WEDNESDAY
hello world, this one you got to move fast on, a website called
wikileaks that publishes confidential info that folk have leaked
a judge just tried to shut it down because a cayman island bank
objected to some of its info put on line and we know what cayman
island banks do right
it has also put the guantanamo operating manual online
the rules of engagement in iraq - you get the picture
the good stuff, secrets those in power dont want yu to know
but the judge who closed it only closed the domain name which
mean he dont know how the internet works
the backdoors and mirror sites are still up, here is its protocol address and
are a few mirror links set up for just this contingency -
quick now, catch it while you can:
Wikileaks.org
http://88.80.13.160/
http://wikileaks.be/
http://wikileaks.de
http://wikileaks.cx
man, i got to remount rootwork.com
us conjuremen love secrets - specially good ones
oh, congrats to obama on taking wisconsin - cutting deeper
into hillarys base and boosting his delegate lead
if we can take texas and ohio this is a wrap
thats two weeks till march 4th - 2 weeks of devilishment
i shudder to think what a desperate clinton camp will try next
i did a presentation yesterday for adam banks rhetoric class
which is studying babajohn killens, its a great class that reminds
me of babajohn cause he does a community version of whatever
he is teaching just like john always stipulated that his workshops
would be open to the community, its kinda long and those of you
who know me, dear regulators, have heard it before
but here it goes
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(conch horn) lord legba open this gate, it is i rickydoc rootdoctor ask that this gate be open, this work be done, in the name of the conqueror
first id like to apologize, feel like I been hogging the conversation, which aint my lowprofile style, but john o mean so much to me, , it never cease to amaze me that john killens dont get his propers as a literary visionary, and I am so tickled to be part of a class where he getting his due respect - I asked adam if I could say a few things, some personal memories cause I was one of his legions, for 13 years I followed babajohn from school to school – in spiritual traditions there is whats called the unwritten knowledge that is the example of the masters life and I kinda wanted to share a little of that with you
ritual opening on all my works: I am flowers of the delta clan flowers and the line of o killens. . ., this is a griotic opening formula where you start by telling who you are and who you were trained by- i was trained by babajohn killens - babajohn taught me not only how to write but how to be a writer, taught me how to be a visionary, what he called a long distance runner, what I call the longgame, babajohn showed me the way
back in the day, john killens was the only one of the major writers who tried to pass it on, to teach young writers, provide a space for them to grow, whenever john taught he would stipulate that his workshop would be open to the community. So over the years he drew a cadre of young writers to him – tmc, nikki, eliz, bebe, etc
came to nyc in the summer of 73 to get into babajohns workshop at columbia and stayed in it till he died in 1986.- for 13 years i followed john o. killens from school to school, (the story – I had read . . .)
babjohn worked hard to institutionalize a progressive black literary infrastructure - babajohn train generations of blackwriters in the longgame - he trained us in how to be a literary mob, how to wield literary power, how to be successful writers, how to produce works, market works and how to be culturally and socially influential
we were all politicos and artistic activists who had come out of the black arts movement, where the point of art was to develop it as an instrument of cultural redemption and empowerment, john o showed us how thats done - how to be culturally influential, how to change things (the example of terri mcmilan)
content and context, (the dialogue in African americn lit and the generational developments and the charge against politically inclined literary writers of craft and content struggle) john o stipulation: "the more important that you have to say the more obligated you are to say it well"
for 13 years I followed john o Killens from school to school. johns rep declined over the years -( the schools – medger evers the meeting place and its tribal griot – the great griot master of brooklyn)
the last time I saw him in Brooklyn, (death watch and hollywood advice barely able to move - dont lose soul and his never sell your name, speak from heart not wallet - him telling me to sit him up in the chair, calling up ms grace, i like to see he said - i know you do she said i like to know whats going on around me he said, i know you do she said)
keith gilyard, adams mentor, once said to me that the primary trope of afram lit is struggle - the ongoing struggle for survival and empowerment that blackfolk have waged since we came to this land and that has more than anything shaped us as a people
africanamerican literature is consciously griotic and passionately concerned with cultural custodianship.
as the voice of a culture that has since its inception felt itself under mortal siege, african american literature is fundamentally shamanistic and vitally concerned with communal health and empowerment. its most revered figures have all been culturally engaged. Langston, zora, amiri, tonimorrison, creating the visions without which the people shall perish and serving in its mythic heart its ageold griotic function of keeping the culture alive and viable.
Not only did john o teach us the skilz to fulfil that function, john o tried to institutionalize committed afroam lit – so that it would train and nurture generations of committed black writers, cause john o played the longgame – what he called being a long distance runner
"our struggle for liberation was indeed a long long distance race, for we are out for nothing short of winning the entire human race and we were up against a formidable foe, and to win this race would require planning, pacing, discipline and stamina, and a belief in our ability to win the long protracted struggle. . . .we must construct one hundred year plans. two hundred year plans. we must construct institutions for generations yet unborn.."
babajohn taught us that in ideological orchestration, the the longer more encompassing your ideological game, the stronger it is, the one that subsumes all others – babajohn taught us how to be visionaries
babajohn o passion was that our people and our culture survive the cosmic cut, and become one of the worlds influential cultures, that we continue to grow and evolve as a people and culture and dont decline and wither away
john o position was that we must build a culture so strong and beautiful that the entire human race want to be black – john o would have been very impressed with obama, cause john o taught us every generation got to figure out its issues and how black identity in the multiculti reality of the 21st century is one of our big issues and obama has figured out how to make struggle serve both our families, blackfolk and all humanity
thats good game on a lot of levels – black culture as guide and guardian of humanities struggle to evolve
there was once a time in my memory when african american culture was considered one of the worlds sacred cultures, and not only in terms of spiritual practice, the viejos and the like but also in terms of political practice, our struggle has inspired struggle around the globe,
we are still one of the most progressive political blocks in the west, the world - friend of mine once said we the 2nd toughest people on the planet - but we got to be on the highground to do it, cant be waddling in the mud if you want to play destinygames, - hiphop a powerful force but it got a lot to learn - about representing
john o taught us that that as writers and trained cultural forces we in our works leave a legacy for future generations & you should be conscious of what you want that legacy to reflect, you want it to mean something, you want to stand with Langston and zora and richardwright and all them -
he taught us how to use the word as an instrument to move the people, what adam the other day called a vehicle – everybody got their vehicle, and words are ours, he taught us how to get up on a stage and use words to move the people, (I am rickydoc rootdoctor, I am mythmaker . ) john taught us how to mack
taught us how to be cultural custodians, to be guide and guardian of the tribal soul and destiny, to be shield and spear
he taught us that literature a sacred calling & he guided us through all the stages of our lit development - when we didnt know how to write he taught us how, when we knew how to write he taught us how to be professionals, when we were professionals he taught us how to be great writers, not just writers, great writers by his understanding of what literary greatness entail
in my literary youth i aspired to be an intellectual of power who would forge blackfolk into a conquering horde and fling them into battle, power was my thing and field of study and people were just factors to be used - this was reflected in my work -
one day babajohn pull me aside and say "art you a brilliant writer but with a little compassion you could be profound"
all i heard was brilliant - wasnt till many years later i realize babajohn trying to make sure my contribution, as his student, would not be hard and cold but warm and loving - old shaman trying to ensure the health of the tribal soul
i have internalized so many of john o precepts about being a writer that he continues to guide me in new challenges, i would never do anything as a writer that i dont think john o would approve of - there are times when I regret I ever met john killens , hadnt been for babajohn i dont think i would have been a novelist. would have been some easier kind of writer, making money and getting some respect instead of obscure and marginalized
but on the real side I cannot fully express to you how proud of being one of john killens legions - what sara fabio once called 'killens chillens' knowing john was a once in a generation experience, there will never be another like him, and I feel like I was totally blessed to have known him, to have been trained by him - with everything I do I praise his name - my mentor in struggle - babajohn o killens, the great griot master of brooklyn
I want to thank adam for this class, I want to thank this class for showing john o some respect, some appreciation – means a lot to me, cause with all his heart and soul he loved you, he loved black people, he
gave them everything he had to give, he tried to represent
that is all
this spell is done
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i didnt even finish, i teared up and got emotional on that last paragraph
ima do a self enclosed version and see if i can get it published somewhere
maybe fill in those parentheticals were i addlibbed
i dont usually concern myself w/publication unless somebody ask me to give them something
but this one is for babajohn, not me - for babajohn i will put myself out there
i been ruthless about telling folk no these days, folk always asking me to present
i wont never get no Work done i tell all the folk ask me to present yes
but the baobob society over at esf got me again this year, cause i stood them
up last year for the spirit and essence black history month dinner, i owe them
i already gave them one make up, but i told them i would always be available
to them so they called me on it, spose to do that one the 23rd, best i get on it
my love to you all
in the compassion of o killens
rickydoc flowers
a luta continua
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