I Knowledged 120 Thirty-One Years Ago on September 30th, 1995

     Thirty-one years ago on September 30th, 1995, I knowledged 120 lessons at the age of 20. Since that time, I’ve done my best to positively embody the principles and values of the Five Percent. My commitment to that work, sense of integrity, and direct action has enabled me to represent this culture locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. By default, this global visibility has garnered a lot of attention. Attention that I never sought and still don't seek. In the process, I began to understand that for many of us, this territory is an uncharted terrain. So, I’ve also been intentional about showing others how to competently navigate these spaces "coming in the name..." with authenticity, grace, and confidence.   

      With my lived experience, much has changed over the years in regard to how I understand and apply 120. It should! If we are looking at a lesson (degree) today the same way that we looked at it ten, five, and even a year ago, that is mental stagnation. We clearly haven't grown in that area of our lives. If we haven't grown, we also haven't contributed to the growth and development of those around us. 

     I didn't gain Knowledge of Self because Five Percenters looked, dressed, and used cool slang. I didn't seek 120 to be the smartest person in the room, to intellectually bully people, or to boost my low self-esteem. The work of Allah (The Father) around youth advocacy and community outreach is what impressed me the most. Seeing folks use Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet to razzle and dazzle people didn't move me and it still doesn't move me. My question is, "What you actually doing in life?" I am much more interested in how we are using our principles and values to improve our quality of life, the quality of life of others, and make tangible contributions that improve our communities and society as a whole. In the thirty-one years that I've been living this culture I've learned that many of us are not interested in that. At all. As difficult as it is, I'm also learning how to accept that. I do not accept the apathy or indifference towards growth and development, I mean learning to accept not expecting anything beyond where a person is at. If they choose to add-on beyond that, it is their choice. I am just not obligated to stand around and wait for that to happen, which could feel like trillions of years. This is why I specifically used the phrase "direct action" when it comes to representing Five Percent culture or any culture for that matter. Direct action is using our own resources, ability, and influence to reach goals instead of asking others to do it for us. This does not mean that we should not ask for help, be anti-collaborative, or against advocating for a common cause. It means that my formula for successful undertakings is to do it myself and only include those who are seriously committed to doing the work. Too much time has been lost, and continues to be lost, getting together in ciphers to build about people not building, why we need to build, how we used to build, and what we need to build today in order to be builders. All of this happens while nothing gets built, and cycle continues. I think what is central to this is waning competency to acknowledge and practically apply 120.

     My foundation was 120. When I got Knowledge of Self, my Enlightener (Educator) didn't just hand me the History of the Five Percenters, The Enlightener, What We Teach, Twelve Jewels, or even Supreme Mathematics. My studies began in the area of the hard sciences (physics, biology, astronomy, etc.), philosophy, social sciences, archeology, and history. I was then given one lesson at a time to study and memorize in the midst of my studies, which gave me context. It was during this process of getting 120 that I learned the application of Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet in real time. I wasn't given Supreme Math or the Alphabet on a sheet of paper with basic definitions. I eventually saw Xeroxed copies of them at a later date. 120 represents 6 of the 8 points on our Universal Flag; Student Enrollment (1-10), Lesson #1 (1-14), English C Lesson (1-36), Lesson #2 (1-40), Actual Facts, and Solar Facts. As a percentage, 6/8th's is 75% or the majority of the content that we learn about the principles and values of the Five Percent. Supreme Mathematics is only one point on our Universal Flag, 1/8th, or 12.5% of that contact. Supreme Mathematics tell us absolutely nothing about the meaning of civilization or the duty of a civilized person, what is a real devil, believing the 10% on face value, and a number of other things they we learn in 120. In 120 there are approximately 100 characters (Doctor, Little Boy, Musa, Mother, etc.), 60 geographic locations (India, West Asia, Africa, North America, etc.) and 40 objects (Coat, Gold, Steel, Shield, etc.). We learn different dimensions of our planet such as it's 196,940,000 square miles; 57,255,000 sq. miles of land, 139,685,000 sq. miles of water and 790,613,581,824,000,000 sq. inches in total. We also learn that our Earth is one among other planets, in a solar system, and their distances from a central star called the Sun. Learning all of this, and much more throughout the years, I was baffled when I began to hear people make statements like, "My culture is Supreme Mathematics", "120 is muslim (must-learn) lessons", and "We only need Supreme Math." When I received Knowledge of Self, knowledging 120 was the standard. When you met another Five Percenter in the 1990s it was common to ask and be asked, "How do you see today's degree?" Nowadays it's different. In many modern-day ciphers I often never hear someone ask that question. 

     Times are changing. The oversaturation of social media, growing shortened attention spans, and A.I. induced cognitive surrender has created a psychological and socioeconomic landscape unlike anything that we have ever seen before. This is the challenging space that our present generation must navigate to acquire 120 and gain Knowledge of Self. An environment where bookstores are literally closing and short-form videos, text posts, and podcasts are most people's main source of "education." Long gone are the days of young people being patient enough to listen to someone older sitting on a stoop and then being compelled to go to the public library to find books in their card catalogue to do some research. I'm sure that it still happens, just not like it happened in the 90's. Even in all of this, some folks are still finding a way to learn. The folks that find me to learn, and the numerous emails, DMs, and messages that I receive from people around the world seeking enlightenment is the proof. Times are changing yet we ultimately determine if that change is for the better, or the worst, regardless of the present-day psychological and socioeconomic landscape. 120 lessons, in addition to Supreme Mathematics and the Supreme Alphabet, has been my blueprint for last thirty-one years. That has undoubtedly been the key to my success.

Peace,

Saladin, #AtlantisBuild

Family Dynamics and our CQ [Cultural Quotient]?

Prom Night, 1993

 

     Anyone who has read my writings, listened to my interviews or personally interacted with me knows that I often talk about my upbringing. More specifically, I talk about my Ole Earth [Mother] being a Social Psychologist and how that experience helped shape part of my identity. The older I became the more I realized how uncommon it was to hear, "study their family dynamics" as a teenager when I shared with her my interest in a girl. I was a teenager and had no idea what studying family dynamics meant or how it was done. There wasn't a road map. It took years of experience, and the development of my executive brain function, to begin understanding this. Prior to this, I looked at a girl as an individual without studying how her ideas, interactions, behaviors, influences and relationships with her family helped shape her identity. Yes, I would casually recognize when she didn't have a relationship with her father, the kind of diet she had, what her family's social economic status was, what her interests were, and her comfort level with intimacy. I didn't try to unpack all of that and took it on face value. I remember my parents prompting me to 'think deeper' about the girls that I was interested in by sharing commentary about their family, asking questions that revealed their family dynamics, and directly engaging them when they visited our home. I wasn't really interested in that. Like with my own upbringing, I simply took her upbringing for granted and didn't look too far beyond her as an individual. As I grew beyond my teenage years and entered college, I really began to recognize the impact of our family dynamics. 

    I am a middle child of seven children. My home environment was a hodge podge of social commentary, musical instruments, board games, family meals, outings, sports, community engagement, and a Pan-African flag. I grew up around African artifacts, books like a DSM-III-R [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders], Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, and Khalil Gibran's Spirits Rebellious. We watched films like Dolemite, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, Shaka Zulu, The Spook Who Sat by The Door and had family discussions afterwards. My family used The Book of Questions like a party game, which enabled my parents to see and respond to ideas that my siblings and I were entertaining and bringing into our household. My Ole Earth would literally take those of us who were closest in age "people watching", where we go to a public space such as a mall or a park just to observe, analyze, and comment on people. She was sharping our critical observation and deductive reason skills. Looking back, it feels like I grew up in a kind of laboratory. However, it wasn't some sterile, cold, all-white LED lit environment. It was a culturally rich courageous space where ideas about our identity and the world were constantly examined, tested and studied. It was not perfect, it was productive. These were just some of the influences within my immediate home environment that I am still learning to process and unpack. As I began to study my genealogy, other layers of my family dynamics began to reveal themselves, giving me an even deeper understanding of who I am. In this process, I've also come to realize that many people are not intentional about studying family dynamics. I wasn't intentional like that, even though I had all kinds of resources available to me. 

"Without knowing how some of our life experiences anchor our identity, it is difficult to understand their psychological, social, physical, and financial impact     in, on, and around our lives."   

   Our family dynamics help shape who we are, for better or for worst. It's the forces that define our family. These forces are the role that we play in our family, the rules that we learn to live by, our boundaries, how we communicate, and the way that power is defined and distributed. I've met dark-skinned Black men who truly believe that they don't see color, yet they only date Caucasian women with blond hair and blue eyes. What in their family dynamics and their experiences helped inform that decision? I've also known women who held their happiness hostage because they struggled with the Intimacy vs Isolation idea of "Will I be loved, or will I be alone?" What in their family dynamics and their experiences helped inform that decision?

     One of my biggest challenges has been in the area of EQ or Emotional Intelligence. Many years into adulthood I realized that I never learned how to use words to identify and communicate my emotions. Sounds wild huh? Well, many males don't. Why else do you think women share the same story that, "He shuts me out and doesn't talk to me." Many of us never learned how. Literally! We never learned to recognize and express what we are feeling is called disappointment and not anger, anxious and not fear, frustration and not rage. All we really learn is happy and mad, and as males we are not allowed to be sad... or too happy. Even in the household where I grew up in with an emotionally intelligent Ole Dad who never apologized or hide his face when he cried, I still never learned how to identify and communicate with words how I feel. Whenever he and my Ole Earth had a conflict, he would simply turn around and walk out. Not out of our family's life, out of the house. Once he calmed down, he would return later on. He would not stand there and communicate how he felt, especially to a woman who had the wisdom of The Oracle from The Matrix and a Richard Pryor sense of humor. When my Ole Dad would return after cooling off, and if my Ole Earth was in the wrong, she would never apologize or acknowledge that in front of the family. She would simply show him she was apologetic by offering him a casual hug, a light-hearted kiss, and joking conversation. My Ole Dad never immediately engaged or embraced this and it always took him time to recalibrate his system and get back to a sense of peace. That's what I learned. Because I've never been married, when I walked off, a woman may never have a conversation with me again if I felt that strongly about the conflict. Sometimes this was appropriate and saved me a life of misery. Most of the time my reaction was bullsh*t. It was my inability to communicate how I felt and not having a deeper commitment to working things out. My inability to communicate was expressed as indifference and an unwillingness to further engage. Some males express this inability to communicate in different ways, and it's usually expressed through sex and/or violence; with their d*cks and/or fists. Me saying, "f*ck it" by walking off is a variation of males saying "I'mma f*ck you/f*ck somebody else" and/or "I'mma f*ck you/f*ck somebody else up." All of these expressions are rooted in not identifying what we are feeling, learning the words to communicate this, and being positively received when we actually do. 

   When I realized this and began doing the work to learn how to effectively communicate, I also began to see that some women have never been with men like this. I've been in relationships with women who I did not know how to effectively communicate with. I've also been in relationships with women who simply did not know how to effectively communicate with me. One time it took me three days to write and send a text message to a woman expressing how I felt about a conflict that we had. In the past, I would have been a ghost; leaving her with our memories as context clues to figure out what happened between us. This was different and I was in a different space. I was intentional about communicating and vulnerable enough to trust her with my feelings. I proudly sent that text message only to receive an almost auto-reply text that felt like I was Frankie Williams in Piper's Pit. For some dudes, they would have used that experience as an excuse to never be vulnerable again. Not me. I looked at it for what it was, that love is an inner and outer journey that can be painful, also promising, and always insightful. While that experience hurt, it did not discourage me to give up on love. In fact, I got engaged sometime after that to the love of my life. 

   Most of us are familiar with IQ which represents our Intelligence Quotient. It is a standardized test that measures our cognitive abilities or how smart we are. EQ is our Emotional Quotient, which measures how we understand and manage our emotions. CQ is our Cultural Quotient. CQ is our ability to understand and navigate diverse cultural environments and interact with people from various cultural backgrounds. It is an intelligence that is cognitive and emotional. While our CQ can be measured using standard questionnaires, the real test of our cultural intelligence is evident in our life. When we look at the results of how we live, that is how we are graded. Every day you can see social media content of someone doing something that shows that they don't have a clue how to navigate diverse cultural environments and interact with people from various cultural backgrounds. Whether that is a Facebook post from someone denigrating people that they want financial support from or a video of a racist being chased off for showing up at a Black Awards Show with a sign saying, "Black Parents Are Failures." Studying our family dynamics and the family dynamics of others helps improve our CQ. It enables us to better understand ourselves, the culture we were raised in, how to navigate diverse cultural environments and interact with people from various cultural backgrounds. 

    Without question, there existed a culture in our household. Regardless of what we choose to call ourselves, be it Christian, Muslim, Moor, Five Percenters, Black, etc., there were cultural influences that defined our family and how we view family today. Those influences were/are the role that we play in our family, the rules that we learned to live by, our boundaries, how we communicate, and the way that power was/is defined and distributed in those relationships. When we lack CQ, this cultural tone-deafness or lack of awareness is evident in our people activities, especially in our relationships. That includes those of us who live the culture of the Five Percent and how we relate to one another. As men within the Five Percent, it's important to ask ourselves how do we 'cee' the Moon in our Universal Flag that the number 7 is superimposed over. In what ways can superimposition obstruct one's view? What wisdom does this Moon symbolize, as it relates to the life of a woman without children? What role does our EQ play in processing and unpacking questions like this? Simply looking at our 'universal flag' has implications for our how we view our 'universal family'. There is a psychological, social, and financial impact of not realizing that we are looking at these celestial bodies, the Sun, Moon and the Stars, from the vantage point of our terrestrial home; the Earth. Because we are clearly witnessing these objects and their relationships from our planet, how does this inform and define the family dynamics in our home? What role does our IQ play in all of this? When we learn that "the Earth belongs to the Original Man?" in the first lesson in our 1-14, does 'belong' mean ownership (The Earth is the possession of the Original Man), membership (The Earth is a part of the Original Man), or both? How are these perspectives demonstrated within our language, our lessons, and our customs? In what ways can these perspectives positively or negatively influence the gender roles that we play, the rules that we live by, our boundaries, how we communicate, and the way that power [control] is defined and distributed in our relationships? How do these and other questions ultimately affect our Five Percenter CQ? 

     It's important to understand that the family we were born into is a training ground for our relationships and the family that we choose or don't choose to create. This foundational experience that we were born into informs and influences the experiences that we choose or don't choose to have today. We may be aware of some of those experiences and how they affect(ed) us. There are other experiences that we've had, and we don't know how they affect(ed) us. Sometimes we may need a therapist to help recall, process, and unpack these experiences. All of the time it's up to us to do something about it to improve our personal quality of life, and the quality of our relationships. This also requires a level of courage, to be vulnerable enough, to grow.

Peace,

Saladin, #AtlantisBuild

Is Knowledge and Understanding one and the same?

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada commemorative plaque
for Chloe Cooley that I helped create.
-National Historic Site, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario-

 

     People who learn about the culture of the Five Percent come into this knowledge in different ways. Whether that is through a family member, friend, associate, or social media nowadays. Some people are initially given history about our founder Father Allah and the First 9 Born. Others are given that history including history of the Gods in Medina (Brooklyn). Some are simply handed Supreme Mathematics. Others are given all 120 lessons at once. I've also known people who were told to memorize "What We Teach." That was not my experience. While I was loosely familiar with the Five Percenters through the Golden Era Rap Music that I was listening during the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, I wasn't formally introduced to the Five Percent culture until I went away to college.  

    I met my Five Percent Enlightener/Educator Raheem in the Spring of 1994 on the campus of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. It was my second year at CSU as a 19-year-old football recruit. We met one evening by our Student Center where I was waiting for a bus to go into town. After a brief interaction he told me to meet him by our school cafeteria the next morning and that is where our journey of Knowledge of Self began. When I arrived there early the next morning, he was already there. Then we walked to the library, where I worked my work-study job a few days a week. Upstairs he pulled out a book on Nihilism by Friedrich Nietzsche and one about Quantum Physics by Physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hakwing and found a table to sit at. We were there building about cosmology, self-creation, the indigeneity of Black people, epistemology and etc. until the library closed that night. We didn't even take a lunch break. My expectation was to learn Five Percent culture which required me getting "the lessons", Supreme Mathematics, and etc. This is not what happened. At all. Confused, frustrated, and discouraged, he walked me back to my dorm room after spending the entire day discussing what I thought was a waste of time. Once we got to my floor, he went over to the pay phone, made a call, spoke briefly, and then handed me the phone. It was his Enlightener/Educator, Life. Life introduced himself and then went full speed into building about what I had just began to learn at the library. As he spoke, I could feel myself shrinking, feeling more and more unsure about if this was what I wanted to learn. It sounded like he was speaking a foreign language, and I could not follow along. I stayed silent, listening, unsure about what to even ask for clarification. The pace of the conversation made it difficult to process. It seemed like another hour had gone by and when he finally got off the phone with me, I couldn't tell you anything that was just said. I was lost! Seeing this and my sincerity to learn, Raheem reassured me about the journey ahead and not to be discouraged. It took time, patience, and walking with Raheem to develop the competency, confidence and conscientiousness to teach this culture.  

    Raheem was from North Philly and enrolled at Central State over a year before I arrived there. When we met, he wasn't enrolled that Spring Semester in 1994, yet he still voluntarily attended classes such as sociology, physics and etc. Imagine that! He wore a black eyepatch from a childhood incident where he lost an eye. He had an I.B.M tat on his hand between his thumb and pointer finger, was able to speak Arabic, and he carried around a cloth chess board with plastic game pieces in a Ziploc bag. In addition to attending classes, he was training to become a chess master and studied masters like Bobby Fisher and Gary Kasparov. He was literally a genius hiding in plain sight. 

    My journey of Knowledge of Self began academically and in an academic environment. As I studied various sciences of life, I was slowly given one lesson at a time. A lesson was recited to me, and I would eventually write it down from memory. When I would return home during our trimester school breaks, I was never given any additional lessons. I was told to study the lessons that I already had, and that we would continue my studies when I returned back to school. I was never given Supreme Mathematics or the Supreme Alphabet on sheets of paper; I learned them and part of their applications through lived experience. Once I gained a basic understanding of what these principles and qualities meant, I begin to formally write them down. Nineteen months later on September 30th, 1995, I finished knowledging (learning to recite) all 120 lessons. That was thirty years ago. At this point in my journey, I've had Knowledge of Self longer than I haven't had it. During this time, I've realized that there is a difference between people who have learned our Five Percent cultural curriculum through Semantic Memory and those who have learned it through Episodic Memory. Let me explain.

Semantic Memory and Episodic Memory

    Semantic Memory is like a storage cabinet of general facts. Semantic Memory is non-sensory and represents things like the names of people, objects, words, and places. It enables us to mentally catalog information and recognize patterns. Episodic Memory is like a time machine that enables us to relive moments and share specific events that are personal to us. Episodic Memory is sensory, such as recalling what the love of our life looked like when we first met, how it smelled visiting certain place in the Spring, or describing the taste of a favorite dish at a restaurant. Both forms of memory are necessary. Semantic Memory is about quantity and Episodic Memory is about quality. Semantic Memory is like knowledge and Episodic Memory is like understanding. The bridge between the two, or wisdom, is known as Autobiographical Memory. Autobiographical Memory enables us to share the age and time that we were in love, the person's name we were in love with and other details about this experience. It is "the way" that objective facts/information draws a clear mental picture, and our ability to communicate that.

    Over the years of having Knowledge of Self and learning the cultural curriculum of the Five Percent, I've found that some people only have a Semantic Memory of what they learned. While some people did use their Episodic Memory of Supreme Mathematics to explain how these principles apply to their life, many did not have the same ability with 120 lessons. They could recite our Student Enrollment by heart, but they had a hard time putting into context and communicating how these lessons directly applied to their life. When asked about different populations and their useful land, they had a hard time seeing how these demographics and land usage in North America (United States, Canada, Mexico, some Caribbean Nations) and all over the planet Earth directly impacted the resources, socioeconomics and political landscape where they lived. They could tell you the exact square miles of the planet Earth, yet they couldn't connect a personal experience to those miles or when, where, what, how and why that was even important. In most instances I've simply seen people add up 196,940,000 square miles to the number 2 and then give some impersonal non-autobiographical explanation about being wise, simply because the number 2 is wisdom in our Supreme Mathematics. This lack of understanding showed me that people were just obtaining information, not gaining awareness/knowledge, and that information was not transferable through wisdom. 

   When I got knowledge in the mid-1990s, there was a negative anti-intellectual stigma sometimes associated with those of us who gained Knowledge of Self in an academic environment. Sometimes we were called those "Digable Planet" Gods and Earths as a so-called insult, because of our cool beatnik-like intellectual demeanor. Some Five Percenters felt like some of us weren't street enough and this attitude still exists in some ciphers today. If some fashioned themselves as warriors, some of us were seen as statesmen/stateswomen and scientists. In time I began to understand that this wasn't always personal. In the early days of the Five Percent Nation, the pursuit of higher education was often rejected by some Five Percenters who considered it believing in the teachings of the 10%, "the white man's education" and "being under the government." For many Five Percenters, the path of academic achievement was closed, equated with evil, and those who pursued it were often ridiculed. It took one of our ridiculed pioneers, UM-Allah, to attend and graduate from college with a master's degree in the 1970s to show and prove the real value of higher education to others. In time, others eventually began to follow suit. Yet the sneering among others never ceased. 

   I didn't learn this culture in a vacuum or an environment with limited experiences. As a newborn, I learned how our lessons, Supreme Mathematics, and Supreme Alphabet applied in a library, in a college classroom, around campus, off campus, in Southwestern Ohio, and back home in Western New York. This variability gave me an opportunity to literally see the culture in different ways, in different settings, around different people, and using different modalities. Each experience created a different Episodic Memory for me and enabled me to see the culture beyond a Semantic Memory and single context. The culture became a part of my Autobiographical Memory that I was able to communicate. This is different than a person learning this culture in a neighborhood that they rarely left or a controlled environment that they were not legally allowed to leave. It looks, sounds and feels different. It's the difference between sharing a personal story about awareness and gaining knowledge compared to someone just religiously repeating that knowledge is the foundation and the ability to look, listen, observe and respect. I've met people who knowledged 120 lessons in less than a month, moving swiftly from one degree to the next. Yet in that short time there were also fewer opportunities to experience those lessons across a variety of contexts. That learning process lacked variability. Fewer experiences also meant a widened gap between what they knew and what they actually understood within those lessons. This led to an obvious challenge with how to apply the principles, values, insights and procedures that could be learned within these lessons. For example, the first 10 lessons in the 1-14 teach us principles, values, insights and procedures how to deal with evil or immorality. This is something that one could not learn if they only had Supreme Mathematics because they do not explicitly or implicitly explain evil or immorality. 

What does this mean?

     We, as Five Percenters, traditionally claim to be universal and that our home is the planet Earth. As Gods, we also say that Allah is Lord of ALL Worlds. In theory, this is true. Yet far too often, many of us have not and are not seeking to experience the variability that expands our knowledge, wisdom and understanding of our culture. The United States is a little more than 1% of the planet Earth's square mileage yet many Five Percenters don't even explore this country. This restricts our opportunities to see the culture in different ways, in different settings, around different people, and using different modalities. This also limits our ability to conceptualize the lived experiences of those who have experienced this culture beyond a Semantic Memory and single context. How universal can we really be with these restrictions and limits? Are we truly able to teach knowledge and wisdom to all the human families of the planet Earth when our world is only a city block, the neighborhood or social media? Do some of us actually fear representing our culture in spaces beyond our comfort zone? These are some of the questions that I ponder as I continually access global opportunities to represent Five Percent culture in different ways, in different settings, around different people, and using different modalities. I am always inspired when I see Five Percenters doing positive impactful work. I will that my work also continues to inspire others to do positive impactful work, through expanding their knowledge, wisdom and understanding of Five Percent culture, especially our youth. This requires us to not just think outside of the box but not to box ourselves in from opportunities to experience our way of life in different ways, in different settings, around different people, and using different modalities. 

Peace, 

Saladin #AtlantisBuild

America's 250th: Are You Patriotic Enough?

"Soiling Old Glory" April 5th, 1976

 

     Even though the first recorded ships carrying enslaved African people to the North American Caribbean occurred in the early 1500s, August 20th, 1619, is marked as the date that the Transatlantic Trade of Enslaved People began when the White Lion, commanded by Captain Jope, brought the first enslaved African people to the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia. This means that from August 20th, 1619 to July 4th, 1776 there were almost 8 generations of slavery on this land before America was born. When these Colonialists finally declared their independence from their European homeland on July 4th, 1776, slavery was not abolished. Slavery continued for another 4 generations until 250,000 enslaved Africans in Galveston, Texas finally got the news about the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation two years later on June 19th, 1865. Following Juneteenth came the Reconstruction Era and Jim Crow [American Apartheid] which continue to legally deny Black people's humanity, citizenship and our ability to participate in America society. This lasted another 5 generations, from June 19th, 1865 to the Fair Housing Act on April 11th, 1968. And since 1968, Black people have continued to face consistent forms of systemic injustice in the employment, medical, educational, economic, housing, criminal justice, and political fields. It is also important to mention that during this time there were 3 million card carrying members of the KKK in the early 1900s, lynchings, sundown towns, and other white vigilante groups created to terrorize and murder Black people who sought to exercise citizenship rights. 

What does this mean? 

   Without counting the 157 years or almost 8 generations of slavery on this land before America was born, Black people have been legally defined as inhuman property, 3/5th's of a human being, non-citizens, and an underclass for 192 years of America's 250-year existence; from July 4th, 1776 to April 11th, 1968. 192 years means that 76% of the time that America has existed, Black people have had the transgenerational experience of non-citizenship. The First and Second Great Migrations in the early and mid 1900s was an exodus out of these Southern conditions, only for Black people to be met with the same discriminatory politics and policies in the North. American politics and policies that Adolf Hitler studied and wrote about in Mein Kampf as inspiring the Nazi ideology. Considering all of this, how can we commemorate 250 years of American history while minimizing, ignoring, or trying to erase the fact that millions of Black people have been legally denied freedom in America for 192 of those years? 

     Some people would accuse me of being unpatriotic for laying out this American timeline. For me, I am not sure what people claim is great about America along this timeline, when considering the experience of Black people. I also don't know what needs to be done to make America great "again." When I've asked folks these questions, I never get an answer or even an era that they're talking about which includes the experiences of Black people. Is it the era of the Antebellum South? What about the time of the Great Depression? Maybe the turbulent 1960s or the crack-era 1980s? Now don't get me wrong, when you don't have to think about enslaver breeding plantations, white people using black babies as alligator bait, Black men being murdered for voting, entire Black towns getting burned to the ground, Black caricatures in film, television, literature and radio, a pregnant Black woman getting lynched and other traumatic experiences, we as Black folks have created joy. Everything that we have culturally created in America is superimposed over the backdrop of legally sanctioned white domestic terrorism. Whether that is the creation of Invisible Institutions, the Underground Railroad, Hip Hop, bean pies, AAVE, Black Dandyism, and etc., all of it is rooted in some form or collective freedom. 

     Many people believe that America is a white Christian nation that we all need to be proud of and thankful for being here. I never felt patriotic about this country my entire life. My parents never bought me red, white and blue outfits nor did I wear these colors as an adult. When I grew up my family never flew the American flag on our house or car, and I never looked up at this flag with tears welling up in my eyes with my hand over my heart while someone sang the national anthem. I never felt included, even as a kindergartener. I never had an experience that made me feel beyond a shadow of a doubt that when I hear the word "American" that this includes me and my people. I am sure some of you, perhaps many of you, felt and feel the same as I. When I see political rallies, holiday celebrations and people put on Lee Greenwood's God Bless America, nothing about that song or the video (see above) moves me. Many of my family members felt and feel the same way, including those who served in the military. Yes, there are Black folks who are just as patriotic as any red-blooded white American. For many of us, we have traditionally participated in American autoerotic celebrations from afar; repurposing the 4th of July into family barbecues with seasoning, Donny Hathaway's This Christmas, Easter into a Spring church fashion show, and New Year's Eve into Watch Night. I always instinctively understood that the generations of my people who were born in and lived in America, never experienced the full rights of American citizenry. If they were proud of anything it was their pride in overcoming almost insurmountable odds stacked against them. Nowadays more people are starting to understand this feeling. They are waking up to the reality that the patriotism many Americans embrace originates in the violence of "Patriots” against those who were/are not deemed citizens or even human. They are realizing that the American Flag is less about personal pride and more akin to waving a Jolly Roger Flag as a symbol of warfare and intimidation. They are also learning that July 4th is a colorful celebration of violent military conquest and how "fire worked" [fireworks] in the form of cannons [“bombs bursting in air”] to kill "their enemies." None of this, included the present-day U.S. Department of War, is rooted in peace.

     In closing, the 250th to me is not all about only discussing the historical oppression of my people and how this country still has a long way to go. That is part of it because some people seem to forget that millions of people were killed to take this land that millions of others were brought here to work for free. You cannot possibly know where you a going if you don't know where you've been. For me, this is also a time to reflect upon the joy, contributions, achievements, and resilience of my people in-spite of the systemic generational challenges that we have faced in America. I will never relent in sharing these stories of my people, whether it is good, bad, ugly or beautiful. I will continue to tell the truth, whether people feel cozy or uncomfortable. Part of that mission is to help ensure that today's children are nurtured, respected, loved, protected and educated to become positive,  productive, compassionate adults. They are the link to our future, and it is important that they are equipped with the knowledge and wisdom to understand their role and responsibility in creating it. 

Peace,

Saladin, #AtlantisBuild

Historic! NYS Governor Signs Harriet Tubman Byway Into Law

Pictured (l-r): Third row -Josh Poole, Sage Hazarika | Second row: Nikita Jankowski, Jasiah Jackson, Char Rivera, Ally Spongr DeGon, Senator April Baskins, Sara Capen, Saladin Allah | First row: Xochi Jankowski, Noble Jankowski, Anusha Quanaah, Nevaeh Everett, Governor Kathy Hochul, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Stokes' granddaughter

New York becomes home to its first state-designated Underground Railroad byway, a 176.76-mile route from Auburn to Niagara Falls honoring Harriet Tubman and Freedom Seekers — the first phase of a planned 550-mile border-to-border heritage corridor connecting Maryland to Canada.

   On Saturday June 13th, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation officially designating Phase 1 of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway (HTURB) as part of New York's Scenic Byway System, enacting Senate Bill S9057A and Assembly Bill A10194A. The signing took place in Buffalo to kick off the 2026 Buffalo Juneteenth Parade and marks the first official designation of the 176.76-mile heritage corridor connecting 22 sites significant to Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad, and Freedom Seekers across eight counties from the City of Auburn to Niagara Falls. The Governor was joined for the signing by Senator April Baskin, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, and was surrounded by members of the HTURB team — including Ally Spongr DeGon, Sage Hamilton-Hazarika, and Saladin Allah — whose work helped bring the designation to fruition. Following the signing, the HTURB team walked alongside the Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller in the Buffalo Juneteenth Parade to its conclusion. 

“On the 50th anniversary of Buffalo’s Juneteenth celebration, there could not be a more fitting time to sign the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway into law. I thank Governor Hochul for her support of this legislation, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes for sponsoring this bill in the Assembly, and Saladin Allah and Lillie Wiley-Upshaw, two Western New York leaders in African American history preservation whose years of advocacy helped make this designation possible. I would also like to uplift the hard work of the New York State Department of Transportation, which spent years working diligently to shape this worthy piece of legislation. This byway honors Harriet Tubman, the Freedom Seekers who traveled through New York, and the communities that risked everything to help them. It formally recognizes that the road to freedom ran through our state and will create new opportunities for heritage tourism, local businesses, and economic development. When people travel these roads, they will see visible reminders that freedom, courage and resistance traveled them first.” -Senator April Baskin

“Harriet Tubman’s life is a study in leadership, determination and the universal concepts of liberty and freedom. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, it is important to remember and to celebrate people who exemplify the ideals this nation was founded on. Harriet Tubman, without a doubt, is one of those people. Now Ms. Tubman’s legacy is further ingrained here in New York State with the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. I thank my colleagues in the Assembly, Senate and Governor Hochul for getting this legislation passed and signed.” -Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes

“There is no state in the nation with a larger Underground Railroad footprint than the Empire State, and this legislation will highlight a network of important sites along a newly created byway honoring the legacy of the Underground Railroad and one of the fiercest freedom fighters in American history – Harriet Tubman – who ultimately called New York her home. Generations ago, the Underground Railroad carved a path through a divided continent and enabled thousands of enslaved people to gain their freedom. Through the creation of this new scenic byway, we honor the legacy of the men and women who made this dangerous journey, paving the way for a new birth of freedom for millions of African Americans.” -Governor Kathy Hochul

   With the bill now law, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) — in partnership with the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway Organization — will soon begin installing signage marking the route and connecting Underground Railroad landmarks across Central and Western New York. The route begins in Auburn, Cayuga County, passes through Seneca, Ontario, Wayne, Monroe, and Orleans Counties, then continues through Erie and Niagara Counties, and ends at Niagara Falls. The byway honors Harriet Tubman — who made her home in Auburn for 54 years (and where she’s buried), after escaping slavery and leading 70+ Freedom Seekers to liberty — and the broader Underground Railroad network that ran through New York State. Once fully implemented, the byway will bring visitors to well-known New York State landmarks such as the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, two National Historic Landmarks, and 14 National Park Service Network to Freedom sites. The scenic byway will also connect visitors to existing Black neighborhoods, businesses, and other sites, encouraging travelers to tour and support communities along the route. As needed and appropriate, additional interpretation — in the form of kiosks, exhibits, events, or experience centers — will enhance the visitor experience by connecting the traveler with the byway’s historical significance. Recreational activities along the byway, such as the Empire State Trail and Erie Canal, will further expand the diversity of experiences available to visitors.

 

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The eight Phase 1 counties already generate $5.67 billion in annual visitor spending, supporting more than 64,000 jobs. With the new byway, there is potential to increase that number. Maryland’s comparable Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway contributes $23 million in annual sales and supports 363 jobs. The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway generates $1.06 billion in total business sales and more than 6,500 jobs across four states. Cultural heritage travelers — the byway’s core audience — spend an average of $1,182 per trip.

 

THE ROAD AHEAD

With Phase 1 signed into law, HTURB — housed within the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area will begin implementing the Corridor Management Plan (CMP) in partnership with NYSDOT and the Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State (URCNYS). More than 100 volunteers and numerous organizations participated in creating the CMP and supporting the byway’s designation. Phase 2 will extend the byway from Auburn east through 14 additional counties to Manhattan and the New Jersey border, creating a contiguous 550-mile border-to-border corridor. Seventy-nine municipalities across Phase 2 counties have already passed resolutions of support. Phase 2 designation legislation is proposed for the 2027 legislative session. The long-term vision connects the New York Byway into a continuous multi-state route from Dorchester County, Maryland — Harriet Tubman’s birthplace — to St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, where Tubman guided Freedom Seekers to safety. Linking with the existing Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania Harriet Tubman byways, and the proposed New Jersey byway, the full corridor would become one of the most significant heritage travel routes in North America.

ABOUT The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway Organization is the independent governing body of the designated byway, housed within the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area (NFNHA). It oversees governance, stewardship, tourism development, and the corridor’s expansion to a full border-to-border route.

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway (HTURB) is now a New York State Scenic Byway spanning 550+ miles from Manhattan to Niagara Falls across 22 counties and more than 160 municipal jurisdictions. Phase 1, signed into law by Governor Hochul on June 13, 2026, designates 176.76 miles from Auburn to Niagara Falls across 8 counties and 22 heritage sites. The byway was initiated by the Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State (URCNYS) — a non-profit volunteer coalition of historians, tourism officials, heritage attractions, and descendants of Freedom Seekers, founded in 2015 — and has grown into its own independent organization, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway Organization, supported by URCNYS and administered by the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area. For more information, visit our Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway (HTURB) HERE or follow @tubmanbywayny.

What Happened to the Senate and Assembly Bills to "Save Allah School"?!

   In January of this year [2026], I shared two important articles about NYC Executive Orders 04 and 5, and Senate Bill S8655, as they all relate to our Allah School in Mecca; a city-owned parcel located at 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. That parcel is officially classified as a miscellaneous religious facility owned by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services [NYC DCAS]. If you have not read those articles, you can read them below:

Article: New Executive Order will require Allah School in Mecca to be inventoried and reviewed by July 1, 2026

Article: Senate Bill S8655 and Allah School in Mecca

Senator Cordell Cleare at the NYSABPRHAL's 55th Legislative
Conference in Albany, New York, February 13-15, 2026

    

   After my first article was published, some Five Percent community members began to share misinformation about a proposed Senate Bill S8655 and its relationship to Executive Orders 04 and 5. Senate Bill S8655 was introduced on January 7th by Senator Cordell Cleare of the 30th Senate District, one week after Mayor Mamdani's Executive Orders 04 and 5 became the law. Senate Bill S8655 sought to authorize the transfer ownership of 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services [NYC DCAS] to The Allah Youth Center in Mecca Inc. Most of the people who shared or commented on Senate Bill S8655 via social media did not understand how a bill becomes a law in New York State. They also didn't understand that any introduced Bill is simply a legislative "proposal" that does not supersede or override active Executive Orders that are signed into law by a Mayor or City Executive. Seeing this gap between knowledge and understanding, I published the second article to inform people about how the legislative process works here in New York State. In this second article I shared how an identical Senate AND Assembly Bill must be introduced into the State Legislature. When my second article was published there was no Assembly Bill. Two weeks later, on Thursday, February 12th, 2026, Assembly Bill A10232 was finally introduced by Assemblymember Jordan Wright of the 70th Assembly District. I was actually in Albany with State Lawmakers at that time for the NYSABPRHAL's 55th Legislative Conference. I was invited to speak on a Historic Preservation Panel sponsored by Senator Cleare, who sponsored Senate Bill S8655. That panel was moderated by Claudette Brady who is the Executive Director of Save Harlem Now!, an organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and celebrating Harlem’s [Mecca's] irreplaceable heritage. I also attended workshops and events with Assemblymember Wright, who sponsored Assembly Bill A10232, and other State Lawmakers. On Wednesday, March 4th I was back in Albany for the annual NAACP Advocacy and Lobby Day. 

NYS Legislators Contact Spreadsheet 

     When both Bills were introduced in the NYS Senate and Assembly in February, I spoke with an Allah Youth Center in Mecca, Inc. board member and offered my assistance in helping move this legislation forward. In addition to my political network and advocacy experience, that assistance included email attachments with compiled advocacy information which included a contact spreadsheet (see above) and template letter (see below) for Senate Bill S8655/Assembly Bill A10232. With the contact spreadsheet, Assemblymembers and Senators could be contacted in multiple ways to garner their support for the Bills. I also shared that in our New York State Legislature there are 150 Assemblymembers (103 are Democrat) 63 Senators (41 are Democrat). In order to pass Assembly Bill A10232 76 Aye votes are needed, and to pass Senate Bill S8655 32 Aye votes are needed. I was thanked for this information, told that it would be distributed, and I would be contacted if the board wanted me to add-on. Out of respect for the board who was leading this initiative, I did not do any independent advocacy work to garner support for Senate Bill S8655/Assembly Bill A10232 when I was in Albany among Lawmakers or speaking to them via phone or email.  

Advocacy Template Letter

     What is the current status of Senate Bill S8655/Assembly Bill A10232?

    As of today, the below screenshots show that there was no progress regarding advocacy for Senate Bill S8655/Assembly Bill A10232. Both Bills had no co-sponsors and remained inactive in their respective committees since Senate Bill S8655 was introduced by Senator Cleare on January 7, 2026 and Assembly Bill A10232 was introduced by Assemblmember Wright on February 12, 2026. 

 

In order to get to the Senate and Assembly Floors and placed on the Legislative Calendar for a vote, these Bills must first be voted out of their committees. As you can see above, both Bills were not voted out of their Cities committees or referred to the Ways and Means Committee and then to the Rules Committee. Below is the Legislative Calendar which shows that the last day that Senators and Assemblymembers met to pass Bills for the 2026 Legislative Session was June 4th.  These Bills also required a NYC Home Rule Request; a Resolution that requests that the New York State Legislature pass these Bills that only apply to NYC. That Resolution was never sponsored by 1 NYC Council member, co-sponsored by any of the 50 NYC Council member colleagues, or passed.

     What does this mean? June 4th was the last day for the Senate and Assembly to vote on Bills that have already been approved (voted Aye) in their committees. We did not secure a NYC Council Home Rule Request and Senate Bill S8655/Assembly Bill A10232 were not moved out of their Senate/Assembly committees and placed on the Legislative Calendar for a vote. Thus, Senate Bill S8655/Assembly Bill A10232 to Save Allah School both died in their respective Cities committees due to inaction, no co-sponsorship support, and the lack of advocacy on our part. Because these Bills died, these Bills will need to be re-sponsored, refiled, and reintroduced as brand-new legislation with a new Bill number in a future Legislative Session. Because there was no action taken, no co-sponsorship support from Lawmakers and our lack of advocacy, this is now an uphill battle. In New York State a little over 10% of Bills are actually signed into law, which is a very low success rate. Because all 63 Senate seats and 150 Assembly seats are also up for reelection this year, 2027 poses another challenge because next year there will be a different State Legislature, and political landscape, where new relationships will need to be built to move an initiative like this forward. 

    I get it. Many people, including members of the Allah Youth Center in Mecca, Inc. board, are probably unfamiliar with how the advocacy process works. I am continually learning how to navigate this landscape. The resources that I shared with an Allah Youth Center in Mecca, Inc. board member on February 19th was a basic advocacy roadmap. To start, direct advocacy support should have been shown to the NYC Council to get the Home Rule Request crafted/sponsored, co-sponsored and approved in the NYC Council. That didn’t happen. Senate Bill S8655 should have be shown by contacting the Cities 1 Committee Chair Senator Luis R. Sepulveda and other committee members to express our community's desire and the socioeconomic benefit for them to pass it in their committee. The Senate Cities 1 Committee meets Thursdays at 9:00am in room 124 CAP of the Legislative Office Building (LOB) in Albany. On the Assembly side, direct support for Assembly Bill A10232 should have been shown by contacting Assembly Cities Committee Chair Patrick Burke and other committee members to express our community's desire and the socioeconomic benefit for them to pass it in their committee. The Assembly Cities Committee meets Tuesdays at 9:30am in room 843 of the Legislative Office Building (LOB) in Albany. Once we were able to help move these Bills out of their committees, all State Legislators (63 Senators/150 Assemblymembers) should have been visited in-person, met with through virtual meetings, contacted by phone, sent [registered] postage mail and emailed to garner their co-sponsor support for Senate Bill S8655 and Assembly Bill A10232. These advocacy efforts would have been even more powerful if we were an organized Lobby Committee that had well-crafted, clear, uniform talking points and literature about the importance of supporting Senate Bill S8655 and Assembly Bill A10232. That advocacy work would have equally served as political leverage in our active engagement with the Mamdani Administration to garner municipal support and collaboration. 

   When I shared these resources one week after I learned that both Bills were now in their respective Cities committees, this gave us about five months to organize ourselves and advocate for this one common cause: GETTING THESE BILLS PASSED! I am not sure what happened during this time period. I don't know what the Allah Youth Center in Mecca, Inc. board's plan was or how they strived to take these Bills from knowledge to born. I don't even know if the resources that I shared were utilized. Whatever happened behind the scenes, it is publicly reflected in the actual status of these Bills that died. To say that I am disappointed, especially considering my experience, network and position that I am in to assist us, is an understatement. At no point did it cease being our responsibility to secure a NYC Council sponsor and Council co-sponsors to advance a Home Rule Request. At no point did it cease being our responsibility to secure Senate and Assembly Committee support and co-sponsors to advance our Bills. It was our responsibility to take the entire process from knowledge to born by supporting our duly elected public officials. 

    Now that this NYS Legislative Session has ended on June 4th and we did not secure a NYC Home Rule Request or advance our Senate and Assembly Bills, the Allah School still remains a vulnerable city-owned parcel of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services [NYC DCAS]. Next week on June 12th-14th, Five Percenters will come from far and wide to gather on this city property to celebrate ourselves at our Annual Show & Prove weekend. Brothers will stand in ciphers talking about how we are from a Tribe called Jabbar, debating power verzuz power refinement, and gossiping about ATF. We will sing The Enlightener and proudly say that Allah can't die, yet two important Bills to actually Save Allah's School would have just died in the NYS Legislature. In the midst of all of our celebration, willfully there will be some sobering builds AND commitments made to be more politically engaged to actually secure the future of our national headquarters and its mission. Because the Allah Youth Center in Mecca, Inc. board was responsible for this outcome, I would suggest restructuring that board to replace/add new Five Percent men AND women who actually have the experience and expertise to serve and successfully take initiatives like this from knowledge to born. This was clearly a terrain that the board was not the best knowers of and it cost us. Change should not be a problem, if we are truly about our nation. Some of us are simply not qualified to be in different positions, me included. There are certain positions I would never agree to be in or accept, knowing that others are more qualified than me. Keeping things the same will only produce the same results.  

Peace,

Saladin #AtlantisBuild