What is the future of Allah Youth Center in Mecca?

     For the last twenty years, I have had the opportunity to learn along the landscape of community building through successfully creating a variety of projects, programs, and initiatives and working in partnership with various organizations, institutions, and municipalities. I also ran for public office, have helped folks get elected, work as a machine inspector with the Board of Elections and I am a Human Rights Commissioner in my city who wrote its bylaws. It is important that I lead with this so that you know where my insights are coming from.

     Recently there was an update shared by a couple of brothers, Beloved and Bilal, regarding the status of our Allah School in Mecca. They met with Sid Davidoff on October 19th, 2022 in preparation for their meeting with Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Marie Torres-Springer on October 20th, 2022. The highlights of those meetings are as follows:

*The City of New York possesses the title to 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, the location of Allah Youth Center in Mecca. 

*Sid Davidoff asked those present at the meeting did they have a copy of the 99-year lease for 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd that Five Percenters have historically said Allah was given by the Lindsay Administration. They did not have this document, nor did New York City Government, and there is no record of its existence. 

*The only documentation that was found regarding 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd was an outdated month-to-month lease dated July 1967.

*Beloved said that Sid Davidoff, not New York City Government, stated that the 99-year lease did not matter and that the Five Percenters were the "defacto owners" because it has always been everyone's vision and understanding that you would hold that site as a school. So Davidoff advised the group to go into the meeting with the Mayor's Office and tell the city what we wanted and request a transfer of land as a part of the development deal.

*Davidoff also shared that there were other Five Percenters with different plans for the site and encouraged us to all be on one page.

*The group shared a presentation with the Mayor's Office regarding the history of the Five Percenters and their idea for developing the site.

     As Five Percenters we are supposed to live according to our word is bond, and bond is life. That is not a City Government's policy nor its legal department's policy. So while the presentation sounded excellent, it legally means nothing to a municipality. Even if you were to get a signed MOA from a City Government, its legal department can still find a way to maneuver around it if it conflicts with a department's policy or a new administration comes into office. That new administration is not required to honor that. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is a written document describing a cooperative relationship between two parties wishing to work together on a project or to meet an agreed-upon objective. This serves as a legal document and describes the terms and details of the partnership agreement. Nothing was shared in this update about an MOA, just hope that we can rely on our history and that the current New York City Government will leave this prime real estate that they possess, alone. Another important part that was not discussed in detail was the actual budget for the development plan and the actual CAPITAL we have in our account to complete this project. However, it was shared that there will be a fundraising initiative spearheaded by Black Just, the brother of Carmelo Anthony. 

     While I commend the Gods for their will and concern to move us collectively forward, I think that it was premature to engage City Government with an idea, no economic development plan, and no CAPITAL to develop the city's prime real estate that we have no legal rights to. This meeting has now set into motion a timeline for the Five Percenters to demonstrate to the current New York City Government our commitment to completing a proposed development plan that doesn't even have a blueprint or CAPITAL. This also establishes a justification for the current New York City Government to remove us Five Percenters from their property if they feel as though we are not committed to developing this prime real estate. If some corporation, institution, or organization has a better development plan and the CAPITAL to complete that project, the current or future New York City Government has no legal obligation to the Five Percent. 

     From here it is important to understand that we, as the Five Percent, have officially put the current New York City Government on notice regarding our intention and the timeline that they expect us to establish. Here are a few things that I would suggest moving forward:

*Create an actual development plan and secure CAPITAL investors in 2023. 

*As Five Percenters, we are now officially on the city's economic and workforce development radar. Remove and do not post any Universal Parliaments online. The arguments that broke out, and the disorganization that was captured, after Beloved and Bilal shared their update should not be available to the public, which includes New York City Government. From this point forward it must be understood that the current New York City Government, and its partners, have a vested interest in developing the prime real estate located at 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd. Anything that Five Percenters say or do will be held against us as evidence of incompetence, not as adults trying to work it out.  

*According to public records, the total assessed value of 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd is only $186,300 -which is a steal for a major development company. The value of the building [Youth Center], which measures 1,200 square feet, is $69,300. The value of its land, which measures 12,490 square feet, is $117,000. Its current market value, or the actual price someone is willing to pay for this property, is $414,000. These figures help set a reasonable CAPITAL investment goal. Taking a development plan to the current New York City Government with CAPITAL investments that are less than the property's market value does not make business sense to that municipality. A multi-million-dollar project from a major development company does make business sense.

*Build a relationship with the current New York City Government. That requires more than having one meeting sharing an idea with no money. Be consistent about attending city meetings, functions, and initiatives. Be consistent about participating in meetings, functions, and initiatives. Learn the pulse and heartbeat of this administration.

*Strive to get the current New York City Government to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Five Percenters use and outlined development plan of 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd. If the current New York City Government is unwilling to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), that is your indication that they do not intend on honoring the Five Percenters' future use and development of 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd. The current New York City Government's unwillingness to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) also nullifies a "de facto" rule. In other words, someone could "de facto" be a parent because they behave like that... until someone has a court order.

     The only way forward is progress, and the only way to be progressive is to work together. A year ago I invested in an IP and strived to gift it to our nation. This not only enabled us to protect our cultural identity in the public domain but was a legal means to successfully secure immediate CAPITAL through license agreements and infringement suits against its illegal use. While some understood its value, some publicly spoke out against it. I took the initiative to secure this IP for us knowing that a day such as this would ultimately come; a time when our vision for a sustainable future and financial vulnerability would be completely exposed. Although I was disappointed that some of our nation members did not see the value of this gift, I remain hopeful that this will be realized in time. I just will that those who spoke the loudest, and had the most to say, will be the same ones to step forward and answer the call to legally secure the economic development future of Allah Youth Center for our nation. 

Peace,

Saladin

Saladin Allah Appears in United Nations World Campaign

November 30th to December 2nd, 2021 I had an opportunity to film a video feature with the United Nations Department of Global Communications as a contributor of their #FightRacism Campaign. This Campaign is in conjunction with the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade on March 25th, 2022. The #FightRacism Campaign marks the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA). The Durban Declaration was a document adopted by consensus at the 2001 World Conference against Racism (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa. This document proposes concrete measures to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance globally.

On August 9th, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution establishing a Permanent Forum of People of African Descent to provide expert advice on addressing the challenges of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance. The resolution adopted by consensus by the 193-member world body also called for the forum to serve as “a platform for improving the safety and quality of life and livelihoods of people of African descent” and their full inclusion in the societies where they live.

     In regards to this video feature the United Nations states:

 "Our lead character is educator, author and human rights advocate Saladin Allah, a descendent of Underground Railroad forerunner Josiah Henson, whose life was the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. As a visitor experience specialist at the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, Saladin is an expert storyteller who takes us on an unforgettable journey through African American history and reminds us that we all play a role in shaping the next generation. Only through education and historical truth-telling can we achieve recognition of past wrongdoing, and work toward a more just world."

Peace,

Saladin

Intellectual Property: How Protected Are We?

**This original article appears in the Culture Is Free publication HERE**

     It is an actual fact that the United States is the most "litigious society" in the world. Litigious means 'prone to engage in legal maneuvers or lawsuits.' Our disagreement with that statement does not change that actual fact nor does it prepare us to do something about it. This actual fact is especially important to understand in this digital age of content harvesting, online marketplace expansion, blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and a 552.17% increase in NFT trademark submissions between August 2021 and January 2022. In my article The Content Era: 2022 is the Year of Creatives and Entrepreneurs I explained, "we are now in a Content Era. Streaming services are in global competition over it, Podcasters and Bloggers need it to survive every week and it's like that Frank Lucas [American Gangster] blue magic to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube users. For THAT Economy to sustain itself Content must be consistently harvested from Creatives and Entrepreneurs who are sometimes trafficked through digital internet rings..." Content is another name for intellectual property [IP] or legal assets; the basis of this article. 

     During the COVID-19 shutdown, many people took advantage of that time to learn new things and develop new skills. I've known folks who completed Herbology courses, Music Engineering programs, and apprenticeships in different industries. While I had already studied the subject, I invested my time in learning how to file provisional patents, utility patents, and trademarks. One of the things that I immediately learned is the small number of patent and trademark lawyers, especially black lawyers, in this specialized area and the increasing demand for their services. By learning this skill I became more proficient in this specialized field of law. Even more proficient than lawyers who worked in other areas of law. My reasoning for learning this skill was to ultimately provide this service to folks who had no knowledge and/or capital to file a trademark or patent; which costs about $400 to trademark something and about $18,000 to patent an idea. In addition to the various projects that I was already involved in, and my peripheral research, this investment began my direct experience with securing legal assets or intellectual property.  None of this article is based upon a casual Google search, a Wikipedia scan, or hearsay from folks on YouTube talking about what they have never done and do not own. 

     Before we go any further let me first define what a legal asset or intellectual property is. A legal asset is defined as “real or personal property that has value.” Intellectual property [IP] refers to “valuable assets that we legally own such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; symbols, names, and images.” The value or worth of a legal asset or intellectual property is inherent. Meaning, that it is essential or built in its creation. It is not an asset because someone acknowledges or likes it or not. It is an asset because its nature is valuable. It is sort of like when we say the Black folks are divine. Our value is not because someone acknowledges or likes it or not. We are divine, or an asset, because our nature is valuable. When we create inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; symbols, names, and images they are also valuable. 

     If you have been following the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, in response to the United States sanctions on Russia, Russia has stripped away legal asset/intellectual property rights from U.S. companies doing business in Russia, along with foreign companies from 23 other “unfriendly” territories. According to the high-profile trademark attorney Josh Gerben, “companies like McDonald's and Starbucks that have left Russia to protest its invasion of Ukraine can do little when Russian businesses steal their trademarks. In fact, trademark applications were filed in Russia this week that bore a striking resemblance to marks belonging to Ikea, Instagram (FB), McDonald's, and Starbucks. These companies can't immediately fight back because challenges for unauthorized use are largely limited to Russian courts.” For those of us who have carelessly looked at legal assets/intellectual property as insignificant and unimportant, this political power move by Russia to shift the global economic landscape should make us reconsider our stance on the value of legal assets/intellectual property. When we do recognize this value, the questions we need to ask ourselves are what can we do to legally protect ourselves and our assets in a litigious society? Do we have health and dental insurance? Do we own property? Do we have a Last Will and Testament? Do we own any patents or trademarks? Do we have any life insurance policies? Do we have a marriage license? These and various other legal protections are just some things to seriously think about, especially for our families and future generations. 

CONFIDENTIALITY

     With this knowledge of legal assets/intellectual property, I was able to successfully file a provisional and utility patent for a unique fuel cell technology. Before my business partner and I even discuss this patent with companies we ensure that a three-year NDA [Non-Disclosure Agreement] is signed and notarized first. Because of our invention's inherent value, an NDA is a standard legal document that is used to protect the value and confidentiality of legal assets/intellectual property before you discuss them. This is the reason why we should not openly discuss specific matters related to a trademark filing, a patent, or any legal assets/intellectual property in the public domain. It compromises the security of those legal assets/intellectual property.

     When the Washington [now "Commanders"] football organization sought to rename their team they never had public discussions about the potential name of the team. In fact, they went as far as filing the original trademark in a foreign country whose trademark databases are difficult to search online. Months later the organization then filed an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office [USPTO]. Knowing that this trademark information would be publicly available and published with the USPTO, their filing was protected because the trademark application was based upon the earlier filing date in the foreign country. See, once a trademark is filed, there is a 30-day window to oppose/challenge its registration after the USPTO publishes the application for opposition. Following the above method of filing in a foreign jurisdiction is a workaround to limit the public's capacity to oppose a registration. If Lebron James has received legal guidance from a patent and trademark law firm then I am sure that he used this method before it was recently announced that he filed 4 new USPTO trademarks in the names of LEBRON JAMES, LEBRON, KING JAMES and CHOSEN1 related to the metaverse. Understanding this, when people openly discuss the specifics of a legal asset/intellectual property in a public forum it only informs the public of two more facts related to our litigious society: 

1.) Those people do not actually understand or own any digital assets/intellectual property. 

2.) Those people are legally vulnerable, and a liability to others, because of their ignorance of law and tech illiteracy. 

3.) Those people are actively promoting "IP Squatting" where someone other than the original owner(s) can acquire that legal asset/intellectual property and sell it back for a profit.

     I was once involved in confidential discussions regarding a unique legal asset/intellectual property that I personally secured in order to transfer ownership to a collective body of people. While I did not have those who participated in these confidential discussions sign an NDA, I did emphasize the importance of privacy and requested that they not share the specific details of those confidential discussions in the public domain. A short time after, I was disappointed to learn that some of the participants were sharing those specifics, and misinformation regarding this unique legal asset/intellectual property, in the public domain. While I did cover a great deal of legal territory using a power-point presentation that included an extensive FAQ segment, it was unfortunate to learn that some of those who participated in those discussions did not understand the importance of confidentiality or simply did not care. Either way, lacking that carelessness is a liability in an expanding litigious society. So I ask again, what can we do to legally protect ourselves and our assets in a litigious society? Do we have health and dental insurance? Do we own property? Do we have a Last Will and Testament? Do we own any patents or trademarks? Do we have any life insurance policies? Do we have a marriage license? These and various other legal protections are just some things to seriously think about, especially for our families and future generations. 

     This society is drastically changing with the exponential growth of technology. Those changes are not favorable for those of us who have little to no control over any legal assets/intellectual property. As black people, we cannot allow those changes to happen around us. As a Five Percenter, with our Allah Youth Center's 99-year lease quickly approaching, the gentrification of Harlem, the constant threat of our property being taken through eminent domain, no permanent location to hold our monthly gatherings, no legal control of our Universal Flag in the public domain, and no economic blueprint in an expanding litigious society, there are serious confidential discussions we need to have regarding protecting and preserving our cultural legacy. If we don't get it together we will be talking about these days, like our nation elders reminisce about the old days, with no visible evidence that these days ever even existed. Except for a street sign, of course, to mark what once was.

Peace,

Saladin 

Keys to Successful Community Building

#NiagaraFalls Mayor Robert Restaino, Myself, City Administration Anthony Restaino

 

     On Monday, April 4th I sat down with the Mayor and City Administrator of Niagara Falls to secure a permit for a Nature of Things documentary project that I am working on and to discuss other items regarding moving our municipality forward. Allah, the founder of our nation of the Five Percent was not anti-government. In fact, he successfully worked with Mayor John Lindsay's NYC Administration to help shape the policies that positively impacted the youth in his Harlem community. It was through his efforts that city government made various projects, programs, and initiatives available to support these at-risk youth and their families. As I share often, this is what was most impressionable to me about the work of Allah and his Five Percent. I grew up watching my parents and other adults work within my community and provide opportunities for neighborhood youth so I always recognized the value of such work, and benefitted from it myself.

     Over the years of doing community outreach and youth advocacy I have experienced a lot. There have been many frustrations, times I have felt disappointed and methods I have learned to be successful in these undertakings. In terms of youth advocacy, I built this online course for those who want to learn effective ways to reach/teach the youth. You can check out my Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters Youth Outreach Development Course HERE.

     On Tuesday April 4th I recorded this LIVE expounding upon various things that I have learned about community building. I was inspired to share it because I noticed some of my social media contacts expressing their frustrations and disappointments about getting people involved in community work. You can check out this recording below:

Peace,

Saladin

How do we honor our "Infinite Potential"?

Photo Credit: Samar Hamilton

In this 74th Episode of Atlantis Build Talk Radio I discuss honoring the infinite potential within us, especially when it comes to the youth. Also, please SUPPORT and SHARE my Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters Renovation Project. I am renovating a property to establish a cultural enrichment early childhood learning center and after school program:

LINK: WEBSITE 
PayPal: atlantisbuild@gmail.com
CashApp: $SaladinAllah

 

Atlantis Build Talk Radio · Episode 74 -Honoring our Infinite Potential

Where is the next home of our Universal Parliament?

Universal Parliament, P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman elementary school 
[November 28th, 1982]

     For over four decades P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman Elementary school has been the home of the Universal Parliament of our Nation of the Five Percent. Now it seems to be the end of an era, yet the beginning of a new opportunity. As I expressed in my article The Political Science of Five Percenter Parliaments:

"Parliament comes from the Old French "parlement" which means to speak. By definition, a Parliament is the legislative body of a government. The role of that body is to make and amend laws and hold the government accountable for its policies, actions and spending. In the context of the Five Percent, our Universal Parliament in Mecca [Harlem] was established for our nation's citizens to function as an informal legislative body and government. The Old French etymology for Parliament meaning to "speak" means "to build" [communicate/add-on] in the language of the Five Percent. Thus as Five Percenters we come together monthly at our Universal Parliament to build, introduce and amend policies, actions and spending related to our national headquarters in Mecca [Harlem, NY]." 

I go on to further explain that:

"Our Parliamentary Procedure, whether nationally in Mecca or among our international, regional and/or local legislative bodies of Five Percenters, is based upon our nation's principles and customs, namely the concept of social equality. Coming together for one common cause and being equal in everything insures that any present member of our nation, regardless of their age, gender or physical ability, has the right to build upon policies, actions and spending at our Parliament. If a decision needs to be made regarding a certain policy, action or spending, all input is gathered by the present members and a decision is made based upon majority rule [vote]. If a decision cannot be made, the issue is tabled until the next scheduled Parliament." 

   The global pandemic surrounding COVID, the 2020 shutdown, social gathering/distancing restrictions and now vaccinations mandates has been a huge adjustment for all of us. Educational institutions had to pivot to online learning models that most were not prepared for. In the mid 2010s I taught a free online self-development course via the Periscope App and since then people contacted me about teaching another one. This was prior to the LIVE function being incorporated into the Facebook and Instagram Apps that people use today. It was through that demand for an online course and my desire to create something more comprehensive that I created seven Youth Outreach Development Courses in 2018. Pre-pandemic and during the initial shutdown from February to May 2020 I also co-taught an Online Class For Women via the Zoom App. Heck, prior to this podcast wave we currently see everyone with a voice riding, I had a Gabcast talk radio show in the early 2000s before Blogtalk Radio existed. Even with all of this forward-thinking making these digital learning opportunities available, I was still not fully prepared for the huge adjustment this pandemic has caused. Even though I received some criticism from Five Percenter colleagues in regards to teaching online, the majority of them had to reassess their stance. When the shutdown happened and people were not allowed to gather in public spaces, some of these colleagues adapted and started looking for online platforms to build/connect with one another through. Along with classes, some even began to hold online Parliaments, which I've had the opportunity to attend. 

    As the country began to open back up with some restrictions, and people have been allowed to gather, we [Five Percenters] recently learned that P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman is no longer available to us to hold our Universal Parliaments or any group. According to School Administration Staff whom I spoke to, the auditorium space is not available to the public due to COVID gathering restrictions and unclear vaccination status protocols. While we have been able to adjust during the Summer months by holding Parliaments outdoors, as we approach the Autumn and Winter months this will become problematic without an indoor gathering space. As I shared above, we have utilized Harriet Tubman for over four decades. How we handle this critical point in our nation's trajectory will shape the future of our nation. In my perspective, whenever there is an absence of something, that is my evidence of opportunity.

So what can we do about this?

      One of the obvious solutions is to simply find another location, which will not be around the corner from our Allah Youth Center. While challenging, this may also be a great opportunity to establish a collective presence in another community! Once we find another location we should be expected to rent that space which means we will need the money to secure and sustain it. This will require more than a few people pitching in to keep things going like we sometimes see with Five Percenter projects, programs and initiatives. Another solution is to continue our online Parliaments until the Spring or Harriet Tubman becomes available to the public again. Lastly there is a current initiative being promoted by Born Black and Divine Prince for 100 Gods to contribute $100.00 to purchase a $10,000 heat sustaining enclosed tent that is 30ft wide x 40ft long and 12ft high. That tent will be assembled and erected inside of the courtyard next to the Allah Youth Center and used for Universal Parliaments and other projects, programs and initiatives going forward. 

     Whatever decision will be made, if any at all, we will still be here as the Five Percent. However, whatever decision we make, if any at all, will affect our social norms and how we congregate moving forward. That can be a positive or it can be negative. We can build upon these challenges to grow or allow these challenges to destroy our tradition of Universal Parliaments. It is on us, as it has always been.

Peace,

Saladin

Digital Missteps in a Cancel Culture Industry

   

   The Internet, and social media in particular, is doing more than reshaping our brain architecture and how we explore and attend the real world. 

     In my article Is Social Media The Digital "Turn on, Tune in, Drop out"? I wrote, "Fifteen years ago National News was a mainstream talking point for at least a week. Nowadays National News has about a 48 hour life unless other information is shared in connection to that information. This is why stories are now shared in segments and you rarely get all of the details when a story breaks. This is not because of lack of information, it is often done in parts to lengthen the life of a story. Sometimes the wrong information is deliberately shared in order to retract it 24-48 hours later, which insures web traffic for another two days. Keep in mind that I am speaking from personal experience, as a writer and as a subject who was catapulted into the spotlight in 2014 when I was cited by as a subject matter expert by the international and national press on Jay-Z's Five Percenter Jewelry." 

     In regards to this digital landscape I went on to elaborate that, "All social media formats use a scroll screen model. This enables users to easily scroll through pages without the cumbersome task of reading anything. If reading was not considered cumbersome, social media Apps would not limit the character count to convey a thought. While some people have learned and are learning to use these limited/ideal character counts to refine concise truncated thought, many others have found themselves becoming less and less equipped to communicate, online and offline. This technological shift coincides with what we are also seeing across the country with the closing and defunding of libraries, the historically low ELA competency levels in primary school students and the moving away from handwriting in exchange for typing."

    With these changes and the creation of D2C [direct-to-consumer] mediums where people can interact without middlemen, there has also been a paradigm shift in how people navigate the digital landscape, interact with one another and engage the media. With the proliferation of Cancel Culture, these mediums have become problematic for many people, especially public figures, who feel as though they can Like/💓/😂, tweet, post/repost, comment, inbox, DM or LIVE Chat whatever they want. Sha'Carri Richardson is just one example of numerous athletes, entertainers, public officials and etc. who have found themselves in hot water because they clearly lacked "professional advice" on what to say, or not say.., publicly. Some people have literally lost their careers, and the ability to financially support their loved ones, because of digital missteps. Many athletes, entertainers, public officials and etc. have been lured into the illusion that because social media enables them to directly connect with people, investing in professional consultants to help curate their content and engagement is not necessary. In regards to freedom, I understand. Paying folks to give their professional advice on some of our thoughts before we share them may feel like a lot. Yet it is not nearly the price many of us end paying without that advice. 

     Gossip Blogs, Podcasts, Reaction Videos, LIVE Streamers, Mainstream Media and etc. all thrive on Digital Missteps; resharing, recreating and recycling it as traffic driving monetized content that they feed off of. This is an entire billion dollar industry based upon digitally amplifying imperfections. An industry that Generation Z [Zoomers] now look at as a viable career like my Generation X looked at college. And hey, I understand. YouTubers like DJ Akademiks don't even need to spin records to make a living. All you need to do is talk about people and instigate beefs; the same thing some of my elementary school students like to do. Now adults make money doing it. 

    As a cultural content creator I could share a different article, video, book, class, presentation, animation, album, song, poem, news story, podcast, interview, project, program or initiative that I have created/co-created every single day for the next 5 years without reposting anything. I am not talking about posts or tweets just sharing my thoughts. I am talking about sharing a different example of actual work that I have successfully completed, every day of the week, for 5 strait years without fail. Being a Five Percent pioneer in this space, this has enabled me to establish a global digital footprint that pushes our culture forward into uncharted territories. I am very proud of that. I am especially proud of the fact that none of my content is based upon gossip, instigating beefs or ambulance chasing for views. 

     For over a decade now I have also worked as a professional consultant. In this capacity I have had the opportunity to advise many athletes, entertainers, public officials and etc. on how they should best answer interview questions, respond to panel discussion topics, craft email correspondences, pen think pieces, issue public statements and etc. Because of the confidentiality of this kind of work I would never betray their trust and share who I work with. Yet if people are observant enough they could possibly tell who these people are based upon my global digital footprint and self-styled wisdom. So it is from this vantage point of view that I am assessing this changing digital landscape and what I see as a vital need for folks to invest in professional consultants. If not, we will continue to see the best of our athletes, entertainers, public officials and etc. living with a Cancel Culture sword above their heads.

Peace,

Saladin

WATCH HERE: United Nations Panel Discussion on "Resistance"

     On July 29th I participated in an online panel discussion hosted by the United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery. This panel highlighted the Samuel L. Jackson award-winning Enslaved docuseries that I appear in; Episode 5 "Resistance." 

     Every year on 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade offers the opportunity to honor and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today. As a part of this year's National Day of Remembrance, the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme consisted of a series of panel discussions and episode screenings of Enslaved. 

     I am thankful for this opportunity and you can view our Enslaved Episode 5 "Resistance" panel discussion at the link below.

UNITED NATIONS PANEL DISCUSSION

Are We Trolling OR Teaching?

     In my last article What Is A Poor Righteous Teacher? I shared some insight on the etymology of the word "poor", its use in the 1800s until now and how it has been misinterpreted by some Five Percenters as evidenced by their quality of life. There are many Five Percenters who understood and appreciated that article because they do not represent that segment of our population. They desire more for us as a Nation and that is also evidenced by their quality of life. However, there were those who felt that my article was inaccurate and an unfair assessment of the poverty mindset among some Five Percenters. From their perspective I painted the Five Percent with a broad brushstroke which contributes to the negative narratives about us. That does not accurately reflect the content of my article or any of my contributions to this society. While genuine peer review and accountability is always important with our work, it is also important to offer practical solutions to what we see as problematic. Sitting back talking or just repeating what someone else said is not enough. We must have something to share, something we built that actually works. So lets build about that work and what works.

     For two decades I have consistently worked to be one of the many positive representations of the Five Percent. This work, from my youth initiatives, articles, books and animation series to being a Humans Rights Commissioner and Educator in my city, has literally served as evidence to help win court cases for incarcerated Five Percenters fighting to prove our cultural legitimacy. I am very proud of this and the various other ways that people have benefitted from these contributions. Among the different niches that Five Percenters have, we are not all a-alike. While there are some Five Percenters who represent the best of what we teach, there are others who behave like they don't agree with Dumar Wa'de's statement that We Are Not A Gang. You can see by how they live and a simple glance at their social media will have you confused about what they actually represent. Their social media is usually a hodgepodge of vulgar memes, trolling, throwback pictures of Five Percenter pioneers, Henny toasts, wannabe IG model flicks wearing our Universal Flag and video clips of questionable Eighty-Fiver behavior. These are the same folks who long to be professionally recognized as a credible source of Five Percent culture. The irony is, I am actually one of the most qualified people to teach them yet they usually don't want to learn who is causing all of this to professionally happen... Most times I am outright embarrassed by what I see and often find myself in awkward positions striving to diplomatically explain to outside onlookers that, "all of us [Five Percenters] are at different stages in our growth and development. Regardless what knowledge you think we have, some of us are evolving as civilized people, some of us are not and will not evolve as civilized people. That choice is entirely up to us." I receive so many emails, inboxes and DMs from people inquiring about our culture via the out-of-pocket behavior they see that I actually saved a standard response for folks to save time responding. Yeah, it is that serious.

     See, when we gain knowledge of self it is not like we start off with a blank slate and everything we have thought, said or done prior to that simply disappears. It does not work that way. In this journey we are not simply learning things. We also unlearn things that are not good for our growth and development. Well, we are supposed to unlearn things. We all experience this, even if we claim to be born into the Five Percent Nation. Living within this wilderness of North America we are all exposed to what others think, say and do. Some of that exposure is corrupting and contradicts our culture. All of us have to deal with this reality and none of us are exempt from it. How committed and consistent we are to deal with that corruption and those contradictions is entirely up to us. It is apparent, at least to me, that some of us have a much harder time with civilization than others.

     Over the years of having knowledge of self, the biggest challenge that I see among many of my fellow Five Percenters is how to connect What We Teach TO What We Will Achieve. Now some Five Percenters would argue that "What We Teach and What We Will Achieve" is not an authentic plus degree. Regardless if we think this or not, it is not debatable that there is a huge disparity between what folks say they teach and what they are actually achieving. There is no shortage of content you can find on social media of people sharing longwinded posts about Today's Mathematics or pictures with captions pontificating about what we teach and how it should/shouldn't be taught. However, there is a severe lacking of the same content that practically shows what we are actually achieving with these teachings. There is "some" content yet not nearly as much content as adults taking group pictures and talking. When I started sharing YouTube videos well over a decade ago and writing articles, my consistent focus has always been to demonstrate how I am actually using what we teach to positively impact my family and community in a practical way. My social media presence is based upon the same premise and over the years that focus has expanded beyond my family and community to include my city, other cities, states and countries. This is the reason that the national and international press contact me in regards to content related to our Nation of the Five Percent, why I currently have five books in a Curatorial Activism archive at the British Library and how I've had the professional opportunities to work with actors such as Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson and others. I have done and do all of this as a proud, public Five Percenter who literally comes in the name of Saladin Allah. I am not a Five Percenter at a Parliament but Marco the security guard the rest of the month. For whatever reason, some folks just don't like that I am in this kind of public position. When they are not playing a lazy game of Poison The Well, they are clumsily trying to discredit anything that they see me do while deliberately ignoring the things that are clearly of credit even to their own families. 

"Own It" -Drake

     

     As a public Five Percenter, my experience is not all Sun, Moon and Stars. I deal with bullsh*t just like everybody else, sometimes more than you could imagine. I have experienced dudes calling my home hundreds of times in a day. Yeah, I said hundreds. I have received snapshots of dudes gossiping about me in sausage party group chats. I have gotten pop-up trolled by lurkers who never even liked a post about my children. Dudes have circulated sloppy snippets of my content offline to try and discredit me. I have also been publicly/privately threatened with violence online and etc. None of these experiences involved women. Not one. While I have had some limited experience with girls harassing me when I was a teenager, never in my life did I ever expect to experience this kind of behavior from 30-50 year old dudes. Never! Allah was in his mid thirties and early forties when he was teaching youth in the streets of Harlem and I could not imagine him behaving like this. That dysfunctional behavior has nothing to do with Five Percent culture or "building." It has everything to do with what I see as a mental health and/or a substance abuse problem or folks who have become institutionalized; something that I am very well acquainted with because my Ole Earth [Mother] was a social psychologist by profession. No healthy, heterosexual, working family man would be that fixated on another man and behave like this. 

     Some would probably ask, "Saladin why do you even care?" Well as I mentioned earlier, we are all exposed to what others think, say and do while living in this wilderness of North America. So it does affect us, even if it is just a distraction seeing or hearing about it. In order to maintain a positive mental health state and sense of homeostasis we have to develop effective ways to neutralize and manage this exposure. After words, sometimes that exposure has the exact opposite effect; like the time someone posted a screenshot of my Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters Page to denigrate my work and I instantly received new followers, messages of support and donations to my Atlantis School Renovation Project.

     When it comes to our stability, it is important not to minimize or gloss over the impact this COVID-19 pandemic is actually having on our individual and collective mental health, including those who claim to be "woke" or have knowledge of self. In fact, it is my assessment that this pandemic will born a mental health epidemic that will undoubtedly impact our Five Percent Nation. As Five Percenters, attending virtual parliaments, posting videos about Supreme Mathematics and taking pictures wearing our Universal Flag is not an effective mental health plan. Based upon some of our behavior, some of us need serious professional help and there is nothing wrong with that. We all need help in some capacity. What IS wrong is using social media and/or substance abuse to try and self-medicate. 

     A decade ago, in 2011, I published the book Explorations of God/Earth Mental Health that offers insight on what we have begun to see, particularly among some Five Percenters, and how we can address this. Following the recent tragic deaths of my father and brother on the same day, hours apart, under two entirely different circumstances, I took the initiative to get therapy for the first time in my life. I never experienced anything tragic like this before in my life and I wanted to be proactive in putting resources in place that can support me through my grieving process. Access to a safe-space that enables me to unpack and process my thoughts and feelings about this tragedy and trauma with an objective black therapist, not just talking to my physical/universal family, has been very therapeutic for me. I would definitely encourage others to do the same to help unpack and process tragedy and trauma; especially those black/brown males who never talk about being molested as children and/or who have experienced sexual violence while they were incarcerated. I am fortunate to have never experienced this and can only imagine how difficult it must be for those who quietly carry around this question about their manhood and sexuality. I would also encourage Five Percenters to explore becoming a therapist if they are interested in that field. We need more of our own people creating these culturally competent safe-spaces to support our positive mental health. Lastly, we need more people showing evidence of our Five Percent teachings with actual achievements, not just being trolls. 

Peace,

Saladin

What Is A Poor Righteous Teacher?

   Artist: Poor Righteous Teachers Album: Pure Poverty [1991] 

   In all of my years of being a Five Percenter, one of the most misinterpreted phrases I have seen is "Poor Righteous Teacher." I say seen, and not heard, because it is not a topic that you hear highly debated like 'power vs. power refinement' or 'the correct universal flag.' You literally see a person's perspective of a Poor Righteous Teacher based upon their quality of life.

   When most people consider the word "poor" they think about not having any money, being broke and the inability to afford designer clothes. Those who think a little deeper considers poor as "poverty" and the various psychological, socioeconomic and political elements that contribute to that state. In our modern dictionary, poor is defined as "lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society." Historically the word poor carried another meaning and over time it began to take on the meaning we see reflected in our modern dictionary. Let me explain.

   Back in 16th Century Europe a price revolution occurred. These series of adjustments caused inflation and shifted the landscape of Europe and its citizens perspectives concerning monetary standards. Some Economists theorize that this price revolution was caused by a large influx of gold, silver, spices and other commodities into Europe. That is partly true. What they usually fail to mention is the pre-influx of 'black gold' into the European economy -- i.e., black people via the transatlantic slave trade. This black gold set the premise for the triangular trade and the foundation for a future American economy. This time period is following the Black Plague; a pandemic that depopulated a large part of Europe. That pandemic, like today's coronavirus, caused food prices and other commodities to inflate due to their scarcity and demand. Why is this important to understand? Because this gives you a sense of the socioeconomic backdrop in 16th Century Europe. Poor meant something different to people during that time. Just like black folks during the Great Depression in America looked at poor differently than young black folks do today. 

   During the socioeconomic changes within 16th Century Europe, folks didn't simply define poor as not having sufficient money. Poor, to them, was defined within the context of frugality; a word derived from the Latin "frugalis" (e.g., thrifty, economical, moderate, sensible). That perspective of poverty, as being frugal, was a quality of life theme consistent within Old World social life. In modern society we may view their circumstances as simply poor, yet their station in life was viewed in class terms of modesty vs. extravagance. As the Old World became the citizenry source of a developing New World, this concept of frugality was carried over into an American socioeconomic landscape. In time, the concept of frugality began to fade following the Traditionalist Generation and the word "frugal" fell out of common use. 

The above history is important to lay out because it provides context for the phrase Poor Righteous Teacher for the Five Percent here in the wilderness of North America. The reason that I mentioned black folks perspective of poverty during the Great Depression, how the concept of frugality faded and the word frugal fell out of common use is because it was at this time that the Supreme Wisdom book was created among black folks here in America. More specifically in the black-bottom neighborhood section of Detroit Michigan. It is within this book of lessons where we get our introduction to the phrase "Poor Righteous Teacher." 

Who are the Five Percent on this poor part of the planet Earth?

"They are the poor righteous teachers who don't believe in the teachings of the 10%. Who are all wise and know who the true and living God is..."

   When learning this 16th lesson there are many Five Percenters who interpret "poor righteous teachers" to mean that we must make a vow of poverty in order to be righteous and teach others. Thus the accumulation of wealth, entrepreneurship or business ownership is often equated with being a rich slave maker. These economic endeavors are often viewed as believing in the teachings of the 10% or blood suckers of the poor. In the early days of the Five Percent Nation even the pursuit of higher education was considered believing in the teachings of the 10%, AKA "the white man's education", by some Five Percenters. It took one of our pioneers, UM-Allah, to attend and graduate from college with a Masters degree to show the real value of higher education. These attitudes about poverty and wealth building is one of the main reasons our nation of the Five Percent has lacked a clear cohesive economic development plan. The irony is, the accumulation of wealth, property and business ownership by "poor" black people in America from the time of Reconstruction up until the 1950s is still unrivaled by the rich black folks we see today. Their concept of "poor" was not about lacking, it was about being frugal and coming together for one common cause. How else did our formerly enslaved ancestors and their children acquire acres of land, build communities and establish thriving towns in the South? Frugality. This same perspective of frugality applies to being righteous teachers. 

Business Partners: (L/R) Wise Intelligent, Dr. Sam Williams, Master P, James Lindsay

Photo Credit: Instagram @wiseintelligent 

   Poor Righteous Teacher means that our target demographic are the disenfranchised. Why? Because as Matthew 19: 24 states, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." It is not often that a rich person willingly gives up extravagance in order to live a modest Godly life. Thus we focus on those who need it most, without excluding others. Poor Righteous Teacher also means a righteous teacher to the frugal or righteous teachers of frugality. This does not mean that in order to be righteous and teach we need to make a vow of poverty or walk around like a model for Ye's post-apocalyptic looking clothing line. Being a Poor Righteous Teacher also does not mean to be a chronically unemployed block hugger. As civilized people we need to work, in order to effectively do our duty. We cannot claim knowledge as our foundation when we are literally unstable... We cannot be swift and changeable with our wisdom and a couch surfing transient at the same time. Some Five Percenters behave like there is an inherent righteous humility in brokeness. In their mind "money is the root of all evil" so they shun wealth because getting money is evil. Plus anybody with money must be doing something evil. This long suffering mindset that some Five Percenters have is the same thing that they may ridicule church folk about when they claim that heaven is after they die. The reality is, we are collectively disenfranchised, regardless what we call ourselves. And as a collective, black consumerism produces over a trillion dollars annually and is an unleveraged 'black gold' buying power on par with some countries. We are not poor-poor. We lack frugality.

   For many of our people, and some of us as Five Percenters, our relationship to money and definition of poverty must change. As we move into an expanding age of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, cooperative economics is a vital part of our survival and our ability to thrive in this growing global market. As teachers of righteousness, we play a key role in providing the sustainable perspectives and ethical outlook to push our people forward socioeconomically. We help set the trajectory of civilization and we cannot do this if we are naked and out of doors without bread, clothing or a home. We, and our future generations, demand better than that.

Peace,                                                                                                                                                    Saladin