenfolk in his family, in particular his mother and wife. All of these claims have been documented in a book entitled Malcolm X: A Life of REINVENTION, authored by the late Manning Marable, published and promoted by Wendy Wolf, editor of Viking Books. This book, which appeared in late 2011, almost 47 years after Malcolm was assassinated, won the Pulitzer Prize as well, and it lauded as an excellent read, although the book was heavily criticized by Malcolm's children and some of his closest associates.

In a nutshell, Black Power movements, like those started by Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, and others in their time were mainly male-dominated, with the men being the forefront of the movement, something that was heavily criticized by the likes of feminists, being deemed as patriarchal and sexist. Elaine Brown, who was a member of the party between 1968-1977, allegedly left the party due to the "sexism" and "patriarchy", which she writes in her book A Taste of Power (pg.444).

Wikipedia writes;

Brown stepped down from chairing the Black Panther Party less than a year after Newton’s return from Cuba in 1977 when Newton authorized the beating of Regina Davis, the administrator of the Panther Liberation School. This incident was the point at which Brown could no longer tolerate the sexism and patriarchy of the Black Panther Party (A Taste of Power, p. 444). She left Oakland with her daughter, Ericka, and moved to Los Angeles.

So are we still willing to believe that was a tribute to the Black Panthers? After one of the former members stated that the late leader Huey P. Newton authorized the beating of a female member? So a self-proclaimed feminist is going to give a tribute to an alleged "woman-beater"?

Need more evidence?

Well Lookee Here!

Peace All! It's been a very trying time for me, dealing with delays and other things that dealt with my art,  along with other issues, and to be honest, it took a great toll on me. My blogging and my web presence suffered greatly, and burnout seeped in. I had blogs planned from Nicki  Minaj to Azealia Banks to Bill Cosby(again), but gotta take care of home first, meaning my personal life.Maybe call it dogged determination or faith, but I'm still at it. Just wanted to brief you on what's going on in my life, and the blogs will keep coming, God Willing. There's always something to blog about.

The above piece was a  12 x 12 that I went over in black about a couple of weeks ago. Didn't want to, especially with the texture, but I'm finding my art needs more space, and this was one of those pieces. I don't think I can define clearly what I want to express on a 12 x 12, so hopefully for future ideas, I'm keeping the photo.

Take care, more to come.

A Taste of His Own Medicine (Bill Cosby)

Peace all, know it's been a long time since actually posting a personal blog here, but I have my reasons. Amongst the hectic personal schedule I now find myself at somewhat a dilemna. Realizing that we have morphed into an image based society, mostly due to technological advances being heaped upon an unsuspecting mass of people, coupled with a fascination for celebrity status, I sometimes wonder if I should even continue with blogging, and opting more for vlogging and posting my vlogs on Youtube.

  But I'm digressing. Right now I want to briefly touch on an individual that I spoke on previously, that is Bill Cosby, or Dr. Bill Cosby, pardon my manners again. You can check out that blog by clicking HERE.

Seems that Dr. Bill now finds himself in a quandry, being the subject of multiple allegations of sexual abuse/assault by women as far back as during the early 80's, the latest being from a former model who claims that he sexually assaulted her. This is nothing new mind you, for those who remember another post where I shared a brief video by Nikki Giovanni who went on a tangient about Dr. Bill, who seemed to have taken this "tough love" stance as some would call it against poor Blacks, who he, along with other middle class and other Blacks who feel we've actually progressed feel that the issues befallen on poor Blacks are the result of their own "ineptitude", and attacking their mannerisms.




Well now Dr. Bill may be getting a taste of his own medicine, seeing that he finds himself in the midst of sexual assault claims coming from far and wide, and in the wake of the Ray Rice incident, feminism (White Feminism mind you.) finds itself leading the charge against these injustices. Now it is reported that Dr. Bill has lost endorsements, and even the new TV show slated to premiere next year on NBC, whom Bill, or Dr. Bill, has had an enduring relationship with this network, seeing that his 1984 hit The Cosby Show (which by the way was initially turned down by ABC) helped NBC maintain a long standing status as the top network on TV, before Seinfeld,  before Friends, and before the advent of the Fox, WB, and UPN networks (which WB and UPN combined and became the CW Network respectively.) Dr. Bill's success on NBC allowed him to even produce a spin-off from his original show, A Different World, which initially starred Lisa Bonet, who was reportedly released from The Cosby Show, after Dr. Bill's disenchantment of Lisa's behavior, especially in a role in the 1987 movie Angel Heart.

NBC was so grateful of Dr. Bill's contribution to their success, they even helped promote his 2007 literary piece on Meet The Press entitled Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors, a book co-written by his longtime "consultant" on The Cosby Show, Dr. Alvin Poussaint, who is a practicing psychiatrist. How's that for propaganda?   The book, along with his popular rants, peaking in the 2004 NAACP address, divided the lines in Black society between those who feel that Blacks have made strides, mainly due to the Civil Rights "victories" and those who sensed that structural racism still exists, disenfranchising many African Americans, and creating a permanent underclass of people with no recourse of action to either reclaim dignity or justice lost. Now with a person who identifies himself as a Black man in the White House, those voiceless people who felt the sting of the Black Bourgeoisie's tongue against them have even a harder time trying to convince their Black middle class compatriots that structural racism is still a hindrance to the advancement of Black people, coupled with the Black middle class' denial or cowardliness, and the recent killings of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, John Crawford, Ezell Ford and others at the hand of vigilantes and rogue police, the future of Black America doesn't seem to be too bright.

Thanks for your contribution, Dr. Bill.

So my thoughts on the situation? Well, as Brother Malcolm (Al Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz) stated in reference to JFK's assassination, it's the results of "the chicken's coming home to roost". The climate that Dr. Bill created with his rants, which were backed by pundits in the so called "Black Press" and presented in the mainstream press as "news", along with his TV show, with his tap dancing around contemporary issues among Black people for fear of as he would put it "reinforcing stereotypes", polarized contemporary Black society, and helped to subside Whites' guilt about living in a society where Race determines social status and upward mobility. He has no remorse for the propaganda he and his partner-in-crime Dr. Poussaint spreaded, which in a book entitled Enlightened Racism: The Cosby Show, Audiences, and the Myth of the American Dream by Sut Jhally shows that results of the show did not actually introduce positive Black family models, but rather confirmed White's insistences that structural racism did not exist, and that Blacks' failure to achieve the American Dream were due to their own inability to "pull up their bootstraps". Now that the shoe seems to be on the other foot, I wonder if Dr. Bill will wake up and wise up?

As far as the allegations go, I don't comment on those, for all I know those are at this point merely "allegations". The biggest problem that I have with the allegations is that they have a tendency to destroy credibility of a person's position on important topics. While Dr. Bill did stress personal accountability and attacked the personal behavior of poor Blacks, his denial of the impact of structural racism and White Supremacy still remains the focal point of discussion, at least in my opinion. Guilty or not of the allegations, the propaganda of poor Blacks that shaped public opinion is what's worth discussing here because it's the same stuff that's pushed by the likes of Oprah, Obama, Charles Barkley, and any other Black person with more than five dollars in their pocket and a token position. Despite a constant barrage of evidence that would suggest otherwise, like multiple video footage of Blacks being killed with no recourse, and the rising discrimination suits that go unheard or unattended to, some of us still harbor this erroneous belief that these things are the result of Blacks' failure and inferiority. It is this that I wish to contend with, and not someone's apparent personal hypocrisy and shortcomings.

But I know some people are going to get their kicks out of these allegations and their impact on his reputation and future endeavors. And while it is tempting to throw egg in the man's face, I must stay focused on the real issues. The ones that affect all of us.

But in closing I have one more thing to say......HA!

Peace....www.qartworks.com

X'd Out Again? My opinions on the recent Malcolm X controversies.

Peace all, Let's skip the chit chat and let's get down to business, OK? First my apologies for what may seem to many to be a late blog, seeing that we are now living in the age where "news" is trendy, and people are now given the impression that things work in a vacuum, or at least are considered "isolated". I assure you although this bit of "news" is about a few weeks old, it all ties into a much bigger picture. And allthough I thought of speaking frankly about Nicki Minaj's song Lookin' Ass Nigga, I hesitated much, one because of my procrastination, but also because I witness more "knee jerk" reactions when news hits the air nowadays. We tend to take the little information we feel we know, and then comment right away based on what we have at that moment. I for one think this is planned by the main press. However, if there is anything that 9/11 has taught us, especially for those who do not believe the official story, is to research, research, research before coming to conclusions that affect the masses of people.

The controversy surrounding Nicki Minaj's song with the Malcolm X picture is one of many attempts to distort the name and the legacy of the late Al-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz, better know as Malcolm X. Although she supposedly apologized and removed the image, stating that this was a conversation piece and was not the official first song off the album, it still poses as a marketing tactic that Michael Lindstrom, author of Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use To Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us To Buy, says that Calvin Klein used in 1995 when it pulled its controversial ad after an uproar from the public, and even the federal government.  In his opinion it really didn't matter that CK apologized and pulled the ad , because the controversy surrounding it and the attention it garnered was the main focus. It didn't adversely affect CK's bottom line in the end, and I don't think this incident will affect Nicki's bottom line either, seeing that many who were disgusted with the song and image most likely don't buy her work to begin with, and not to mention it won't affect the sponsorship she gets from "old money." Her target audience probably doesn't know a thing about Malcolm and what he stood for, nor the background behind the image. But I'll discuss that issue later.

 How many of us remember what happened around the same time of this controversy? You know In Queens, NY? The issue involving the teacher who barred her students from writing any reports about Malcolm because she thought that he was a bad man? How many of us who may have heard or read the article noticed that the elementary teacher who made the remarks was nowhere to be mentioned by name in ANY ARTICLE? Nor was the teacher even interviewed by any media who covered the story? Doesn't that sound strange to you, that the accused is not mentioned nor interviewed as to why they would make such remarks?

Many people have forgotten so quickly about the book Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, a book written by Manning Marable, a book that caused so much controversy because of its claims that Malcolm had a homosexual encounter in his hustler day, as well as allegations of having a tumultous marriage life with Betty Shabazz, especially with his busy schedule, among other claims. I didn't read the book at all after hearing what some of the book entails, simply because I didn't believe that I wanted to read a so called definitive book entitled A Life of Reinvention about a man who died in 1965, only to have supposed stark revelations 45-46 years AFTER his death? I don't think it would've taken the American press THAT LONG to dig up dirt on such an important figure.

And to think this book won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012, despite the criticism received from his children and close associates? So who's really behind this?

Well deeper research brings up a figure by the name of Wendy Wolf, a self proclaimed progressive who is the editor and publisher of Viking Books, who went on a tour touting this book and the supposed craftsmanship of a writer such as Manning Marable. However after listening to her make statements about Malcolm's "native" intelligence, and her own admission that she did not read the book in its' entirety due to the fact that it "scared" her, one must ask oneself would a person publish a book which castes a good light on a man that they practically can't stand?

 By now if you're still reading this, you're probably thinking "ok, another person claiming conspiracy" and to each it's own. I just think something smells fishy when one recollects the recent events and put them together. Why is this man hated so? Why is there an attempt to either distort the name and what he stood for, or at least neutralize his influence, which one can bear witness when one looks at the number people he influenced from the former members of the Nation of Islam to the international love he gets from within and outside the Muslim World, the white Muslims who point to his autobiography as a major influence in their becoming Muslim, to the ever growing love and support from the Hip Hop Community?

But I have an even more pressing question. In light of the events that's going on in America, with gentrification all over the place, the growing discontent for America's first Black President, the killing, miseducation, disenfranchisement and incarceration of Black people, especially Black Men beyond the likes of Trayvon, Oscar and Jordan, with the drone strikes and security breaches and invasion of privacy going on in a global fashion, why do we see these sporadic attacks on a man who's been dead for 49 years? Why would an unnamed teacher seek to dissaude their students from writing about such a figure if old people are supposed to be "irrelevant"? Or are they really sporadic? Are they controlled in the press as to what, when and how we receive such information?

 Is it because he represents a  dramatic transformation from hustler to a well respected world figure for human rights and self sufficiency, instead of a figurehead that's controlled by old money and corporations, who seeks to intergrate with a society who feels and teaches the inherent inferiority of Blacks? Is it because he saw the false empathy from White Liberals, and made many statements against the likes of them, for example in an open roundtable he made this statement in 1961:

  Most of your white liberals who profess to love Negroes and who profess to be pushing for this integration thing, they themselves live as a rule in lily-white neighborhoods and sometimes they’re the first ones to put the FOR SALE sign on their door when a Negro who has fallen for this integration thing moves into their neighborhood. I think that it’s very hypocritical today for me as a black man and the white man to sit down with each other and pro fess that there is a great deal of love between us. 

  Or another statement: ...no the Jews are the ones who usually represent themselves as white liberals. More so probably than any other segment of this society. Now if the Jews are genuinely liberal and they want to help the Negro, then they should show the Negro how to use the same kind of strategy and tactics to solve his problem that they used to solve their problems. And you’ll find that all over this country, wherever the Jews have been segregated and Jim Crowed, they haven’t sat in, they haven’t been sittin’ or Freedom Riders, they usually go and use the economic weapon. They bought Atlantic City, and now they can go there. They bought Miami Beach and now they can go there.

  Or another statement: We see masses of Black people who are thoroughly fed up with the deceit of the so-called white liberals, or the white so-called liberals. White liberals who have posed as our friends, white liberals who have been eager to point out what the white man in the South is doing to our people there, while they themselves are doing the same thing to us here in the North.

Why isn't he projected as an example for all of the young Black hustlers as a vehicle for transformation and reformation? Why do we have to keep hearing Dr. King's speeches about I have a dream, which was about intergration, and not about Black people's quest for justice, human rights and independence? Is intergration going to make these young men pull up their pants, start respecting their elders and become more responsible, and not lead lives that will either have them in prison or dead? I think not.

Or, do we really want to see transformation or reformation among young Black men or in the Black community? That's my real question.... www.qartworks.com

Fish and Chips 2

Peace all....

After a couple of weeks away from it all, I come back to the blog feeling refreshed, and ready to let loose on an array of topics. Little did I know that I would be bombarded with subject matter that would kinda distract me from the blogs I had initially planned, but no biggie, I mean after all, I planned to do a blog on the controversial show Scandal, which has the African American community in an uproar, dividing lines especially amongst the genders, ranging from topics about interracial dating, and most of all does the show depict African American women in a stereotypical manner, as hypersexual, power-hungry, scandalous women whose ultimate quest in regards to relationships is with a priviliged White male. I want to delve deeper into this highly emotionally charged subject because I believe strongly that nothing happens in a vacuum, especially in terms of the media, which Gunnar Myrdhal contended in his book American Dilemna: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy, is a very important link in regards to information and the education of diverse ethnic groups in America.  If this is so, we are in trouble Black people.

Then this issue popped up....

Meet the latest concession in America's Colorblind Society, Sasheer Zamata, who is now lauded as the latest Black female cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live late night television show. Zamata comes in at a peculiar moment, after SNL received flack for "lack of diversity" especially after cast member Kenan Thompson's alleged statement about Black women not being "funny enough" to make the show. Then we had the Kerry Washington episode, which I have no earthly idea what that was about either, except maybe it was a half-hearted attempt by NBC and SNL to mock their own insensitivities.

So I did a little research on Sasheer, and came across a few videos, and after watching Pursuit of Sexiness Pt 1 and More Great Moments in Black Hipstery, I became even more convinced of the constant perpetuation of Black stereotypes broadcasted by all forms of media throughout the globe, continuing this hideous portrayal of Blacks as hypersexual, native, excessive, inferior creatures having little or no understanding at all about the essentials of life, only looking for material things to compensate for their lack of intellect or mores.

Even more troubling was the caption I read below the Pursuit of Sexiness video which reads:

Best friends and troublemakers(incompetent, wretched, aloof) Nicky(played by African American actress Nicole Byer) and Sheer are broke, single, and (adorably!) self-absorbed. They're looking for good men(no black men are in the first video), easy money(golddiggers) and free meals(cheap) but would be satisfied to break even and find a guy who doesn't prematurely ejaculate(hypersexual). It's life, liberty and the pursuit of sexiness. How freakin' convenient. Multiple stereotypes of Black women laid out in just a few sentences. I mean come on now, NOBODY sees this?


I won't even mention the double standards that Blacks put on each other, because if this was done by a Black male, especially a rapper, I shudder at the thought of all of the cries of misogyny from Black women...well maybe I did just mention it.

How can this obvious form of self degradation of a marginalized people be seen  as an accomplishment, ala Kerry Washington's fame from Scandal? Looking at the comments on Youtube by both Black and White, one can only see a troublesome future in race relations for both communities. I mean as Blacks finally begin to understand the inconsistencies of America's Colorblind Society, which still have Blacks and Latinos as the most incarcerated, under-educated, most-profiled, least tended to by the state, resulting in an ever-declining quality of life, they throw another bone, and we eat it up, and give kudos to the performers who will in turn muffle out the cries of the marginalized, whom they've made fun of, all for a few dollars, and five minutes of fame on the front cover of Ebony and Jet. Did SNL hire her based on her "merits" or because of her ability to continue lampooning and demeaning a people, and to silence the critics in the process? All I know is that it doesn't look to good from where I'm standing. Reporting Live From Edgeville.

Public Enemy performs "Rebel Without a Pause" on Soul Train 1987

Peace all,

This was one of my biggest influences growing up. The group, the identity, I even remember having both of their tshirts back in the day...I had both the black and red shirts, and when I wore them in the halls and malls, believe me, it garnered attention as well as spurred thought, whether you agreed with them or not. Looking back I did not fully understand the power of imagery and the effect those screen printed shirts had on the people. Anyway this group had a profound influence on me as far as how to reach and connect with your audience. Although I am more of a visual artist now, the concept of connecting with the people and giving them a sense of hope and a voice couldn't have been expressed any better here. Even Don Cornelius mentioned that that was "FRIGHTENING" However someone posted on Facebook a quote that read "Art should bring comfort to the disturbed, and disturbed the comfortable." Maybe this is what they meant...Take care all.

The Laying of the Hands Part TOO!!!

Peace all!!!!

Just a few pictures to show you my lack of blogging was not due to laziness!!!




That's right peeps, Q was working on a master plan to make things accessible to the public. Some may look at this as straying away from my art, but I don't think so. I think it enhances my art, knowing that I can be versatile with my expression, beit art, prints, or wearable art. I'm being very careful in choosing my words here, trying to avoid using the word FASHION...which is another way of saying TREND...I want all of my work to be relevant, however have a sense of durability, something that I think is sorely lacking in much of today's culture. Everything is all about the NOW...I think they call it Instant Gratification...LOL



Anyway The Hands On Experiment is something that resembles my approach to art and how I handle my affairs, and it lets me have fun too! This is one of the reasons I decided to remove my Zazzle and Etsy Accounts, although I think I still may be a member of these sites...I think...LOL...It was important for me to learn the ins and outs of creating and distributing my own work. I looked at Zazzle as an opportunity to spread my wings and offer some work to a wider audience, but after looking at who really benefits from these "partnerships" I took it upon myself to make a HANDS ON APPROACH in my ventures, not saying I would not like to partner up, but it should be for the best of both sides, and I didn't see that in Zazzle...I actually think I know how a rapper feels now, to have all of his hard work distributed worldwide and not see a decent percentage of royaties for it...

With Etsy I liked the handmade approach, but it began to get too crafty for me, and plus the idea of communicating with other Etsy members seemed to be too cumbersome, and time consuming, taking away from a lot of other things, and the competing to get front page notoriety and treasures made me tired. I saw some of my Etsy friends complain about not getting enough exposure, people haggling over the prices, which I loathe...So I put together my webbie together...Yeah there is a lot of hard work promoting, advertising, etc. etc. etc, but I like knowing the ins and outs of my work...Becoming more personally involved...The Hands On Approach....DIG?



Available soon on http://realquwwa.com