Roland Martin vs. Dr. Umar Johnson

[5th Letter]

I'm just making notes of this dude on the show, and what jumps out:

First off - You mean to tell me that guys like Harry Bellafonte, Richard Pryor, Quincy Jones, and Sidney Poiter get no respect because they have non-black wives, even though they broke barriers in the entertainment industry while maintaining their black ancestry? FOH, Umar.

2nd - Him calling dude a coon was petty and childish as a muhfuck. "He called me a liar." Stop acting like a bitch, Umar.

Umar does have a point about white folks not doing much to anything at all about the systematic setup of white privilege.

This dude is hit or miss. He makes great points, but he goes full Hotep too many times for my taste.

What he said, very specifically, was that people who marry white will have a difficult time getting respect from him. He didn't say he didn't respect them at all or that their marriage choice completely invalidated any of their work.

Changing his words to argue against him is a straw man. Malcolm X and Farrakhan have echoed similar sentiment decades ago about black activists with white wives and no one can question their efforts.

They do understand this.

 

[jono]

We're not African. I disagree with that. We are African American. No amount of denial will change that. African isn't even a country or a nation. It's a continent, so saying that is silly. We all know our heritage is in Africa, but most of us have families that have been in this country for hundreds of years. You can't just ignore that. I don't see how anyone who has travelled to Africa or even sat down and kicked it with Africans for a little bit can argue that. Hell, the is noticeable difference between blacks depending on what region of the US you're from, so it's a bit ridiculous to claim that African Americans are Africans. Like it or not, we've been tainted.

The more I learn about Africa the less African I feel. "African" is a catch-all term that Africans don't even use. They denote nation, tribe, culture, language, religion etc. Each country has their own flag, government, cultural and social issues...its a unique identity.

Its the Americanized view of race that makes folks think that all Africans are the same and interchangeable.

You even start to notice people mixing African cultures under the umbrella that "Well Black skin means everyone is the same." That shit is faulty logic.

Speaking Swahili, Kinte or mudcloth clothes and cowry shells, voodoo, all this shit is different cultures.

We're family, for sure, but a distant cousin. If we showed up to the family reunion we get the "whose kid are you?" treatment. Most wouldn't even feel comfortable sitting at the table with actual Africans.

Its the insecurity of blacks in America where they just want to feel apart of something they perceive to be "bigger and better."

Its this insecurity that niggas like Umar feed on. He's a pimp that spews a lot of easily digestible rhetoric for the aggravated masses. What does he actually do though? Nothing...he gives speeches and makes promises.

Its been like 10 years and dude ain't put a door knob on a school. He judges folks for marrying white people and he's not married and never has been. He's got more nicknames than a pro wrestler "Prince of Pan Africanism" "Popa" all that bullshit. It all feels like a gimmick to me.

All in all, he would just be another hotep nigga for me to ignore but he asks for money. That's the one issue I have here. Say whatever you want. There's over a dozen false prophets in the community, armchair revolutionaries etc so he's unoriginal in that regard but anyone who asks for money with an intended purpose needs to be held responsible for where that money is.

Back to my statement though...

There's always going to be kinship with Africans but we kin to Jamaicans and Haitians too, we all cousins.But outside of skin color we vastly different all over the world. Trying to deny the differences is to deny reality.

 

[The Lonious Monk]

We're not African. I disagree with that. We are African American. No amount of denial will change that. African isn't even a country or a nation. It's a continent, so saying that is silly. We all know our heritage is in Africa, but most of us have families that have been in this country for hundreds of years. You can't just ignore that. I don't see how anyone who has travelled to Africa or even sat down and kicked it with Africans for a little bit can argue that. Hell, the is noticeable difference between blacks depending on what region of the US you're from, so it's a bit ridiculous to claim that African Americans are Africans. Like it or not, we've been tainted.

The more I learn about Africa the less African I feel. "African" is a catch-all term that Africans don't even use. They denote nation, tribe, culture, language, religion etc. Each country has their own flag, government, cultural and social issues...its a unique identity.

Its the Americanized view of race that makes folks think that all Africans are the same and interchangeable.

You even start to notice people mixing African cultures under the umbrella that "Well Black skin means everyone is the same." That shit is faulty logic.

Speaking Swahili, Kinte or mudcloth clothes and cowry shells, voodoo, all this shit is different cultures.

We're family, for sure, but a distant cousin. If we showed up to the family reunion we get the "whose kid are you?" treatment. Most wouldn't even feel comfortable sitting at the table with actual Africans.

Its the insecurity of blacks in America where they just want to feel apart of something they perceive to be "bigger and better."

Its this insecurity that niggas like Umar feed on. He's a pimp that spews a lot of easily digestible rhetoric for the aggravated masses. What does he actually do though? Nothing...he gives speeches and makes promises.

Its been like 10 years and dude ain't put a door knob on a school. He judges folks for marrying white people and he's not married and never has been. He's got more nicknames than a pro wrestler "Prince of Pan Africanism" "Popa" all that bullshit. It all feels like a gimmick to me.

All in all, he would just be another hotep nigga for me to ignore but he asks for money. That's the one issue I have here. Say whatever you want. There's over a dozen false prophets in the community, armchair revolutionaries etc so he's unoriginal in that regard but anyone who asks for money with an intended purpose needs to be held responsible for where that money is.

Back to my statement though...

There's always going to be kinship with Africans but we kin to Jamaicans and Haitians too, we all cousins.But outside of skin color we vastly different all over the world. Trying to deny the differences is to deny reality.

Exactly. The shit these types try to push makes no sense. They cherry pick cultural elements from various African cultures, subscribe to those elements, and then label themselves African. It makes no sense. There is no African culture. There are a bunch of cultures from Africa, and they are all different.

But what really doesn't make any sense is that the fight that he and others are fighting isn't an African problem. It's an African American problem. The struggles we as blacks in America face are not the same as the struggles that the average Kenyan or Nigerian or Ghanian faces, so how can you claim to be African and not African American, but spend your whole life addressing uniquely African American issues. It doesn't make sense. If he feels that strongly about being African and not African American, then why isn't he organizing a Back to Africa movement instead of trying to solve problems in America. To me, that seems counterproductive. He's always bragging about how much of a world traveler he is. Why isn't he going to Ghana and meeting with their leadership and trying to set up a means for mass numbers of African Americans to take the Ghanian government up on their offer for repatriation? Isn't that what a person who truly believes they are African would do. If blacks in America are fish out of water, wouldn't your primary goal, and frankly only true means for survival, be to get back to water?

 

[soul rattler]

Ok fuck Umar right now...

I gotta stop this shit before more people try to jump on this.

You may not feel particularly close to any specific country in Africa but for whatever you don't know about Africa, take a good hard look at what you know about the United States of America. What have your people, right here in this country, dealt with since 1776? Slavery, share cropping, Jim crow, rape, murder, church bombings, lynchings, citywide riots, police brutality, intentional systemic oppression in every single industry, field of study, and economic opportunity EVER.

You may not feel all that familiar to Africa but you damn well better wake up and smell the coffee cause this USA shit ain't for you.

Africa is an extremely diverse continent, even more including the islands. What you, as a black person in America, have in common with them is I definitely greater than your differences.

 

[SELASI_i]

I saw Umar when he came to Kc a few years back. Hard to disagree with his overall premise

 

[2stepz_ahead]

I'm just making notes of this dude on the show, and what jumps out:

First off - You mean to tell me that guys like Harry Bellafonte, Richard Pryor, Quincy Jones, and Sidney Poiter get no respect because they have non-black wives, even though they broke barriers in the entertainment industry while maintaining their black ancestry? FOH, Umar.

2nd - Him calling dude a coon was petty and childish as a muhfuck. "He called me a liar." Stop acting like a bitch, Umar.

Umar does have a point about white folks not doing much to anything at all about the systematic setup of white privilege.

This dude is hit or miss. He makes great points, but he goes full Hotep too many times for my taste.

why does it matter if hes hit or miss if hes in the game trying to win for us?

this is one of my biggest gripes.

US black people dont need singular leaders but we will attack those who take charge when so many others stand back or stand around.

since we are so diverse...we need people in all areas to be as great as they can be. then you take those people create a group that can speak to everyone.

just because 1 person will never be right 100% and we are not a unit...even tho alot of times on this site it is said but then contradicted. but thats another thing.

mlk was 100

malcolm wasnt 100

dick gregory aint 100 hhmph

no one is...can we stop pointing that out

as if coons and white people wont do that already.

an yes, i woulda called dude a coon too.....how you gonna call a grown man a liar when hes respecting you? chicks and bitch niggas do that shit. niggas might say you lying,,,but "liar" is for bitches.

the man already tense for having to answer for his degrees...thats fukked up.

hes tense to defend his point.

all can be understood and he handled himself good..even calling the guy a coon.

none of yall woulda took that shit in that situation all well and good. stop it

It matters when you claim to be an educator and knowledgable about the shit you're talking about. You can't just be spouting off any ol bullshit under the guise of "I'm doing it for us". Just giving a free pass to say anything under that logic is dumb. People need to be checked when they are wrong. That's what actually helps...not just letting everything slide

heres where me and alot of people differ.

i take what i need from anyone to build on and leave the rest if its no use to me.

why use energy to prove what you know is wrong?

do i give him a pass....dont really care either way....but we need to go after everyone with the same energy.

i will attack like i defend....here its not really needed.

do i agree with everything....nope

who does anything without thinking they getting something back?

 

[Kwan Dai]

We always have people talking about everything Umar Johnson accept his message. I would like for someone anyone to point out what's not sound about his message to Blacks and how by adhering we could not only better the quality of our lives but our communities as well.

Part of what's wrong is his views on what is "effiminizing black males" which I think is a bullshit concept in general...his views on interracial marriage...his refusal to actually prove he has the educational credentials he openly touts...lying about and being called out by Frederick Douglass descendants about him claiming to be related to them and using that to promote himself...theres a few things to take issue with. Niggas get so caught up in "Hes saying fuck the white man" they let his bullshit slide

So, now that you're out of your personal feelings. Please point out how his message is harmful to Blacks.

 

[soul rattler]

I'm just making notes of this dude on the show, and what jumps out:

First off - You mean to tell me that guys like Harry Bellafonte, Richard Pryor, Quincy Jones, and Sidney Poiter get no respect because they have non-black wives, even though they broke barriers in the entertainment industry while maintaining their black ancestry? FOH, Umar.

2nd - Him calling dude a coon was petty and childish as a muhfuck. "He called me a liar." Stop acting like a bitch, Umar.

Umar does have a point about white folks not doing much to anything at all about the systematic setup of white privilege.

This dude is hit or miss. He makes great points, but he goes full Hotep too many times for my taste.

why does it matter if hes hit or miss if hes in the game trying to win for us?

this is one of my biggest gripes.

US black people dont need singular leaders but we will attack those who take charge when so many others stand back or stand around.

since we are so diverse...we need people in all areas to be as great as they can be. then you take those people create a group that can speak to everyone.

just because 1 person will never be right 100% and we are not a unit...even tho alot of times on this site it is said but then contradicted. but thats another thing.

mlk was 100

malcolm wasnt 100

dick gregory aint 100 hhmph

no one is...can we stop pointing that out

as if coons and white people wont do that already.

an yes, i woulda called dude a coon too.....how you gonna call a grown man a liar when hes respecting you? chicks and bitch niggas do that shit. niggas might say you lying,,,but "liar" is for bitches.

the man already tense for having to answer for his degrees...thats fukked up.

hes tense to defend his point.

all can be understood and he handled himself good..even calling the guy a coon.

none of yall woulda took that shit in that situation all well and good. stop it

It matters when you claim to be an educator and knowledgable about the shit you're talking about. You can't just be spouting off any ol bullshit under the guise of "I'm doing it for us". Just giving a free pass to say anything under that logic is dumb. People need to be checked when they are wrong. That's what actually helps...not just letting everything slide

heres where me and alot of people differ.

i take what i need from anyone to build on and leave the rest if its no use to me.

why use energy to prove what you know is wrong?

do i give him a pass....dont really care either way....but we need to go after everyone with the same energy.

i will attack like i defend....here its not really needed.

do i agree with everything....nope

who does anything without thinking they getting something back?

Because a person in a position of power operating based on false information is a danger to themselves and others.

 

[Kwan Dai]

Ok fuck Umar right now...

I gotta stop this shit before more people try to jump on this.

You may not feel particularly close to any specific country in Africa but for whatever you don't know about Africa, take a good hard look at what you know about the United States of America. What have your people, right here in this country, dealt with since 1776? Slavery, share cropping, Jim crow, rape, murder, church bombings, lynchings, citywide riots, police brutality, intentional systemic oppression in every single industry, field of study, and economic opportunity EVER.

You may not feel all that familiar to Africa but you damn well better wake up and smell the coffee cause this USA shit ain't for you.

Africa is an extremely diverse continent, even more including the islands. What you, as a black person in America, have in common with them is I definitely greater than your differences.

These dudes speaking against Umar know exactly what Umar means. They have no argument as to how Umar is harming or his message harms Blacks in America. "Africa" the Continent is there for all of us Blacks to connect with whatever culture, country, city, tribe, tradition etc. your DNA, or ancestry derives.

Umar's message isn't for all Blacks. Just like, MLK or Malcolm's message wasn't. I don't get why these clowns can't just move on. If, it's not for you keep pushing.

 

[Kwan Dai]

I'm just making notes of this dude on the show, and what jumps out:

First off - You mean to tell me that guys like Harry Bellafonte, Richard Pryor, Quincy Jones, and Sidney Poiter get no respect because they have non-black wives, even though they broke barriers in the entertainment industry while maintaining their black ancestry? FOH, Umar.

2nd - Him calling dude a coon was petty and childish as a muhfuck. "He called me a liar." Stop acting like a bitch, Umar.

Umar does have a point about white folks not doing much to anything at all about the systematic setup of white privilege.

This dude is hit or miss. He makes great points, but he goes full Hotep too many times for my taste.

why does it matter if hes hit or miss if hes in the game trying to win for us?

this is one of my biggest gripes.

US black people dont need singular leaders but we will attack those who take charge when so many others stand back or stand around.

since we are so diverse...we need people in all areas to be as great as they can be. then you take those people create a group that can speak to everyone.

just because 1 person will never be right 100% and we are not a unit...even tho alot of times on this site it is said but then contradicted. but thats another thing.

mlk was 100

malcolm wasnt 100

dick gregory aint 100 hhmph

no one is...can we stop pointing that out

as if coons and white people wont do that already.

an yes, i woulda called dude a coon too.....how you gonna call a grown man a liar when hes respecting you? chicks and bitch niggas do that shit. niggas might say you lying,,,but "liar" is for bitches.

the man already tense for having to answer for his degrees...thats fukked up.

hes tense to defend his point.

all can be understood and he handled himself good..even calling the guy a coon.

none of yall woulda took that shit in that situation all well and good. stop it

It matters when you claim to be an educator and knowledgable about the shit you're talking about. You can't just be spouting off any ol bullshit under the guise of "I'm doing it for us". Just giving a free pass to say anything under that logic is dumb. People need to be checked when they are wrong. That's what actually helps...not just letting everything slide

heres where me and alot of people differ.

i take what i need from anyone to build on and leave the rest if its no use to me.

why use energy to prove what you know is wrong?

do i give him a pass....dont really care either way....but we need to go after everyone with the same energy.

i will attack like i defend....here its not really needed.

do i agree with everything....nope

who does anything without thinking they getting something back?

Because a person in a position of power operating based on false information is a danger to themselves and others.

But I have not seen anyone cite Umar's false information. It's all hyperbole and opinion. Umar has been speaking for years now and for people to keep bringing up the same lame argument about credentials and ancestry is, nothing but a diversionary tactic to not deal with Umar's observations, analysis, solutions, and opinions.

So, for people to keep parroting the same things whenever Umar is mentioned says more about them then Umar.

 

[soul rattler]

I'm just making notes of this dude on the show, and what jumps out:

First off - You mean to tell me that guys like Harry Bellafonte, Richard Pryor, Quincy Jones, and Sidney Poiter get no respect because they have non-black wives, even though they broke barriers in the entertainment industry while maintaining their black ancestry? FOH, Umar.

2nd - Him calling dude a coon was petty and childish as a muhfuck. "He called me a liar." Stop acting like a bitch, Umar.

Umar does have a point about white folks not doing much to anything at all about the systematic setup of white privilege.

This dude is hit or miss. He makes great points, but he goes full Hotep too many times for my taste.

why does it matter if hes hit or miss if hes in the game trying to win for us?

this is one of my biggest gripes.

US black people dont need singular leaders but we will attack those who take charge when so many others stand back or stand around.

since we are so diverse...we need people in all areas to be as great as they can be. then you take those people create a group that can speak to everyone.

just because 1 person will never be right 100% and we are not a unit...even tho alot of times on this site it is said but then contradicted. but thats another thing.

mlk was 100

malcolm wasnt 100

dick gregory aint 100 hhmph

no one is...can we stop pointing that out

as if coons and white people wont do that already.

an yes, i woulda called dude a coon too.....how you gonna call a grown man a liar when hes respecting you? chicks and bitch niggas do that shit. niggas might say you lying,,,but "liar" is for bitches.

the man already tense for having to answer for his degrees...thats fukked up.

hes tense to defend his point.

all can be understood and he handled himself good..even calling the guy a coon.

none of yall woulda took that shit in that situation all well and good. stop it

It matters when you claim to be an educator and knowledgable about the shit you're talking about. You can't just be spouting off any ol bullshit under the guise of "I'm doing it for us". Just giving a free pass to say anything under that logic is dumb. People need to be checked when they are wrong. That's what actually helps...not just letting everything slide

heres where me and alot of people differ.

i take what i need from anyone to build on and leave the rest if its no use to me.

why use energy to prove what you know is wrong?

do i give him a pass....dont really care either way....but we need to go after everyone with the same energy.

i will attack like i defend....here its not really needed.

do i agree with everything....nope

who does anything without thinking they getting something back?

Because a person in a position of power operating based on false information is a danger to themselves and others.

But I have not seen anyone cite Umar's false information. It's all hyperbole and opinion. Umar has been speaking for years now and for people to keep bringing up the same lame argument about credentials and ancestry is, nothing but a diversionary tactic to not deal with Umar's observations, analysis, solutions, and opinions.

So, for people to keep parroting the same things whenever Umar is mentioned says more about them then Umar.

You're right but I think they were speaking in general, not just Umar in particular.

 

[The Lonious Monk]

Ok fuck Umar right now...

I gotta stop this shit before more people try to jump on this.

You may not feel particularly close to any specific country in Africa but for whatever you don't know about Africa, take a good hard look at what you know about the United States of America. What have your people, right here in this country, dealt with since 1776? Slavery, share cropping, Jim crow, rape, murder, church bombings, lynchings, citywide riots, police brutality, intentional systemic oppression in every single industry, field of study, and economic opportunity EVER.

You may not feel all that familiar to Africa but you damn well better wake up and smell the coffee cause this USA shit ain't for you.

Africa is an extremely diverse continent, even more including the islands. What you, as a black person in America, have in common with them is I definitely greater than your differences.

I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make. Shit's been bad for blacks in America, so despite being here and conditioned by this culture and history for hundreds of years, we're much closer to cultures that are completely foreign to us? That doesn't make any sense.

And people really need to stop with this revisionist history that Africa was always all good for Africans. It wasn't. Yes, African Americans were slaves in America. Guess what? Africans were slaves in Africa too. That's how a great deal of black people got over here in the first place, African slave owners selling their property to European slave traders. And right now in Africa, you have genocides, religious wars, and tribal beef going on regularly. That's shit that we African Americans know nothing about, so this idea that America is fucked up and we'd all be better off in Africa is ridiculous. Tell that to all the Africans doing everything they can to get the fuck out of Africa every year.

Now don't get me wrong, Europe and America are, in large part, to blame for many of Africa's problems too. I'm just saying that African Americans are different than Africans. Our differences aren't as trivial as you're implying, and our shitty experiences in America are a large part of why we are so different from Africans. You can't just dismiss them because you don't like them.

 

[Kwan Dai]

Ok fuck Umar right now...

I gotta stop this shit before more people try to jump on this.

You may not feel particularly close to any specific country in Africa but for whatever you don't know about Africa, take a good hard look at what you know about the United States of America. What have your people, right here in this country, dealt with since 1776? Slavery, share cropping, Jim crow, rape, murder, church bombings, lynchings, citywide riots, police brutality, intentional systemic oppression in every single industry, field of study, and economic opportunity EVER.

You may not feel all that familiar to Africa but you damn well better wake up and smell the coffee cause this USA shit ain't for you.

Africa is an extremely diverse continent, even more including the islands. What you, as a black person in America, have in common with them is I definitely greater than your differences.

I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make. Shit's been bad for blacks in America, so despite being here and conditioned by this culture and history for hundreds of years, we're much closer to cultures that are completely foreign to us? That doesn't make any sense.

And people really need to stop with this revisionist history that Africa was always all good for Africans. It wasn't. Yes, African Americans were slaves in America. Guess what? Africans were slaves in Africa too. That's how a great deal of black people got over here in the first place, African slave owners selling their property to European slave traders. And right now in Africa, you have genocides, religious wars, and tribal beef going on regularly. That's shit that we African Americans know nothing about, so this idea that America is fucked up and we'd all be better off in Africa is ridiculous. Tell that to all the Africans doing everything they can to get the fuck out of Africa every year.

Now don't get me wrong, Europe and America are, in large part, to blame for many of Africa's problems too. I'm just saying that African Americans are different than Africans. Our differences aren't as trivial as you're implying, and our shitty experiences in America are a large part of why we are so different from Africans. You can't just dismiss them because you don't like them.

Brothers and sisters who make or are attempting to make the connection with their ancestry in Africa are well aware of it's history. So, making Africa's low points the basis of your whack ass argument is, seeing the glass half full.

The idea with most if not all with connecting with their Ancestry is to highlight the success, and to carry on traditions that will strengthen them today. Which, for every blight you place on Africa there's 10x's more achievements for the greater good, and humanity as a whole.

 

[The Lonious Monk]

Ok fuck Umar right now...

I gotta stop this shit before more people try to jump on this.

You may not feel particularly close to any specific country in Africa but for whatever you don't know about Africa, take a good hard look at what you know about the United States of America. What have your people, right here in this country, dealt with since 1776? Slavery, share cropping, Jim crow, rape, murder, church bombings, lynchings, citywide riots, police brutality, intentional systemic oppression in every single industry, field of study, and economic opportunity EVER.

You may not feel all that familiar to Africa but you damn well better wake up and smell the coffee cause this USA shit ain't for you.

Africa is an extremely diverse continent, even more including the islands. What you, as a black person in America, have in common with them is I definitely greater than your differences.

These dudes speaking against Umar know exactly what Umar means. They have no argument as to how Umar is harming or his message harms Blacks in America. "Africa" the Continent is there for all of us Blacks to connect with whatever culture, country, city, tribe, tradition etc. your DNA, or ancestry derives.

Umar's message isn't for all Blacks. Just like, MLK or Malcolm's message wasn't. I don't get why these clowns can't just move on. If, it's not for you keep pushing.

I don't disagree with everything he says, but I don't think he's all that great for blacks as a whole. Blacks more than anything need unity. No, we'll never get everyone in our community to agree completely on everything, but there is no need to tear down a brother that's doing good things for the community just because you don't agree with a lifestyle choice he made. Umar does that shit all the time. Second, this false narrative that we are African and not African American is bullshit. I've already explained why. There is nothing wrong with connecting to your African heritage, but denying your American reality doesn't help. If people want to truly be African and go back to Africa, cool. But if you want to continue living in America, how does it benefit you to promote this idea that you don't need to engage in the American process? Lastly, this stance he takes were he attacks potential allies of other races makes no sense. Yes, if Blacks want to progress we have to learn to do the bulk of that ourselves, but there is no reason, we need to do all that alone. Malcolm didn't believe that in his later years. The Black Panthers never believed that. MLK and the other Civil Rights leaders didn't believe that. I guess you could say that Marcus Garvey believed something similar to that, but Garvey was also about leaving America and going to build something in Africa. He sent 400 people to Liberia with the plan of turning that into a place for African Americans to reclaim their roots without help or interference from any nonblacks. Go look up Liberia and tell me how that worked out.

 

[The Lonious Monk]

Ok fuck Umar right now...

I gotta stop this shit before more people try to jump on this.

You may not feel particularly close to any specific country in Africa but for whatever you don't know about Africa, take a good hard look at what you know about the United States of America. What have your people, right here in this country, dealt with since 1776? Slavery, share cropping, Jim crow, rape, murder, church bombings, lynchings, citywide riots, police brutality, intentional systemic oppression in every single industry, field of study, and economic opportunity EVER.

You may not feel all that familiar to Africa but you damn well better wake up and smell the coffee cause this USA shit ain't for you.

Africa is an extremely diverse continent, even more including the islands. What you, as a black person in America, have in common with them is I definitely greater than your differences.

I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make. Shit's been bad for blacks in America, so despite being here and conditioned by this culture and history for hundreds of years, we're much closer to cultures that are completely foreign to us? That doesn't make any sense.

And people really need to stop with this revisionist history that Africa was always all good for Africans. It wasn't. Yes, African Americans were slaves in America. Guess what? Africans were slaves in Africa too. That's how a great deal of black people got over here in the first place, African slave owners selling their property to European slave traders. And right now in Africa, you have genocides, religious wars, and tribal beef going on regularly. That's shit that we African Americans know nothing about, so this idea that America is fucked up and we'd all be better off in Africa is ridiculous. Tell that to all the Africans doing everything they can to get the fuck out of Africa every year.

Now don't get me wrong, Europe and America are, in large part, to blame for many of Africa's problems too. I'm just saying that African Americans are different than Africans. Our differences aren't as trivial as you're implying, and our shitty experiences in America are a large part of why we are so different from Africans. You can't just dismiss them because you don't like them.

Brothers and sisters who make or are attempting to make the connection with their ancestry in Africa are well aware of it's history. So, making Africa's low points the basis of your whack ass argument is, seeing the glass half full.

The idea with most if not all with connecting with their Ancestry is to highlight the success, and to carry on traditions that will strengthen them today. Which, for every blight you place on Africa there's 10x's more achievements for the greater good, and humanity as a whole.

Again, I have no problem with people connecting to their African roots and I think making that efforts would benefit all African Americans, so apparently you don't even understand my "whack ass argument." I didn't bring up the low points in Africa to shit on Africa. I brought up the low points to show that blacks face challenges everywhere, and it's invalid to claim that African Americans have some closeness to modern Africans solely because we've had it rough in America. Again, the challenges we've faced in America have shaped us into what we are now for better or worse and have separated us culturally from modern Africans who have had to deal with their own completely separate and different challenges.

 

[CapitalB]

this is why its hard for us to move anywhere....

this was frustrating to watch

its hard for US but easy for ME..

me and whoever else tryin to go..

fuck er'body else..

they deserve what they accept..

 

[Kwan Dai]

Ok fuck Umar right now...

I gotta stop this shit before more people try to jump on this.

You may not feel particularly close to any specific country in Africa but for whatever you don't know about Africa, take a good hard look at what you know about the United States of America. What have your people, right here in this country, dealt with since 1776? Slavery, share cropping, Jim crow, rape, murder, church bombings, lynchings, citywide riots, police brutality, intentional systemic oppression in every single industry, field of study, and economic opportunity EVER.

You may not feel all that familiar to Africa but you damn well better wake up and smell the coffee cause this USA shit ain't for you.

Africa is an extremely diverse continent, even more including the islands. What you, as a black person in America, have in common with them is I definitely greater than your differences.

These dudes speaking against Umar know exactly what Umar means. They have no argument as to how Umar is harming or his message harms Blacks in America. "Africa" the Continent is there for all of us Blacks to connect with whatever culture, country, city, tribe, tradition etc. your DNA, or ancestry derives.

Umar's message isn't for all Blacks. Just like, MLK or Malcolm's message wasn't. I don't get why these clowns can't just move on. If, it's not for you keep pushing.

I don't disagree with everything he says, but I don't think he's all that great for blacks as a whole. Blacks more than anything need unity. No, we'll never get everyone in our community to agree completely on everything, but there is no need to tear down a brother that's doing good things for the community just because you don't agree with a lifestyle choice he made. Umar does that shit all the time. Second, this false narrative that we are African and not African American is bullshit. I've already explained why. There is nothing wrong with connecting to your African heritage, but denying your American reality doesn't help. If people want to truly be African and go back to Africa, cool. But if you want to continue living in America, how does it benefit you to promote this idea that you don't need to engage in the American process? Lastly, this stance he takes were he attacks potential allies of other races makes no sense. Yes, if Blacks want to progress we have to learn to do the bulk of that ourselves, but there is no reason, we need to do all that alone. Malcolm didn't believe that in his later years. The Black Panthers never believed that. MLK and the other Civil Rights leaders didn't believe that. I guess you could say that Marcus Garvey believed something similar to that, but Garvey was also about leaving America and going to build something in Africa. He sent 400 people to Liberia with the plan of turning that into a place for African Americans to reclaim their roots without help or interference from any nonblacks. Go look up Liberia and tell me how that worked out.

I don't disagree with everything he says, but I don't think he's all that great for blacks as a whole. Blacks more than anything need unity. No, we'll never get everyone in our community to agree completely on everything, but there is no need to tear down a brother that's doing good things for the community just because you don't agree with a lifestyle choice he made.

I don't see who he's tearing down. If, you like boning white chicks do you, stop being do defense and move on. He's right while you maybe doing good things you aren't 100% in the struggle for Blacks. I don't see why you're so offended. So, you're ok with people who snort coke building drug rehab centers?

Second, this false narrative that we are African and not African American is bullshit. I've already explained why. There is nothing wrong with connecting to your African heritage, but denying your American reality doesn't help. If people want to truly be African and go back to Africa, cool. But if you want to continue living in America, how does it benefit you to promote this idea that you don't need to engage in the American process?

That's your opinion and quite frankly your opinion is bullshit... People can identify however they see fit. The American process? What is the American process? Damn near every other race does so just fine. Owning their own communities, organizations, Schools etc that suit their community needs. That's what Umar is CLEARLY promoting.

Lastly, this stance he takes were he attacks potential allies of other races makes no sense. Yes, if Blacks want to progress we have to learn to do the bulk of that ourselves, but there is no reason, we need to do all that alone. Malcolm didn't believe that in his later years. The Black Panthers never believed that. MLK and the other Civil Rights leaders didn't believe that. I guess you could say that Marcus Garvey believed something similar to that, but Garvey was also about leaving America and going to build something in Africa. He sent 400 people to Liberia with the plan of turning that into a place for African Americans to reclaim their roots without help or interference from any nonblacks. Go look up Liberia and tell me how that worked out.

Who has he attacked? And our history has shown that even with "allies" we haven't progressed at rate that we should have. So, the idea that we should build internally instead of searching, waiting, hoping for allies is sound. You are overstating every point Umar makes with your exaggerated spin. Garvey's movement suffered every other Blacks movement. White Supremacy, White infiltration and fearful Whites who have put every visionary Black man\woman on a watch list with the intent to destroy.

 

[Kwan Dai]

Ok fuck Umar right now...

I gotta stop this shit before more people try to jump on this.

You may not feel particularly close to any specific country in Africa but for whatever you don't know about Africa, take a good hard look at what you know about the United States of America. What have your people, right here in this country, dealt with since 1776? Slavery, share cropping, Jim crow, rape, murder, church bombings, lynchings, citywide riots, police brutality, intentional systemic oppression in every single industry, field of study, and economic opportunity EVER.

You may not feel all that familiar to Africa but you damn well better wake up and smell the coffee cause this USA shit ain't for you.

Africa is an extremely diverse continent, even more including the islands. What you, as a black person in America, have in common with them is I definitely greater than your differences.

I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make. Shit's been bad for blacks in America, so despite being here and conditioned by this culture and history for hundreds of years, we're much closer to cultures that are completely foreign to us? That doesn't make any sense.

And people really need to stop with this revisionist history that Africa was always all good for Africans. It wasn't. Yes, African Americans were slaves in America. Guess what? Africans were slaves in Africa too. That's how a great deal of black people got over here in the first place, African slave owners selling their property to European slave traders. And right now in Africa, you have genocides, religious wars, and tribal beef going on regularly. That's shit that we African Americans know nothing about, so this idea that America is fucked up and we'd all be better off in Africa is ridiculous. Tell that to all the Africans doing everything they can to get the fuck out of Africa every year.

Now don't get me wrong, Europe and America are, in large part, to blame for many of Africa's problems too. I'm just saying that African Americans are different than Africans. Our differences aren't as trivial as you're implying, and our shitty experiences in America are a large part of why we are so different from Africans. You can't just dismiss them because you don't like them.

Brothers and sisters who make or are attempting to make the connection with their ancestry in Africa are well aware of it's history. So, making Africa's low points the basis of your whack ass argument is, seeing the glass half full.

The idea with most if not all with connecting with their Ancestry is to highlight the success, and to carry on traditions that will strengthen them today. Which, for every blight you place on Africa there's 10x's more achievements for the greater good, and humanity as a whole.

Again, I have no problem with people connecting to their African roots and I think making that efforts would benefit all African Americans, so apparently you don't even understand my "whack ass argument." I didn't bring up the low points in Africa to shit on Africa. I brought up the low points to show that blacks face challenges everywhere, and it's invalid to claim that African Americans have some closeness to modern Africans solely because we've had it rough in America. Again, the challenges we've faced in America have shaped us into what we are now for better or worse and have separated us culturally from modern Africans who have had to deal with their own completely separate and different challenges.

Stop lying. You then took it a step further and typed. "That's shit that we African Americans know nothing about". Who's we? You? Stop trying to belittle people that seek out something other then your idea of Blacks integrating into as you put it. "The American Process"

 

[Ajackson17]

We're not African. I disagree with that. We are African American. No amount of denial will change that. African isn't even a country or a nation. It's a continent, so saying that is silly. We all know our heritage is in Africa, but most of us have families that have been in this country for hundreds of years. You can't just ignore that. I don't see how anyone who has travelled to Africa or even sat down and kicked it with Africans for a little bit can argue that. Hell, the is noticeable difference between blacks depending on what region of the US you're from, so it's a bit ridiculous to claim that African Americans are Africans. Like it or not, we've been tainted.

The more I learn about Africa the less African I feel. "African" is a catch-all term that Africans don't even use. They denote nation, tribe, culture, language, religion etc. Each country has their own flag, government, cultural and social issues...its a unique identity.

Its the Americanized view of race that makes folks think that all Africans are the same and interchangeable.

You even start to notice people mixing African cultures under the umbrella that "Well Black skin means everyone is the same." That shit is faulty logic.

Speaking Swahili, Kinte or mudcloth clothes and cowry shells, voodoo, all this shit is different cultures.

We're family, for sure, but a distant cousin. If we showed up to the family reunion we get the "whose kid are you?" treatment. Most wouldn't even feel comfortable sitting at the table with actual Africans.

Its the insecurity of blacks in America where they just want to feel apart of something they perceive to be "bigger and better."

Its this insecurity that niggas like Umar feed on. He's a pimp that spews a lot of easily digestible rhetoric for the aggravated masses. What does he actually do though? Nothing...he gives speeches and makes promises.

Its been like 10 years and dude ain't put a door knob on a school. He judges folks for marrying white people and he's not married and never has been. He's got more nicknames than a pro wrestler "Prince of Pan Africanism" "Popa" all that bullshit. It all feels like a gimmick to me.

All in all, he would just be another hotep nigga for me to ignore but he asks for money. That's the one issue I have here. Say whatever you want. There's over a dozen false prophets in the community, armchair revolutionaries etc so he's unoriginal in that regard but anyone who asks for money with an intended purpose needs to be held responsible for where that money is.

Back to my statement though...

There's always going to be kinship with Africans but we kin to Jamaicans and Haitians too, we all cousins.But outside of skin color we vastly different all over the world. Trying to deny the differences is to deny reality.

Nah, being around Africans made me realize that 400 year gap wasn't enough to destroy that lineage and ancestry. There are definitely differences and differences are great, but there is so many similarities that isn't funny. Voodun, ifa and many other traditional African belief systems show a lot of what I was missing outside of the traditional belief systems. So in many ways some black people in America will notice a bigger divide and some will notice how similar. It is what it is.

 

[Ajackson17]

If we look at Africana Studies they break down why Liberia failed and the psychology behind it. African Americans with Africana studies degree and understanding of the continent of Africa could do well, but our psychology has been poisoned and conditioned. Would Marcus Garvey succeed, maybe or maybe not, but our understanding compared to the 20's we are talking about educated thinkers and those who made many trips and lived in many nations in the continent would have a better understanding how to make a successful, but are black people willing to do that in this day of age.

There have been many African-Americans who moved to the continent and never looked back.