The 3rd Annual Literary Soul Symposium

Have you heard of these Authors?

Rev. Alfreda Lanoix 
Dr. Daniel Black 
Lee Hayes 
Frederick Smith
E'Yama Matturi
Dontá Morrison
Armani Williams

If not click on their links to find out more about them and their books.  

Why not do one better and meet them in person at the 3rd Annual Literary Soul Symposium, September 19th thru 21st in Los Angeles!

Click on the logo for more information.

You Never Know How You Might Touch Someone

I've included a youtube video as an example of how just a kind voice can do wonders for a person. Imagine when you are feeling really down. You know kinda like Sophia when was feeling mightly poorly and Celie helped her out in the grocery store. Sometimes gifts from God come in a moment that can change your life with just a small gesture of kindness.

Ms Davidson is an example of this. Shouldn't we all strive to make each other feel good instead of working to feel better than others?

Connections

I have been watching the news about the Virginia Tech incident. They are interviewing Koreans here in Los Angeles asking them how they feel. Most all of the Koreans interviewed say that they feel ashamed because the murderer is Korean.

Hal Fishman the anchorman on the CW said that one can not condemn a whole culture for something that one has done.

Hal is white and is unable to see that when one from any cultural group except whites, that commit a henious crime, how that effects the rest of the culture. A good example of that was the reaction of black folks when O.J. Simpson was acquited. Even if we believed that O.J. did it or not. We felt some sort of sick relief. Relief maybe because we thought that people would now not think that we were all murderers. We learned that the relief was very short lived.

The American culture has spoiled our communities into thinking that we are all alike and don't need each other. This is why I believe that our brothers and sisters who are lost, confused and possessing blemished souls are lashing out in inhumane forms. We don't take the time to listen to them to guide them through to a path of mental wellness. We dismiss them viciously and effortlessly.

My heart and prayers go out to the families and friends of those killed at Virginia Tech.

Unity

I've been thinking about unity in the black gay community a lot lately. I wish that we were more unified. I wish that we gave each other a chance.

If we had unity in this community how powerful would we be?

I think it is downright frightening how scary we would be to mainstream America. And how exhilarating it would be to me.

We would be the kings and queens that we always say we are.


There would be a meaning again when we say. I'm Black and I'm proud.

I choose not to be viewed less than what I am because of what white America may think about me.

Supporting Our Own

I know that there are so many people doing things to make money for themselves. I believe that there are just a few things that hinder us from becoming as big or influential as we should be. That is support from our own. You might not hear this statement that much these days, but I think it still lingers in the backs of our minds. That statement is, "If it ain't white it ain't right".

Well I got news for you that statement is soooo very wrong. Think about the things that you do. Not only is what you do probably more right than anything similiarly done by some whites, it's probably better. The difference is that those white things are supported. Also, everything we do is not about making money. Sometimes it's about uplifting ourselves and those around us.

I'm putting this out there because it is time that we started supporting each other. We have to stop being those crabs in a bucket always trying to pull the other one down to get to the top. If we stood on the shoulders of each other and pull each other up, there's no telling the heights that we would go.

All of this brings me to the reason for my post today. It is the Herndon Davis Reports. Herndon Davis is having a fundraiser on Sunday, February 12, 2006 at I-Candy here in Los Angeles. You can read about the purpose of this fundraiser on Herndon's website.

However, if we do not support this fundraiser we will be hindering our ability, from once again being the image that we as Gay & Lesbian Black people have of ourselves. The Herndon Davis Reports is a talk show that talks to us and is about us. This show is a means for all of those individuals who do not live in the big cities and for those that do, to be inspired and educated. The most important thing about this show is it is an opportunity to be heard in our own voices with our own faces. Not the voice or face of the mainstream media.

Remember my post on GLBT Television. You and I can make it happen.

Please check out Herndon's website for details on this event and show your support by attending or donating. Please RSVP! It's rude when you get an invitation and don't respond. RSVP means Respondez Si'vous Plait. (Very loosely translated - Let me know if you comin or not dammit, so we have enough food for yall to eat.)

If you can't make it to the event and still want to help with this self produced and funded project contact Herndon on how you can do just that. Remember donations do not always mean you have to come out of your pocket with money. You might have some information or a resource that would be helpful.