Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Our generation - the Hiphoppers - tend to examine the old school leaders from the perspective of, "What have you done for me lately?" & really, my peers & eye are often on one accord with this perspective. But in light of the very serious hard-to-bridge gap from civil rights to rap, it occurred to me as a humorous take on the matter, that we have all benefited greatly from the oratory skills of the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Rev. Jesse specifically contributed the words democracy, disinherited & moot ("The question is moot!") to my own "young" personal vocabulary. Surely there are more. Really...how much of his rhetoric have eye sat up under over the years? Probably enough to round the edges of my dirty South phraseology.

While these words are considered plain & common to the average American, much of what linguists consider to be "standard" vocabulary does not always penetrate Black American English dialect. The reverend's contribution to Black-talk has indeed been significant & enormous in effect.

So in addition to the frayed political legacy that rests strong in the mind of us old enough to remember the Presidential pursuits, we should categorize Reverend Jesse Jackson as one to be uplifted as a wonderful orator, following in the vein of W.E.B. Dubois & most obviously, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Even though we are still living as slaves in the 21st century, let us refrain from dwelling on Rev. Jackson's shortcomings as a leader & activist, but rather congratulate without hate. Keep the faith. Quit biting at the bait.

"Hold your head high, stick your chest out. You can make it. It gets dark sometimes, but morning comes. Keep hope alive."
--Reverend Jesse Jackson

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Monday, June 27, 2005

***EDITORIAL***

Peace. Hotep. Shalom.

It is wonderful to be amongst you! Thank you, once again, for your loyalty to In The Know.

Please take this opportunity to forward this issue to anyone you believe may benefit from what we do. Please personally encourage your friends, family, colleagues & peers to subscribe to In The Know. We provide this free service to the community primarily to help expose events that do not always receive Grade A publicity. Please continue to assist in this endeavor. Please continue to share your events with us.

Consider this a light lip week. The deadline is fastly approaching for me to complete the packaging for Something To Cope. This is an aggressive pursuit, & since so much of my time has been occupied with technical writing this week (remember the anthology submission & the National Endowment for the Arts grant for Count), my verbiage is slight. Over the next few weeks, spend some time meditating on the words: equality, liberty & justice. Also, take the time to read & reread the Willie Lynch speech. If you Google the name, then you will be able to access more than 5000 references to the text. Many believe that the letter is a hoax/urban legend, while others are certain that this letter was the psychological basis for the art of slave dependency. What do you think? Enjoy your time here!

Thank you for reading!
--Oriana leeEditor-in-Chief
orianalee@writehanded.com

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Saturday, June 25, 2005

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!

Eye have mailed out the package to Nikky Finney. This is for a Black Southern Anthology that is coming out through Cave Canem. It is now that we fully release it's promise into the atmosphere. Que sera, sera?

Eye must take this opportunity to grandstand & thank my wonderful "man & friend" for his neverending role in my story. Life is so much more significant when you walk with one who shares your general vision! The most beautiful thing about marriage is the committed force to serve another, all the days forward.

NO one could have prepared me for the learning curve involved in living under the leadership of a male being after 20 years of existence without the prior experience. It would equivocably be taking a white supremacist from the indoctrinating Stone Mountain, Georgia & abandoning them in Brownsville, Brooklyn housing projects. The concept of fear would be so overwhelming that the redneck could only fight THE DOMINANT influence .

Ya' feel me?

Please pray for our mum.

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Friday, June 24, 2005

HEY YOUNG WORLD

Boy, oh boy! Have you ever had a period in life where everyday for weeks on end seemed to smack you up & down right from the moment your barely rested eyelids cracked ? Sheesh! How do you cope in those times? Though the road is rough & tough-going in this current space, Something To Cope has truly been my saving grace. Again, the creator is all purposeful! Even in the darkness eye see my goal in the peripheal.

As circulated by the
BRC:
Petition in favor of Assata Shakur. Please take the time to at least read this as submitted to the Congressional Black Caucus. If you need to brush up on your knowledge of Sister Assata, visit her own website. As U.S. residents, this situation is something of which we should have at least a general sense of awareness.

Make sure you spin a good tune or two to boost the positive energy in your life. Slick Rick might just be the artist to help hold up this cloud on my daily journey. Why don't rappers make "family music" anymore?

Remind me to expound upon this tomorrow....

Best regards.
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Wednesday, June 22, 2005

GAME PERSONIFIED

Today is a good day! Today is a great day! They [do not exist] say that if you put positive out there enough then it will come to fruition. Let's hope this is true. Eye could use an extra surge of positivity right now. Eye did get some encouraging words from a new reader. The universe has a way of sending you what you need just when you are about to give up. All praise to the creator!

Besides that...& the fact that the children are healthy...& the fact that both Count & eye seem to be on an incline as far as our careers are concerned...things are really rough right now. But recognizing that those blessings are to be acknowledged, eye will not take this time to whine & complain. While everything may not be just how we want it, we are going to keep those spirits up.

The self-proclaimed "gentleman's pimp", Scorpio spit those profound words...not me...there's more to pimpin' that women & money...you know??? Tell the truth, shame the devil. Though the profession is sick & demeaning on the surface, there comes a time when we have to look deeper than our own perspectives. If we examine life on the whole, it's pretty easy to see that it is all pimpin' & hoein'. Ride with me people...eye am speaking in a very broad sense.

See...in every instance of life...we are either the pimp or the hoe. We are either in charge of the situation, or we are someone is in charge of us. At our jobs, most of us are being pimped because we are subservient to our bosses & the industries to which we are slaves, of sort. Even in our personal lives, we are either trying to gain something from our personal interactions with people, or someone is trying to use us for their own personal gain. Eye know that some of you want to keep this thing small & are thinking, "How as a woman is she supporting pimps?" But that's not even the case. Unfortunately, if you cannot see the bigger picture, then know that there is no offense intended.

Anyway, that's enough game for the day. More to come. It is time to press on for now. Be encouraged to do the same.

Take it easy.

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Monday, June 20, 2005

**INTERVIEW**

Many thanks to Tachelle Wilkes for the shine on Femmixx.com.
Read the interview.

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ETHICS & DUCKETS DO NOT MIX

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Sunday, June 19, 2005

WHERE MY DADDY??

31 Years of not having a father & one would think by now that eye would be used to this. Over it. For the first time in 31 years, eye actually grieved over my loss. Usually, the day of recognition/remembrance comes & goes without even a long pause to face the absence. But this particular space was seemingly marked by gloom & loneliness. Even though my husband is the best father that eye have ever known...Even though my "Papa" has been consistent, always working hard to overcompensate for my void...even though my late Granny would always remind me to be happy with the love & attention that she had always shown as opposed to dwelling on the "negative"...even still, this year was different. Different is good. Right??? Right is relative. This feels like progress has been made within. To come out of denial is ALWAYS a good thing. But as my first therapist told me years ago, it's only past denial when things get REALLY funky.

Do eye wish that eye had a father? Yes. & eye say "had a father" because the truth of the matter is that eye do not. Eye used to say, "It's not that eye don't have a father, it's just that eye don't know him." Bullshit. EYE DO NOT HAVE A DAD FOLKS. NEVER HAD. & for the first time eye can admit that. For so long eye have carried this burden..as if eye were an evil child who did not deserve a equal start. Like maybe my baby spit up scared him off or something. Or like maybe he thought eye was a lazy person because eye slept all of the time in those early days. Over the years, eye have convinced self that this was a luxury to which eye was undeserving. Bull shit (eye say that as a Taurian accuracy & not profanity).

HI DAD
HI DADDY
HI POPPA
HI POP
IF YOU ARE READING THIS, DO NOT DISMISS AS FLIP-FLOP ANTICS. MUCH OF MY LIFE HAS BEEN A TRAVESTY DUE TO YOUR COWARDICE. EYE DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHY YOU ARE NOT HERE, BUT IF YOU ARE BREATHING THEN THE OPPORTUNITY IS YOURS. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL EYE BLOW UP. MY POPULARITY IS INCREASING EVERDAY. BUT, YOUR LOVE IS THE LACKING THAT WEIGHS ON MY SEEDS - A BASIC NEED. PLEASE HEED MY INVITE & EXCITE MY LIFE WITH YOUR PRESENCE. YOU HAVE 4 GRANBABIES THAT WANT TO KNOW YOU BEFORE THE ESSENCE. THAT IS, IF YOU ARE STILL ON EARTH. THANK YOU FOR MY BIRTH. THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME STRONG. TAKE THIS CHANCE TO RIGHT YOUR WRONG. WHEREVER YOU ARE...WHOEVER.

SINCERELY,
ORIANA LEE (JACKSON) FARRELL

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Monday, June 13, 2005

***EDITORIAL

***PEACE.

Howdy folks! Hopefully all is well!

Just a few days ago, I joined about 150+ women who were coordinated by the Office of Intercultural Affairs at Vanderbilt University to discuss the issues of race,religion & gender. Together, we viewed a film by Shakti Butler, “The Way Home” – what a powerful film!!!

We ate. We shared. We laughed. We cried. But most importantly, we joined as one unified voice in the name of humanity. What an overwhelming event to have this many different types of beautiful women from various cultures & social backgrounds gathered for a common purpose.

We at In The Know greatly value community togetherness & unity. We cross all demographics & smudge all socio-economic lines. We hope that the listings we compile help educate you about events that you may not have known about otherwise. Please take advantage of what the world of arts & entertainment has to offer in your area.Thank you for supporting our service.

Have a prosperous journey!

Oriana lee
Editor-in-chief
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DOCUMENTING BLACK HISTORY

This day, June 13, 2005, has been a historical day in Black history.

1. MICHAEL JACKSON VINDICATED
2. ANTI-LYNCHING APOLOGY RESOLUTION
3. "MISSISSIPPI BURNING" TRIAL JURY SELECTION

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Friday, June 10, 2005

INNER SPACE (IN HER SPACE)

It has been a loooooong time since eye have been hooked on an Internet service. Probably not since '95, during the genesis of the web explosion. But hey...the rules remain the same still this day.

It is bugging me out how many people are listed. It is a trip to see just how many people eye know are faithful users that have not bothered to even talk me into being a part of this networking movement. For the last 6 months prior to April, eye have ignored the "invites" that have periodically shown up in my inbox suggesting that eye join. For whatever reason, it just never even crossed my mind to check into it. Then, once eye did join, eye simply did what most "typical" people do. Eye registered my name, yet eye failed to do anything more to make myself accessible or marketable. But June has brought about a shift in circumstance.

Locating "friends" has honestly been more fun than eye have had in quite some time. & what's ironic to death is that sooooooo many of my friends & colleagues are in the mix. Where have eye been? Am eye just getting old? Is it that eye do not get out enough. It does feel as though the walls are coming in on me at times...

This thing is great...space & time are nots. This space between us is so much smaller than we sometimes recognize. & greater all the same.

Signing off...

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Thursday, June 9, 2005

SHARE SPACE WITH ME

For a while eye have been signed up to the ever so popular, My Space.com, but only last night did it officially become a vice in my life. Dwight hooked me up with all of the necessary details for my profile, and Oriana lee is more than just a name with a pending photo. What fun! So many of my industry & personal friends are already a part. You know it's not like me to be all late getting up on something. Hit me up:



Check me out!


Get ready for the weekend: www.writehanded.com/listings.html

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Monday, June 6, 2005

IN THE KNOW EDITORIAL

So...how’s everything? All is well here, for the most part. Hopefully, things willget much better due to the breadth of this week’s listings. Traditionally, we have focused on arts & entertainment specific events. But as a part of offering a complete service, we realize that it is in our best interest to touch on as many aspects of daily life as possible. Considering that, we have added listings that may prove to be beneficial for a number of reasons.

Our hosting server has also changed, which has contributed to a great number of quirks & glitches, but know that we appreciate you all hanging in there with us. If you have not yet reconfirmed your subscription, we now ask that you do so. Due to this change, last week’s mailing was delayed. We do not anticipate any more problems, so we hope to now move forward with the consistency that you have come to expect of In The Know.

Please get out & experience the offerings of your locale. Plan well. Expect great things to happen to those of you who are willing to make things happen.Thank you for your continued support!

Thursday, June 2, 2005

"R U ACTING WEIRD?"/"R U ACTING FUNNY?"

Please reconfirm your subscription to IN THE KNOW. Sure - its an extra step which some of you may consider a hassle, but just for me this one time. This server business is becoming slightly annoying. It s time for me to change hosts, I think. Always some glitch with my current provider. A friend of ours has become rich from hosting "sites". We should probably go & fool with some of his p>business. Anyway, in the meantime, we will make the best of the situation. Please click the link folks. It will take just a second to complete.

Why do we act so strange over the nothings in life? Some of the simplest circumstances bring out the most neglected emotional behavior. Most of us are terribly dysfunktional & have no clue even. It tickles me when people speak of the "dysfunctional family", as though they are not an extension of one themselves. The lies that we tell our self...

Speaking of...

Is anyone else a fan of the 2nd Kelli Price record? Chord explosion!!!
"The musicians...they just dumpdumpdumpdumpdumpdudump."
Much of the content is simplistic, but the music makes all the difference. Trust me. Givin' it a spin right now...

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